[MUD-Dev] Newbies

[Charles Hughes]

On Tuesday, February 22, 2000 5:55 PM, Johan J Ingles-le Nobel 
[SMTP:xvf61 at dial.pipex.com] wrote:
> When complete newbies log onto my mud, players are not as helpful as I
> like, for a variety of reasons.
...
> if I might prod your collective wisdom...
>
> Have others experienced this phenomenon, and how did they deal with it?

I, as a player, with no imm powers whatsoever and no control over the MUD,
provided help to newbies.  I did this when I wasn't busy regardless of the
level of the character I was playing.  Why?  I remembered how I was
helped out when I first started and how having a lot of information from
long-time players helped me do things no newbie can do.  It was payback
in one way, but I also liked playing that way.  I consider it fun to
actually help people without reward, so long as they aren't jerks.  I've
even killed off a few to teach them a lesson about being a jerk AND
I've helped some of those same jerks become nicer players. (Some quit,
and to that I can only say good riddance.)

How can you increase it in your game?  Build it in.  In the mud I was
playing, in order to become an imm you had to help low level characters
gain levels.  You needed to lead them around, presumably teaching them
the ropes, and earn them 100-200 levels.  That's a long time no matter
what, so players were willing to help the newbies to help themselves.
I never reached the point where I was willing to immort a character,
but I spent far more time helping newbies than it would have taken
someone to immort.

A newbie channel isn't enough, and anything less than an average
population of 5 in newbie areas isn't enough either unless you have a
chat channel.  (Why 5?  Because 1 is just passing through, 2-3 are
usually chatting with each other or arranging a group, 4 is the same
as 2-3 & 1, and 5 - that magical 5th person, is someone just hanging
out a little bored and willing to help a newbie. :)

Without knowing more about your MUD, it would be difficult to make
any suggestions.




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