2d New player tutorial?

[Trevelyan]

Started a new account for my girlfriend, she logs in, makes a new character (a default template) and she yells

"What do I do?"

What happened to tutorials for new players? And how is anyone supposed to know how to play the game?

 

[Cailleach]

As well as there being a pile of stuff on this site, you might find Paidrics site of some assistance here

http://haven.uosites.com/

 

[Trevelyan]

Yet there is no official tutorials?

A few years ago there was a competition to write a guide for each profession - have no idea where they are now.

I find it sad that players joining UO have so little help to get them started:

What happened to the mongbat/banana tutorial? That was perfect, helped you move, pathfind, kill, buy and sell.

I am really really sad about this - the idea "if it isnt broken, dont fix it" really applies here. The removal of this really hinders people getting into the game.

 

[Cailleach]

Yet there is no official tutorials?

A few years ago there was a competition to write a guide for each profession - have no idea where they are now.

I find it sad that players joining UO have so little help to get them started:

What happened to the mongbat/banana tutorial? That was perfect, helped you move, pathfind, kill, buy and sell.

I am really really sad about this - the idea "if it isnt broken, dont fix it" really applies here. The removal of this really hinders people getting into the game.

That would be the reason guilds like HLP or my guild, SAOR, exist - specifically to help new players. In all honesty, we've had to stop recruiting for the moment, til the dust settles. But the other thing we've found that helps new/returning players immensely is global chat. Finally, there is a chat system that allows access to a lot of players without actually having to go and find someone! It's been very helpful indeed. Of course, the alternative is you do what my husband did. I spent my first 6 months in game following him around and getting yelled at. Heal me, don't heal me, ebolt it, drop an ev, invis me INVIS ME. It's a good job I'm a tolerant sort of spouse

 

[Trevelyan]

While I would say that community sites, chat and other players represent the "community" aspect of UO, the problem is that there are just so few people around in haven. And although I really really dislike single-player aspects in multiplayer games (IE quests), there really needs to be some sort of structure in place to help a new player get to grips with UO.

From Mythic's point of view, they really cant rely on other people to integrate new players into the game. Im trying not to refer to when I was new, but really, there were a whole bunch of things that existed then that dont know.

- A box with a detailed manual
- Initial tutorial that let me put what id read in the manual into practice
- a newbie-only area (as in, nobody but new players could be there!)
- Companions were the main thing that helped me get some perspective (what is "good" and what is not)
- other new/not-so-experienced players
- A central place that people would "hang out"

Companions no longer exist and argueably are no longer needed with people able to access haven. However, despite help that players give, new players may be confused or intimidated by other players and their gear (EG my girlfriend was confused by all the stuff I had and was using).

I think that seeing someone playing UO now.. just starting out.. reminds me a lot of how UO used to be and reminds me of all the things it seems to lack now.

 

[Mairut]

Didn't there used to be a tutorial? Maybe it came with one of the boxes or something.

Taught you how to move your character around, toggle on/off attack mode and some other stuff. You walked through something that looked like a crypt, if I remember correctly. And there was some magus npc or something there leading the tutorial. Maybe I'm thinking of something from a different game... pretty sure there was something like that though.

 

[Dermott of LS]

...

There is a tutorial.

It was added in with the KR client and still is used for the EC client.

*Gets ready for all of the "Oh God, how dare he state facts about a client other than 2d again" posts*

 

[Rainfo X]

u got me cracking up. sounds like u should just get her to play spore or wow...if UO is not the game for her? theres obviously tons to do in the game... huh

 

[Trevelyan]

She likes taming bunnies and she can't fight very well. A better game is Diner Dash and similar flash games but that isnt the point.

And as for the KR/SA client tutorial - that isn't 2d!

 

[Dermott of LS]

...

2d has never had a tutorial... and the direction games are going with them, I doubt many new gamers would have been able to survive either the early days of UO or the early days of games in general where you're thrown in and told "go".

I remember the original UO black box... the disc and a little foldout pamphlet showing the commands and the cloth map... that was about it. There wasn't even a New Haven to start in... you picked your town and hoped for the best.

 

[Trevelyan]

Since the second age, I think it was, there has been a tutorial. Certianly in 2000 when I started. This was around for years, even after AOS there was a tutorial until haven blew up.

 

[Falseprophet]

There is "Sir Helper" the profession guide, that spams "double click on me for help", That directs new players to the appropriate trainers and quest givers. It's not much of a "tutorial" but it does help.

 

[Martyna Zmuir]

2D did in fact have a tutorial of sorts... You were placed in them depending on your main starting skills. They were in Haven, Umbra, Luna, and an inaccessible (by older players) manor house for the SE skills.

Eventually all of those disappeared when they made the bizarre move of blowing up Haven and getting rid of nearly ALL the newbie quests there.

KR/EC does have a newbie quest line which is VERY poorly done and only lasts about 5 mins before dumping you bewildered in the middle of New Haven.

While its awesome that there are guilds out there ready to take the trickle of 'new players' under their wings and show them the ropes, Mythic should not be relying on the generosity of the p(l)ayerbase.

UO needs a coherent new player experience that teaches them how to interact with objects, dress themselves, engage in combat, travel, etc. The current system doesn’t explain trade windows, moongates, magic beyond mage scrolls, etc. It doesn't even take their starting template into consideration.

UO's learning curve is way too steep for such a pathetic new player experience that is only available in one client. If Mythic really wants new players they need to remedy this quickly, and learn to advertise...

 

[Tanivar]

UO:Ren came with a guidebook and I think it was UO:LBR that came with a wall poster with command info on one side & custom house info on the other.

There is Game Client info here. http://www.uoherald.com/guide/index.php

 

[Cailleach]

I remember the new player quest in Old Haven (which I loved dearly; I still don't like 'New' Haven) - I was hustled through said quest by an impatient husband and learned on the wing, as it were.

In my experience, there's a lot that new players need advice on. The following list is off the top of my head.

1) Templates - you DON'T want to hear about some of them I've come across. Really. I now have a small library of books in our GH about basic templates.

2) Insurance - very important.

3) Where and how and why to train skillsets for best gains.

4) Max resists and how to set stats.

5) Which weapons to use, where applicable, and why.

6) How to dress and undress a char.

7) Why NOT to try and talk to an NPC in war mode - you can't attack Haven NPC's but I learned the hard way about the wandering healers.

8) How to toggle in and out of war mode - see above.

9) How to make bandy and spell macros.

10) How to make gold - a reasonable amount of.


And that's just off the top of my head - I could probably think of a fair bit more given time. On the plus side, we have some wonderful players with us now, ones we've taken the time over and who have, with a bit of support, become valued members of our guild. One in particular springs to mind; I found him running naked round Haven, with a skill set that makes me wince to think about. I got him started on PvM, then one of our PvP guys took him under his wing and he's doing pretty damn good with that too.

Whilst I agree that it's EA's responsibility to make the process of learning the game as smooth and easy as possible, they're clearly just not interested in it. One of the most wonderful things about this game is the people you meet whilst playing it, and, since EA aren't interested, those guilds and players that do help new players will 'make or break' the game for them. The only thing that really concerns me is that we can't catch them ALL - I so wish we could - and I wonder how many players EA has lost because UO has such depth and complexity and there's no process in place to make it easier for new players to learn.

 

[Cloak&Dagger]

2D did in fact have a tutorial of sorts... You were placed in them depending on your main starting skills. They were in Haven, Umbra, Luna, and an inaccessible (by older players) manor house for the SE skills.

Eventually all of those disappeared when they made the bizarre move of blowing up Haven and getting rid of nearly ALL the newbie quests there.

KR/EC does have a newbie quest line which is VERY poorly done and only lasts about 5 mins before dumping you bewildered in the middle of New Haven.

While its awesome that there are guilds out there ready to take the trickle of 'new players' under their wings and show them the ropes, Mythic should not be relying on the generosity of the p(l)ayerbase.

UO needs a coherent new player experience that teaches them how to interact with objects, dress themselves, engage in combat, travel, etc. The current system doesn’t explain trade windows, moongates, magic beyond mage scrolls, etc. It doesn't even take their starting template into consideration.

UO's learning curve is way too steep for such a pathetic new player experience that is only available in one client. If Mythic really wants new players they need to remedy this quickly, and learn to advertise...

This was all post-aos....prior to that the closest thing to a tutorial was in 2001, and really. Aside from all this they removed the 2d starting tutorial because they had every plan to remove the 2d client, there is still tutorials in New Haven you are just not tossed into them.

As for the learning curve, no amount of tutorials could possibly teach you how to play UO, with this in mind I do not agree they should put it in the 2d client, since the 2d is not where legitimate new players would even be drawn to unless currently players do not offer them the option (noted in this thread) on top of that people need to start realizing they are trying really hard to get rid of the "2 client" situation. I do agree that the new player experience in KR or the EC is limited and might need some addressing, I also go back to saying no amount of tutorials would teach you how to play UO, and if they ever allotted for "enough" tutorial new players would get tired of it to fast.

But really for 3 and a half years UO did just fine with out so much as a guide book and even after that the simple tutorials that were offered were very simple "go here, switch to war mode, kill monster, double click corpse, pick up item, place in back pack, bring to here" that was more or less the extent of the tutorial for another year or 2? And that was the height of the UO population. limited tutorials and yet tons of new players all the time.

 

[MissEcho]

The official playguide is here:

UO.Com Playguide if your girlfriend is using 2d then click on classic client.

The Tutorial I wrote for KR can be used by anyone, sections 1, 3, 4 & 5 deal with 'what to do' and can be applied to any client, although it was writen for the new client. (section 2 deals only with KR/EC new player tutorial which is not available in 2d)
That can be accessed here:

KR/EC new player guide

 

[Kellgory]

I started by buying the SE box and the only instructions that came with that box was how to build a Japanese style house. At least back then they did have the Haven quest that was helpful if you choose a warrior template and they also have the samurai and ninja quests that at least have basic instructions. I ended up buying an player guide for like Blackthornes Revenge and eventhough it had old and outdated material it was enough to get the basics.

 

[Trevelyan]

Hrm I think only one person posted that they remembered the tutorial where you run through a dungeon, pathfind and kill mongbats, after selling and buying bread from an NPC.

Still, there have been newbie tutorials for various classes as each new expansion was released. Now youre just plonked in the middle of haven with no idea of how to do these basic things like even just moving. Does it teach you about buying and selling?

And the uo.com playguide is quite comprehensive, although the order isnt exactly newbie friendly. Maybe put movement much earlier on. But if you do that, I would say to just make a new player tutorial in-game (aka, mongbat-bread-dungeon!)

And in the playguide, what did Shamino do?

"Shamino
Shamino skilled ranger and an important member of the Ruling Council."

I think the playguide isn't very accessible to anyone who hasn't been given the link. I hadn't even considered it as I just assumed there would be something in-game. Although maybe the codex has something *hasn't checked*