Use of Global Chat for NEW PLAYERS should be made more straightforward

[popps]

Today I met a player in game, he/she said to be a new player and, from the questions I was being asked, I do have a feeling that he/she was a genuine new player and not someone pulling my legs.

Which is great news, I think, for UO.

Anyways, besides trying to help, I asked whether he/she was logged on Global Chat where he/she could receive more prompt assistance from other players willing to help, in case, well, to my surprise he/she did not even know that Ultima Online had such thing (what is it ? I got asked....) neither how to log onto Global Chat.

This made me think that perhaps some more effort could be done with gumps or something, or even a small guide at first login for new players, to teach to new players how to turn on their Global Chat and how to use it. That's a way to make it easier for new players to seek help from other players, whenever needed.

Anyways, just a thought.

 

[Petra Fyde]

You may have missed it, but the Devs are currently in the middle of creating a new New Player guide. I'm sure they will be appreciative of your input.
Meantime you could try directing new players here, for help from fellow players, to our own playguide pages at UO Stratics - News - Main or even http://www.uo.guide.com

 

[Nexus]

Honestly considering the foulness you usually see in General Chat, I don't know if I'd want new players joining it right away.......

Trust me I have and do play other MMO's and the General Chat in UO and from my observations.. "You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy." as Master Obi-Wan would say....

 

[Amber Moon]

Well, on Baja it is usually pretty nice and certainly helpful to newbs and returnees. Also as an occasional trade channel.

As always, there are the usual spats of immature PvP trash talk about someones mother or sexual preferences. And I am sure it can be worse on other or larger shards. Anybody that has been to other games is used to this I am sure.

But in general I support this idea although I do believe it should be obvious to any developer thinking about helping new players along.

 

[The Bait Dangler]

Honestly considering the foulness you usually see in General Chat, I don't know if I'd want new players joining it right away.......

Trust me I have and do play other MMO's and the General Chat in UO and from my observations.. "You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy." as Master Obi-Wan would say....

You are completely and utterly wrong.

 

[Tina Small]

I never cared much for the global chat option until I started playing on Siege. Although people sometimes have disagreements there in global chat, most people playing there keep their language pretty clean. It also has, by far, the most consistently helpful and friendly chat I've ever encountered. Newcomers to the shard who speak up in chat are noticed and given a friendly greeting almost immediately. And because the shard is home for people from all over the world, General Chat is rarely completely quiet for very long. Just don't try fishing in chat to find out what everyone's doing or where they are...those are two questions that are generally met with a stone wall of silence!

Siege chat: Another one of UO's best-kept secrets.

 

[Sevin0oo0]

newer player's guide or online guide, whichever, if I have to go look it up somewhere, I'll probably just not use it. If someone asked me in-game, I would not know how to use it. I know mine was 'auto-on' for a long time, now it's stopped, thankfully. What's wrong with a button, or a movable button like we have for skill use? Something I can see w/o digging thru menus, I don't have the want-to for stuff like that. Same w/ guild talk, and 'note to self'. Once, I had respond in a chat to a GM reply, didn't know how, still don't

 

[claudia-fjp]

General chat is fine for new players so long as they don't mind racism, gay bashing, and sexually explicit conversations. If only the people who rated games for content REALLY knew what was going to go on in UO with the addition of global chat they may not have had an issue with dismembering bodies.

 

[gunneroforgin]

I rarely if ever turn on general chat. It is too distracting.

 

[Eyes of Origin]

General chat is fine for new players so long as they don't mind racism, gay bashing, and sexually explicit conversations. If only the people who rated games for content REALLY knew what was going to go on in UO with the addition of global chat they may not have had an issue with dismembering bodies.

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[Luvmylace]

Global chat would be too close to turning UO into (name edited)another game with and into a GLOBAL TRADER SYSTEM !!!!We who merchant , love our vendors and that would kill UO for sure.
Besides that, and to answer and with an emphatic NO to a chat system that needs moderators now.!!!
New Players need a friend,a mentor ,a UO guidebook(perhaps the original guidebook to order or free with first time gamers) but not the crap talk that chat has become .I can't think of a better way to scare people off

 

[popps]

Honestly considering the foulness you usually see in General Chat, I don't know if I'd want new players joining it right away.......

Trust me I have and do play other MMO's and the General Chat in UO and from my observations.. "You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy." as Master Obi-Wan would say....

Since PvP happens in Felucca, how about the "default" General Chat is limited to Trammel located characters and then a "PvP General Chat" is made available for character located in Felucca ?

Whenever a Felucca located character will try to access the Trammel General Chat, they would get a message saying they are not allowed to....

This would not solve the issue entirely but probably, greatly reduce it.......
As much, at least, not to be a problem to new players of the game who will most likely wander around Trammel rather than Felucca......

 

[Amber Moon]

Or a separate PvP oriented channel.. call it the Challenge Channel .. never hurts to stroke those poor egos...

 

[popps]

newer player's guide or online guide, whichever, if I have to go look it up somewhere, I'll probably just not use it. If someone asked me in-game, I would not know how to use it. I know mine was 'auto-on' for a long time, now it's stopped, thankfully. What's wrong with a button, or a movable button like we have for skill use? Something I can see w/o digging thru menus, I don't have the want-to for stuff like that. Same w/ guild talk, and 'note to self'. Once, I had respond in a chat to a GM reply, didn't know how, still don't

At least on the Classic Client (not sure about the Enhanced Client...), logging to the Global Chat is not exactly that straightforward. Not to mention knowing the keys one has to press in order to talk in Chat.

If there was a "Chat" button on the Paperdoll, perhaps it would make it easier at least to login a Chat channel but the issue with not knowing what keys must be pressed would remain....

Perhaps something like an in-game "help" command with sub menues (sort of like the Test server) might be somewhat helpfull ??

The new player would know that typing "HELP" in game would bring up a Menu from which they can find the issue they need help with and further explaination of how that works....

Don't know, just an idea.......

 

[popps]

Global chat would be too close to turning UO into (name edited)another game with and into a GLOBAL TRADER SYSTEM !!!!We who merchant , love our vendors and that would kill UO for sure.
Besides that, and to answer and with an emphatic NO to a chat system that needs moderators now.!!!
New Players need a friend,a mentor ,a UO guidebook(perhaps the original guidebook to order or free with first time gamers) but not the crap talk that chat has become .I can't think of a better way to scare people off

Well, surely a friend helping or a mentor is a great aid to a new player buy not always different people can happen to play the same game at the same time.

That's when a Glocal Chat might come very handy to a new player seeking help for something.

Often, they just need an information about how something works in the game and the ability to seek the answer they seek smoothly and fastly in-game could work towards bettering their game experience and thus keep them with the game.

Sure, they can always hang around at a bank and spam asking for help but to my experience, most characters at the bank are AFK.

So, being able to ask in Global Chat for help could be a great resource to a new player because it would assist them to reach a wider audience of players among which, there could eventually be someone who might be willing to spend their time to help the new player.

 

[Lord Frodo]

General chat is fine for new players so long as they don't mind racism, gay bashing, and sexually explicit conversations. If only the people who rated games for content REALLY knew what was going to go on in UO with the addition of global chat they may not have had an issue with dismembering bodies.

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[Zosimus]

General chat is fine for new players so long as they don't mind racism, gay bashing, and sexually explicit conversations. If only the people who rated games for content REALLY knew what was going to go on in UO with the addition of global chat they may not have had an issue with dismembering bodies.

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[Lord Frodo]

Or a separate PvP oriented channel.. call it the Challenge Channel .. never hurts to stroke those poor egos...

They can already make thier own channel but refuse to. I always thought Baja was one of the more mature shards until this last couple of days. It is really getting bad. This was one of those good ideas that is starting to turn very wrong. UO needs to police this or do away with it. It was one thing seeing the trash talk on your screen from the people near you, now we get to see it from everyone on the shard all the time. I am sure that new players, the few we may have, seeing this think to themselves boy this is a game I want to play, NOT. People need to grow up and understand that they are not the only ones playing UO and show some respect for others.

I know, I know use filters/ignore. I showld not have to because I, like all UO players, agreed to the rules set by UO. UO needs to enforce the rules or really shut this system down. It is starting to become just another embarassment that UO does not need.

 

[Zosimus]

They can already make thier own channel but refuse to. I always thought Baja was one of the more mature shards until this last couple of days. It is really getting bad. This was one of those good ideas that is starting to turn very wrong. UO needs to police this or do away with it. It was one thing seeing the trash talk on your screen from the people near you, now we get to see it from everyone on the shard all the time. I am sure that new players, the few we may have, seeing this think to themselves boy this is a game I want to play, NOT. People need to grow up and understand that they are not the only ones playing UO and show some respect for others.

I know, I know use filters/ignore. I showld not have to because I, like all UO players, agreed to the rules set by UO. UO needs to enforce the rules or really shut this system down. It is starting to become just another embarassment that UO does not need.

Bioware doesnt police DaoC or War so they wont police UO either. Very sad that advice chat in DaoC and War became a joke. People ask for help and most times get called an idiot. ( thats the nice way of saying it) They basically allowed chaos to roam in all UO with GC. It's an EPIC FAIL for Bioware to allow this in all their games.

Go talk crap in Guild Wars and see what happens. They know how to handle the situation.

Really dont know what the issue is though. Most players wanted GC. Not me but I guess most players wanted it because they added it. Kind of have to live with it.

 

[popps]

Really dont know what the issue is though. Most players wanted GC. Not me but I guess most players wanted it because they added it. Kind of have to live with it.

Well, in a perfect world where people watched their talking the addition of a Global Chat to a game is a very good addition.

It can help build up hunting parties, to sell or buy whatever needed, call up for help if one is a new player or a returning one, even ask for help to get ressed in some digged down bottom level of dungeon......
As a fisherman I have been enjoying the use with fellow fishermen to trade up with each other the crabs/lobsters/fish we both needed........

I mean, there is plenty good uses for the Global Chat that enhance game playing and enjoyment of the game.

The problem is, those using the Global Chat filling it with words one does not necessarily enjoy to read........

One thing I do not understand, though. The game already filters AND blocks for the use of certain forbidden words in characters' names. Why can't this blocking be done also for words used up in Chat ??

 

[Lord Frodo]

This aint a perfect world and everybody agreed to the terms of UO. UO should not have to filter this. People need to grow up, UO needs to police this or UO needs to shut this down.

 

[aarons6]

i think when you make a new char you are automatically singed into the help chat.
just nobody in help chat, they are all in gen chat.. so they just need to change that.
maybe also when you log in that system message that says you are now in chat also needs to say /c for chat or something.

 

[TheMac]

You may have missed it, but the Devs are currently in the middle of creating a new New Player guide. I'm sure they will be appreciative of your input.
Meantime you could try directing new players here, for help from fellow players, to our own playguide pages at UO Stratics - News - Main or even http://www.uo.guide.com

What does not make sence to me is why doesn't UO ask one of these sites to just become official.... I'm sure the website owners wouldn't mind and just make the link that says playguide go to one of them sites....? Obviously they would have to spend some money or time talking to the website owners but it would most likely be less painful then trying to write a whole new playguide. IMHO it would take to many resources when they could be focusing on something else.

 

[Viper09]

General chat is fine for new players so long as they don't mind racism, gay bashing, and sexually explicit conversations. If only the people who rated games for content REALLY knew what was going to go on in UO with the addition of global chat they may not have had an issue with dismembering bodies.

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[popps]

What does not make sence to me is why doesn't UO ask one of these sites to just become official.... I'm sure the website owners wouldn't mind and just make the link that says playguide go to one of them sites....? Obviously they would have to spend some money or time talking to the website owners but it would most likely be less painful then trying to write a whole new playguide. IMHO it would take to many resources when they could be focusing on something else.

Well, unless my memory fails me here, I thnk I recall that Stratics, for sometime after the closing of the official UO Forums, was indicated as a somewhat official Forum for Ultima Online players.

I never understood to what extent it was intended to be an official Forum for UO players but it did not last much long anyways as at some point my memory recalls reading that Stratics had discontinued being an official Forum for the game.

Perhaps others may remember better than me.

 

[popps]

i think when you make a new char you are automatically singed into the help chat.
just nobody in help chat, they are all in gen chat.. so they just need to change that.

Not sure about that as I have not opened up a new account in a good while......

But if it works that way, for brand new accounts, there would still remain the problem of telling to the new player "how" to actually use that chat......

I mean, if the default is logging in the game and being automatically logged into the General Chat Channel, they will likely see other players text messages (but not necessarily if noone is posting any message...) but not know how to write in their own......

 

[popps]

This aint a perfect world and everybody agreed to the terms of UO. UO should not have to filter this. People need to grow up, UO needs to police this or UO needs to shut this down.

The thing is that policing Chat Channels means having paid employees to do it and, were resources available for Ultima Online abundantly, this would be the least of the problems but, if there is scarcity of resources, then priorities have to be set on where to direct those resources as first and, perhaps, it could be that in today's Ultima Online there are problems with the game that require more immediate attention than the policying of Chat Channells......

But perhaps something could be done like have an automatic detection system that would flag not allowed language on Chat Channells and send it for further revision and, eventually, actions necessary, to a Game Master.

If they ever do that, though, rather than using the current servers I would hope that a dedicated server was to be used so as not to overload with work the current existing servers at the expense of players' gameplay. I am not sure, though, how heavy could be the work load of such an automatic text detector.

I would imagine that, after a few sanctions players would figure out that using not allowed language in Chat Channels would not be worth it and stop it.