Top Mud Sites Forum - View Single Post - Quality over Quantity or When to give up Ideals...

Seraphina · 10-05-2002, 12:25 PM

Thanks Kyrie. Something else you said just jogged another thought.

>> Playing on said game, i know the deal, and i understand her picking at the apps, because it is quite obvious when people come on clueless without even looking at the website, they usually kill everything in sight and pick up things off the ground alot then blame it all on having multiple personalities:P

As a mentor I have met a few of those. Some have gone on to become excellent members. Sometimes we have members who's playing style conflicts with policy and they don't intend to change. They eventually end up locked out.

Many are just experienced in other games and think their behavior is normal play. They don't realize the etiquette of our game is different. Another player isn't always successful in disabusing them of their misconceptions because they think the other person is just trying to bully them or something. Players will often express their disapproval rudely or agressively which only escalates the situation.

I was taking a young Paladin on a hunting trip. We walked into a room and he began advancing on a critter. The previous occupant frowned at him then asked him what he was doing. Before my Paladin answered I interjected saying that in this land folk didn't just start hunting with someone without checking if they were welcome first. They might say no in which case you move on but you could make a new friend. My newbie apologized, and the other player became welcoming and took over helping him out enthusiastically. I met him a few weeks later and he was doing marvelously well.

We have all kinds of docs available but they can get tedious to go through. Players with prior experience think they know more than they do so just skim. Players with no prior experience are overwhelmed and just can't absorb it all at once.

I remember being a newbie really well. Just learning how to navigate and learning the syntax seemed enormously complicated. It took me a week before I knew to "sit". I happened on the game I started playing because a friend told me about it. After playing for some time I found out more about the history of roleplaying and traditional roleplaying principles.

Some people start in games that are very far from those principles. Many new players come from graphical muds or PkP intensive muds or both. Many have experience in multiple games so they really think they pretty much know the ropes. These games (including the one I play) allow quick starts and the players just wing it. They pick up the mechanics quickly which only serves to increase their confidence in knowing how the game is played.

One of the major benefits I see to private or free muds is the ability to control membership without regard to the bottom line. You can control how many new players you allow into the game at once making it easier to absorb them. The smaller player base allows you to pick out disruptive players quickly.

Trial membership could take on a new meaning. If I could rule the world, introductory information would be no longer than a few pages. One on mechanics, one on etiquette and roleplaying, one on world background, one on what trial membership means. During the trial membership phase the character used would not be considered permanent. After X amount of time the individual would either attain full membership and be allowed to create permanent characters or they would be told they don't blend well with the existing membership.

This would emphasize that the criteria for success in this world goes beyond mastering the mechanics and advancement.

10-05-2002, 12:25 PM	#11
Seraphina Member Join Date: Sep 2002 Posts: 49	Thanks Kyrie. Something else you said just jogged another thought. >> Playing on said game, i know the deal, and i understand her picking at the apps, because it is quite obvious when people come on clueless without even looking at the website, they usually kill everything in sight and pick up things off the ground alot then blame it all on having multiple personalities:P As a mentor I have met a few of those. Some have gone on to become excellent members. Sometimes we have members who's playing style conflicts with policy and they don't intend to change. They eventually end up locked out. Many are just experienced in other games and think their behavior is normal play. They don't realize the etiquette of our game is different. Another player isn't always successful in disabusing them of their misconceptions because they think the other person is just trying to bully them or something. Players will often express their disapproval rudely or agressively which only escalates the situation. I was taking a young Paladin on a hunting trip. We walked into a room and he began advancing on a critter. The previous occupant frowned at him then asked him what he was doing. Before my Paladin answered I interjected saying that in this land folk didn't just start hunting with someone without checking if they were welcome first. They might say no in which case you move on but you could make a new friend. My newbie apologized, and the other player became welcoming and took over helping him out enthusiastically. I met him a few weeks later and he was doing marvelously well. We have all kinds of docs available but they can get tedious to go through. Players with prior experience think they know more than they do so just skim. Players with no prior experience are overwhelmed and just can't absorb it all at once. I remember being a newbie really well. Just learning how to navigate and learning the syntax seemed enormously complicated. It took me a week before I knew to "sit". I happened on the game I started playing because a friend told me about it. After playing for some time I found out more about the history of roleplaying and traditional roleplaying principles. Some people start in games that are very far from those principles. Many new players come from graphical muds or PkP intensive muds or both. Many have experience in multiple games so they really think they pretty much know the ropes. These games (including the one I play) allow quick starts and the players just wing it. They pick up the mechanics quickly which only serves to increase their confidence in knowing how the game is played. One of the major benefits I see to private or free muds is the ability to control membership without regard to the bottom line. You can control how many new players you allow into the game at once making it easier to absorb them. The smaller player base allows you to pick out disruptive players quickly. Trial membership could take on a new meaning. If I could rule the world, introductory information would be no longer than a few pages. One on mechanics, one on etiquette and roleplaying, one on world background, one on what trial membership means. During the trial membership phase the character used would not be considered permanent. After X amount of time the individual would either attain full membership and be allowed to create permanent characters or they would be told they don't blend well with the existing membership. This would emphasize that the criteria for success in this world goes beyond mastering the mechanics and advancement.