New Player Retention

[Gustav Kuriga]

There, of course, would be a list of players online and currently in chat. One of the problems with the current message system for new players is that they have to know to either go to the messages section in game or go back to where all their characters are listed to see if they have new messages. I'm not proposing we change the current message system, merely that we have the instant messaging system (on newb island) so that they don't send out a message, wait one hour, don't see any new messages because they don't know to go back to their user page, then rage quit.

[Shizzle]

What about a chatroom outside of the game? Just a shoutbox you can access on the family page... I doubt the reason people quit is because they cannot see the huge 'family' button...

[Gustav Kuriga]

Of course they see that. They don't realize it is one of the main ways of seeing if you have new messages for your characters.

[vonGenf]

Maybe it should be called the Start Menu? 

I'm just half-joking here. It's a good point that "Family" doesn't ring as "check new messages" very much. I just got used to that, but it is probably confusing to newcomers.

[Anaris]

One thing I can do—and intend to test soon—is put an indicator by the Messages link in the sidebar of the number of new messages you have.

The only question is whether to make it auto-check, or just update every time you go to a new page. Auto-checking might be too much of a load on the server, so it would need to be tested carefully.

[Indirik]

There, of course, would be a list of players online and currently in chat.

Hmm... I know I've seen something like that before... Where was it? Oh wait, I know. It was on IRC!

Srsly... what you're describing is exactly like IRC. So instead of reinventing the wheel, just send them to IRC. And if you don't want to force them to install a client, link them to the QuakeNet webchat page, with the two lines of instructions it would take for them to get to #battlemaster.

[Gustav Kuriga]

Well, yeah, if you are stupid enough to force it on players. I mean to just have it there as a non-mandatory learning resource. Instead of making mistakes in the harshly unforgiving actual game, they can have one character on newb island (not counting against his character count and being completely voluntary, no annoying flags on the page saying the new player should start on newb island) to experiment game mechanics and such with, seeing what effect they have and what all the menus show.

Also, perhaps the chat could be real-time? This would help immensely, especially since most new players would not know about the irc channels (or might even be playing via phone, like me, and so not be able to use irc). That way they can ask for help on cerrtain issues when they come up and get immediate answers. Just so we are clear, there would either be only one or no realms on newb island. That way it doesn't just become a griefing ground with realms of experienced players trouncing newbs.

Please read prior posts before making a comment. I know there is an IRC channel. But ask yourself, how long do most new players go without knowing about the IRC? I went a year without knowing about it when I began. Since I mostly play via phone, I have never used it.

[cjnodell]

I am not supporting the creation of in game chat but I would like to point out that 99% of the people I know who would be interested in playing do not know a thing about IRC and have no interest in learning. They want to play a game and expect all resources to be right there in the game. Of course, this is just my personal observation, others may vary.

All the same, I do not like the idea of a Training Continent or in game chat. Just my preference...

[vonGenf]

They want to play a game and expect all resources to be right there in the game.

I like IRC, but I wouldn't want it become an in-game ressource... I played a game like that once, and it ended up eating all my time. The fact that BM is not live is a large reason why I play it.

[Indirik]

I wouldn't want to force people to use IRC, either. But as a resource for learning the game, it is there, and there's nothing wrong with pointing people toward it, to get their questions answered. We can even promote the use of it via a more prominent notice somewhere in game.

[Gustav Kuriga]

That would be my compromise, instead of going full-on with the newb island. The key is getting better communication, as that will be the easiest way of teaching new players.

[cjnodell]

If the goal was to make IRC mor prominent and accessible, I think it would be cool if BM had it,s own IRC webchat interface. You enter the webchat and it automatically takes you to the correct server and coatroom. Heck, it could even try to automatically give you the nick that matches your family name. Once in, you could use all the customary IRC commands and such. It would make things very simple for new users to simply click a link and find themselves in the BM chat room with a sensible nick.

[Foundation]

If the goal was to make IRC mor prominent and accessible, I think it would be cool if BM had it,s own IRC webchat interface. You enter the webchat and it automatically takes you to the correct server and coatroom. Heck, it could even try to automatically give you the nick that matches your family name. Once in, you could use all the customary IRC commands and such. It would make things very simple for new users to simply click a link and find themselves in the BM chat room with a sensible nick.

That's a pretty interesting idea, though somehow it needs to be separate from the medieval immersion side of BM.

[bluexmas]

As another relatively new player, I think that the mentor system should be the first thing that is changed. As I see it (and have experienced it), there is currently a small chance that the players who are most active in the game AND who would like to help new folks will choose the mentor class, since it seems to inhibit their own ability to play characters up to their full potential. I agree strongly with the suggestion that a mentor should be a designation, rather than a class, or at least something like a sub-sub class that can be added onto any class in the game. Why shouldn't an infiltrator be able to mentor people if he or she has the time and desire to do it?

[Indirik]

Overhauls to the mentor system are indeed on the table. There has been much discussion over it. However, there are some major changes that a lot of this would require.