Family origins a bit less random

[Bhranthan]

Title: Family origins a bit less random

Summary: Make it more likely for a (random) family region to be a more populated region.

Details: More people live in certain regions then others, making it more likely for families to have there origins there, especially for nobles. There for it would be logic to increase the chance of a family region to be a city or a towns land.
Allowing new players to choose between high or low populated regions would make it even more appealing but perhaps more work.
This way the region is randomly picked based on the players preference role play wise.
Some players play a family that would be more logical to have originated from a city others more from a rural region.

Benefits: Give a player a little more control over the role play environment of there own family.

Exploits: no idea. But the question here is how far to go? Allow players to actually pick variables for there family region or simply make the current random selection a bit more towards high populated region.

[Anaris]

There are actually plans to have new players choose a vacant estate to start out in. This would generally ensure that the family home is in a region with enough population to support multiple knights, and certainly give players much more control over their initial placement in general.

[Bhranthan]

There are actually plans to have new players choose a vacant estate to start out in. This would generally ensure that the family home is in a region with enough population to support multiple knights, and certainly give players much more control over their initial placement in general.

Even better I think.
That would give total control.

[DamnTaffer]

There are actually plans to have new players choose a vacant estate to start out in. This would generally ensure that the family home is in a region with enough population to support multiple knights, and certainly give players much more control over their initial placement in general.

Removes the requirement for new players to start talking, moreso than it already is removed.

[Anaris]

Removes the requirement for new players to start talking, moreso than it already is removed.

Removes barriers to entry.

I understand the desire for new players to talk, and I share it. However, if you force them to talk before they can actually do anything, and get a feel for whether this is a game they'll enjoy playing, you're much more likely to scare away people who might like it, but are shy, than you are to encourage people to talk.

[Penchant]

Removes barriers to entry.

I understand the desire for new players to talk, and I share it. However, if you force them to talk before they can actually do anything, and get a feel for whether this is a game they'll enjoy playing, you're much more likely to scare away people who might like it, but are shy, than you are to encourage people to talk.

I agree. Sure some newbies talk about getting an estate but until they get one they have almost nothing to do and know nothing so its easy for them to just give up on the game where if they get an estate right away, they are in the game right away. I would like to propose perhaps that after say a week, it is not required though to make a character in an estate. Otherwise a realm that doesn't have vacant estates made but could make room for some is screwed.

[Velax]

Why not just send a message to a new character, welcoming them to the realm and letting them know about vacant estates near their location? It gets them talking and involved quickly and makes them feel welcome. That's what I do in Arcaea.

[Penchant]

Why not just send a message to a new character, welcoming them to the realm and letting them know about vacant estates near their location? It gets them talking and involved quickly and makes them feel welcome. That's what I do in Arcaea.

Its a great thing to do, but sometimes I am busy and no one in my (main) realm really does that though Rynn does tend to get all the knights to like them.

[DamnTaffer]

Removes barriers to entry.

I understand the desire for new players to talk, and I share it. However, if you force them to talk before they can actually do anything, and get a feel for whether this is a game they'll enjoy playing, you're much more likely to scare away people who might like it, but are shy, than you are to encourage people to talk.

Saying Hello isn't a barrier to entry.

[Anaris]

Saying Hello isn't a barrier to entry.

Actually, yes, it is.

And this is more than "hello"; it's not only getting a good enough handle on the game to understand that you need an estate to have an income, but also getting up enough courage to not only talk to these people you don't know, but ask them for something relatively serious.

Frankly, DamnTaffer, BattleMaster can use more players even if they aren't the chatty type. If everyone in the game were as talkative as you or I, sure, we'd have a lot more interactions—but the chances are, we'd also have a lot more discontent, since talkative players also tend to be players who want positions for their characters, and you start running into a "too many chiefs, not enough Indians" type of problem.

[Blue Star]

Well I like new people good idea.

I wish we had Too many "Indians and not enough chiefs"

[Stabbity]

Well I like new people good idea.

I wish we had Too many "Indians and not enough chiefs"

Its called Central Atamara.

[Blue Star]

mm you might be right, but is it their fault they are so likeable or is it the fault of that are not. Look at BoM region thrived idk how but the lich King kept it together and now look he goes docile on us and poof. Realms thrive cause of culture not solely because of size. I say that cause Norland was a bunch of raving lunatics from what I know.

[Delinquent]

Actually, yes, it is.

And this is more than "hello"; it's not only getting a good enough handle on the game to understand that you need an estate to have an income, but also getting up enough courage to not only talk to these people you don't know, but ask them for something relatively serious.

Frankly, DamnTaffer, BattleMaster can use more players even if they aren't the chatty type. If everyone in the game were as talkative as you or I, sure, we'd have a lot more interactions—but the chances are, we'd also have a lot more discontent, since talkative players also tend to be players who want positions for their characters, and you start running into a "too many chiefs, not enough Indians" type of problem.

I agree with this. I'm not really shy, but still feel at a loss with some aspects of the game. Especially the interaction aspect. It's easier to join, learn, see what's expected and what the culture is like before becoming talkative. That way, maybe I'll make less of a fool of myself? I've already received comments in chat (unflattering ones) about my grasp on the game. (Actually it was two and five days after I had started playing) It feels a little like a wall I need to climb to get in the 'in' group or a bit like getting in the ocean for a swim - cold and do I ease in or take the plunge? You say you want new players but this is not always the case. Each experience will vary of course and mine has been a mixture of positives and negatives. The culture is geared to the experienced players. I am enjoying playing or I wouldn't be, but you as a community could do so much more to help and encourage us newbies.

 However expecting me to choose a family estate on joining and assuming I have all the facts and the understanding to be happy with my choice is rather silly.  I still couldn't make a wise choice in that now.  I get that politics have evolved over years (in game and out) and that I need to play a while and get involved to feel comfortable. But still I feel at sea after so many months of playing. I may have some of the basics and I do have a player  (players) teaching and explaining to me. (Without him I would have quit by now) So in all I think this suggestion is beside the point and perhaps instead you can look for other suggestions to make the new players experience more comfortable.

 More populated area might be useful or more active players in the area also, but the majority of players don't seem keen to help new players so maybe that should be the focus? Impossible to program of course. Having said that, is the estate so important? One can roleplay around what one wants as family estate? The location of my family estate is not near my active character or those I interact and learn from, but near my first character that I randomly placed as I like the sound of the name.

[Penchant]

I am not trying to argue you on whats newbie friendly and whats not really since a newbie knows best basically, but while family estate would be inherited from Anaris's suggestion, it was not the suggestion exactly. Its really not about your family estate but your regular one. Your family estate has some advantages which can be more effective for you based on location (Proximity to your character's and that you can affect the region is why location would matter) its overall not that important about your location of your family estate. The proposed suggestion by Anaris is that when you start you pick an estate from a region to join into because without getting one as a new player you can't do much in the game and its rather vital for you to do things.

With an estate, you can a liege, someone who can give you advice on things and boss you around some which will help you understand the game, you will be able to put in an army which  gives you something to do and has you interacting with players, and you get gold so you can pay your men so if you weren't doing things in your army at least you can still do some other things with your unit.

I must say I am curious where you were that players were having "unflattering" chat towards you? Do you mean on irc? And I would be interested in what it was that they said that you considered unflattering if you recall.