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Idea: Norfolk nNoob goes Gank-ing...!


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Short Version go straight to the bottom of the post...

 

Problem: How do we turn the new player into a Junkie?

 

What we don’t do is overload him with a massive shot straight in the arm forcing an immediate negative reaction. Whether he thinks he wants a large hit is immaterial but giving small doses at first allows for easy adoption. Just ask your Dealer.

The ONE major complaint from BAD reviews on STEAM with the player having less than 250 hours Game Play is what he calls “Ganking”. In fact, what he actually is complaining about is “Seal Clubbing” which is different. Senior Players, in a group specifically go out to hunt down new players to get better kill numbers...

 

 You might want to grab a beer for this...

 

The Learning Curve & the Naval Action-Ego...

 

You’ve all got ego’s that are proud of this steep curve which we climb, me included. I remember @admin on the testbed setting up the basic mission cutter against Rattlesnakes Snows and Navy Brigs LMAO yeah, he has that same ego as well. How many Game Play Hours in NA-OW does a Newbie become a normal player? 50 hours maybe, to become competent 250 hours probably. That in its self is more input than most Games ever expect to deliver in content.

If you take EvE Online [EvE] with a much steeper curve and World of Warships [WoWs] with much less of curve than NA-OW how do they turn Noobs into Junkies? Funny enough slowly. Let’s have a quick look at both, then what we in NA-OW do...

[WoWs] takes the new player through a 15-level system, at each level it opens up another part of the game that was previously locked. You are not allowed to fight other players from the start, Co-Op at BEST. The 10 Ship Tier match making system breaks at Tier 5. So below T5 you’ll only encounter supposedly newer players in the smaller ships. This where Seal Clubbing starts for these guys. Even so to even start to fight ranked battles you need to have invested a few good months if you want to remain in them.

The level system works because it stops overloading the new player with information. You get used to one part that then builds onto the next stage. Rather than getting it all in one hit.

[EvE] sets you up in a PvE environment (High-Sec) with a story line to follow. By the end of the story you’ve a couple of small ships cash and a BASE knowledge of all the different concepts of the game. You’ll then spend time in High-Sec developing your Player Character (PC) on your own in PvE with Co-Op mission content as well. Going straight into PvP (Null-Sec) is very rare indeed. You wouldn’t survive...

 

 

NA-OW the New Player Tutorial...

You have a choice of two servers PvE or PvP. Then a tutorial to work through. Now giving @admin and the Dev’s some rope here its quite good. Gives the general Basic’s, but very quickly falls into the Naval Action-Ego Problem.

It turns from an instructional tutorial to an exam system with a hard finish within four missions, just four missions. The Tutorial is not all encompassing either which is why it needs breaking up into different parts. I agree with the exam concept and the hard finish, but not as an introduction to NA-OW. This should be after the new PC as a grasp of the game first.

The New Player needs to understand the Map, PORTs, Trading, Crafting, drone view and communicating with other Nation players and the rest of the Community. Co-Op and Nation Chat need to be part of the tutorial. The New PC must feel confident enough to ask for help of the Nation and learning to work with others to gain more from the universe (it’s an MMO remember). Currently they do feel alone, read the reviews...

Just doing the tutorial then dropped into K/PR on [PvP Caribbean] is asking for trouble. Yes, you can do the tutorial multiple times but that’s not instinctive. A new player with no practice of handling a ship and daunted at the prospect of asking for HELP feeling like an idiot is a very real feeling they have.

 

Safe Zones the answer...

 

So, lets put up SAFE Zones or a Large Rookie area. On its own it seems like the perfect solution giving that ideal starter protection. Unfortunately, by itself its flawed. The New PC will not learn PvP and will still be Clubbed when he ventures outside. To learn how to fight you actually need to fight and get sunk...

This is the state we are in NOW. The Rookie has no training or grasped of the Game essential before he is sunk learning nothing from the experience leaving a bad taste in his mouth leading to his STEAM review...

 

Get another drink in, am sure you’ll need it...

 

The Idea: Level Staging

 

Every new player will go through this same process (including ALTS lmao). Norfolk nNoob is a brand-new player, after loading the game he can only enter the [PvE Caribbean Environment]. Here he will work through the game tutorial. He’ll be asked to complete a series of missions that come with rewards opening up all aspects of the game. This will be in Open World and not a locked environment.

Trading, Crafting, Missions etc. Working up the Player Ranks and Craft ranks. At the later stages he’ll be asked to complete several Co-Op Missions with other players. Setting up PvE Chat, the how to group up as a team. In Team chat as well. The different missions will offer some form of strategy to use against the AI. Building team work with fellow players.

The Last Co-Op Mission will be something along the lines of “Breaking the Seige...” in which Norfolk nNoob plus other players have to break out of the PORT Seige held in place by AI Pirates.

 

Level Stage Break...

 

At a certain Rank and Craft level plus Mission Success Medals, the level staging breaks. The Game will allow all players completing the tasks access to [PvP Carribbean]. The PC you currently have remains on PvE.

PvE players just then continue on as before. The PvE PC can now take the exams and the final exam with bonuses if successful.

Logging into [PvP Carribbean] offers the normal PC nation creation and spawn Capitals. When Norfolk nNoob now spawns in PvP he’ll be at a Fixed Rank and Craft Level with two basic ships a fighter and trader plus 10,000 currency. He doesn’t start from scratch...

Also, the PvP PC can also take the exams and the bonuses on the PvP server now.

 

The Final Stage... Hunting

 

This idea is how I started to learn PvP in EvE. On a weekend these guys (link below) would take a group of noobs in BASIC ships in a fleet out into Null-Sec (PvP) and gank groups or a very big battleship. It seriously works, getting the Beginner into the fight as a large group with the smallest ships in the game sometimes sinking massive ships. (You don’t need the biggest guns to win)

https://agony-unleashed.com/

https://forums.agony-unleashed.com/index.php?/forum/2-enrollment/

https://www.youtube.com/c/AgonyUnleashedPVP

 

Agony is no longer going, but win lose or draw they gave Norfolk nNoob confidence. If time seriously look through the forum especially PvP BASICs and Class Preparations.

 

Bringing Agony into NA-OW...

 

Every Saturday NA Moderators would run a BASIC gank squad made up of brand new players or players wanting to learn and try PvP. Different Capital each week or neutral ports as well to create a mix nations group. BASIC small ship entry no frills.

They then purposefully go out to roam and find a fight. Use TS3 Discord or better still in game group chat. The idea is to get them fighting, sinking and having a laugh within a group. It would be an event that would draw in players both new and old. The Dev’s running the thing would build player moral and the sense of community. The Problem of Seal Clubbing from this view now looks like a positive...

@Hethwill or @Iroquois Confederacy and @Ink or even @admin himself running the squad for a couple of hours on a Saturday night would be a fantastic draw...

This is important as it gives the Players a chance to see and play with the GamesLabs team that’s outside the usual restrictive FORUM format...

 

In Closing...

 

Its very easy for me to say how to do it from my point of view, I’m no genius. In my defense I took a small PvE Clan across to PvP Global. We got ganked we got sunk but we turned the tables and made it work very quickly. I know how the new players feel and where they are coming from...

Try asking a new player who’s just got clubbed what he learned? Probably nothing at all but blaming the game the gank squad and feeling fcuked off...

Him and his five mates all in Pickles go out and actively find and engage the Gank Squad. They still got sunk and swam home. Ask him what did he learn...? He won’t stop talking for hours. You get the idea right...

 

Naval Action is a wonderful game, made better by YOU its community playing it. 

Thank you for taking the time to read my post, and please abuse it as much as wish below...

 

 

Norfolk nChance [ELITE]

 

 

The Short Version

 

This is like watching Porn without the Storyline... Ron Jermey turning in his grave

To keep the new player long term, he needs a better introduction system than we have at present. PvE ladder opens up [PvP Caribbean] access. Wider BASIC game knowledge in order to survive. Then GamesLabs running beginner fleet squads at regular intervals builds confidence in the player in both PvP-ing and the GamesLabs Dev Team...

Now please go back and read the full post.

 

 

Edited by Norfolk nChance
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Make the safe zones safe, so the new people can learn and establish themselves with wealth and experience. Being attacked and losing all you have multiple times puts people off so they leave the game.

 

Maybe if PvPerrs had a little bit of self-control, newbies wouldn't be attacked and safe zones wouldn't be necessary

 

And before it's flung at me, I am already playing on the PvE server.

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Great post, great ideas. At least starting with PVE, transfering to PVP part is very good. I suspect gamelabs guys will do that kind of training thing, but at least they can make PVE events with buffed NPC (like in tutorial) which fall back, and run away, repair, kite, shoot sails.

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So why not just start new players on the PVE server?  Give them a bunch of missions that they must accomplish before they can join the PVP server.  All of the above ideas are good, but we already have the facility in place.  Just need to add the missions.  It would give the hardcore PVE guys who live on that server something to do.

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Thank you for the feedback guys.

 @seanjo

Unfortunately, as I pointed out in the POST, Safe Zones on their own are fundamentally flawed, it’s a mechanic issue. This is why “Agony” needs introducing as well.

 @woodenfish

   

 

The push back on the whole concept is the involvement of GamesLabs People directly. The use of Senior Clan players or leaders should be used instead.

This after a time I’d agree with but not right away. The idea is to build momentum in the product so it becomes a draw. Reading the STEAM reviews, I can see the individual authors having still a disconnect with the Dev’s. This will close that gap possibly...

I believe realistically you’d see a drop in negative reviews after a short time.

 

@AeRoTR

They the staff play the game no doubt about it and I agree they must get training.

 

@Oberon74

“All of the above ideas are good, but we already have the facility in place.”

And that’s the beauty of it. Its actually all in place but just not polished...

 

Game Balance or playability must be a nightmare for the Dev’s. On One hand you want the PC to go out and discover all the fruits @admin Caribbean offers. However, you need some form of start, the Dev’s don’t need to tell you how to load Cannons...

That’s for you to discover. But you do need some form of tutorial or guidance. A Push in the right direction without giving the plot away. Walking a Tightrope...

“Seal Clubbing” Is Experienced Players exploiting the new players. This is why however you work the Safe Zones on their own they’ll never work. The New PC never learns how to PvP or SINK...

Making a more formulaic starting structure helps give polish to the final Product for launch. And for a Junkie what’s more appealing than a well-polished surface...?

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I would like to see missions chains kinda like in EVE that give new players some direction. IE Trading, crafting, combat, (Exploration?). So go here buy this trade good and sail it here, Craft X ship, go here and kill this ai, discover ports.

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