How should we treat our newbies?
godrifle
Join Date: 2006-12-01 Member: 58815Members
Join Date: 2006-12-01 Member: 58815Members
I'd like to ask your suggestions on how to deal with the newbies tomorrow. Let's lay down some ground rules on how to deal with them. Some of these suggestions will be obvious, but not all.
Obvious
- Be nice. (and be nice outside of NS2?)
- Encourage teamwork.
- Don't team stack the veterans.
Opinion
- Be vocal and thorough with explanations. Listening for skulk footsteps is important, but only if you're playing to win. At the moment, they are playing to learn, so that one day they will be ready to play to win. "Backseat" commanding will be important, as will explaining the functions of structures and for my case at least, roleplaying as a space marine to get them into the lore of the game.
- Don't let newbs into the comm chair. Not on release day, and only when we feel they are truly ready to step in. So, NO green named commanders! I would rather the other newbies on our team have a fun game and a fighting chance, than just grant one newbie valuable experience. If both teams want to have a noob commander, then that's a different and potentially hilarious story. While Youtube videos exist to learn how to command, we should not restrict players to this requirement. Not everyone likes to learn beforehand. A lot of gamers like to learn as they go. Wiki, Youtube, Soloing a Server, and playing a live newb server are all valid options.
- If you're on a designated newbie server, don't own up the kill/death ratio. Yes, I'm suggesting you play badly. If you're on a white/veteran server, play to the best of your ability, as newbies will want a good experience of what the current meta game is. My experience with video games for the masses is that people really can't stand losing. They end up rage quitting instead of constructively learning from their mistakes. If you play badly and help contribute to a game that a newbie will have a chance of winning, that newbie will stay on to play more, and eventually they will learn from their mistakes, albeit slower. The newbs that want to quickly advance their skills should be in the non-newbie servers. Newbies, in general, hate losing.
- F4 and the Marine Commander's Recycle responsibility: This one's a tough one, even in the current metagame state. NS2 is a different game in that you can lose to the point where comebacks are extremely unlikely, and counterproductive stalemates can exist for Marines. There are two solutions- the losing team tries hard to come back, or the losing team forfeits and goes back to the ready room. As veteran players, it is our responsibility to know when the game is truly lost, and to a certain degree, our responsibility that the rest of the team follows either of these two solutions (try and die, or forfeit). Seeing as the start of the game is much more exciting and socially engaging as the end game (and they really feel like two different games!) I'll suggest that you forfeit games that are lost. Not everyone has all the time in the world to play these games, and a fresh start allows players to make meaningful impacts on the game again.
-If you've ever played under my command (Cook), I always choose to give the Aliens an ultimatum after they are favored to win- "Aliens, you have won the game. Please finish the game in 5 minutes, or I will recycle the base. Thank you". This rewards the aliens that love the end game of destroying the Marine base, for five minutes. And lets face it, some Marines want that last stand just as well. It shouldn't last longer than 5 minutes however, because that end game certainly isn't the game at its core.
What are your suggestions?
Obvious
- Be nice. (and be nice outside of NS2?)
- Encourage teamwork.
- Don't team stack the veterans.
Opinion
- Be vocal and thorough with explanations. Listening for skulk footsteps is important, but only if you're playing to win. At the moment, they are playing to learn, so that one day they will be ready to play to win. "Backseat" commanding will be important, as will explaining the functions of structures and for my case at least, roleplaying as a space marine to get them into the lore of the game.
- Don't let newbs into the comm chair. Not on release day, and only when we feel they are truly ready to step in. So, NO green named commanders! I would rather the other newbies on our team have a fun game and a fighting chance, than just grant one newbie valuable experience. If both teams want to have a noob commander, then that's a different and potentially hilarious story. While Youtube videos exist to learn how to command, we should not restrict players to this requirement. Not everyone likes to learn beforehand. A lot of gamers like to learn as they go. Wiki, Youtube, Soloing a Server, and playing a live newb server are all valid options.
- If you're on a designated newbie server, don't own up the kill/death ratio. Yes, I'm suggesting you play badly. If you're on a white/veteran server, play to the best of your ability, as newbies will want a good experience of what the current meta game is. My experience with video games for the masses is that people really can't stand losing. They end up rage quitting instead of constructively learning from their mistakes. If you play badly and help contribute to a game that a newbie will have a chance of winning, that newbie will stay on to play more, and eventually they will learn from their mistakes, albeit slower. The newbs that want to quickly advance their skills should be in the non-newbie servers. Newbies, in general, hate losing.
- F4 and the Marine Commander's Recycle responsibility: This one's a tough one, even in the current metagame state. NS2 is a different game in that you can lose to the point where comebacks are extremely unlikely, and counterproductive stalemates can exist for Marines. There are two solutions- the losing team tries hard to come back, or the losing team forfeits and goes back to the ready room. As veteran players, it is our responsibility to know when the game is truly lost, and to a certain degree, our responsibility that the rest of the team follows either of these two solutions (try and die, or forfeit). Seeing as the start of the game is much more exciting and socially engaging as the end game (and they really feel like two different games!) I'll suggest that you forfeit games that are lost. Not everyone has all the time in the world to play these games, and a fresh start allows players to make meaningful impacts on the game again.
-If you've ever played under my command (Cook), I always choose to give the Aliens an ultimatum after they are favored to win- "Aliens, you have won the game. Please finish the game in 5 minutes, or I will recycle the base. Thank you". This rewards the aliens that love the end game of destroying the Marine base, for five minutes. And lets face it, some Marines want that last stand just as well. It shouldn't last longer than 5 minutes however, because that end game certainly isn't the game at its core.
What are your suggestions?
Comments
edit: also guns
edit: also guns<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Bowties are cool.
EXPECIALLY, the few retards that I know that I am giving a copy of the game for free.
By the way, if you go easy on anyone they will never learn. Just play the game and maybe make sure you don't join newbie servers when you are a vet.<!--fontc--></span><!--/fontc--><!--sizec--></span><!--/sizec-->
I myself will be looking for the servers with more beta players, I somehow doubt it will take longer than a few hours to get the hang of this game.
Why don't we treat them the same way the NS community always has, helping new players. It's been going on right back to my early days in NS. This community is known as a friendly community, we don't need threads to tell us how to act, we are capable of reason, logic and courtesy. :D
Have white servers where noob comms are instantly kicked and everyone has e-peen wars and if your K/D drops below 3.0 then you get called trash.
But on a more serious note: The important message here is that everyone should be a little bit more considerate the next few days. No need to play stupidly or hold hands, but just be aware that you will be swamped with noobs for a while. They haven't put those 1000 hours into the game like you all have ;)
I started playing NS1 in 2008, there were only hardcore vets left in the community by that point. I gotta say, "brick wall" is probably the best way to describe the NS-newb situation. Not only do you die constantly, but the guy with the mic tells you you're a *** and a ***** and a *****ed, ******ing ****** with a tiny *******. It sort of retroactively gives you a bad childhood.
A lot of newbs aren't going to survive D-Day.
In the other words all well in world of NS2
2) join marines
3) kill 5 skulks in a row as they run straight down a long hallway at you
4) get called a hacker by everyone on the server
5) ????
6) PROFIT!
2) join marines
3) kill 5 skulks in a row as they run straight down a long hallway at you
4) get called a hacker by everyone on the server
5) ????
6) PROFIT!<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I lost count as to how many times this happened after the Total Biscuit thing.
My only requirement is that they know how to set control groups and have at the bare minimum the hotkey for distress beacon and resource tower memorized
Alien comm needs can literally build anything so long as it's not adrenaline and regen first
I set the bar low, but you can bet I won't be treating you well if you don't have these
Expect much Raging and Trolling in games involving Flatlander and his Crew.
Though we are all competitive gamers, expect some competition soon :)
Though it seems funny for some guys here, to get told how to treat new players and some seems offended by this, I think the OP has a point.
Besides the fact, that the NS-community is really kind and helpful (especially compared with others), we don't only have the responsibility for ourselves this time. As the guys of UWE heavily rely on how their baby sells without a huge marketing campaign, we (the community) have to make sure that it sells good.
Activision/Blizzard maybe don't mind if some people evade their games because of the retards and all the guys who "banged our mothers". They sell copies and more copies without them. I think UWE would mind it, if they lose players, because they don't feel welcomed.
I think only embracing new players and growing as a community can keep UWE and in the end NS2 running.
So i hope for the best and wish you all a great launch. :D
(just my 2 cents...)
Just my fear! :D