Noobs - and how they effect you

[Mastametz]

For most of us, the RTS and space sim aspects of Allegiance would have been relatively new when we were new.
There was nobody to hand-hold me.
I started playing Runescape when it was mostly new and I was like 9 and I was repeatedly spawn killed and had to corpse hop out of the starting zone in a game I'd never even played before.
I played Tanarus and didn't get my first kill for like weeks. It was me dying, forever, as i figured out wtf I was doing. I played Allegiance and flew with my keyboard only for years because nobody ever told me any different, and i got booted for "Being Gunz" more times than i can count. I played chess since I was like 6 and probably lost 10000 games before I won my first game. I also wasn't allowed to play PC games without my own computer, and i wasn't allowed my own computer unless I built it myself. So I had to build my first pc when I was like 9.
@#(! was hard. But guess what, I went on to be undefeated in chess tournaments for an extended period of time. I went on to be one of the best Force Wars players in Tanarus while that game was active. I went on to not fly with my keyboard in Allegiance anymore. I went on to waste way too much time playing Runescape because that is the nature of an MMORPG and completely ruined my academic career. I went on to be the go-to guy for computer tech stuff for virtually everyone I know.
Point being, you don't get good at things from having them handed to you. You have to earn it. and if you haven't earned it, you don't care about it. Just like how nobody takes care of other people's stuff as well as their own, or how spending money you didn't earn doesn't even feel like you're spending it. If you don't earn something, you don't associate a value with it.
We probably retain 1 of 10 new players or something (I don't have any figures to back that up) , the 9/10 walk away because this game has no value to them because they haven't earned it.
Our long-time players often times take breaks and come and go, but the value will always be there because they've earned it over 10 some years.


New players today are mostly not the same. They show up with the sense of entitlement because that's how the world seems to work for them. They are *entitled* to have a PC and play PC games, and play Allegiance.
The RTS controls have long since been standardized, as have (once things are appropriately remapped) most of the flight controls. and they are *entitled* to have the game changed or played however the see fit.
I can't remember the last time I saw a # circle flying and clueless. In this day and age of digital-gaming-natives, there is no reason anyone should be clueless.
We do have a lot of returners/fakes under # tags. We also have legit noobs who are not clueless whatsoever, because even if they're like 10 they've been gaming in one form or another since they were like 5.
They know what they're doing. And what's worse is, they know that they know what they're doing. It's mind-boggling the amount of mouthy, cocky, know-it-all newbs there are now in this game.
and they had the RoC memorized before they set foot in-game, and they know that they are mostly untouchable, and basically gods. So knowing they are gods, they insist they know better than the rest of their team, and their commander, and everyone on NOAT, about how the game is played and also about how the game mechanics should be changed to better suit their desires. This goes on for awhile (possibly forever because it seems like the mouthiest ones never ever lose their # tags) until eventually they've played for weeks/months getting used to and taking advantage of the fact that they are under noob boot protection, and generally annoying everyone all the while, discouraging all the veteran players from playing.

We are probably retaining more players than we have in awhile. We're also retaining the highest % of annoying, know-it-all drama queen noobs than ever before
that once they lose their noob tag will get booted endlessly until they quit because they thought they can do whatever they want
It's literally bad parenting. You can't let your kids do whatever they want until they're 15 and then all of a sudden decide it's the right age to start acting like parents.

historically speaking, he whom had game control had some amount of power as far as dealing with things go
but now since it is a bannable offense to lobby ban anyone for any reason with an @alleg present (and fwiffo is online 99% of the time, and will always ban you for lobby banning)
and it's also a bannable offense for booting a noob for virtually anything (and fwiffo will always ban you for touching his noob nerd)
that we, the non-fwiffo members of the community, are forced to watch helplessly as we are overrun by the worst kinds of legit and fake noobs imaginable (and probably more than 50% of them are fakes/admitted returners)
and the games are overrun by the worst kind of clint, unclebuck, and other such spammer types imaginable

for every couple #s we gain, we lose another vet
and as always, it's the vets that keep this going

game quality is at an all time low, there's little incentive for any veteran player to play any more, it's not fun to comm for teams full of legit and fake mouthy noobs who constantly tell you what to do
the more people are disinclined to command, the fewer games get played
the fewer games get played, the sooner this game dies

RETAINING AND TRAINING COMMANDERS IS THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT THING FOR THIS GAME'S WELL-BEING

even the squads rise and fall (in activity and win%) based on their commanders (or lack thereof)
Just look at what PK has turned into without Aarm around to comm for them - what an incredible waste of a roster
XT died without Noir (who was always sort of the field commander)
BS is dead without Ryjam (even though I think he is an idiot)
SF suddenly wins due to Nightflame (who I also think is an idiot)
RT is only as active as Grav is (idiot)
Sysx is dwindling as Spidey plays BF3 (black)

It's reasonable to be concerned with retention of new players
It's unreasonable to at the expensive of the existing ones





For every several # we retain, god kills a veteran
please, think of the veterans.



Somehow i have combined a patriotic appeal, a parenting class, and the history of my gaming-life, all into one post.

[Cadillac]

tl;dr

Except if spidey calls racism on your post I'm going to have to smack you.

[pkk]

QUOTE (Sheriff Metz @ Mar 26 2012, 11:11 AM) and probably more than 50% of them are fakes/admitted returners

Seems like you know many fake noobs (and returners)...

QUOTE (Sheriff Metz @ Mar 26 2012, 11:11 AM) RETAINING AND TRAINING COMMANDERS IS THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT THING FOR THIS GAME'S WELL-BEING

Do you volunteer for AFS?!

[Dorjan]

Mastas point is: Let people command, don't be harsh on them unless they're being mouthy twits. Help _train_ newbies_ on commanding if you can't be bothered.

This goes back to my point of the game settings. Make it so the game launches faster, hell, smaller maps and sane settings by default to allow newbies to understand what is going on.

Vets who join can give tips, and only the abusive newbie comms should be mutinied (unless they're totally clueless and you can go "hand it to me and I'll show you") etc. Don't kick the noob who was commanding who you mutineyed unless they kick off.

We're talking newbies to commanding, not just # players.

Just my few cents.

[spideycw]

QUOTE (Cookie Monster @ Mar 26 2012, 06:18 AM) tl;dr

Except if spidey calls racism on your post I'm going to have to smack you.

I think Masta will be okay since his post is too long for me to read it all

[raumvogel]

Not to change the subject but..that's the best rant I've seen on here for months! +10

[Bunnywabbit]

affect/effect

[qqmwoarplox]

clearly the most superior flag of all

[Adept]

Totally new take on Godwin's law qqqqqq. Got to respect that

[SpkWill]

This is just a whinepost of why can't I get away with booting newbies. With a massive amount of bs.