Sunday, September 27, 2009

5 Tips to Making a MUD newbie friendly

With so many games for players to chose from, the first couple of hours they play a game could well determine whether they decided to keep playing the game. That is why it is important that a game is "newbie friendly". There are many things that the staff and administration can do to help make a game friendly for new players.

1.) Design a helpful creation area. As a player goes through creation they should be taught very basic MUD commands if they need them. It should be very clear to players what needs to be done to progress. But don't force players to input a multitude of basic commands, if you don't make the learning optional then you might frustrate those veteran players out there.

2.) Make game information readily accessible. Some players like to learn by doing or wish to be taught by another player, but there are plenty of players that like to learn independently. Appreciate these players because they will take up less of the time of those who help new players. To keep these players happy information should be available both in the game and on a game website. I would suggest extensive help files or systems in the game itself. It is a good idea to create a new player guide for the game website with valuable information for players to reference when they need.

3.) Appoint trustworthy, active players to specifically help new players. There should be a group of knowledgeable players that are willing to devote their time to answer questions of new players and guide them. Have game information accessible can reduce the need for a group of newbie helpers but even the best designed help system has gaps. New players should be able to send questions to these helpers at any time. Since players from around the world MUD it is important to diversify your helper staff so that someone is always available.


4.) Create some means for the new player to directly ask questions. One good way to do this is to create an Out of Character (OOC) channel that new players can ask questions on. This could be a channel that is accessible to all the game (to ensure coverage) or just to the helpers and staff of the game. Another way to facilitate this is to allow new players to send messages directly to the helpers or staff. If this method is used then the means by which a player accesses the staff should be intuitive, mentioned in creation, and mentioned again in some way in the new player areas.

5.) Create new player areas. Have areas of the game specifically for new players to progress and learn the game. These areas should reinforce the skills that will be needed for the player to become successful. They should also give a good feel of the atmosphere of the game and what the player can expect in the future. I highly caution against completely isolating new players in an area by themselves. If you isolate them from the player base how are they to truly know if they will like the game? MUDs are interactive games after all.

Players leave MUDs all the time so the survival of a MUD depends on getting and retaining new players!

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