Before I begin, I'd like to start off by saying two things:
1) I don't consider myself a "veteran" of disco or any better than any other player or forum user.
2) If you respond, please don't attack the admins or other players. (See below)
Yesterday, I was reading the new posts, and I was shocked to see the sheer number of sanctions being handed out. While I was reading them, I noticed that most sanctions where being given to new players. The new players would then respond by saying how they where playing on disco for the first time and somebody made them mad/ they felt cheated because they got destroyed by a pirate/ ect.
Some people blame the admins, saying that they are too harsh on new players.
Some blame the more experienced players for attacking/annoying the new players, saying they should have helped them rather then attack them.
Some blame new players, saying they should have read and understood the rules before playing.
From these observations, I've drawn a conclusion: Blaming other people for the problem doesn't fix it. Everyone has their share of blame in every situation, so attacking people isn't the answer. So what do we do to help the new people?
I think the best way would be to stop ooRP behavior before it earns a sanction.
We already give players a "Welcome to Discovery" message and rules in their cargo hold. I don't think it's enough. I think a letter or message, written by leading discovery members and admins, could be put in their hold as well.
For example: "Welcome to Discovery 24/7 server, you may be a veteran of other servers, or completely new to online games. Who ever you are, you have just entered a very large and fun online community. By now, you're probably seeing strange messages on your screen by various other players. If you want to go somewhere quieter, try leaving New York and going to a nearby system. But before you launch to space, read the discovery server rules at www.discoverygc.com, maybe even print them off and have them handy for reference. While you're there, register an account so you can discuss discovery with other players.
Now that you've done all that, open up the chat window (the one in the upper right hand corner with a person's head) click on the name column to sort by name in alphabetical order. You'll notice that several players have the same prefix, that's likely because they're in a faction. A faction is a group of discovery players that work together to RP.
What's RP, you ask? RP is short for role playing. In a nutshell, you pretend you're really a pilot and not a player in the real world. You do what you think your pilot character would do (As long as it doesn't break the rules you just read) and interact with other players like they where real pilots.
Now back to factions. On discoverygc.com you can post an application in the faction recruitment sub forum in "Discovery factions" if you're not sure which faction to join, fly around and watch them play, maybe ask them about what they do. Remember to do it in RP, pretend you're a mercenary or a person looking for a job asking for a description of their job.
That was a lot to read, now launch to space. You may see some red players, don't shoot them. You're under level 30, meaning they can't attack you. Even if you where over level thirty, they have to tell you that they're engaging before shooting you. You may also notice players with an [Admin] prefix. They enforce all the rules and make sure everyone plays fair.
Look at your ID, it's civilian, you can't attack other players, and you have to get a new ID at level forty maximum. If you still want the freedom granted by the civilian ID, you can find a Freelancer ID in Texas. By the time you're a higher level, you may have joined a faction with it's own ID. The most important thing about IDs is to always carry one, and only one. Also, carry an ID that matches your ship, for example, if you have a Liberty Rouge fighter, carry a Liberty Rouge or pirate ID.
There's some basic information about playing Discovery RP, you'll understand the ins and outs of the game soon. Remember, it's a game, so have fun.
I like the idea but I think theres a limit as to how much you can put on one of those items haha.
Secondly. You would need to expect them to read that.
When I first joined I just sold the stuff in my hold without
readin it. Odds are they may do the same.
i understand that new players can be a bother, some just after pvp and they dont even think to look at the forum's or ingame message's its a game, you cant expect anything less or more but try to help them
But blaming them isnt the solution either, who's to say the new player is the at fault for pvp situations or not rping
I've seen plenty of old players/semi old players not rp, or use "excuses" to attack someone, its actually as stew said with releasing the mod 4.85 in another thread, people are getting bored. theres nothing new lately and so the pvp comes out because even old players get irritated or simply bored with nothing to do.
i understand your concern, but thing's arent as bleak as that,
Maybe some didnt read all that, but its their own fault. I like the idea. For me, as i was "young" here, i didnt understand all that, and after reading lots of sanctions, i see, that i was lucky, that noone reported me. Now i know it (RP)better. I did lots of prohibited actions. Not intentional, but of unclear rules, because RP was totally new for me. First time i joined this server, i did it because of the most player (biggest game in town). I read "RP". Ok, "RP" i thought, hmm, lets see, how it smells. I have heared about RP before, but only in combination with magic dragons, trolls, hobbits and so on. I havent had a clear imagination, wat RP is. I learned it by the time.
Put those explaining stuff onto every starflier. Maybe some people dont read it, but if more people read it than now, its worth it.
A small letter with important informations to prevent a ban would be nice. Like the 10 rules of god
I like the idea. Its a good one!...but instead of having it as cargo hold why not have it so that when a new character is made and they first appear in New York It says that. For example, you start off new and have never played before, then once you get on the game you see the message.
Maybe it could be added in new mod or something.
' Wrote:i understand that new players can be a bother, some just after pvp and they dont even think to look at the forum's or ingame message's its a game, you cant expect anything less or more but try to help them
But blaming them isnt the solution either, who's to say the new player is the at fault for pvp situations or not rping
I've seen plenty of old players/semi old players not rp, or use "excuses" to attack someone, its actually as stew said with releasing the mod 4.85 in another thread, people are getting bored. theres nothing new lately and so the pvp comes out because even old players get irritated or simply bored with nothing to do.
i understand your concern, but thing's arent as bleak as that,
I'm not trying to blame people for what's going on, because whose fault it is is irrelevant for now.
The admins can't just ignore new players braking rules, but when they smack a new player for rule breaking, that player usually leaves or starts his discovery experience very badly.
Granted, most new players actually survive without a sanction, but there are some who could benefit from advice.
With apologies to Larry Niven, think of it as evolution in action.
Okay, this may sound harsh. However ...
All players when they look through the server list see the forum address. They see where it tells them where to go to read the rules. Now, I realize that the rules are in English, and a lot of players don't have English as their native tongue.
Okay, when you go to the toy store and pick up a new game, do you just start playing it, or do you take the time to read the rules first? The basic rules are in the cargo hold. These people make a conscious choice to not read or follow the rules. Ignorance of the law is no excuse. (That's how good lawyers earn their pay, but I digress.)
I totally agree that HUGE numbers of sanctions come out of new players that never post on these forums. That's part of being an open server. Without password protection or some kind of entrance examination, I don't see this as ever actually changing, either. We've had this discussion before, and there's never been an acceptable solution.
So in the meantime, you just play as you can, and watch for the new players, and pay attention to what YOU do. That's about the best that you can do.