RE: [MUD-Dev] Newbies

["Geoffrey A. MacDougall" <geoffrey#poptronik,com>]

Title: RE: [MUD-Dev] Newbies

> When complete newbies log onto my mud, players are not as
> helpful as I like,
> for a variety of reasons. That might be that they find
> themselves answering
> the same old questions, they're busy in a pk melee, they're
> unwilling to
> invest hours in helping/teaching someone who might leave, or
> whatever - so
> if I might prod your collective wisdom...
>
> Have others experienced this phenomenon, and how did they
> deal with it? Do
> you reward people in some way for helping newbies, and if so,
> how?

I don't know the details of your MUD, or your particular stance on how immersive you require your solutions to be, but Asheron's Call has an allegiance system that encourages senior players to help junior players.  Not a perfect solve, but at least they've made a conscious effort.

Any other thoughts?

http://www.microsoft.com/games/zone/asheronscall/allegiance.htm

"A L L E G I A N C E   A N D
F E L L O W S H I P   S Y S T E M
After creating your character and entering Dereth, you literally have the world at your feet. However, the early stages of your life will likely be filled with both trials and tribulations as you find your way through the land. To help you adjust, Asheron's Call has implemented the following systems.

Allegiances
Upon entering Dereth, you will have the option to swear allegiance to another player character, who in turn may offer you resources, protection, or other considerations. As a subject you can only swear allegiance to one leader at a time. The leader earns a share of his subjects' experience points in exchange for his leadership. Leaders can offer rewards to attract subjects at their own discretion, but are not required to do so by the game.

A "King" topping a large pyramid will tend to accumulate experience in a hurry; however, the group as a whole benefits and grows strong relatively quickly because of the extra experience points it generates. The very lowest players in the pyramid will not get extra experience, but they will have the patronage and protection of a relatively powerful group and may be able to participate in more ambitious adventures than if they went solo.

Fellowships
Players often form a fellowship to accomplish some common goal, such as exploring a dungeon, finding treasure, and destroying monsters. Experience points gained by the fellowship are divided among members based on their levels, so that, for example, a third-level character in a group will get more than a first-level character and less than a sixth-level character. Often in your adventures, you will need skills and abilities you do not possess; thus, fellowships are especially effective if they hold a balance of warriors, magicians, healers, and rogues. Fellowships can be created and joined without cost, and last only for a single gaming session. When you exit the game, you leave the fellowship. If the leader who created the fellowship exits the game, the fellowship is broken. "