In-Game Tutorial/Quests For New Players

Based on the post on the front, I had an idea.

Most new player tend to be confused by the tutorial and all the signs on their residence, and it isn't that it's not well put together - it's that it's a LOT of information, all at once. Depending on the background of the player, they may come with such a wide range of expectations, and we basically can assume they may know nothing. Telling them how to do everything is just way too much information to take in at once. You're lucky if a competent new player retains 10% of that. In addition, many new players simply want to start playing. They see the tutorial as something that's in the way of that, and try to get through it as fast as they can.

And sure, players can go and read the wiki, but most wont. Consider that they're probably joining 3-10 servers at once trying to find one they enjoy playing on, and they have really limited time. To skim the wiki on one server might take 15-30 minutes, but to read that on 10 servers, now you're at 2-5 hours - not a fun way to spend your day. Remember that people come to the Empire to have a good time. They're probably only thinking about how they want to spend the next couple hours - and it sure isn't on a tutorial or messing with various new controls.

So, my idea is simple and it's used commonly in many multiplayer/online games. Instead of a tutorial that's separate from the game, the tutorial continues after they join in the role of quests. For example, a quest would start with something as simple as 'Navigate to town spawn', through intermediate quests like 'Set up a chest shop', to something as complicated as 'Find the end through the wasteland' or 'Acquire a beacon'. Registering on the forum could also be one such quest. (Similar to how it is already.)

To keep the player from being overwhelmed, but still allow them a feeling of control and flexibility, a limited set of 2-4 quests would be enabled at any given time. This also gives the player a motivation to 'unlock' other quests, all the while allowing them to learn at their own pace, one step at a time, with the ability to choose. After each quest, the player could also get a small reward, maybe some rupees or an additional item.

To keep it fair, existing players could also complete the same quests. But of course, the rewards for quests can be fairly minimal - new players have no idea of the value of rupees or items anyways.

This sounds good, I only don't think it whould be usefull to let them not doing the tutorial. It still IS a great way to learn were Empire Minecraft is all about. I mean, If you whould let new players join with only the things they want to know (ish), they haven't got ANY information to understand the server, but I think this would be great next to the curent tutorial. wich makes you having a tutorial, wich learns the basic of empireminecraft, and a game-tutorial, wich can learn things when someone wants to know that. This could be used in /assist you'ave got an assist wich teleports you to an game-tutorial that helps you out

I absolutely love this idea. Giving players something to do, a goal to accomplish, as soon as they join the game is a great way to get them started when playing on EMC.

Also, another issue it solves is the lack of income for new players. When new players join, they get a small amount of rupees to start out with, and they get the small sign in bonus. Sure, voting will get them more rupees, but that is inconsistent usually. Plus, voting is more of a long term investment, since many of the benefits don't show up until later. For the most part though, new players do not have any source of income.

Until they get some sort of business going, or have some sort of method to collect and sell resources or services, they have no income. This gives players an income that they can rely on for a time until they have some sort of business or service running that can provide a larger and more consistent income. The quests can also teach them how to do this, how to sell to shops or create a small shop themself to sell items.

Totally was not my idea to let them bypass the tutorial. Even though many new players may wish they could bypass it, I would definitely not think that's in their best interest.

The key to my idea is that quests:

• Feed the player information in small bite-size pieces they are more likely to retain.
• Are completed while the player plays. The player doesn't have to complete them to start having a good time. They don't block or restrict the player in any way like the tutorial does.
• Give a new player some early goals and a sense of accomplishment.

Thank so much for your support! I agree the immediate income is great. If I understand your idea, you're suggesting quests that can show the player how to make income, such as quests like these:

• Set up a chest shop.
• Post in economy chat.
• Build a tree farm.
• Sell an item to another player's shop.
• Visit the /waste.

Exactly, I believe that a big part of why a lot of players struggle on EMC is because they are younger or inexperienced with anything business related. These quests could show them how to make money on EMC, how the system and the economy works. The quest ideas you posted are a great start, as well as other things.

On a more personal note, I would like to point out that this idea would not only help players in game, but I believe could teach them some real life skills about how businesses work, and that you have to spend time to get what you want. A lot of players come into the game expecting hand outs. I believe that we can train players to learn how to support themselves on the Empire, and then these same skills may help them to recognize the importance of hard work in real life. While this may not be the end goal, I believe that it will have a really good effect on players in the real world.

It's not just hard work - it's what you do. You need to apply your efforts to the right strategy. The right strategy allows you to achieve your goals with minimal effort, while a poor strategy could even bankrupt you. I wont go into great detail, but I feel that in general the education system is horribly inadequate to prepare people for the real world, and I feel that most of the economic turmoil and unemployment are directly related to this lack of financial knowledge and skill. We need to be encouraging a generation of entrepreneurs and free thinkers to create a desirable economic future. If you don't understand basics of supply/demand, risk/reward, interest, compounding, margins, etc... you get taken advantage of by people who do. When you don't set the direction for your life, someone else does. People without savings and security are essentially slaves to corporations, watching their whole lives pass them by without ever getting anywhere, watch their kids get old and married without them being there, until they get to be 50 and realize they have nothing for retirement, and have to work dozens of times as hard to live half as decently.

Anyways, haha I appreciate your opinion on all this and we really should talk more privately

On another note, I see we have a vote for 'Definitely Not'. I was wondering if whoever made that vote would mind explaining their viewpoint.

Perhaps the quests could 'evolve' as you complete them.
Making a chest shop could lead to making 10, therefore you have a shop.
So when you complete a basic quest, it could split into one or two more, each being more difficult and complex, with slightly better rewards.
Another example could be 'visit the frontier' stemming onto 'make/join an outpost'.
'Visit the waste' could stem onto 'Mine a diamond ore in the waste'.
These could keep expanding up and up, so even the more experienced players can have a challenge. This would not just educate the new players, but also provide them with another reason to stay here.
But, it's still a great idea as it is

Of course that's my idea! You would at any time have 2-4 quests open at a given time, and you pick the one you want to pursue, which opens up new quests.

If we want to get super fun down the line, having quests that are randomly generated based on certain parameters (mine x amount of x, kill x amount of x, do x in a group of x, do something related to dragon tombs...) the possibilities are pretty cool. There could even be 24 hour full server quests to accomplish something in a certain amount of time requiring mass teamwork and possibly a competition against smp's.

Yes. For some reason I was having the same thought the other day about how quests could integrate with dragon tombs.

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This is a great idea! My only question is: What happens when all the quests are done, do they get repeated (As in killing more mobs/mining more stuff)? Or does it just say something like "No new quests"

Staff would (hopefully over time) add more quests to engage players who are more experienced. And of course the higher-up quests would take longer. First things like gather a stack of beacons or a DC of diamonds, or sell a million rupee worth of items, then on to even bigger challenges.

I'm not sure about starting over - that's something that can be discussed. In a way, I don't want people to get duplicate items, however I am not sure entirely why I feel that way.

I'm thinking about variations of this idea for some time now, I'm glad you took the time to make this thread.

What do you think about following:

While the quests shouldn't block, some privileges might require distinct "quest level". I was thinking about this also as a griefing prevention - new players need distinct level to get the "build flag" in the Frontier and in the Frontier End. Or they need a distinct level and some number of shop signs to add "shop" or "mall" tag, etc.

The "quest level" or "quest achievements" could be visible for everyone with /p.

The quests bring awards related to the quest, e.g. if it is "Find and mine 10 diamond ores in Wastelands", the player gets 10 diamonds reward upon completing the quest.

Besides being a tutorial and showing a new player around EMC, the quests make the new player invest time and effort - and make them more interested to build upon that - and stay out of trouble.

Perhaps older players could somehow be able grant some of the "quest levels" to new players, perhaps with a price tag. I imagine people would do that for their alts, friends and family members.

I like the idea of having a quests system in general. Having something to do is fun when you don't really have a plan for the day.

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