The New Player Experience - Finding where to improve!

The current tutorial is there to lessen the quitters and it is a substitute until the real Tutorial comes.

One person did not even know how to exit the current tutorial X(

I think this also really depends on the age of the new player. When I've helped mature or teen people they were not only polite, but also quickly understood things and figured everything out most of the time, with our help.
When I've tried to help people of ages under 10 though, they often kept repeating themselves and wanted me to think for them. It was also often hard to understand them and get the message across.

I think the focus here should be on the fact that people are saying that no one was welcoming or helpful when they joined. That people are saying they feel lost and that despite there being a lot of people on no one is forthcoming with a warm "hello" or a "can I help you get started?".

We all see the "so and so has completed the tutorial blah blah /v blah blah to welcome them." I don't remember the exact wording, but something like that. And the fact that I see it multiple times when I am logged on and can't remember what it says makes me think that that, in particular, is fairly ineffective itself. We see it, we ignore it. Why is that?

I have some theories.

First:
We have gone overboard with the automation of information. People have the idea in their heads that new players don't need their help. Everything they could possibly need to know is right there.

This creates a problem. Yes all the information is there. Everything they could possibly need to know. It is way to much information, as someone has said earlier in the thread. There is way to much being fed to new people for them to retain much. It has been a while since I learned this so I might not be completely accurate but it goes something like this. We have different levels of "memory" The first level is where new information enters our brains. The next level is where it goes and becomes working knowledge. This is us using the information, basically practicing it and committing it to longer term memory - where it is then the third tier of memory where it has become something we know. something we can pull up and use as we need it.

The first tier is where people are in the tutorial. They are taking in new information. The problem is that our brains can only hold onto about 7 pieces of new information at a time. If there are more than 7 bits of new information, some of the first bits are going to get pushed out for the later bits.

Going out into the world and using what they learned in the tutorial will help them commit the first seven bits of information into long term memory. Then they can be ready to learn new information.

Summarizing:
We need to be giving a lot less information in the tutorial. Give them a few key things to start out and maybe a couple books that say "read me later".

Instead of working on automating more stuff we need to work on less automation and more warmth in the community. Those stupid kiosk self checks at the store might be good in a fast pinch, but I will always prefer the friendly smile and "have a nice day" of the check out girl. We need to get back to showing people that this is a community, not somewhere they come to play while a computer does its version of Symon says.

Don't forget the pre-teens! [10-12]
Edit-Ninja'd

Wow. You remind me of Pab10s with your great ideas and understandings.

What server do u play on?

how do you determine the age of a player? Most (if not, all) do not just come out and say "I'm 10" or "I'm an adult"?

Smp1.

Well, the people that are under 10 often ask me how old I am after some time. And when I say I'm 15, they say they'e 8.

Then srry I wasn't on to greet u I have a res on smp4

You wouldn't have been able to greet me anyway, I joined EMC 896 days ago.

That player was last seen 2 months ago (60 days). This has not be implemented that long.

Before my ban, I was a happy, but very lonely player. I wanted just that one hi, and never got it. Then, I started to spam, to get attention. I still feel lonely, but not as lonely. I play on the most popular servers, that usually have at least 1,000 players per world, and 50 worlds, because I like the people. Also, I am starting to move away from EMC more and more, because there are no minigame worlds, allowing freedom and inviting many more players, and also making many players happy.

You're moving away from EMC because it's making many players happy?

I'm saying this-
No minigame world ---> People who like minigames not happy ---> less players on EMC.

There will soon be a games world.

I hope.