The newbie area.

[Draco]

I have this whole idea typed up on another computer... it's similar to how people were trying to figure out a good way for the newbie area, but with benefits for everyone...

Instead of finding the file, I'll type up what I remember of it.
- - - - -

The starting area can be "underground" with cave walls, and other things to signify the area is actually underground.

The town can be completely underground with torches that reach pretty far...

Torches can also dot paths between some key areas in the land from the town gates.

There can be some lighting effects like beams of light showing from up high down to the ground for eye candy, to catch the players' attention.

There can be NPC's within the town that supply the newbs with all they need to progress.

The first 3-5 quests or so can be within this underground cavernous area, with a couple of small dungeons off to the side if an adventerous player feels ballsy enough to take them on.

Caves can lead around, interconnecting to small houses with other NPC's that can offer quests to help a newbie even more (purely optional though).

All together, this underground could get a new player from level 1 to 5 at a pretty steady rate with the quests... even if they're done only once.

Not all of the area would be underground... there could be stairways or ladders that lead up to closed off surface areas with monsters, chests, and maybe another stairway leading down into other parts of the caves or a dungeon that you normally couldn't access without taking this surface path.

These split off areas could also lead back to a part of a dungeon that's also near the town, or lead you into a cave that takes you back to the town, coming up a ladder into one of the houses (+5 Interactivity)

Once the newbie is ready, one of the quest NPC's tells the newbie they can say a certain line or give a certain item to the leader NPC, who would then give them a permit allowing them to pass through the main gate "room" to the rest of the world.

This main gate "room" would have two exits... the door connecting the room to the underground newbie area would only allow newbs that haven't left the cavern yet.

The second door would allow everyone from the outside world into the room, but they'd only be able to access that room, nothing more.

The second door will only allow newbies out if they have the permit.

This keeps newbies in check without skipping the newbie area, unless they REALLY want to...

If someone who has already done all of this before wants to leave, they should already know and remember what they need to do to get the permit from the town leader rather than being told how at the end of the main newb quests.

Higher levels can visit the room and give newbies things to help them, or transfer items to their lower characters if they don't want to leave the city yet.

Once a newb has actually left through the main gate, they cannot get back to the underground city... they can only access the gate room from then on.

- - - - -

The surface world could start in a valley, that leads past a couple of houses with quest NPC's... a couple small easy dungeons, and finally... the first town.

- - - - -

I have all of this typed up and I was ready to fully design all of it, quests and all if I had become one of the map makers for xen, but alas, I found Evidyon is much more promising.

If/when Karl allows people to use the map makers, I wanna see if a few other people would like to work together on a similar newbie area like this with me.

[Karl G.]

I really like the idea of having a noob area. It could fit into the storyline as a "hideout" after the Evidyon, or a location of a tear in Chaos where inhabitants that were caught in limbo start to reappear. The entering/exiting thing works well, too.

As far as the map maker goes, it will be a long time until it is stable enough that I would release it. As it is, I change the map maker on almost a daily basis. The best way to design this area would be to make it in Paint using one color of pixel for each different type of map location (ground type/walls/paths/lamp locations/etc). This is the way I make the world and will be easy to put into the game if you do this.

[Joe M.]

Sounds fine, as long as there are ways for more experienced players (or players without the patience) to skip the intro stuff.

[Draco]

In my post, I explain how a newb could talk to the leader of the town and leave without doing all of the newbie area quests... as long as they already know how to get out.

[Joe M.]

Indeed you do. But I think this is of more importance than your suggestion gives it. I would rather see a system in which low-level players are not obligated in any way to perform the introductory material, so it's even easier to get out of town if one should so desire.

Perhaps it would work better to make a simple level-cap rather than a pass-phrase: lvls 1-5, say, can freely enter and exit the intro town (so that players may go out into the world if they see fit, but if they realize that such an act was a mistake, they can easily return and go through the intro stuff), and higher lvls are unable to return. Granted, this has its downsides (less player interaction w/ the world) but it should be easy enough to make players aware of the intro quests--message when they start, some kind of gate-keeper who asks something like, "are you sure you want to leave? it's dangerous out there! You should go talk to the Mayor--he can help you get ready ...", if you're still low lvl, &c, &c--but this should be better in the long run than forcing players into a pre-crafted path from which they can break only by remembering a certain phrase.

... see what I'm saying?

[Draco]

(PRIMARY point)
None of this would be forced "introductory material" as you may think I'm trying to make it... I'm not going to be like Runescrape and make EVERY single newb be FORCED into 20 minutes (minimum for average newb) of grinding intro crap.

Well I don't think anybody should be able to ever return to this area... once they've touched the outside world, that should be it... they can't return.

The beginning area should be suitable enough to allow players to interact with eachother and keep them out of higher players' hair asking for free gear all the time.

The beginning town would be inside a huge cavern that has plenty of areas to free-roam, do quests, or whatever...

Newbs could leave at any point they wish... as long as they know what to do... this shouldn't even feel as a "restriction" to new players because they don't know what the outside world is like yet. Anyone that DOES know what it's like, could make it out without doing anything in the first place.

Again, I'm going for versatility in this and allowing players to either take looks at all the information they'll need to help get started, or they can ignore all of that and go straight for leveling up and/or getting out of the newbie area.

The quest's aren't REQUIRED, but they sure would help the newbs a LOT, with items and experience, and for more fun.

Any newb could leave by grabbing something like a gem from the basement of another house, and giving it to the town leader, then going for the main gate even at level 1...

If a newb completes the 3 main quests, they can be asked to get one of those gems and bring it back... this will give them a bonus reward because it was done as a "quest" rather than free will... then the newb will be told about being able to leave to the surface, and that they're prepared.

Once a newb reaches a certain level, they can get a permit to leave the cavern without a gem...

Everything I've already typed up was simply a rough-draft... I already have the basics of everything already in my mind, I just need to detail it and type it up... please be patient.

I have a friend who's also willing to work on this beginning area with me, even if I can do all of this on my own it's still good to have a second brain to help with the process to make it even better.

[Rabit561]

Indeed you do. But I think this is of more importance than your suggestion gives it. I would rather see a system in which low-level players are not obligated in any way to perform the introductory material, so it's even easier to get out of town if one should so desire.

Perhaps it would work better to make a simple level-cap rather than a pass-phrase: lvls 1-5, say, can freely enter and exit the intro town (so that players may go out into the world if they see fit, but if they realize that such an act was a mistake, they can easily return and go through the intro stuff), and higher lvls are unable to return. Granted, this has its downsides (less player interaction w/ the world) but it should be easy enough to make players aware of the intro quests--message when they start, some kind of gate-keeper who asks something like, "are you sure you want to leave? it's dangerous out there! You should go talk to the Mayor--he can help you get ready ...", if you're still low lvl, &c, &c--but this should be better in the long run than forcing players into a pre-crafted path from which they can break only by remembering a certain phrase.

... see what I'm saying?

I was so going to say 99% of everything you just said but decided to come back and read everything before I posted.. XD

But I don't think Evidyon will actually require a Newbie area... It's not that complicated of a game, actually the MAXIMUM EJ did for a Tutorial was that Lizard in T3(Can't remember her name ) and I don't know any1 that actually needed a tutorial, unless it was a complete retard, which this game doesn't need.

But if Karl intends to make one anyways I think instead the place should be an absolutely NO PVP WHAT-SO-EVER place,instead of not allowing higher levels to go there, cause the Primary problem I had during the entire time I played Xenimus was because of the Game Pedophiles always Killing me for my items in my main leveling area's, in fact it was my main reason of quitting Xen...

Although having highers be able to come in, could let them steal killing from lowbies (Like I had done to me countless times in t3 skellies ) but it could also let friends help friends level.. (Like when EJ made the Hell Knights way up in the middle of the water and High-be's would lvl friends/their own lowbies, which ended about 1-2 months later when he found out it was happening XD)

Either way, I think Highers should still be allowed to go to the lowbie levels, just make it a NO-PVP zone.