NPC missions which give map navs

[Manfredjinsinjin]

It's pretty official, the tradition of touring new players just isn't supportable with this player base. There just aren't enough new players at any one time to get veterans touring on a regular basis, which is necessary for new people to get on the tour bus. It's a cycle and there's just not enough pop to support it.

 

To compensate, I'd like to suggest missions to do this or that which give you the ? navs to locations / for entire systems. So basically a content-driven way for new players to learn where things are and get their early explore xps. I'd think this would come in two flavors - vanilla "you're useless without the main navs, go get them" and "we need something / to know something  / to kill something out at this point, here's the navs to it". So the vanilla ones could be set up on a rep at each station, and the objective ones done however they would work best.

 

I hear the content system is tough to work with so I've no idea of feasibility, but something like this would help fill the hold that the tour tradition was filling in Live / STs.

Edited May 25, 2013 by Manfredjinsinjin

[GenghisBob]

It's warm outside.  New players are scarce when it warm outside.  Even old players get scarce when it's warm outside.

 

A couple months ago there were tours several times a day.  But they are no longer noobs.  Lots a guilds tour their noobs.  Lots of players tour there own new 'toons.

 

If there are not enough new players to need tours, why do we need these missions?  Just asking...

 

Also, why would you want to kill any chance for tours forever?

[Ladinya]

Not to mention noobs or not so noobs solo exploring into that ? on screen and drop warp when they get there to be blown up by 8 ships that are circling the nav.

 

 

Giving a player all the ? takes part of the explore fun of the game out, yes there are sites to get the navs etc, but they do not tell you if mobs are there.

 

Its one of those be adventurous things in my opinion instead of staying in the safety bubble.

 

JustUs 

[Manfredjinsinjin]

It's warm outside.  New players are scarce when it warm outside.  Even old players get scarce when it's warm outside.

 

A couple months ago there were tours several times a day.  But they are no longer noobs.  Lots a guilds tour their noobs.  Lots of players tour there own new 'toons.

 

If there are not enough new players to need tours, why do we need these missions?  Just asking...

 

Also, why would you want to kill any chance for tours forever?

Well let's remember, not all tour guides are equal. I've had some terrible tours. Some are just straight nav paths out to Fenris and then you fly your own way back. Not at all like the kind of tour experience that popularized the practice. I'm just a frequent player and I've had to step in and help people get a decent tour.

 

That combined with the lack of availability of tour guides means the experience has pretty much sucked for a long time now, so the holy reverence about tours isn't deserved anymore.

 

I also feel the need to point out that tours are a player-driven way of filling a huge hole in the game mechanics (let's remember, game shipped 2/3 finished), so something like this is not out of the blue for games. It's pretty standard to have missions as a way for new players to get out and explore.

 

Also, there's no reason you can't have missions and tours too. A good tour guide would offer a top-quality experience, finding the hidden navs and pointing out spots players need to know about. I would think missions would mainly be about main nav paths (which many tour takers have) and specific points of interest, just because of the sheer amount of new content that would be needed. So the "good stuff" would be left for exploration, class missions, and tours.

 

I would favor bumping up the exps for hidden navs and lowering the exps for main navs anyways, it just seems righter to me that way.

Edited May 26, 2013 by Manfredjinsinjin

[Vitaes]

Daath has been running 2-3 tours a day, Skunky runs them as well, and Evilbadguy has started to run them. They run them because there seem to be enough toons for now that need them. I think that as long as high level toons need explore xp, tours will continue. Somehow, they find the players. But who knows when the tour experience will run its course? Not in the near future I'll bet.

[Knight05]

I know not everyone is for this but I multi box 5 new toons with the toon I want EL on and self tour. Then you don't have to worry about people falling behind, lag, deaths etc. It costs about 120k a run for level 2 gear then you switch it off to new alts and delete the old ones and make new toons rinse and repeat. Is it fun? No. Is it social? no. Is it effective. Yes!

[Manfredjinsinjin]

I know not everyone is for this but I multi box 5 new toons with the toon I want EL on and self tour. Then you don't have to worry about people falling behind, lag, deaths etc. It costs about 120k a run for level 2 gear then you switch it off to new alts and delete the old ones and make new toons rinse and repeat. Is it fun? No. Is it social? no. Is it effective. Yes!

Does that strategy fill a gameplay hole that content is supposed to? Yes. Should you have to metagame to fill that hole? No. Is there a content plan to fix that? ... I dunno.

 

However...

 

Would having missions that granted basic nav paths with bonus explore exps for finding the mission objective at the end help new people? Yes.

Would raising the exps for all the non-mission navs that tour guides would show you help both them and you? Yes. 

 

Would my proposal replace tours? No, for all the reasons I stated above. You'll get the main paths and a couple story or class mission spots in each area from missions, and get bonus exps for success to help you level. Tour guides will show you the cool and dangerous spots, and you can  modify the bonus exps for them to make everything square with the tour group.

 

 I actually think this would be more popular with tour guides, 'cause they wouldn't have to run the group through all the main nav spots. The boredom level would drop by a ton. 

Edited June 8, 2013 by Manfredjinsinjin