Group TP Run Tutorial

Stave Petty · 08-07-2012, 03:42

Hello Entropia,

As i explained in this thread my tp run and mapping services will be coming to a end. As a result of this i am making all information and map files I have available for public use in the interest of sharing information.

In this thread i will explain what i have learnt in my time about group teleporter runs.

The goal of our tp runs were to show the new players the planet, show them some of its history, some interesting things to see, and very close encounters with dangerous wildlife. A security team setup was perfected to manage these situations, so we could even travel through things like falx and survive.

After lots of trial and error, Entropia Tour Agency reached this set of Rules/Guidelines that we used to streamline the service.

General Tour Rules

No one is allowed to mine during the entire duration of the tour, you are only allowed to shoot a gun when in the Security team. We decide to use this because it is only a source of problems, if anyone gets a claim and they decide to mine it it could slow us down. If a member of security mines, not only does it weaken the security, it also sets a bad example and increases the chances new players who are running with us decide to mine too.
When being a guard, try not to drift too far away from the runners, use your best judgement to judge the mobs agro range, and threat level. This is important because the goal is to go through tough mobs, and keep the new players safe, if you drift too far away you risk their lives in the form of a mob spawning on top of them and being unable to deal with it effectively.
If someone on the tour is causing problems, there will be a three strike rule system in place, first the Team Leader will pm them, explaining to them what's wrong and what needs to happen to fix it, the second time will be a short mention in local, and further communication in pm, third time will all take place in local, and something in pm to make sure their paying attention as a final warning, beyond that they will be asked to leave the tour. This is needed to prevent other people ruining other peoples fun slowing the tour down. We chose this option because if we don't deal effectively with people deliberately causing problems it just ruins the experience for everyone. Three strikes managed correctly allows for enough space to figure out if its just general new player issues that can be worked through.

Now you understand our general rules, the next important step is the system used. As many may believe, Vehicles ruined group tp runs, this however is incorrect, with correct management, the same experience can be had while including vehicles. First of all, a good ground base is to get the Running setup working first, this gets the runners comfortable and everyone knows what's going on after it.

The Team for running is in this order
Security Team:
-Scout- The Scout is a member of the team that runs ahead and finds the way.
It is his/her duty to find the best possible way for the whole team, it is their job to decide if the security team is capable of going through the mobs, or if it is best to go around. If resistance is to big, he/she can wait on the main team and clear a path with the help of the rest of the guards. There can be up to 3 Scouts for a tour. Scouts are given the intended directions of the tour by the Team Leader and follow that guidance.

-Team Leader- The Team Leader is the overall leader of the run and leader of the security team. He/she makes sure that the team follows the path of the scout and he/she coordinates the security team and runner team. Everything from making sure everyone is in the correct place, new players are keeping to the line and things are going in the correct direction are things the Team Leader needs to manage.
In the occurrence of a event, for example the scout gets killed. The TL decides to wait till the scout is back or appoints another team member as scout. It is also his/her duty to keep the teams together, taking pause when some one crashes, no one falls behind etc. In the event a runner crashes, and they dont return or get in touch before they get kicked from team automatically the Team Leader usually decides to move on at that point.

-Guard- The guard spends most of their time forming a protective bubble of protection around the runners. It is his/her duty to keep threats away from the runners.
It is his/her duty to protect the runners as much as possible. When tough mobs are met, the guards can go ahead and help the scout up front when needed. Guards can help the Team Leader by making sure people keep where their supposed to be and don't cause trouble as long as it doesn't affect their ability to keep the group safe.
-Rear Guard- The rear guard does the same as a normal guard, the only difference is they stay at the back of the group behind the runners team the entire period making sure no one gets left behind working with the Team Leader.

Runners Team:
-Runner Leader- the Runner Leader is the leader of the runners team. It is his/her duty to let the runners form a line and maintain that line. He/she also follows the trail of the Scout. The RL falls under the command of the Team Leader but doesn't follow him blindly. A general rule is to keep behind the Team Leader and make decisions when to hold back if things get tough with mobs, conversation with the Team Leader while making these decisions help.

-Combat Medic- on occasion a combat Medic will be added to the runners team, it is his/her duty to watch over the health of the runners. The runners are his main concern, however he can heal Guards when the situation permits. The CM will be added to the runners team.

-Runner- The runner is our customer, they join us to collect teleporters and see the world around us.

The times running teams are used are best to the first TP, and then pre decided areas with a decent sized mob spawn and mob for the security team to handle. between these areas vehicles and wormholes are best used to speed up boring segments, and show the world in a new light.

Vehicle Team Setup
Get everyone in as few vehicles as possible, have the Team Leader up front, and the other drivers, best trusted people, forming a line behind them, stay on radar as much as possible.

When flying, communicate the cruising altitude to all pilots, and regroup at that altitude.

Other than these points, using revives to speed up travel helps things, and that is about it.
Tours using this method back in May 2012 proved that this is a very successful run format that still has alot of interest, these runs were performed on Arkadia.
As for a group that regularly does it, i found a informal method of listing many people on your fl who enjoys helping, and then pming them when grouping up for a pre planned scheduled tour helps, of course reminding them that it is purely optional and that the fl list is there so no one has to feel like its something they have to do. I believe this kind of setup is important to make sure it stays fun for everyone involved.

If you have any further questions please don't hesitate to ask