The Life of a Newbie - Days 1 & 2

[PINKY]

Originally Posted by Cani Ostro

Very nice first story indeed.

I am just not too sure if the way of dumbest noob is a real way to approach it. Regarding the Mentor thing a "normal" noob would have asked "Whats a Mentor?" "What does he do?" and lot of more. Taking everything said as "valid" asks very much for a disappointing experience at least at some point?

Being a noob doesn't mean the total absence of common sense (but as I mentioned I could be mistaken, lol).

Well, an interesting comment, but i am not playing this as "dumb", just trying to emulate a new player. I did post somewhere on one of these newbie threads that common sense will still appy....

but having just been told (whilst in the landing zone) what a mentor was and that they would help me with learning the game... then getting an offer of mentorship, with a free gun and ammo followed by my first hunting lesson and a run to a TP - do you really think a new player would be considered "dumb" to fall for that? Personally I would think a normal noob would do exactly what I did, which is why I did it.

Obviously I wont get it right all the time, but I think this one was pretty straight forward.


It really is hard to try work out how dumb to play it so I dont give the game away!

[Commodore]

On the basis of common sense, I'd suggest that the drop of an ML-35 / Angel / 2,000,000 mob oil might just trigger bells and whistles. That be enough to make most ppl figure they had something nice and wouldn't want to hand it over for the sake of implied ownership due to 10 ped of ammo!

As for common sense not being mutually exclusive to OJ status... I dunno
The sort of questions I've received, and of course the believe that a real cash economy means that experienced players have and are willing to give REAL cash to other players. I mean really - you sign up on the strength of the RCE idea, then you think it's possible to get other ppls peds.

I'm a staunch believer in credit card number before you can create an account. Maybe an IQ test should be added to that...

I think you should repeat this undercover study in a year. What is the reference for the test of increased or decreased level of difficulty? So much changes over several years.

When I started, there was no avatars in coats to help, no friendly faces - in fact no faces! Being dropped 5mins outside of JC......

Of course my rant says how hard we had it, but although that's true - it's also true that I didn't have to worry about being farmed or scamming.

[Coelacanth]

Originally Posted by Commodore

I've noticed a shift from exploration to loot gratification. When I was new, an exciting session would be climbing to the top of a mountain and exploring - seeing my first spid and not getting wasted - finding out which pools of gunk would hurt me.

I'd agree with you Commodore...I'm not really sure what changed all that. Is it because we only enjoy the exploration part when we're n00bs, and then lose that "wonder" at everything new, then miss it once we're experienced? Is it because in the early days, you could find random items lying on the ground, and thus made it worth your hours of time to explore? (Yeah I know we have fruits and rocks and such, but let's face it--it's not the same thing. They have zero PED value. They aren't permanent fixtures. They only spawn the instant you're near them, then probably disappear if they're not found within a certain span of time. They're not items you can spot from 50 yards away when using the 3rd-person top-down view.) Is it because the oil rig was implemented with the lure, however impossible it truly is, of instant free 'loot'?

Another thing I loved is there were lots of unmarked shopcontainers (now called outposts) to be discovered. I would be adventuring in a remote location without another green dot on radar for the past hour and happen upon a shopcontainer, that was exciting! (Back then, you didn't get a notice that a new entry was added to your map; if you found an unmarked outpost, you noted it on your own personal map, and only those people who saw it, knew it was there.) Now, it seems there's no real secrets to be uncovered anymore.

I'm not sure what events happened to cause the decline in exploration, but I agree that those were "the good ole' days".

[kira-red]

Originally Posted by Commodore

it's also true that I didn't have to worry about being farmed or scamming.

I think scamming has existed since the begining. I'm always shocked at how low some people will go. I remember when I was very new. in fact, I had just completed a "connect the dots" welcome to PE introduction. this was back in the days when there were cool NPCs like bart and evan. anyway, after visiting the NPCs and doing a couple of things you received a piece of pioneer armour. once I had this, I armed myself with the EP armour list so that I would know what was going on.

well, to my disappointment, I discovered that pioneer armour wasn't so great. anyway, a little later, I was in the field an I actually looted a pair of pioneer shins. I didn't bother with them as I had acquired a better set of armour, at this point. I then met some wandering orange clad neophyte. I struck up a converstation with him and hoped that he would keep me company while I tired to make it to the next teleporter. to help him out a bit, I offered him the pioneer shines to wear. I knew it wouldn't help him much and they weren't worth much but I thought the jesture would be nice and maybe I could have a friend - as I didn't really know anyone.

so, what do you think his response is? he logs off. I wait a few minutes figuring he might have just crashed and I found it difficult to believe someone would do such a thing for less than 20 cents. but, it was true and they do. I don't care about the pennies because they're not important, but knowing how some people can be is worth so much more.

[Coelacanth]

Originally Posted by kira-red

I think scamming has existed since the begining. I'm always shocked at how low some people will go.

...And for how little (as you said).

Back before auctions, back before mentors & disciples, I created a society with a simple goal: teach n00bs about the game and how to make a few PEDs by selling stuff. I had already acquired my so-called wealth by trading, and was by this time, a full-time hunter. I didn't trade anymore, except big-ticket items. I had a lot of stuff saved up in storage, plus stuff I was looting while hunting. I gave my stuff to various new players to sell for profit, and I paid quite well--typically I paid them 50% of the above-TT profit, which was far, far more than what other vets were paying (er...slaving/whoring out) to their traders. I think the typical average was only 10%. IMO, it wasn't worth the boringness to get paid such a pittance to move someone else's goods.

I let my traders determine their own price (within some guidelines, of course). If they sold for a higher markup, they made more PEDs for themselves. If they were impatient and sold cheap, then they didn't do so well.

What I'm getting around to, is that some of my "traders" just took my items and didn't pay me back. They had a choice between stealing a couple dollars' worth of items NOW, and the potential to make hundreds of dollars LATER (after establishing reputation and contacts and networking, etc.), and they were shortsighted enough to choose to steal my few PEDs or dozen PEDs of items. Didn't seem worth it, IMO. I eventually only had a few of my members who were people I really trusted, some of them have gone on to become uber members, because they had much better "luck" than I did. (Or maybe their "luck" was typical, and mine was not...?)

/waves to jak, Konve

[TonyBaX]

Originally Posted by PINKY

Thats a hard question too!

its becoming a struggle to keep playing two avatars and write up the articles, hold down a full time job and keep up with a demanding little girl from a time perspective - I have had to neglect Pinky a little tbh, which is a real shame as we have just taken on an arse load of people in Terra Verde and I am missing out getting to know them... but, i do love writing my articles, this one is especially nice as its had such massive positive feedback from the comunity. Gives me a warm fuzzy feeling inside (or is that just the Jaffa Cakes? )

Ok i see, well keep up the work u really deserves all the feedback u get here no doubt.

[SnowLeopard]

I now need a PVR for EF! I will set it to record Pinky's adventures so I can read them all at once at the end and not have to suffer the anxiety of waiting for the next episode!

[PINKY]

Originally Posted by SnowLeopard

I now need a PVR for EF! I will set it to record Pinky's adventures so I can read them all at once at the end and not have to suffer the anxiety of waiting for the next episode!

You think its worth when its all done and dusted, making one long thread with all the posts together in one place? Was thinking about doing that - not for front page obviously, but just for people who might like to read in the future without having to locate all the seperate threads in the right order...

[dj.]

Originally Posted by PINKY

You think its worth when its all done and dusted, making one long thread with all the posts together in one place? Was thinking about doing that - not for front page obviously, but just for people who might like to read in the future without having to locate all the seperate threads in the right order...

Maybe, was thinking same, but think of it as a compliment

You do hold the reader, already the mentor is a main charactor, the plot is intriguing.

I cant stand it either LOL!!

The last book I read, I finished last night, was the second time I had picked it up

Some of us want to know the story NOW, not wait for it!!

COME ON ALREADY!!

[PINKY]

Originally Posted by dj.

Maybe, was thinking same, but think of it as a compliment

You do hold the reader, already the mentor is a main charactor, the plot is intriguing.

I cant stand it either LOL!!

The last book I read, I finished last night, was the second time I had picked it up

Some of us want to know the story NOW, not wait for it!!

COME ON ALREADY!!

lol thx Days 3 & 4 are with 711 as I type - should be up as soon as he gets a moment (or see's the PM i sent him)

Days 5 - 7 are being worked on. Should be end of week...