Support Update

[Daniel Valkor]

Good idea - it'll probably avoid some of the deficiencies of the mentor system.

Oh, and Franck - Welcome again and gratz, it was your first post after all

[Alice]

i see thise guides coming with mixed feelings
this way more newcomers will get help, since the mentors can't be there all the time, but if you force, i mean pay, someone to do this
the question is how the info will look like, and how the helping is done
(i guess the one or other mentor will have a second ava soon checking out what they actually tell the ppl )
atm we have, according to MA, a quitting rate of about 70%, the one i recognized is more about 80-90%, and I am not sure if those guides will help that much in this case
and since macros for players are not allowed, but i guess the guides don't have to care, write a macro telling a newbie how to turn, you will need it often
another idea, some tips what they should tell
-how to turn
-oil rig is bad for newbies
-how to sweat
-how to use chat (soc chat etc.)
-oil rig is bad for newbies
-common scams (upgrade/color armor...)
-how to trade
-friendlist and use
-there are MENTORS!!
-oil rig is bad for newbies

well, depending on how many guides you will have, be sure those guys are good paid, since they do the first steps of mentoring, they will have to tell a lot of stuff a lot of times
maybe another thingie to tell them
-there exists a Forum
-there are some guides written (hint )

as little hope for the mentors
you cannot enter the newcomer arrival zone anyway, but there is still a wall around it, and just one route to escape
and this way you will most likely don't have to tell all the stuff mentioned above again and again

PS, offering services as guide, i guess im qualified enough, and i guess i could spend some hours during the week as guide there
that forms a new idea
get some ingame ppl for guides, that can enter the zone, or as advisors
some ingame experience won't hurt there

PS2, as long i can have disciples i will most likely, it is not that easy to escape the claws of the newbie harvester

PS3, a newcomer arrival zone is in New Oxford directly close to the tp
happy zone closing
"City of Culture, please don't enter", wonder what Vexxed will tell you

PS4, if this is the start of taking the mentor system away, you might have an even higher quitting rate, not just necessary mentors, but you will also avoid a first person in fl for newcomers to ask, and therefore a possible friendship that(from your eyes) keeps the disciple/newcomer ingame and depositing

PS5, as little summarize (bit sarcasm)
-axe1x0 "corrected" ,melee users dissappointed
-amp change, ranged users
-malls, first shop buyers
-guides, mentors

what is next? land owners are left(well, atrox egg)

i rather stop, but as i said, we will see how it works out

[Frank|MindArk]

Just to be clear. The Entropia Guides won't be replacing the Mentor system.

[scuba]

I think that ingame pop up windows would make the job.

Like: If someone is offering you a armor upgrade be carefull, it's a scammer. Please report that avatar to MA. Thankyou very much.

Like MA says: MA will never ask for your password or user name etc.

And a part of discovering the EU is by charing and helping each other, especialy when you are new to the game. This allow ppl to communicate to each other, dont get everybody addicted to guides, but yes they are usefull. I prefer to be adicted to my ingame friends and discover new things with them than keep my mouth shut and play and read a guide at the same time.

Discover is part of the process, don't cook the food to them, let them cook it.

[Vap0r]

Originally Posted by mrproper

Great news, I guess I'll have to wait a bit longer for Romanian support options

I personally think that linking screenshots is a better way to deliver content than starting email application/site, creating new mail, entering email adress, subject, some text, then attach the files, make sure it sends... and then how would the support case and email link? You say in the support case that you will send mail, or you send mail then tell them what you sent in the support case...

A valid point Proper, reason #532,302 that Mindark should have their own forum and their own upload section on the web site. Or at least allow you to upload a screenshot from the support case window (like uploading an avatar in a forum). One simple button would help a great deal.
Frank, your mission, should you chose to accept it

[Erasmus]

Personal contact in the first hour will sharply reduce the number of players who quit in the first two hours. That may not keep them in for good, but the positive impression made in that first hour is likely to keep them in EU longer, hopefully long enough for them to want to log-in again tomorrow ... and the day after ...

Great move

Written guides, forums, references are useful, but most people don't read them initially. They only do spend some time reading after they have developed an interest in EU.

When I chat with newcomers, I always give them links to the forum and such. And it never fails: The ones who do return the next day invariably ask me about the forum link I mentionned the day before

[AlphaGeek]

Interesting. I've seen lots of seasoned players on the tarmac at Port Altantis giving those poor lost souls guidance after being rudely dumped off the ship. Essentially it was "OK, you're on the new planet now, figure out how stuff works yourself. Buhbye!"

On rare occasions a MindArk Official Monitor would be seen in the area, doing the same thing.

Cudos to MA for making an effort to retain new players. I kind of wish they could have done it without excluding old hands from the LZ though. It's fun helping people discover how things work, and I always enjoyed doing that in my free time on Calypso.

AG

[RexDameon]

Originally Posted by Frank|MindArk

Just to be clear. The Entropia Guides won't be replacing the Mentor system.

As a Mentor that started before the mentor system I'm actually disappointed in hearing that. I think the mentor system has been a complete failure.

No i'm not bitter i didn't get a cool mentor gift wouldn't matter i was always giving them away to the disciple even if they where cool. What I am bitter about is the skill nerf and not being able to get a Mentor Pro-standing also none of the gifts could actually be used to help newbs i.e. MF shield chip or a fap.

People just seen the mentor system as something else to exploit tricking newbs into being there mentors.

I woud like to see the mentor system scrapped unless it's completely changed because in it's current state i think it's doing more harm as many newbs say there mentor didn't help them.

when there was no mentor system if you had a mentor he realy helped you there was no reason not to.

dont get me wrong i'm not agaist these Entropia Guides i think it's a great idea and i'm glad to see it. Also all the new languages too. These are all great steps forward.

[Violet]

Originally Posted by hooters

Totally agreed and i just think putting an MA official in the game just to answer questions is a waste of resources. I can just imagine the same questions being asked over and over... a tutorial might just solve that problem.

I'm not saying it's a bad idea because i was a little lost when i first joined to, but paying a guy a full salary for that...

Exactly what i was thinking as i read through this. Also what Dunn had said.

Its good that MA recognise that new players need looking after especially in the first few moments of exsistance in Entropia, but paying someone(s) to stand there all day (24/7?) just seems to me over the top.

First move the new player landing site away from Port Atlantis. Its a terrible place for a new player to start their life in Entropia (Atlas Haven or Troy would be better).

Second have some sort of tutorial film with some breif explanation of what to do, what to expect, what to avoid, who can help.

Third, create some sort of mentor list in game (in soc terminal maybe?). Something where mentors can get rated, somewhere where mentors can advertise for disciples, somewhere where new players can find help.

But please, please, please move the landing site from Port Atlantis. First impressions are very important