I think a brief explanation of the otell (i always use osend, os for short, btw
) in the welcome file would be much easier to implemend than adding more codelines where you can make out of character for short. The explanation will be sufficient enough for new players to understand the meaning of it.
But Jagg's right about a little tag that indicates if a new character is a new player or not. Most of the new chars now are just existing players. For new players who know their ways around in MUDs, start playing LoS wont be such a huge problem, as the main commands are explained in the tutorial. But we must know that for entirely new MUD players, every MUD is overwhelming and hard to learn. They have to start from scratch. Tried to let my gf play LoS, but she found it too hard to start, too much information and quickly gave up.
I know there is a <lvl 4 area at the circus place, but by the time most players first encounter that place, they are above lvl 4. So the immigration could guide new players to that place for example, or maybe create such a place closer to the chapel. I may look like a short route for us, but i know my start very well. I got lost in Amethyst several times.
So there are, as I see it, three things we need to think about:
1) How to gain more players.
Through advertisement or 'stealing' from other MUDs (by starting to play other MUDs and tell players there how great LoS is and that they should play there) or maybe through other means that aren't discussed yet.
2) How to make new players welcome and having them started without too many obstacles.
To be able to show them about all the features, new players need to come back more then once. Telling all in one time will surely scare them away. Like I said, maybe a place when only low lvls can come with simplefied (you write it that way?? ) features, like creatures dont pick up stuff and if your basic weapon breaks, some boy runs at you and gives you another simple weapon, explaining that you should type 'WIE <weapon>'. Also creatures can randomly say a tip, such as "If you notice a creature is too strong for you, don't wait to flee hoping for a little change to kill it anyway". A tip even I could use (how many times I died hoping my last blow would defeat it).
3) How to make them start role playing.
And this is a very tricky one. They should want to RP and not be forced to RP. Also here I think a new little area could be useful. The RP-bonusses could be given by NPCs. This, for example, when the player starts to use social commands. These bonusses will not count for your RP-ladder, just maybe a little xp and/or gold. But it's the moral-boost that counts. It's the message on the screen what it is all about. I get thrilled by the message, the joy when I get one boosts my moral way up high and as well as my mood.
For point 3 I have another idea which makes the tasks of the DM a bit easier. I'm thinking of giving respected RP-players the oppertunity to give away little awards. Awards that does not count for the RP-ladder and are smaller then the big awards. The players have a limited amount and should only be used to encourage others on their RP. Using them for only giving away xp and/or gold will lead to a "You feel alienated from the world" message. Maybe using them wisely (you have to spend some time with the new player) could benefit that player as well on longer terms.
They can not only give those to new players, but also to existing players, who have not the respected RP-title. Sometimes you'll get an award for accumilated RP (most of the times of my own awards). So players don't see first if their RP is noticed and appreciated, sometimes leading to a fall back, causing the player to RP less, because I know it can be hard to RP constantly about something not so big (Ghandi for example still needs to find a huge goal in his life to RP about...suggestions are always welcome
). But if other players can give just that little moral boost that is needed to keep that lvl of RP, it would be great.
I know for myself that I find it hard to keep a certain lvl of RP these days. In my early years there were a lot more players and Ghandi was a very talkative person. That and his searching abilities were the key for his RP. Now there are less players to talk with, less secrets to find, only the "extremely hard to find and no loose ends to hold on to" secrets remain. Also, daring dark knights and defeating them was one of his RP elements. These days, dark knights have become smarter and most of all, a lot lot lot stronger (a succeeded wither and a lvl 4 spell can kill me in 1 sec in the case of Kampfer). This leading to a huge fall back of Ghandi.
Please share you comments and I also hope that the DM will join this discussion as well to show their perspective on how to gain more new players.
)
). This would be readily removable by doing something trivial, but you'd have to know a bit about the game to do this.
