HELPING NEW PLAYERS
September 16, 2012

INTRODUCTION

If we don't get a steady stream of new players, the game will stagnate and die. But getting newbods through the door is only half the battle: we need those new players to stick around. Whether you're a member of staff, or a player who just wants to help, you can be the key to making sure new players come back again and turn into regular players.

If a player's first experience in the game is not positive she won't come back again. You have just a few minutes - if that - after a GroundHog enters Fed, to convince her that Fed is worth spending her precious time on. There are a large number of free MUDs out on the Internet. We know Fed is better; you have to make our newbod realize that too.

SPOTTING GROUNDHOGS

In order to welcome a GroundHog, you have to know she is there. There's several different ways you can use to keep an eye out for newbods. You could type 'WHO' every half a minute. Or leave SpyNet Notices turned on. Or go stand in the Meeting Point and type 'GL' regularly. 

The most reliable is to use FedTerm's 'Friends' alert to tell you when GroundHogs log on.

DIFFERENT KINDS OF NEWBOD

Roughly speaking, new players to Fed2 fall into several different categories, and each category needs a different amount of help:

Returning players - old Fed players from classic Fed, AOL Fed or sometimes even earlier. Apart from a friendly welcome, all they need is to have the differences they will find in Fed2 explained.

Experienced MUD players - players who are familiar with online text games, but have never played Fed2 before. They will need a friendly welcome, help to get started, and an explanation of how Fed2 differs from other MUDs.

Complete Novices - players who haven't played a MUD before, so haven't a clue. We don't get too many of those as we did back on AOL, but they do sometimes appear. They need to be led by the hand through the basics.

Alts - current Fed2 players setting up an alternate character. They don't need any help at all.

THE PERSONAL TOUCH

Help should be offered to each new player personally. There's no "one true way" to help a newbod and no set script you can follow; you need to tailor the help you give to what the new player actually needs. Figuring out which of those categories she falls into is therefore important.

You can welcome a new player over the comms, but it's more effective if you go and find her on Earth so you can talk to her face to face. That way you can use your own role-playing style when talking to her, and use 'ACT' commands to show your individuality. You are a real player with real characteristics, so use them in the way you act and react to the new player. Smile, laugh, jump up and down, have fun. That's the most effective way to show a newbod how much fun Fed2 can be. If players see right from the word go that in Fed they can pretend to be any kind of character they like, it starts them out used to the idea of role-play.

Having said that, don't get so carried away with your role-playing that you forget that you're trying to help a new player get started. Keep in mind that to someone who is completely unused to role-play, it might seem very confusing. So don't go over the top; make sure that the help you are giving the GroundHog isn't lost in the role-play. Use your common sense in this.

Do keep your answers short and to the point. New players are probably not fast at reading what is scrolling across their screens, so don't confuse them with very long, complex answers. Keep it simple.

Above all, don't use macros or canned help messages. They encourage you to be lazy and to not consider exactly what help the newbod needs. There's not enough newbod traffic that your fingers will wear out having to type everything in fresh!

DON'T KNOW - DON'T SAY

One very important thing to remember is that if you don't know the answer to a question, then don't guess. It is better to admit ignorance than to give misleading or incorrect information that may lose a player groats or worse.

If the information is something that you know you can find the answer to, then tell the player to hold on while you look it up. Consult the Fed manuals, look on the web site, or whatever you need to do to find the answer, then go back to the game and pass it on.

If it's something you haven't a clue about where to start looking, or you haven't time to look right now, then admit you don't know and ask the player to mail feedback (feedback@ibgames.net) with her question. You can also drop feedback some mail yourself to find out the answer, if you're curious, or to suggest that the information should be in the manual or on the website.

FIRST CONTACT

When a GroundHog comes into the game, she is not tuned to any channel, but she has her comm unit turned on, and can hear whatever is being talked over on the comms. Therefore, if you welcome her with a comm message she will see it. Using the comm rather than tight beams at this stage is useful because it alerts other players that there's a new player to be welcomed and helped if necessary.

Your first comm message to the newbod should say something like, "Hello Newbod, welcome to Fed2". Then wait a few seconds and see if she replies. Some people can figure out how to send messages on their own by typing HELP, but not everyone can. If the newbod doesn't respond, send another comm message explaining how to use the comms: "To talk in Fed2 you type COM followed by what you want to say, then press return - for example, com hello". If you still don't get any reply, it's definitely time to go and find the player and try to help her face to face.

HOW MUCH HELP TO GIVE

This is where you need to figure out what kind of player the newbod is (see the list above). You do this by asking a couple of questions. Start out with "Is this your first time in Fed?" If she is a returning player she will tell you that she used to play on AOL/GEnie/whatever.

If she is completely new to Fed, then you can ask her how she found the game. If she tells you she came from The Mud Connector, or she saw our listing on another game site, then it's a fair bet that she is familiar with MUDs and just needs to be helped with the Fed-specific stuff. It is most likely that this kind of player will want to be left to figure things out on their own, asking questions on the comms when she gets stuck.

If the player says she hasn't played this kind of game before, she is going to need considerably more help.

TEACHING THE BASICS

Those who are not familiar with text games will need a lot of help. Once you have welcomed her, got her to talk, and figured out she hasn't played a MUD before, you should go and find her so you can talk face-to-face. You can then explain how she can talk just to you, using 'SAY' (or a single- or double-quote) rather than sending her messages to the comm.

You will need to explain how to read the room descriptions and look for mention of exits. Explain how to type the initial letters of the compass directions to move - for example, in the Meeting Point it says you can go east, so type E.

Explain that she needs to buy a spaceship, and to do that she needs a permit, which can be obtained from the Galactic Administration HQ building.

At this point, it's a good idea to find out what front-end she is using. If she is not using FedTerm then encourage her to give it a try - explain about the auto-mapping features, and that it comes with the route to the GA HQ already filled in.

You'll need to move slowly enough that she can read the descriptions on the way. Stop and point out anything interesting you pass, such as the entrance to the tour of the Solar System, the Armstrong Cuthbert office, and so on. When you get to the elevator, tell her to 'PRESS BUTTON' – it’s not immediately obvious.

Once she's got her permit, walk her back to Jarrow. On the way you could do a few 'ACT' commands and explain how they work, how she can use them to smile and laugh, or do really complex actions. Stop in a bar and buy her a drink. Show her your clothes and mood. If she's interested, teach her how to buy clothes of her own. Make sure she realizes that Fed is a social game and how much fun she can have if she joins in.

Once she has a ship, show her where it is and explain how to fly it. Then make sure she understands that you can't come with her in the ship, so she will have to ask any further questions using the comms.

The next stage is to teach her how to do jobs. At this point, you can tell her that the help system in the game explains how jobs work - she should type 'HELP JOBS' - and also point her to the manual on the web site, and recommend that she reads through it. Also tell her about the map of the Solar System which shows the position of the planets, and the starter maps which show the routes to Armstrong Cuthbert offices on each planet, at http://www.ibgames.net/fed2/maps/index.html.

The in game help information should be enough to let her figure out how to do jobs, but she will probably have questions about things she doesn't understand. Do answer them - although we want players to use the manual and help system to figure things out on their own, refusing to answer questions when a player is brand new is just going to annoy her, so she won't want to come back.

As a general rule, if the information the new player asks for is in the manuals or on one of the Help pages, then it's OK to give her the answer. You could also give her the URL of the specific page in the Idiot's Guide where she can look something up. If it's part of the body of knowledge you have gained by your experience in the game, then you can pass that on too. But no puzzle secrets!

Once the player seems to have the hang of doing jobs, and has done a few of them, you need to point out that jobs isn't all there is to Fed2. First, explain that jobs are only for the first couple of ranks, and after that what you do changes each time you promote. If you didn't do it earlier, tell her about the tour of the Solar System, which is on the way to the GA HQ on Earth, and which showcases some of the more exotic locations on the various planets.

You should also tell her that earning groats is not all there is. If she enjoys exploring she should have a go at the Magellan Society treasure hunt - explain that she starts the puzzle by finding the Magellan Society exhibition in Earth's spaceport, and talking to Victor. Then explain how to talk to mobiles, since this isn't something that is immediately obvious.

Tell her about all the fun stuff on the web site - the weekly News, lots of archive material, the Encyclopedia Galactica, the game manuals, maps and so on. Encourage her to look at the maps and read the manuals. Explain that she doesn't have to leave the game to do all this, and that she could leave the Sol map up in a separate window to look at when she needs to. Also explain to her that there is a simple help system in the game to aid new players.

Your aim is to do two things. You need to help her to get started in the game, so she promotes to Commander and starts doing jobs. But more importantly, you have to make sure she enjoys herself enough that she will come back the next day, and the day after that, becoming a regular player.

HELPING MUD PLAYERS

A player who is familiar with MUDs is going to know how to explore, and is probably going to figure out how to get started on their own. In the Meeting Room there is a help booth, and 'PRESS BUTTON' plays a set of help messages. Typing 'HELP' gives general help and suggests other help topics. This information ought to be quite sufficient for a player to get a permit, get a ship, find it, and figure out how to do jobs.

However, what seems obvious to one person won't necessarily be to another, so she may well get stuck at various points. Be prepared to answer whatever questions she has, in order for her to get started. Make sure she knows about the game manual and the maps on the web site. (People who have played MUDs before will probably not shudder at the thought of reading game manuals!)

At some point she is probably going to ask what, exactly, is the point of the game - what does she do? Here is where you explain about jobs but it is important that you also explain that jobs are only what players do for the first couple of ranks; after that, they switch to something completely different whenever they promote. This is one of the key differences between Fed2 and other MUDs, where what you do stays the same throughout the game - you simply kill bigger orcs for larger rewards. So tell the player what she has to look forward to at higher ranks - commodity trading, futures, running a company and owning a planet. Also point her towards the Magellan Society puzzle.

As with players who haven't played MUDs before, don't neglect the social side of the game. Even if you're helping a player over the comms, encourage her to get out of her ship and join you for a drink in a bar. Once again, you need to engage her so that she enjoys her time in the game enough that she will come back.

HELPING RETURNEES

If a player has played Fed before in the past, she should already know how much fun the game is, so you won't have to persuade her to give it a try. However, you may have to get her to understand and accept the changes.

It is important that returnees understand that Fed2 is a different game. As far as the game play goes, there's a list of the way things have changed at http://www.ibgames.net/fed2/manuals/changes.html. Most people agree that most of the changes are positive ones, but some may mourn the loss of their favorite feature, whether it's spybeams, painting ships, the Duke puzzle or fighting. Play up the new stuff, such as the more flexible comms channels, the relay command, futures trading or FedTerm’s auto-mapping. If there's something you think is particularly nifty in Fed2, don't be afraid to talk about it.

If the player asks for groats to pay off her ship loan, explain that players have to work their way through the ranks in Fed2 and cannot be bankrolled by other players. You need to convince her that the lower ranks are important and shouldn't be rushed through.

Ask the player what name they used to use in their version of Fed. If you were also a player at the same time, even if you don't remember them, you might have some friends in common, so ask what duchy she was in, who her friends were... try to make some kind of connection. As with all types of new player, the aim is to make her a part of the community, so she will come back again.

A NOTE ABOUT FEDTERM

If a player is using FedTerm - or if you have persuaded her to switch to using it - you should explain about the character pictures. Tell her that the funny interference pattern above the score panel is where a picture of her character can be displayed. Explain that she can find out how to make her own picture at http://www.ibgames.net/fed2/fedterm/pictures.html.

You also need to explain how other players' pictures will be displayed if she examines or spynet reports them. FedTerm comes with pictures of Bella, Hazed, Freya, Buddy and Fancy, so tell the newbod to do a spynet report on one of them. If you have put a character picture in the FedTerm gallery, point the player to it and explain how to download it. (http://www.ibgames.net/fed2/fedterm/gallery/index.htm.) And if you haven’t – why not?

FedTerm's character pictures are something unusual and exciting so don't forget to mention them.

CHECKLIST OF WHAT TO TEACH A NEW PLAYER

These are the subjects you should endeavor to cover when teaching a new player, with no experience of MUDs, how to play:

•	Welcome her to Fed.

•	Explain how to talk using 'COM'.

•	Gauge the level of help she is going to need.

•	Explain how to read room descriptions and figure out what exits there are.

•	Teach her how to move around in Fed: N to go North, SE to go Southeast, etc. Make sure she realizes she can only type one command at a time.

•	How both those things are made much easier if she uses FedTerm, because of the auto-mapping and the keypad or cursor movement. But point out that it won’t show UP and DOWN movements.

•	How to send private messages using 'TELL'; how to distinguish between messages sent the different ways.

•	How to talk in the same room using 'SAY'.

•	How to use the 'ACT' command. Demonstrate how to smile, laugh, jump around, have fun, etc. Explain that the command is flexible enough to let players do anything they want, and give a long and interesting example. (act jumps onto the table and dances the lambada, skillfully avoiding knocking over the drinks. She finishes with a flourish and springs back to the floor, grinning broadly.)

•	Explain how some room descriptions tell you about things you can do in the room - for example, the help booth in the meeting point, buttons in elevators, and so on.

•	Take her to a bar and buy her a drink. Explain how she can buy you a drink. Explain why eating and drinking is important to stop stamina getting too low. Explain how to customize buying rounds.

•	Explain about clothes. Teach her to examine you, and herself. If she's interested, encourage her to change her clothes. Explain how the command works so she understands what she has to type.

•	Take her to the GA HQ to get the permit, then back to Jarrow to get a ship. Explain the 'INVENTORY' command to show she now has permit, and how to look at her score and ship's status.

•	Take her to the shuttle pad and explain how to board the shuttle. Explain how to move in space.

•	Tell her where to find the Solar System map so she can find the other planets (http://www.ibgames.net/fed2/maps/solmap.html).

•	How to turn jobs on and off, how to check the workboard, how to accept a job and carry it out.

•	Starter maps to help find the AC offices (http://www.ibgames.net/fed2/maps/planetmaps.html).

•	How to buy fuel, including the fact that it costs more in space.

•	Recommend she reads the guides - The Idiot's Guide (http://www.ibgames.net/fed2/guide/index.html) and the Fed2 Commands (http://www.ibgames.net/fed2/commands/index.html) are the most useful ones for a new player. Point her to the Fed2 Star and explain she can subscribe to have it mailed each week.

•	Explain how the in-game help system works.

•	Encourage her to map (or use FedTerm's auto-mapping).

You do not have to cover these points in exactly this order, and obviously some people don't need or want all of this detail - they may want to get right into their ship and start doing jobs, or they may not have time to learn everything on their first time in the game. So use the checklist as a guide but be aware that you won't necessarily get through it all with every Groundhog!

ROLL OUT THE WELCOME WAGON

There's more you can do, as well as just helping new players with the mechanics of getting started. While you are helping the newbod on her first steps in the game, you should make her feel loved and wanted. Fed is a social game so make sure she feels that she can join the community.

Far too many games are made of up cliques that exclude new players, or even go out of their way to drive them away. You need to make sure our new players realize Fed is different.

Your help needn't stop once she gets into her first ship, either. You could consider adopting the new player, and taking her under your wing for the future. Actually making friends with her.

You could tell her to look out for you when she comes back to the game, and if you see her in the future make a point of saying Hi again. Introduce her to your friends. Ask your friends to join you in a bar to have a drink with her.

As she promotes up the ranks, make sure she understands the new things that she has to do at each level. You will benefit from this eventually, because you will be able to encourage her to trade on your planet, build factories you need, and later join your cartel.

These are the personal touches that bind the Fed community together and form long-lasting friendships and bonds. Make the effort to bring new players into the social groups.

WHEN SHE IS BEYOND HELP

Sometimes there are players for whom Federation is just not the right game. If you repeatedly give a newbod some information, but she ignores it, there is no point banging your head against a brick wall. If you are trying to lead someone but she keeps wandering off on her own, try a few times to get her back on track but if she won't stick with you, just tell her to call you if she does want your help, and then leave her to get on with it. Or if no matter how often you say hello and explain how to use the comms, you don't get a response, you can assume she is not paying attention.

IN CONCLUSION

The one thing that can persuade new players to stick with Fed is other players. You have the power to make them feel the game is the place for them. Succeed and the game will thrive, and you will have achieved something important.