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Darkfall: New Player Protection Feature Announced
MikeB
Community ManagerAdministrator RarePosts: 6,555
Committed to improving the game's new player experience, Darkfall's Tasos has announced a set of new player protections that newbies can opt-in to so that they can get their bearings in the game world without having to deal with some of the harsher aspects of the game right out of the gate.
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The feature may be introduced with the game's next patch, and will be fairly limited, only lasting for several hours, and as we mentioned before, is entirely optional.
Read below for the specifics of the New Player Protection feature:
- If you’re a new player entering the game for the first time, newbie protection is on by default. There's an option to turn it off if you don't want it.
- You won't be able to damage other players and other players won't be able to damage you.
- You can only damage monsters.
- The protection only lasts for a few hours of gameplay. There's a visible count-down timer. You’ll get a warning before the protection expires
- The protection is active only in the racial starting areas. If you wander outside your starting area, you’ll get a warning and if you don’t return within a couple of minutes, you will lose the protection.
- There’s a visual indicator that signifies you’re a new player with protection on.
- You can trade and interact with NPCs without restrictions
- You cannot use any items that cause structural or player damage (battle spikes, warhulks, cannons, ships etc.)
- You cannot use mounts
- You cannot unspawn objects
- You cannot teleport
- You cannot use Runestones
- You cannot use portals including Nexus
- You cannot create a clan
- You can give and receive buffs and heals
- You can join a clan
- Newbie protection works only for new accounts
- You cannot skill up on other players or be used to skill up on
View the original announcement here.
What do you think of the New Player Protection feature? Let us know in the comments below!
Comments
Fansy the famous bard, it is time for your return. notacult.com/fansythefamous.htm
(Fansy was an EQ player on a "no rules" PvP server who used the fact that low level players cannot be attacked by higher level players to "train' monsters onto higher level players.)
EQ1, EQ2, SWG, SWTOR, GW, GW2 CoH, CoV, FFXI, WoW, CO, War,TSW and a slew of free trials and beta tests
If you leave the starter town area as a newb, you lose the "buff"...
If you leave the starter town as a newb, you lose the "buff"...
I would never find a way to get around that. But I'll bet Fansy could.
EQ1, EQ2, SWG, SWTOR, GW, GW2 CoH, CoV, FFXI, WoW, CO, War,TSW and a slew of free trials and beta tests
It's really not going to change anything...I personally think chars all geared up farming low lvl areas (happening to em the past 2 weeks of playing) gets kind of silly sometimes...(not that it didnt happen in al the other great PvP games)
At least new chars will be able to stockpile a few more resources then the usual first 7 hours of gameplay.
I play all ghame
This is just one step towards everything they are going for in DF2010 to repolish the game, help bring new people in more comfortably, and continue to grow their game. This is 90% of what is needed to allow for new player trials as well. Assumptions are like...
Why is this considered a waste of resources?
A new players first steps within DFO will no longer be at the mercy of higher skilled players whose sole purpose would be to grief them.
The first few hours are some of the most important within any new game, if those are filled with nothing but frustration and ignorance from the veteran players then this new temporary protection buff is a step in the right direction, in ensuring a more positive new player experience.
The ppl who will suffer the most are those that are preying on new players for fun, and undountedly the ones who will see this as the beginning of the end for DFO, for the sane amongst us it's a sign that the game is trying to pull in new ppl by giving them a little breathing space to see what the game is about before throwing them to the wolves, rather than the wolves waiting for you outside the safety of your starting township gates.
I have to agree, I think this is a good step in the right direction. There is no harm in allowing a new player to have a few hours to get his/her feet wet without the added paranoia of getting ganked. It's such a short amount of time.
"Mr. Rothstein, your people never will understand... the way it works out here. You're all just our guests. But you act like you're at home. Let me tell you something, partner. You ain't home. But that's where we're gonna send you if it harelips the governor." - Pat Webb
I have to agree, I think this is a good step in the right direction. There is no harm in allowing a new player to have a few hours to get his/her feet wet without the added paranoia of getting ganked. It's such a short amount of time.
I too agree theres nothing worse than trying a new game only to be killed as soon as you enter the game world because some guy wanted to be a jerk this is a step in the right direction so more people can have a better beginning.
Now all they need now is a free trial or something.
Its seems a good way to prtect new players for couple of hours with alot of restriction thats good, but i hope its not a trend that make Darkfall into carebear game next step /pvp off /pvp on?
But i know by now a little how devs think about there game so im not realy concern they trammel it further i think this is limited on ease it a little for new players NO FURTHER AV hehe.
Games played:AC1-Darktide'99-2000-AC2-Darktide/dawnsong2003-2005,Lineage2-2005-2006 and now Darkfall-2009.....
In between WoW few months AoC few months and some f2p also all very short few weeks.
can help new player to adapt but wont help to much if that player dont like full loot pvp
BestSigEver :P
You must be a troll, because apparently you've never played Darkfall. You cannot simply "train mobs onto higher level players." Simple as that, you can't. Infact, you can't train mobs period. You run from a mob, they chase you and kill you in the back, after a short distance they run away from you back towards where they spawned and go back into their pathing. Most of the time it's hard enough to get the mob TO you to kill it, let alone "trainning" it onto someone else. Also, last time I checked, if you have aggro on the mob, you can't just run past someone and it land on them, it goes around them and stays on you unless said player attacks it.
***Edit***
I also however agree that there really is no need for these protections. I hardly ever see a real "newbie" getting ganked by reds. It's a rare occasion. The newbies who DO get ganked by reds are progressing away from the starter towns. Being in/around a capital is not as safe as some make it to be. And yes, some starter towns are indeed camped. Stick to the crowds to learn the game, when you're done learning get into a clan. You won't have issues then.
I think they're testing this out for free trials. If it works then a free trial has this on for 2 weeks or until they subscribe, it makes them a virtual non entity in Darkfall. For new subscribers it gives them a few hours to get their bearings and some gear before all hell breaks loose! True it isn't really necessary, but it's more for marketing. Letting people know it's safe for the first few hours of play might remove some of the fears that don't actually exist in DFO.
A good idea in my opinion.
"Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience"
CS Lewis
Sorry Bro but you are wrong. I started in December and around noob towns the greifing was relentless. Easily get killed 1-3 times an hour trying to get on my feet. There are more than enough people who don't care about fair fights and love the QQ. This will help discourage the greifers from bothering to come to the noob towns. I joined NEW after a few days but the amount of deaths was boring.
As for being PvP viable after only a few hours I must disagree. Can you hit somebody? Sure. Can you damage them? Sure. Can they still 3-4 shot you if they want? Yep. If fighting nakid at the back lobbing arrows or magic missile for min damage is meaningful PvP then Darkfall has it. Your still a solid 2 months from being truly viable.
Sorry Bro but you are wrong. I started in December and around noob towns the greifing was relentless. Easily get killed 1-3 times an hour trying to get on my feet. There are more than enough people who don't care about fair fights and love the QQ. This will help discourage the greifers from bothering to come to the noob towns. I joined NEW after a few days but the amount of deaths was boring.
As for being PvP viable after only a few hours I must disagree. Can you hit somebody? Sure. Can you damage them? Sure. Can they still 3-4 shot you if they want? Yep. If fighting nakid at the back lobbing arrows or magic missile for min damage is meaningful PvP then Darkfall has it. Your still a solid 2 months from being truly viable.
Everyone has different experiences and I can't say this was one of mine. Like others have said, I had no griefing done to me and we actually ganged up to take a character down and took his/her loot. Was a pleasant experience.
Remember this is just a protection feature, and you can turn it of anytime. It does not effect anyone else in ther gameworld. And i think that is a good thing for first time players in Darkfall. Next time they login, everything is normal again.
Half hearted attempt to deal with the griefer population. Sorry, there are just too many players in this game who are so challenged in pvp that their only solution is killing low geared and skilled players.
Shame games such as this attract so many dishonorable players.
This is a VERY intelligent addition to any game that utilizes a TIME =reward system.It is extremely unfair to think that a player that has already been playing for several hours is allowed to interact with a total noob that has joined months later.This is just a start to what SHOULD be in place,there is much more you could do,to make it so the game can expand with new players.
I am not about freebie ideas,but i think if you are going to make such a cheap design as time =reward then you might as well continue the cheap/lame idea by giving new players some bonuses.
Example....
After the initial first week of launch a game should raise the skills rates so new players can catch up ,not super fast but at least give them some chance to get closer,after all it is not like the vets earned anything ,they just utilized TIME in their favor.
Here is a biggie,i think there should an ongoing stat system that utilizes a % bonus depending on levels.Not a system that makes it totally equal,the vets do need some reward for contributing to the game longer,just even it up a tad.
The system i propose may be tough to code/implement but it works like this...
The game should utilize ZONES first of all,not that hard to implement at all.Now in each zone there is a limit to your max skills,so if you are say a 150 axe skill in a total noob zone right out of the start gates,your skill would be scaled down to 120% of the noob zones max skill setting.So you still have a slight 20% advantage ,but not the extreme advantage a 1 year vet would have over a noob,it would also give the noob a fighting chance to actually kill you,so there would be some risk,unlike a 250 skill facing off against a 15 skill is not a risk at all.
SO if that noob zone had a CAP of 30 axe skill say for example,you would be scaled down from 150 to 36.This would also mean several noobs could gang up and take you out easily,witch imo is more realsitic than a 2 year vet owning 10 noobs all at the same time.
Never forget 3 mile Island and never trust a government official or company spokesman.
If they don't like full loot PVP then boy, did they pick the wrong game...
Kinda like hating PVE and subbing to LotRO...
These games do not attract dishonorable players, they merely allow the players who would have behaved the same way in any game (if the rule set was the same) to do so. I really think the days are gone where specific mmos have such drastic differences in communities. The internet and mmos are just way too mainstream. Everyone is doing it now.
"Mr. Rothstein, your people never will understand... the way it works out here. You're all just our guests. But you act like you're at home. Let me tell you something, partner. You ain't home. But that's where we're gonna send you if it harelips the governor." - Pat Webb
There is no "griefing" problem. Sorry to say. I, along with many others have already stated this. Each "land" has 3 "newbie" starter towns, and 1 capital. Some get reds more than others. But it doesn't matter. At any given time, there is never more than a couple reds ganking newbies. And I'm sorry, but I don't care how skilled and geared you are, the 10+ newbies in the area can take someone down and make the rest run. The problem lies in these newbies, and actually some vet players who refuse to leave the newbie zones, are too damn scared to fight. Simple as that.
Here's an idea. If you're in a starter area and reds come up. You're dead right? Whats the point in trying to run for the tower, tower won't save you from me if I were the red, bows / magic > tower. What will you lose? Honestly? The loot you just got from the mobs, will be right there on the mobs again 2 minutes later. Most of the time they won't touch your loot, its newbie stuff. So why not stand and fight?
When I first started in April I was in Copperdale. We had reds come through at least once a day at the grave yard. And all the long each time they came in one person died and EVERYONE rushed to towers. Most of them died. Those who faught usually took at least one red down and the rest ran. Not to mention someone saying reds at "x" in race alliance/trade/race. People like to kill reds, let them know where they are, they will kill them.
This game is about pvp, simple as that. Ganking newbies is cheap, it really is, but it's a kill. Think of it like this; if they're ganking newbies they're most likely shitty pvpers and have low skill. Thus a bunch of noobs can steam roll them. If they were any good they wouldn't be killing newbies they'd be out killing skilled players. True story.
So if you think its a problem, man up and start fighting. Otherwise stop playing. And, if all else fails, stop going to where you keep dying. There is again, 3 starters towns and 1 capital per race "lands." If you're Human, Dwarf, or Mirdain you can go to any of those lands and do any of the starter zones. If you're Alfar you got only Alfar lands, but hey there's a lot of you, shouldn't be any issues. If you're Ork or Wolf, you share the two zones. You have options, you don't have to stay anywhere.
Oh, and I tell this to all new people I meet, if you don't like getting ganked as a newbie, get the hell out of starter zones.
***EDIT***
I just really want to point out what I just said above about the ganking newbies. Someone mentioned dishonorable players killing newbies.
Here is food for thought. Player A sucks at pvp, his skills are low and he cannot go toe to toe with anyone. He sucks period, gets steam rolled by 90% of the population. Player A really enjoys pvp, that's what he likes doing, why he plays Darkfall. Where else can player A get his fun if it's not fighting people of equal skill to him? Sure, he may have higher stats, but lets be honest, some people are just not that great in pvp.
Like I said, if they are so lowly to go into newbie zones to get kills, they are most likely crap pvpers.
A free trial...There. That's a quick fix for a good newbie experience.
When Tasos says it can be applied "possibly as soon as the next patch" does anyone know what kind of time frame that is? I'm thinking about getting Darkfall, but will probably wait until they implement this thing.
Compared to what MMO?