Wiki Newbie Page

[Azraeth]

Per this discussion, I've decided to start a convo on this forum about having one main newbie page. Amalea has already signed up to help with it, but I would love for it to be a community project (though the entire wiki is a community project).

It was suggested to me privately that the beginner guide should be the newbie page, which makes sense, given it's 'official', but I am equally happy if it's a tutorial. I for sure think the newbie page should give a how to of forum things, simple game mechanics, an overview of the site's primary plot, some history about the previous chapters, and several several links for a newbie to check through from 1 main location.

It will probably be long. I don't think this is avoidable. So that being said, I still want it to be as user friendly as possible. What this thread is for, is suggesting things to add such as information, links, etc. Bear in mind that it should only cover basic information with links to more in depth stuff. I would also like for it to have a walk through for everything from picking a model to list to suggestions about posting to open or posting open threads.

So lets get to talking about it!

[Pi dArtois]

Okay then how about we start a thread about a newbie wiki page?

I thought we already had one.

http://www.mooncalfstudios.com/pathofth ... nner_Guide

Or is that new?

Oh look at that! :) I think they were thinking about adding more to it, links to maps, hacking tutorials etc. But I have been in support of the wiki cause of all the reasons you've stated, so I can't see why that page can't be updated, with links, to information within the wiki (and redirect buttons back to the newbie page) so they can explore through the wiki and find out stuff. That being said, Josh has created a thread for this discussion so I'll move my observations, over there. (here - cause I already moved my reply to you... there >.>)

[Amalea]

Aside from things already mentioned:

- Links to the Rules
- Brief overview of the canon/link to the brief overviews
- General overview of each path/class and the differences between humans and vampires
- General overview of Path vs Blood
- General overview of each stat/skill
- Link to the Grid Basic layout explanation
- Links to the Tutorial hub list
- Link to a Category for the How-tos
- Glossary of terms people might not be familiar with
- Link to the map

[Azraeth]

Link to tutorials. Links to human classes and a brief explanation of each human class too.

[Maximillion (DELETED 6550)]

Having a newbie page is a great start, but by the time someone is involved enough to have a general idea how to move along the grid, and which boards on PotV are IC/OOC, I think people should have come and presented themselves as possible Mentors for the individual.

No "keep up with what this group/person is doing", or "steer clear of this group" input, either. My own personal approach is to pretend I am the posterchild of Optimism, and love everyone equally (even people I may have some complicated history with) as I'm giving suggestions and advice.

One suggestion I have is to make a BOARD for Newcomers, with a few Stickies (none of the typical clutter), then space for new threads for newbies to introduce themselves, ask questions, and receive feedback.

But I would like to hear more input on what else people think might help steer new players in the right direction. We don't want them coming in with bias, whether or not they're inclined to bring it with them. A HUGE thing we can do to set ourselves apart from your run-of-the-mill RPG, is step outside of our comfort zones and Cliques, and make ourselves available to people who might have questions, or who might benefit from a Mentorship.

[Azraeth]

One suggestion I have is to make a BOARD for Newcomers, with a few Stickies (none of the typical clutter), then space for new threads for newbies to introduce themselves, ask questions, and receive feedback.

Sadly, David has already said that isn't going to happen. The subject has been brought up a few times, and David would prefer for there to be a wiki page for the newbies as a sort of one stop shop. That being said, people can throw the link out. I personally direct anyone who posts in the welcome thread to prod the links in my sigline etc.

Unless David changes his mind, we're probably going to have to work with the idea of having an up to date, and user friendly wiki page.

To that end, I would LOVE more input on this topic, especially considering how many people have weighed in on wanting more newbie friendly information. My personal platform tends to be community first, and one of the signs of a healthy and thriving community is a high pick up rate for new players and a decently high retention rate.

So I'll pose another question in this thread:

What kept you (general) playing Path of the Vampire after you joined?

I think unlocking some of the reason for why people stick around might give us a hint about what direction we should be going, and where we should be focusing our efforts.

[Trahir Trahison]

What kept you (general) playing Path of the Vampire after you joined?

1. I read the wiki. The concept and storyline (up to Chapter Two or Three was posted) that had made it's way there along with the fact that the admins were actively working on the game showed a lot of promise.

2. Hooked up with a group that had similar views to what I envisioned for my character and talked to a few of them OOC about the game. Got into some fun RPs with them that led to quick and interesting character development for one of my guys. I was having fun.

3. Natural proclivity toward disliking change. It usually takes a lot to run me off when I start something. I normally end up just getting bored with it/sick of it and then leave. That takes anywhere from 6 months to 3 years with most games. By that time I've pretty much figured out almost every aspect of it and just don't have much left to do in it.

4. I brought a couple of friends with me. That helped in having others around that I knew and could talk to about anything that happened in the game both IC and OOC. Also found a couple players who I had known in passing from other games.That gave the comfort of at least a little familiarity.

5. I like writing and the gothic-horror vibe most vampire games has is right up my alley.

I think all of that would have been counteracted by some of the things that went down OOC and IC if not for a couple players that I have come to consider actual friends. So basically, in a nutshell, what keeps me here as a relative new player is a few key members of the community, not wanting to start fresh yet somewhere else, and the fact I enjoy writing (with almost anyone really).

[Trahir Trahison]

Side note: Have the pop-up in the tutorial stay the duration the character is in the tutorial. When you move, it disappears until you enter a new URL (such as by looking over a character sheet) at which point it reappears. Maybe add the request for the pop-up to movement, attacking and stealing too?

I've been in chat a few times when people have had to direct people how to get their checklist back onto the screen while they wasted energy wandering around.

[Alexandrea]

I've been in chat a few times when people have had to direct people how to get their checklist back onto the screen while they wasted energy wandering around.

That is so true. Maybe a shorter alert with the lnk could show up all the time so it's less obtusive? Like just "return to checklist". Short and sweet.

And to Josh's question.

There's a few reasons.

The Grid.
After RB and UD, it was a great lot of fun to play on this grid with all the mini games and extra layers to so many more activities. Just blew RB out of the water. I dug my heels in and whined about the new interface when that change happened and I totally eat my words now. Sometimes I feel like there is more 'clicking' but besides that I still have a really fun time playing on grid for the most part. And if I hadn't to begin with, I wouldn't have even stayed long enough to rp.

The David.
He is the most active and responsive developer of any game I ever played. Bugs at other games either never got fixed or took dozens of players complaining dozens of times to even get looked at. He does engage with us, the players, and has been open to discuss game development all throughout Beta and still even now at times. Yeah, paying attention to what other people want you to do can be a double edged sword but this isn't just his hobby, it's his business. From the very start I thought it was supergreen how he was able to stick to his guns about what he wanted his game to be and still be flexible with the players to insure that the game stayed fun to play. A few of the nerfs did suck but his effort to make sure that no players felt driven off by other players is something I can't argue against, I've seen too much bullying.

The Forum.
Having the board and the grid linked together and all the roleplays and game information in one place. I wouldn't have stayed if it was a dozens different pro-boards and what-not to read the stories. And separate areas for the bantering (crownet) and the actual roleplaying stories was very appreciated. I ignored the crownets for several months when I first started, only reading up on the back stories. That was very enjoyable for me.

The Wiki.
It was really rough at times for me and hard to navigate for a long time but I did use it back when I started, having had that exposure at Urban Dead. It was there I could find the power wheel and powers information and read the cannon. In some ways I agree that having the wiki be the first place to go for info is the best idea but I do not agree it should be the only place. Having some helpful information for new players here at the forum as a backup for players who may not want to go to another location, or are unfamiliar with how a wiki works, or whatever reason they could have is, imo, a good idea. It can't hurt. It's just one more thread stickied somewhere like Ash's used to be which could sum up a few basics with links to the wiki. It could always be removed later if that became necessary.

The Map.
No more needs to be said. Kudos to Path's mapmakers. I love you all. <3

The players.
<3

[Azraeth]

Side note: Have the pop-up in the tutorial stay the duration the character is in the tutorial. When you move, it disappears until you enter a new URL (such as by looking over a character sheet) at which point it reappears. Maybe add the request for the pop-up to movement, attacking and stealing too?

I've been in chat a few times when people have had to direct people how to get their checklist back onto the screen while they wasted energy wandering around.

You should totally make a suggestion out of that XD Tho I'm happy to add suggestions to the beginner guide.

The David.

The players.

That's basically why I stick around in a nutshell. >.<

Thanks for all the feedback so far!

I'm going to TRY and work my way through some wiki stuff this week. Come July 4th, I'm going to be posting up a specific request for people to come and help update the wiki (once the character pages etc are gone). But I would love it if people began starting in on that now.