completely new.

[hellish]

hey there. I'm not just new to Armageddon/Zalanthas, but I'm completely new to MUDs in general.

I've been exploring the game a bit and I'm finding it something I could really get into and enjoy.

however I'm being really intimidated by the huge amount of commands it has, emoting in general, and having to keep up with everyone. having to stay 'in character' at any moments notice.. being new to RPing, everything seems really fast-paced to me and I feel a bit pressured when people speak to me, thinking of what my character could/should say or do. my responses are a bit slow.

I'm also afraid of making a mistake, maybe grammatically with the emote commands, or doing something that isn't in sync or make sense.. even doing nothing isn't IC, 'cause obviously a person will respond to stimuli in some way, right? not just sit there staring blankly. (which brings on anxiety for me to react at a decent speed)

I already messed up once in front of a few people and I felt so awkward about it I completely darted out of the room. Lol!

I've also been trying to practice doing actions and saying things in empty rooms, but sometimes people come by and wonder if I'm on drugs or something, doing stuff like repeatedly sitting/standing and whispering "hello" to myself. LOL.

does anyone have any tips or advice for me? is there a certain place I can be that is a lot more lax and slower paced, where not much would be expected of me? is there a certain area designated more for newbies?
or is there some kind of tag I can slap onto my character that says "I'm new and learning, so don't expect too much from me"? or maybe some kind of code word I could use to secretly get that point across, maybe something like "I'm new to the area and Sirihish is my 2nd language so bear with me." or "I'm a bit shy and awkward."?

it would be nice to tell someone I'm new OOC and find someone that would let me practice a bit with them, running me through the common commands and actions and such. but I don't want to abuse the OOC feature thing and jolt anyone out of their RP experience by asking anyone this.

so far I just kind of keep to myself, if someone talks to me I say I'm new to this part of town and would rather just keep to myself and drink. (while I get acquainted with how to drink at the bar, etc)

I was wondering if I should create a new character that is a drunkard that just drinks at the bar, and if a slip up or do something weird I could just attribute it to having too much to drink IC, and just use up all my coins doing this until things become more natural for me.

or perhaps I should try a different MUD in the meantime, is there others that I could learn a bit easier without feeling this much pressure?


I literally started playing today and this is my first MUD. so any advice is really appreciated. thank you.

[Marauder Moe]

Hi!  Welcome.

Firstly, don't stress about messing up the syntax or being a bit slow with responses.  It doesn't really bother anyone.

We don't have a "newbie zone" or anything.  However, if you want to go off on your own and practice emoting things or talking to NPCs, that's a perfectly good way to learn the system.  (But keep those activities in-character too, you never know who's watching!)

We don't have a "newbie tag" either.  We don't need it.  We can usually tell when someone is new.  It's OK, though.  Everyone was new once.

There's always the helper chat on the main website (www.armageddon.org) if you have urgent questions.

or perhaps I should try a different MUD in the meantime, is there others that I could learn a bit easier without feeling this much pressure?

No!  This one is the best.   

[hellish]

thanks. I feel it's mostly my own nervousness. I envy everyone else who has it down so naturally.

I'll get the hang of it soon, I think.

also, what's the easiest way to tell NPC's from players?

[Marauder Moe]

You can't always.

If it emotes and/or talks to you, it's probably a PC.

If its sdesc starts with "A" or "An" it's definitely an NPC.  (PC sdescs must start with "The")

[champramp]

Also, ldescs.  PCs can change their ldescs, but "...is here" is default, meaning that a plain "...is here" is often a PC.

[Wastrel]

i was like you when i was starting, afraid to emote, afraid to speak, etc. but now i find im generally the person making things interesting

im not telling you to be super confident right now, because there is nothing less attractive than unfounded confidence... but dont be afraid to practice! you cant fly if you dont try. also, people will know you're a noobie. like, its really, really, REALLY obvious. everyone makes typos. you correct them ooc or simply resubmit the emote, or simply ignore it. dont worry about that. another big thing is to read the docs, even though you probably dont want to, just read 'em. the rest is up to you and your imagination. oh and use helper chat.

[Delirium]

Hi and welcome to our sandbox! Please don't be afraid of interaction, you will pick it up faster than you think.

Try not to be too embarrassed either - we have all, without fail, done some things as newbies that make us facepalm. I still remember the time I thought I was "talk"ing quietly about a character at another table, but I was actually "say"ing it for the entire room to hear. They pretended they didn't notice.

Definitely check out the helper chat - there's a button on our homepage - this sorta stuff is what we're here for.

[The7DeadlyVenomz]

Man, welcome. We love you new guys, typos and f-ups and all. Don't worry, play. We'll be there for ya.

[slvrmoontiger]

Welcome to Armageddon!

Don't worry about screwing up. People who have been playing for a while still  make mistakes. As it was said if its really bad usually I'll just re-do it correctly and people generally ignore the mess up. You'll get it all in time.

Dibs on your boots.

[Harmless]

Go to those bars and start drinkin'. You care about the quality of your playing, so your heart is in the right place. Just get in game when you can and practice, and don't be afraid to interact, but don't ever feel pressured to. Running away is a smart thing sometimes.

You're clearly capable of doing well, everyone needs practice and to learn, and a lot of us have been doing this for years. We welcome you. In a few months you'll be set for the basics.

[ShaLeah]

There is no timeline for learning. I've been at this for twelve years and I still don't know half the commands.

The mindset will come the more you get to know your characters and then being in character won't be hard anymore.

Take your time, don't rush. Enjoy. Be scared.


Welcome!

[solera]

This was my first MUD too, and I was struggling with typing as well. For a long time most of my emotes were done when I was out grebbing ,where there were no PC's around (that I could see).
Simple conversation often carries the scene. My most memorable logs are dialogue with a few one line emotes. (I recommend logging your sessions too, for reliving those special moments)

Enjoy the ride!

[Riev]

Simple conversation often carries the scene. My most memorable logs are dialogue with a few one line emotes.

Take this guidance to heart. Yes, flowery, long emotes about the movement of your body and how it relates to the curvature of the perfect silken orb of the finest metals you have on your necklace are great to set the moods. But in a text game, it really is all in what you say.

The emotes will come naturally, as you learn HOW you're talking. WHERE you're looking, or how you FEEL about what you say.

[Barzalene]

We are glad you're here. Have fun. Try not to worry. It gets easier all the time. And if you typo enough people will just think you're me.

[hellish]

thanks everyone for the encouraging words.

it has helped.

I have another question but I'll post a new thread or ask via one of the Helpers.

[jstorrie]

Welcome, good luck. Try to get into one of the clans whose players you run into often - they're the most likely to be around during your playtimes. And thanks for the boots.

[mansa]

check the link in my sig

[PriestlySiren]

Also... follow the crowd's opinion. If they look like you and talk like you, they've probably got the right idea of it.

[Nyr]

check the link in my sig

FYI, several (if not most?) of the links in your quickstart guide are incorrect and do not link to the current website.  One day we might be able to add this as a player-created guide alongside our new one.

[JustAnotherGuy]

Everyone has talked about how to get started, I want to give you a hint that I feel will help you out greatly.

You're going to die.  Yes, at some point, you're going to lose a character.  You might have already... maybe not.  Sometimes this can be an emotional blow because we all get attached to some characters and when they die, especially if it is in a stupid manner, we take an emotional hit.

My tip on this is to give yourself some time.  Think on a new concept, something cool that you've wanted to do, and take a bit of time to write it up.  In that time you'll be able to get back up, dust yourself off, and create that new awesome character.  Don't get frustrated and leave the game.  We love keeping new players also so they can become helplessly addicted like we all are.

Have fun man and welcome!  There are a lot of good people in this game that are always willing to help.

[mansa]

check the link in my sig

FYI, several (if not most?) of the links in your quickstart guide are incorrect and do not link to the current website.  One day we might be able to add this as a player-created guide alongside our new one.

Most of the walkthrough -is already on the website   It's great and here -> http://armageddon.org/intro/walkthrough.php

I'll try and fix those links.