Is the Web site's new player info currently the best place for new (to the setting, not to MUDding) players to go, or is there a really great thread or alternate page somewhere? I may be luring a few players over and would like to be able to assign homework.
I'd suggest reading through the walkthrough at the very least, which can be found:
http://armageddon.org/intro/walkthrough.php
If you would like more information, everything under 'Intro' on the main webpage is a great resource and I think all can learn from it. The game really isn't too hard to get into once you get an understanding of the basics in whichever city you decide to play in.
What if someone has never used a console before?
You need to teach someone how to type things into a screen and read the screen to find out what happens. There is no point and click. You need to write, respond, and be creative.
...But, that's teaching someone how to MUD in general.
You could show someone the stories that are created within the game world. Find a very good log that -displays- how people write things, the coded reaction of the game. Use the logs posted on the website to show people what is possible. Try and find some boring logs and show people that a lot of the game could be sitting in a tavern or walking from place to place, or combat logs that are super long and not fun.
Any other ideas?
I hope people who have charisma (ghostymudy, I am looking at you) consider doing a "let's play" of armageddon now and then. Hold onto the video for a year, then submit it to staff for approval before posting to be kosher. Ideally it would be of a brand new character, with audio over your thought process as you guide your new PC from place to place in the process of character creation, orienting yourself to your environment, everything.
This was done by someone recently (someone with charisma) but then they didn't wait for a long time before posting it and didn't ask for staff approval before they did it. That kind of video, though, would be a huge resource for newbies.
Quote from: Harmless on October 07, 2014, 07:44:38 PM
I hope people who have charisma (ghostymudy, I am looking at you) consider doing a "let's play" of armageddon now and then. Hold onto the video for a year, then submit it to staff for approval before posting to be kosher. Ideally it would be of a brand new character, with audio over your thought process as you guide your new PC from place to place in the process of character creation, orienting yourself to your environment, everything.
This was done by someone recently (someone with charisma) but then they didn't wait for a long time before posting it and didn't ask for staff approval before they did it. That kind of video, though, would be a huge resource for newbies.
I think we should waive the "wait a year" part of this. I mean, if something super sensitive and IC happens during that "Lets play" session, I guess... But what's the likelihood of that? Especially if the narrator/player specifically tries to avoid anything that's too IC sensitive.
Maybe do it with a brand new character, which would make it even more safe since that character wouldn't be tied up in plot lines yet.
Quote from: wizturbo on October 08, 2014, 06:25:21 PM
I mean, if something super sensitive and IC happens during that "Lets play" session, I guess... But what's the likelihood of that?
You could just have ghosty get increasingly excited as the text scrolls, culminating in his "OH SHIIIIIIIIIIIII-" being cut off by some goofy "Technical Difficulty" screen. Then service can resume once he's out of the super sekritz.
If "Newbieland" were coded and players were allowed to create accounts, there could be a scheduled "helper RPT" where a bunch of folks could log on and stage something for a Let's Play video, highlighting this stuff.
Video walkthroughs have been brought up before (http://gdb.armageddon.org/index.php/topic,46865.msg799363.html#msg799363). With staff assistance I'm sure something like that could be done in a way that it would avoid revealing current PCs. In fact, it could be based around a cast of characters and a common enough sort of plot.
I'd be willing to add my monotonic British accent to this.