New players

[Snarky]

I have seen quite a few new players.  People with first 50, people who have not run a dfb before, etc. Enough for me to notice a pattern.  
 

I wonder where the flow is coming from? If some content provider somewhere is mentioning the old classic?  Or people want a free game with a character customization engine that is to this say unmatched and are each finding us more or less organically?

 

Whatever the reason it is nice.  I always need fresh faces on PUGs so I have something to bitch about…. Like the MoKhan that the 8 th player could not find the way from Pocket D to where the team was forming. Then predictably died.  We restarted.  So they could die in the first 5 minutes this time. The third time they dropped and we succeeded.  Damn, it was so painful to watch. They were honestly trying. It was painful, and funny 

 

My PUG life. 

Edited April 7, 2023 by Snarky

[Scarlet Shocker]

I realise you're used to sarcasticating most nights, when you're alone - I'm told it's not an uncommon habit amongst those without lives - but to be completely serious for a moment, new players are welcome, and should be made to feel welcome. I hope that person didn't think "this is crap" log off and decide never to return because of their experience. Losing a badge is unimportant compared to growing our precious community.

[Gulbasaur]

  On 4/7/2023 at 7:49 AM, Snarky said:

I wonder where the flow is coming from? If some content provider somewhere is mentioning the old classic?

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I spend far too much time on Reddit and it seems like r/MMORPG has had a lot of recommendations for CoH recently. 

 

That subreddit is, generally speaking, only worth following because of how bad it is, but CoH does come up more than you'd think . 

[cranebump]

I hope they take the time to run some regular content before jumping on the leveling bucket train.

[SeraphimKensai]

  On 4/7/2023 at 11:28 AM, cranebump said:

I hope they take the time to run some regular content before jumping on the leveling bucket train.

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That's the main issue I've seen, because some farmers will let people leech off their effort in a sense of "helping others", it's leads to a lot of people not knowing how to travel to various zones despite being a lvl 50 incarnate and following someone's build from the forums like it's a cookie cutter.

 

That said those people can still learn how to play and figure out the content, but in the meantime they can be like children magically in adult bodies not quite sure how to walk.

 

Skipping regular content they might find themselves losing interest quicker than normally, but I guess that's up to them.

[Astralock]

  On 4/7/2023 at 11:50 AM, SeraphimKensai said:

That's the main issue I've seen, because some farmers will let people leech off their effort in a sense of "helping others", it's leads to a lot of people not knowing how to travel to various zones despite being a lvl 50 incarnate and following someone's build from the forums like it's a cookie cutter.

 

That said those people can still learn how to play and figure out the content, but in the meantime they can be like children magically in adult bodies not quite sure how to walk.

 

Skipping regular content they might find themselves losing interest quicker than normally, but I guess that's up to them.

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Yep.  At least the AE building was finally removed from Atlas Park and Mercy Island.

[SeraphimKensai]

  On 4/7/2023 at 11:52 AM, Astralock said:

 

Yep.  At least the AE building was finally removed from Atlas Park and Mercy Island.

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That was definitely a good change.

[Snarky]

  On 4/7/2023 at 8:26 AM, Scarlet Shocker said:

I realise you're used to sarcasticating most nights, when you're alone - I'm told it's not an uncommon habit amongst those without lives - but to be completely serious for a moment, new players are welcome, and should be made to feel welcome. I hope that person didn't think "this is crap" log off and decide never to return because of their experience. Losing a badge is unimportant compared to growing our precious community.

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Hey, the only snarky thing I said was "stay in the back. buff people, do not die" It was a Defender.  Now, after they left, I told the team it was obvious it would happen.  The person could not figure out how to get from Pocket D to blue side so they could get on a Master Khan?  F me.  We know how that story ends.  If my mood was not so good this week I prob would have found a reason to quit before the first run kicked off.  "Sorry, my pet bat caught on fire"

[Scarlet Shocker]

  On 4/7/2023 at 5:12 PM, Snarky said:

Hey, the only snarky thing I said was "stay in the back. buff people, do not die" It was a Defender.  Now, after they left, I told the team it was obvious it would happen.  The person could not figure out how to get from Pocket D to blue side so they could get on a Master Khan?  F me.  We know how that story ends.  If my mood was not so good this week I prob would have found a reason to quit before the first run kicked off.  "Sorry, my pet bat caught on fire"

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Cricket bat or rounders bat?

[Captain Fabulous]

  On 4/7/2023 at 5:25 PM, Scarlet Shocker said:

Cricket bat or rounders bat?

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Fruit bat. DUH.

[Scarlet Shocker]

  On 4/7/2023 at 5:43 PM, Captain Fabulous said:

Fruit bat. DUH.

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and here I was thinking we were going to have a good game of pippistrelle

[Captain Fabulous]

  On 4/7/2023 at 6:39 PM, Scarlet Shocker said:

 

and here I was thinking we were going to have a good game of pippistrelle

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Picklebat anyone?

[Scarlet Shocker]

Sorry @snarky I think I (*cough*) accidentally derailed your thread.

 

But again, being serious - when we do find a new player on the deck, do we as a community have anything in place to show them the proverbial ropes and  give them a positive start to their CoH Homecoming experience?

 

(When I first started in 2006, on my very first day somebody gave me 99999 inf and showed me where to spend it on enhancements and where the station was and ensured I know what I was doing. That 10 minutes gave me an amazingly positive experience - it wasn't just about the game, it demonstrated that there was an amazing community involved in it and that is why I've stuck around for 17 years)

[Coyotedancer]

The bat is pickled?!

 

Darn it, Snarky. I told you it was a bad idea to keep that bat in a rum bottle.  >_<

[Luminara]

  On 4/7/2023 at 7:49 AM, Snarky said:

I wonder where the flow is coming from?

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That's what she said.

[Snarky]

  On 4/7/2023 at 6:48 PM, Scarlet Shocker said:

Sorry @snarky I think I (*cough*) accidentally derailed your thread.

 

But again, being serious - when we do find a new player on the deck, do we as a community have anything in place to show them the proverbial ropes and  give them a positive start to their CoH Homecoming experience?

 

(When I first started in 2006, on my very first day somebody gave me 99999 inf and showed me where to spend it on enhancements and where the station was and ensured I know what I was doing. That 10 minutes gave me an amazingly positive experience - it wasn't just about the game, it demonstrated that there was an amazing community involved in it and that is why I've stuck around for 17 years)

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my threads never start on the rails.  no worries.  

 

i have actually made a small donation to each of the players with new 50s i met this week.  (as far as I could quickly determine new players with new 50s)  I am not using the funds I have and if needed desperately i know how to make more.

[Captain Fabulous]

  On 4/7/2023 at 6:48 PM, Scarlet Shocker said:

Sorry @snarky I think I (*cough*) accidentally derailed your thread.

 

But again, being serious - when we do find a new player on the deck, do we as a community have anything in place to show them the proverbial ropes and  give them a positive start to their CoH Homecoming experience?

 

(When I first started in 2006, on my very first day somebody gave me 99999 inf and showed me where to spend it on enhancements and where the station was and ensured I know what I was doing. That 10 minutes gave me an amazingly positive experience - it wasn't just about the game, it demonstrated that there was an amazing community involved in it and that is why I've stuck around for 17 years)

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I try to help those that appear to be in need. But that doesn't always mean they listen. Some people insist on learning the hard way. 🤷

[Captain Fabulous]

  On 4/7/2023 at 6:49 PM, Coyotedancer said:

The bat is pickled?!

 

Darn it, Snarky. I told you it was a bad idea to keep that bat in a rum bottle.  >_<

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I mean, have you met Snarky? Of course it's pickled.

[Scarlet Shocker]

  On 4/7/2023 at 8:11 PM, Captain Fabulous said:

I try to help those that appear to be in need. But that doesn't always mean they listen. Some people insist on learning the hard way. 🤷

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Yeps. And that's a legit way to learn for many - but it doesn't mean we can't sometimes soften the landing when they fall

 

Sometimes even an idiot enjoys being rescued!* 😄

 

 

 

 

*_{just ask Positron}

Edited April 7, 2023 by Scarlet Shocker
quark

[El D]

  On 4/7/2023 at 7:49 AM, Snarky said:

 

I wonder where the flow is coming from? If some content provider somewhere is mentioning the old classic?  Or people want a free game with a character customization engine that is to this say unmatched and are each finding us more or less organically?

 

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CoH does get name-dropped a surprising amount across other online spaces. Combined with some MMOs jumping too hard into cash shop nonsense (Neverwinter), ended (FireFall, Wildstar, etc.), or long since turned to maintenance mode (The Secret World/Secret World Legends), not to mention the massive exodus from WoW after Blizzard's repeated horrendous fiascos... There definitely seems to be a lot more transient MMO players wandering around nowadays than there were years prior. Plus, I think we've also reached a point where a new crop of superhero fans are arising from the glut of various Marvel and DC properties. So coming across a 'free' superhero MMO with an active user-base that already has years of content and updates and is still actively being worked on seems like a definite draw for some folks. Especially considering 'superhero online game' is still an astonishingly bare market outside of the licensed lootbox cash shop grind-a-thon's like Gotham Knights and Marvel's Avengers. DCUO is apparently doing okay enough and Champions Online is kept afloat by serious die-hards, and aside from those two... There's next to nothing, really. CoH is still routinely considered a better game in most every online poll, and its 'spiritual successors' languished long enough in vaporware that the thing they were intent on replacing just came back around.

 

CoH is, still, a diamond in the rough. There's just been enough MMO erosion and pop culture boosts that more folks can see it now.

Edited April 7, 2023 by El D

[Bill Z Bubba]

  On 4/7/2023 at 6:57 PM, Luminara said:

That's what she said.

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She wasn't taught basic biology? Our education system saddens me. How is Satan the bad guy again? He pushed education!

[macskull]

  On 4/7/2023 at 7:49 AM, Snarky said:

I wonder where the flow is coming from? If some content provider somewhere is mentioning the old classic?  Or people want a free game with a character customization engine that is to this say unmatched and are each finding us more or less organically?

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Oddly enough, April 2nd had the highest concurrent peak player count (about 2115) since Halloween. I've got about a year's worth of data now and from what I can see November through January were the slowest months (makes sense, it's the holidays) but other than the weird peak at the beginning of April player numbers have been relatively stable over the past year. I'm assuming that peak was due to the Mapserver event but the weekday player numbers this week aren't anything significantly different than they've been.

[Clave Dark 5]

Seen this too, and can freely bitch about it as well, even with love:  I signed up for an ITF recently, and the last guy chosen didn't know how to find Cim, so I went out and led him by the nose (gently!) over to Dark Astoria for the badge, to Steel and the Midnighter's Club, then into Cim.  Only to find out he wasn't high enough level to join the ITF. 

 

D'oh!

 

But not one was mad about it, we just explained it and he left and we went with seven.  I do wish all the new players the best of luck!

[Yomo Kimyata]

Maybe all these new players need is a little start-up capital?

 

 

[Luminara]

  On 4/7/2023 at 11:15 PM, Yomo Kimyata said:

Maybe all these new players need is a little start-up capital?

 

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Is that a wombat humping someone's leg?