Academy Preview

Iosyne

This preview thread is related to all things Academy, a post-tour newbie "extended learning period" designed to provide support and assistance for Aetolian newbies. One of our biggest target areas right now is to improve our newbie experience across the board, and by taking this step we hope to make the process of getting acclimated and established as a new player in the realm much easier.

Currently, newbies graduate from the tour and are unceremoniously dumped east of Delos, where they usually are left with a "well, what now?" feeling. If they are unlucky enough to be around at an off-peak time, or in a small population guild/city, they may be unable to get any guidance at all. Obviously, we want to avoid this from happening while simultaneously easing the burden of the guild novice system.

We're posting this preview thread to give some insight on how we plan to implement the new Academy system, as it not only affects the newbies but the cities, guilds, and guides, who will want to become familiar with what their novii are experiencing. As with any major game change, the feedback and insight of our players is important, and any suggestions or concerns should definitely be voiced as we continue to polish and further refine the Academy system.

First off, we have some crucial changes to the newbie experience in general. As some of you may have noticed, new characters made from the website clients are prompted to choose their class before the tour even begins, which then auto-assigns them to the appropriate city. This will eventually become an aspect of our character creation across the board, where a new player must graduate from the tour as a novice in a selected guild, and the appropriate citizenship for the class. Thusly, a new player who graduates from the tour will be automatically placed into the appropriate city's Academy, instead of being dumped on the shore of the Eastern Wilderness.

The Academy comes with several new commands and interfaces for both the newbie and experienced players alike. The newbie will have access to a simplified ACADEMY output screen (similar to SCORE or STATUS), with details on his or her progression through the various academy quests and other special prompts related to Academy functions.

Each Academy will occupy a physical presence of approximately ten rooms, a sub-area of each city inaccessible to most. The physical Academy is intended to be a safe haven, a place of learning, and is designed for easy and convenient navigation to a few areas of importance. The newbie will be able to return to the Academy from anywhere within the city, similar to the PORTALS command.

The Academy consists of five total meta-quests, with each one containing several smaller quests in support of the meta-quest. The quests will be heavily guided using our Hint system, and cover a variety of topics, often times enforcing things learned in the introductory tour. Each of these quests will be able to be tracked using the ACADEMY screen as well as the QUESTS interface, and the newbie is permitted to pursue the quests in whatever order they please, as well as stop within one quest chain in order to return to it later. However, it is of great benefit to them to complete the quests, as many of them will reward upon completion some essential tools - items like curatives and armor, as well as tattoos!

In support of this function, the Ambassador ministry will undergo some significant changes. We plan on removing the treaty function from the ministry, leaving that duty solely within the function of the city's ruling council. Wartreatries will continue to be disabled. The Ambassador ministry will gain several functions that will enable them to better assist newbies enrolled in their city's academy - including the ability to go to the academy themselves, diagnose and check the score, status, skills, inventory of a newbie, as well as the ability to graduate and reset the Academy, if needed.

Guilds are not left out of this system, fear not! One of the five Academy meta-quests is a unique guild novice quest, tailored to the specific guild and covering their special requirements (and in some cases, equipment). The guild novice quest is intended to give the newbie a taste of the guild and what he or she should expect in terms of roleplay and the class in specific.

Additionally, should the newbie decide he or she does not enjoy the class they have chosen, they have the ability to CLASS REPICK at any time, and try anew. This is at no lesson penalty to the newbie, enabling them to gain a solid feel for the world of Aetolia, and their chosen class, before committing fully to the experience.

This concludes our preview of the Academy system. I hope you've enjoyed and are excited about this as much as we are - and as always, questions and suggestions/concerns are welcome!

Ezalor

 

Pperhaps have a prompt in the newbie tour where they are encouraged to ask about classes on the newbie channel? I've noticed many do that and forcing them into choosing a guild/city before graduating makes it a bit harder if they want to change their minds later due to being uninformed previously.

Also what determines appropriate citizenship for a class? Carnifex can be in Bloodloch or Spinesreach, for example.

EDIT: Ninja'd by Iosyne.

Iosyne

Clearly the text on your signature should read "Can't read, too dark."

Guild/city alignments are something that has been slowly been reinforced in various ways. The Carnifex are still considered a "Bloodloch guild" even if they permit membership in other cities. The latter will always be influenced by current game politics, but ultimately the balance of power between the four cities will be penultimate. Right now, each city has four guilds tied to it, which will eventually slide down to three.

Ezalor

Ah right. My thing about the changing their mind thing was more about how they might feel reluctant to leave a guild that's given them help and all when they find out it's not exactly what they wanted. (Also I missed the class repick part cause previous wall of text!)

I noticed lately a lot of newbies ask about what guilds use weapons, what ones use magic, what ones heal, etc. Perhaps a little mini-quest or blurb thing can be written by each guild/class that further expands on what they are, what they stand for, how they fight, etc (beyond what's found in the helpfile since that's not newbie tailored)? Things that newbies can explore before actually choosing their class.

Iosyne

Yeah, I was posting from my iPad and it apparently didn't agree with my formatting.

That's a suggestion that I could definitely see going into the initial newbie tour, where they first pick their class.

Tina

How will this effect orgs that already have extra novice training quests and tutorials set up like this.  For instance I know the Indorani have a novice only area with mobs and quests geared towards teaching them the class skills, supplying them, and giving them a bit of guild lore.  Granted it needs an update by now, but will this be reworked into something supplementary to the academy, or will it just be something that will be phased out by the academies and deleted?

Moirean

An idea for the tour itself would be to let novices actually try out or be shown a watered down version of a class skill to represent each class. This would obviously take more work coding-wise, but (if we keep the slaver's isle) maybe there could be a prisoner trained in each type of class, and they could demonstrate how they fight. For example, a carnifex-trained prisoner would summon a soul cleaver and hack at the guards, while a monk would lash out with a tekura attack, and a mage could be like yay magic in the face. This way novices could see a glimpse into each class like Ezalor suggested.

Kiyotan

This is only marginally related, but..

Could we perhaps consider namechanging the Guides? With all we do to encourage RP and sustain a level of immersion, couldn't we name our guides something a little less breaks-the-fourth-wall obvious? If not, what's the logic behind maintaining such out-of-place names?

Iosyne

All right, so there were a few unanswered questions/suggestions in this thread from earlier in the month - not purposefully ignored, or forgotten, I promise! We just did not have a solid answer yet as to what we would be doing at that stage of the development of the Academy and newbie tour.

Moirean said:

An idea for the tour itself would be to let novices actually try out or be shown a watered down version of a class skill to represent each class. This would obviously take more work coding-wise, but (if we keep the slaver's isle) maybe there could be a prisoner trained in each type of class, and they could demonstrate how they fight. For example, a carnifex-trained prisoner would summon a soul cleaver and hack at the guards, while a monk would lash out with a tekura attack, and a mage could be like yay magic in the face. This way novices could see a glimpse into each class like Ezalor suggested.

As I might have mentioned before (I forget), the website client currently has newbies selecting their class and race before they even see Slaver's Isle. This is a change that is happening across all IRE MUDs, as I understand it. Currently, third party clients (cMUD, Mudlet, etc.) are not held to this, but the plan is to have this eventually be the case. Selecting a class/race combination will be the first thing accomplished.

As far as trying out classes go, and learning a bit of their class skills, this is currently planned to be covered by multiple Academy quests. The newbie will be given a little instruction as to how the class functions on a basic level, be provided with opportunities to try it out, and have the option to repick their class entirely if they choose, at no lesson cost.

Tina said:

How will this effect orgs that already have extra novice training quests and tutorials set up like this.  For instance I know the Indorani have a novice only area with mobs and quests geared towards teaching them the class skills, supplying them, and giving them a bit of guild lore.  Granted it needs an update by now, but will this be reworked into something supplementary to the academy, or will it just be something that will be phased out by the academies and deleted?

In this instance, this Indorani training quest will likely be an excellent choice for the guild novice quest, which is being rolled out with the Academy. The guild novice quest aims to provide a bit of guild lore, and guild-specific instructions/needs (such as tarot card decks). When the time comes, we'll be looking at all of the guild novice experiences and adjusting accordingly.

Iosyne

And just a general update for the thread: progress on this is happening quickly enough that we anticipate being able to test drive the Academy within the next week or two. The Duiran Council will be our guinea pigs for this, giving us a chance to see if it's doing as well in practice as it is in theory, and give us the opportunity to tweak before scheduling a full release for all four cities. We're also interested in hearing our seasoned players' opinions, so if you envision yourself a guinea pig as well, I invite you to roll a newbie alt and give it a go.

Each newbie will receive a great set of rewards for finishing the Academy: free tattoos (certain ones), a suit of class-appropriate armor, class-appropriate weapon (or the materials to create one, such as with a dhurive), a basic set of elixirs/salves (or the undead equivalent), curative herbs/slices, food, city-unique clothing, any class-specific equipment needs (e.g. tarot decks), a ylem shard or two, some spending gold, and of course, experience and skills. The five meta-quests (tasks) will explain the importance and usage of aforementioned items, as just one part of the overall Academy learning experience.

Check back soon for an update on when our trial run will begin!

Malok

Will the weapons and armors they're given be of a set quality, and also, how long will they last before decaying? Or is none of that set in stone yet?

Iosyne

Malok said:

Will the weapons and armors they're given be of a set quality, and also, how long will they last before decaying? Or is none of that set in stone yet?

We plan on having all weapons/armor awarded from the intro have slightly inferior stats and a shorter decay timer than what you would typically expect to find from a Forger. This is not the case, obviously, for weapons created from class skills, such as dhurives.

Sarita

Going from this and one of the other posts about the Dominion, will nightstalkers be included using the Dominion as a guild substitute?

Iosyne

Sarita said:

Going from this and one of the other posts about the Dominion, will nightstalkers be included using the Dominion as a guild substitute?

We're still working out exactly how we'll approach vampires, nightstalker included, but it will likely involve something along those lines, yes.

Angwe

Just gonna go ahead and call this one: Our Council-specific clothing item is a loincloth, isn't it.

Moirean

Is there any way the clothing reward can be guild uniforms, if the novice joins a guild with a set uniform?

Haern

Moirean said:

Is there any way the clothing reward can be guild uniforms, if the novice joins a guild with a set uniform?

You might see that after they progress within the guild via quests. We'll see what we can do.

Kerryn

What does city-unique clothing truly entail? How do you decide what is appropriate and isn't for each city? I realize a good portion of Duiran uses Loincloths. But that's not exactly going to fit all the guilds the sentaari. Monks in loincloths? I no.. I don't want to see -more- of Sarkis then I already do! Please... no.. for all that is holy. Just do it based on guild... or stick with the itchy robe. >.>

Angwe

Kimonos then!

Haven

I think guild specific would be better than city specific. Neater that way.

Kerryn

Angwe said:

Kimonos then!

No! *shakefist*

Kerryn

Haven said:

I think guild specific would be better than city specific. Neater that way.

Not to mention the city clothing will be replaced with guild uniforms/clothing as soon as they finish the guild quests. To me it seems like an extra step that's not needed. Unless they choose -no- guild, then well... give them something so they aren't naked.

Lin

The Sentaari totally rocked kimonos and loincloths when I was runnin' the show.

Haern

Calm yourselves for I bring great news: loincloths shall be the only worn item within Aetolia. All items will henceforth become loincloths and crafters may embroider them with wonderful designs.

Lin

PRAISE THE UNFETTERED, DANGLING GENITALS.

Arbre

GUILD SET UNIFORM NOTHING

Shamwow!

Areka

Toz

You are wearing:

A hat-shaped loincloth

A longcoat made of poorly-stitched loincloths

A loincloth

A pair of loincloth-crafted, steel-reinforced boots.

A set of hardened leather loincloths crudely resembling fullplate

Iosyne

It would be pretty unrealistic to find one option that would please everybody, when it comes to clothing choices. This is why we have Tailoring, and the intent is not to replace it with a one-size-fits-all clothing choice for new players. Consider more that the clothing bit is part of a learning experience, as opposed to a "you should now wear this all the time." 

The thing about giving out 'official' clothing is that trends and player tastes are going to perpetually be evolving. As it was mentioned earlier, there was a period where everyone in Duiran was wearing kimonos and loincloths. Whether that's the case a year down the road is anybody's guess. This could also apply to guilds. If Moirean implements a Carnifex uniform for trainees, this may be undone much further down the road by a future guildmaster who decides to shake things up. How many times have we seen this? The recent overhaul of the Syssin guild is one great example. 

If a guild or city wants their own uniforms or a set period of dress, the Tailoring tradeskill exists to accomodate these needs. What we don't want to have is every single guild putting in a request to give their newbies a custom uniform, when this should really be done using said tradeskill and the handy option to transfer said designs to the organization. 

 To support what Haern said, though, more unique items will be a potential reward for guild quests down the road. These should be more along the lines of accessories or thematic pieces that are timeless as opposed to trendy.

Tza

Angwe said:

Just gonna go ahead and call this one: Our Council-specific clothing item is a loincloth, isn't it.

Loincloth + mask! Nothing else!

(I really think a mask for Duiran would rock.)

Aldric

I know I'm reaaaaally late to the show here, but still. Some of these are just general comments I'm making as I'm going through it:

"Kyrthin, an Ursal researcher looks up from his slouch against the moss-covered pylon, giving Nyrus a 

wave."

^ Not sure if that's able to be targeted, and it's kinda nit-picky, but something nonetheless.

* Looove the riding the airbeast part, neat bit of flavor.

* ..I had no idea Duiran guards had so many talking options. Holy crap awesome.

* Just after eating the venison pie, I got like 10 blank lines after before my prompt. Not sure if that's standard, or just something not working with mudlet as it should.

* I talked to Nissyr first, then Nira. Both of them give you herbs as a reward, but Nira is the only one that actually explains what a cache is. I'm not sure who newbies will go to first, but if you get herbs from Nissyr before even finding out what this mystical cache thing he's talking about is, you may be a bit confused until it's explained later. Just food for thought.

* After you get the robe might be a fantastic time to throw in a hint about the ATTIRE system. I know a good deal of our newbies may be other IRE-converts, and it's something that we have that they don't. Let's brag about it! Either that or we could toss in something in HELP DESCRIPTION to mention the attire system since that's mentioned in the hint.

* ..We can path find postoffice? Sweet. 

* Ahmg, why did I not know about all these path find things? This is so awesome and easy to use.

* [HINT]: If you are not seeing planthoppers, type VERMIN to start tracking their movements. Slay one and return to Nysos!

It may be somewhat useful to make a note here that vermin appearing isn't instantaneous. Also, somebody asked just the other day on the newbie channel why no more vermin were appearing in their room; it might be nice to include either in this part, or in HELP VERMIN that only 3 appear in a room unless you're in sewers. HELP VERMIN actually doesn't include anything about sewers at all.

* I just finished the armor quest.. I'm kinda curious as to what they say to lycans and mages. "Lol sorry! You don't get any!"

Final thoughts:

You guys have really outdone yourself. This is such an awesome program to go through, and I can imagine it helping immensely for newbies. Mixing this with the awesome path finding system, affliction view, and the absolutely amazing quest dialogue system simply makes the game much more accessible than it used to be. I really cannot wait to see this implemented in the rest of the cities.

EDIT: Big thing I forgot to note: I absolutely positively love how different each of the tutor mobs are whilst still revealing a bit of the city culture in who they are. It didn't seem like you were dealing with generic mobs made just to hand you a quest, but people that actually, y'know, belong in Duiran. Fantastic!

..Oh, and since I'm an Ascendril they obviously hate me and won't let me graduate. Jerks.