New player assistance

[Bigtea47]

I believe that our number one issue currently is new player retention.
There are several things that j believe would help new playes enjoy the game more and stay more likely.

New players should have an easy and fun time starting up.
I remember when I started I had to go Google guides and tips to understand what I should do. To me this shouldn't come till much later in game.

1. Beginner protection is extended to 20,000 turns used or 30 days.
Whichever comes first.
Protection should be easily visible and explained.

2. Each new player get a full fleet of 4 lmm an 1 howkers tail
And gets enough free resources in a choose port to build another such fleet.

3. We need a guide or explanation on how Trading and making gold works.
There should also be in build calculator when creating Auto trade routes that will show estimated daily income based on current port prices and travel times. Such calculator will update whenever port prices change.

4. We should have an in game chat where people can talk together.
Something like guild chat but for everyone who is online and opts in.
I know we already have a game chat, but you need to sign up. It's just a hassle.

5. We need to reduce the amount of buttons we have.
There should be only one way to get somewhere.
Tavern and court could be merged together possibly.

6. The first 30 days new players earn 2x gold income, gain 2x the turns, build no danger from trading.

7. Loans to new players under 1 mil should have no interest and a guaranteed money back if such player becomes inactive.

8. Sending a gift to a new player will yield 4x the cards for them and 2x to yourself.

[Meliva]

Excellent topic, I will address each of these points with my opinion.

the first one would be pointless for turns. 20K turns is insane. A player on average gains 144 turns a day. That would take a massive 138.8 days to do-far beyond one month. Even subtracting 1K turns and doubling turn gain for the month it would still take roughly 65 days. So at that high a turn limit you might as well just toss that out and say it lasts a full month no matter turns spent.

The second I am indifferent to. I feel like it should instead by a fleet of 5 howkers-as I fear a new player would be at risk to lose LMM much more then simple howker.

Third sounds good to me, though I think the guide shouldn't be too detailed-I feel that some tricks and knowledge should either be earned or learned by a senior player. But that's just my opinion.

Fourth is something I definitely want. I don't care for what we have now, I more or less never use it.

Fifth I'm not sure if I agree with less buttons, but a better UI would be amazing. How its made can be up for discussion but I feel it should be updated or remade completely.

Sixth, double gold and turns I suppose I would be fine with but definitely a negative on the no danger for trading. It isn't hard to get 10 merchants and set danger halt- and a guide for trading should explain that.

7th. DEFINATELY BIG +1000. So often I see new players asking for 50K loans and I WANT to loan it-but I know its highly likely I wont get that gold back. Sure its a small dent but as an accountant, it greatly pains me for that to happen. Like a drunkard pouring out booze.

8th- Definite no- I feel a lot of players would ditch voodoo partners entirely and just flood new players with voodoo. Sure that means a lot of new players get tons of voodoo-but I feel they should EARN the voodoo over time and learn how it works and what they do and the power and seriousness of them. I fear new players getting tons of great cards would waste them.


All in all I like some of these ideas, some can be improved, but good effort Bigtea.

[William one eye]

Events that encourage players to reach goals, Like missions but where prizes can be given by players you have met would be a good way to encourage players to socialize.



Not trying to push this idea specifically, I happened to post it somewhere else a few days ago.
But I like the way this function rewards players base upon their social interaction as well as game
progress. If they get married but have no in game friends they don't get the prizes.

This is my refinenment of an idea
Suggested by shadowood a while back.

Would help with retention and new player interaction
With guilds and community.



viewtopic.php?f=4&t=3191&start=10&hilit=wedding

Wedding gifts.

For first wedding only

A wedding announcement in Global events

Wedding registry with the following 25 Gift options
and 10 buried treasure casts
all gifts and buried treasures are NPC paid.

like a registry once a player has sent a gift is is removed from the registry

universal registry - the wedding couple does not choose this list


5 gift cards - only 1 per wedding guest
15 gift credits - only 1 per wedding guest
2 lvl 1 brigs -only 1 per wedding guest - generated as a new ID# ship
2 lvl 1 lmm -only 1 per wedding guest- generated as a new ID# ship
pair of tail ships 1 sloop 1 howker - gifted as a pair ( considered a single gift) - generated as a new ID# ship


10 buried treasure casts are available for those who prefer to send cash
or arrive after all gifts have been given.
- only 1 per wedding guest

Guest can only send 1 gift - not 1 gift from each or different categories

I see all of my suggestion being very helpful to new players, It will also encourage new players to get out and meet other players so they have some friends to attend their wedding. Iron golems are also a possibility, however without a suitable warehouse, they are not helpful, so I left them off.

[Meliva]

Events that encourage players to reach goals, Like missions but where prizes can be given by players you have met would be a good way to encourage players to socialize.



Not trying to push this idea specifically, I happened to post it somewhere else a few days ago.
But I like the way this function rewards players base upon their social interaction as well as game
progress. If they get married but have no in game friends they don't get the prizes.

This is my refinenment of an idea
Suggested by shadowood a while back.

Would help with retention and new player interaction
With guilds and community.


Wedding gifts.

For first wedding only

A wedding announcement in Global events

Wedding registry with the following 25 Gift options
and 10 buried treasure casts
all gifts and buried treasures are NPC paid.

like a registry once a player has sent a gift is is removed from the registry

universal registry - the wedding couple does not choose this list


5 gift cards - only 1 per wedding guest
15 gift credits - only 1 per wedding guest
2 lvl 1 brigs -only 1 per wedding guest - generated as a new ID# ship
2 lvl 1 lmm -only 1 per wedding guest- generated as a new ID# ship
pair of tail ships 1 sloop 1 howker - gifted as a pair ( considered a single gift) - generated as a new ID# ship


10 buried treasure casts are available for those who prefer to send cash
or arrive after all gifts have been given.
- only 1 per wedding guest

Guest can only send 1 gift - not 1 gift from each or different categories

I see all of my suggestion being very helpful to new players, It will also encourage new players to get out and meet other players so they have some friends to attend their wedding. Iron golems are also a possibility, however without a suitable warehouse, they are not helpful, so I left them off.

Would the gifts cost the sender? if so I'm not sure how many would actually send gifts. If it doesn't cost then odds are the sender will choose the best option- which in my opinion is the 15 credits- or possible the 5 cards if they get lucky with them. As 2 brigs or LMM or a sloop and howker are not even worth 5 credits. unless you get lucky with the LMM-which is unlikely. I think the idea seems good but it definitely needs work and discussion on it.

[William one eye]

Spoiler: show

Events that encourage players to reach goals, Like missions but where prizes can be given by players you have met would be a good way to encourage players to socialize.



Not trying to push this idea specifically, I happened to post it somewhere else a few days ago.
But I like the way this function rewards players base upon their social interaction as well as game
progress. If they get married but have no in game friends they don't get the prizes.

This is my refinenment of an idea
Suggested by shadowood a while back.

Would help with retention and new player interaction
With guilds and community.


Wedding gifts.

For first wedding only

A wedding announcement in Global events

Wedding registry with the following 25 Gift options
and 10 buried treasure casts
all gifts and buried treasures are NPC paid.

like a registry once a player has sent a gift is is removed from the registry

universal registry - the wedding couple does not choose this list


5 gift cards - only 1 per wedding guest
15 gift credits - only 1 per wedding guest
2 lvl 1 brigs -only 1 per wedding guest - generated as a new ID# ship
2 lvl 1 lmm -only 1 per wedding guest- generated as a new ID# ship
pair of tail ships 1 sloop 1 howker - gifted as a pair ( considered a single gift) - generated as a new ID# ship


10 buried treasure casts are available for those who prefer to send cash
or arrive after all gifts have been given.
- only 1 per wedding guest

Guest can only send 1 gift - not 1 gift from each or different categories

I see all of my suggestion being very helpful to new players, It will also encourage new players to get out and meet other players so they have some friends to attend their wedding. Iron golems are also a possibility, however without a suitable warehouse, they are not helpful, so I left them off.

Would the gifts cost the sender? if so I'm not sure how many would actually send gifts. If it doesn't cost then odds are the sender will choose the best option- which in my opinion is the 15 credits- or possible the 5 cards if they get lucky with them. As 2 brigs or LMM or a sloop and howker are not even worth 5 credits. unless you get lucky with the LMM-which is unlikely. I think the idea seems good but it definitely needs work and discussion on it.

Gifts are npc/mission generated. It does not cost the sender.
Its like a registry - all the gifts can be sent, but once a gift is sent it is gone.
First come first choice on sending the gifts. If you want to send the best gift you need to be the first to realize your friend got married.

[The Lamb]

I was thinking, when I started, an anonymous donor (i know who and it would shock the barnacles off your plank if i told you) gave me 10 mil to help me get my feet dug in the sand and ready to play. It helped so much that I now do the same for for other people. But it can be hard to see who will stick around, after all, we are essentially watching clocks right?

Seeing how much you make in the beginning compared to how much things cost that make the game fun, may scare people out of the game when they see how long it will take them to get to (name your checkpoint) playing the free way.

Merchants want ally's and pirates want meet. The question I have is, can we find a way to get a new member up and running quicker, maybe even lowering the cost of a few things may make people want to stay longer. Maybe the Cost of the hideout and first level of a few buildings are extremely low and jump drastically from there.

Maybe every new player gets a free fleet, maybe we have a United Seaman Fund, or some other name. Maybe the mechanics will allow what would take a months worth of play normally, to only take a week so that people get a full taste of the seven seas