A new player to Gemstone spoke up at the Dark Elf meeting tonight with a request for more streamlined sources of information. She claimed tackling the docs as a newbie was an extremely daunting and disjointed task. Some ideas were kicked around at that point, and two ideas that arose is a simplified Timeline of Elanthian history, with links imbedded in the text to other documents which expand upon the events. The second idea would be a newbie guide to each Race/Culture. She said that the little blurb they offer in the mangler was helpful, but often very vague. A bit more meat to these sections would be helpful.
Anyone else have any ideas, or know of existing documents which might be useful to link to new players?
LORDEVARIN
SILVERHEALER
Re: New Player Suggestion
02/26/2011 08:16 AM CST
I have always sent newbies to Nilandia's site, but I'm not sure she's had the time or desire to update it with all the latest changes.
I love the two ideas you mentioned, Evarin. Perhaps it's a task for the Wordsmiths? Or someone who is just burning to be helpful. I wrote a LJ blog back when we went from GS3 to GS4 for my friends as I had the time to spend to check out all the new stuff and they didn't. They told me it was very helpful. I'd give it a shot myself, but where, and to whom, would one submit anything?
I think the information is out there, it's just a matter of pulling it all together. I'd be hopeless at linking things in the text though. I have 'software dummy' tattooed on my forehead.
Also, how detailed would the information need to be? There is so much to learn in GS that I'm not sure anyone could, or should, do more than skim the surface or you'd have a 14 volume set of manuals!
I love the two ideas you mentioned, Evarin. Perhaps it's a task for the Wordsmiths? Or someone who is just burning to be helpful. I wrote a LJ blog back when we went from GS3 to GS4 for my friends as I had the time to spend to check out all the new stuff and they didn't. They told me it was very helpful. I'd give it a shot myself, but where, and to whom, would one submit anything?
I think the information is out there, it's just a matter of pulling it all together. I'd be hopeless at linking things in the text though. I have 'software dummy' tattooed on my forehead.
Also, how detailed would the information need to be? There is so much to learn in GS that I'm not sure anyone could, or should, do more than skim the surface or you'd have a 14 volume set of manuals!
LORDEVARIN
Re: New Player Suggestion
02/26/2011 08:23 AM CST
I too think this would be a great project for the wordsmiths, but this should be a living document, so it should ultimately end up on Krakiipedia. Keeping it only on the officials dooms it to extremely infrequent updates, if ever.
As for the Timeline, I think it should be fairly sparse, covering the important events but not paragraphs on end for each bullet. HOWEVER, important terms, people, and places should be hyperlinked so that the viewer can choose to follow provided links for further reading. This is currently how Wikipedia presents their material, and I find it quite helpful.
The same goes for the cultural/racial blurbs in the mangler. I honestly haven't rolled up a new character in years, I don't think, so I couldn't tell you what already exists there. The player simply commented that at times it was not very helpful, and wished for a more in-depth (yet still abridged) version of races/cultures.
As for the Timeline, I think it should be fairly sparse, covering the important events but not paragraphs on end for each bullet. HOWEVER, important terms, people, and places should be hyperlinked so that the viewer can choose to follow provided links for further reading. This is currently how Wikipedia presents their material, and I find it quite helpful.
The same goes for the cultural/racial blurbs in the mangler. I honestly haven't rolled up a new character in years, I don't think, so I couldn't tell you what already exists there. The player simply commented that at times it was not very helpful, and wished for a more in-depth (yet still abridged) version of races/cultures.
SUTTOND
Re: New Player Suggestion
02/26/2011 11:49 AM CST
A great idea, Evarin. Honestly, GemStone does desperately need a helpful, clearly organized "beginner's guide" to ease players into the potentially baffling complexity of the game and point them towards more comprehensive sources of information. If even seasoned veterans have difficulty tracking down info they know exists (I know I do sometimes), then imagine how daunting things could be to a genuine newcomer.
There are so many obstacles and barriers to the new player experience, the more we can remove or provide assistance with the better. I'd actually like either the staff or the community to have a good, long, hard look at what a genuine new player will see when they first approach the game, as I think retention of the few new players we get is made considerably more difficult than it needs to be...
A user-friendly guide with hyperlinked points of reference would be a very good resource to that end.
Dave, Brandain's Bard
There are so many obstacles and barriers to the new player experience, the more we can remove or provide assistance with the better. I'd actually like either the staff or the community to have a good, long, hard look at what a genuine new player will see when they first approach the game, as I think retention of the few new players we get is made considerably more difficult than it needs to be...
A user-friendly guide with hyperlinked points of reference would be a very good resource to that end.
Dave, Brandain's Bard
SUNNAE
Re: New Player Suggestion
11/13/2016 03:52 PM CST
I feel like a noob even though I was here when GS4 was GS3. Yeah lotta stuff to assimilate, could use some help.
DOUG
Re: New Player Suggestion
11/13/2016 03:58 PM CST
>>could use some help.
Have you checked out the GSWiki yet? In particular, the profession and beginner's guides? They give a good basis to build on. Then asking questions in various profession and systems areas usually leads to good benefit.
https://gswiki.play.net/Category:Guides
Doug
Have you checked out the GSWiki yet? In particular, the profession and beginner's guides? They give a good basis to build on. Then asking questions in various profession and systems areas usually leads to good benefit.
https://gswiki.play.net/Category:Guides
Doug
SNOWBEAM
Re: New Player Suggestion
11/13/2016 04:01 PM CST
You can also head to Silverwood Manor (type DIR SILVERWOOD) and ring the bell to speak with a Mentor.
We're here to help. :)
-The mind behind Rowmi's eyes.
We're here to help. :)
-The mind behind Rowmi's eyes.
DAID
Re: New Player Suggestion
11/15/2016 11:28 PM CST
>Yeah lotta stuff to assimilate, could use some help.
Well, this is going to sound kind of terse and that's not what I want to get at but...pose some new questions rather than replying to a 5 year old thread? I was looking at this thread and confused because Nilandia shut down her site some time ago...then I saw 2011...and yeah.
In any case, gswiki was created New Years Day 2015, as a clone of krakiipedia.org (which may or may not be totally defunct now but no one I know uses it, and the old editors all migrated).
And even gswiki compared to krakiipedia has a lot going for it, like GMs officially putting a lot of things there.
Well, this is going to sound kind of terse and that's not what I want to get at but...pose some new questions rather than replying to a 5 year old thread? I was looking at this thread and confused because Nilandia shut down her site some time ago...then I saw 2011...and yeah.
In any case, gswiki was created New Years Day 2015, as a clone of krakiipedia.org (which may or may not be totally defunct now but no one I know uses it, and the old editors all migrated).
And even gswiki compared to krakiipedia has a lot going for it, like GMs officially putting a lot of things there.
