I don't believe you're being fair to us (the current community) and here's why:
1) The game is still in production. Once the game has been released there will be threads for rookies to read about basic strategy and how-tos for the game and plenty of players willing to answer questions.- But right now: Because the game is based on the board game Battletech, which is complex, the rules and 'under the hood' stuff are fairly complex. A lot of the hardcore fans discuss and argue every minute point of these to death because we all care, and we all have opinions. What this means for the boards right now (before release) is that every discussion based on the rule set is meant to be a discussion for the people who KNOW the rules and want to discuss how they translate into a real time game. You're absolutely right, we shun rookies here because they don't know what they're talking about. They (for the most part) have absolutely no investment in the franchise, therefore I don't care if Billy_Blue_Bottom_1994 wants his mechs to have rainbow lasers that pierce armor. These discussions will probably stop when the game is released, as the rules will be set.
2) If a rookie would like to know more about the game, the universe, or what have you, all he/she need do is ask (or read the NEW PLAYERS START HERE PRETTY PLEASE thread). - There is a forum for each major faction, there is a tabletop forum for discussions and questions about the game which translate, there are fiction forums for questions about stories, etc. You get the point. In fact, I believe a lot of these questions are answered in the "New players start here" thread, and here's the underlying problem: most new players don't read the thread. They traipse around asking stupid questions which are answered in the FAQ and disrupt legitimate discussions. Fortunately, this shouldn't be a problem after release.
3) In reality, all games are complex under the hood, but easy to play. Mechwarrior Online is (will be) the same.
- When I first started playing World of Warcraft, I knew nothing about the universe. I played a little of Warcraft 3, but I didn't pay attention to the story. I never played the previous two, or read any fiction, or anything like that, but it didn't detract from my enjoyment. In fact, after playing a while I started actively looking for lore and learning. It became fun to discover a whole new universe behind the gameplay!
- The mechanics of World of Warcraft are complex. Knowing how much armor your warrior needs to have to be a viable tank in the next tier of content isn't something that's readily available. When I started, I stacked spirit as a warrior, because someone told me it increased regeneration. It was stupid, and the first friend I made pointed it out and told me what was important to my class.
- Trial and error fix a lot of problems. None of us have even played the game yet. We all will have something to learn when the game is released, and I'm sure that once we learn it, we'll be more than happy to share our knowledge with all the friends we make, or people that ask.
森小熊, on 05 March 2012 - 07:30 AM, said:
"How will MWO make the battletech universe inviting?" How will MWO nurture new players and allow them to enjoy this game? Will you, as members of the community welcome new players, hold their hands and mentor them? or will you shun them until they have the requisite knowledge and skills to become immersed in the universe.
I would be more than happy to personally mentor every rookie that I have time to. Despite the prickly tone in most of my posts, I'm obnoxiously friendly IRL, and this carries over to every non-forum medium. I know I'm not the only one who would be willing to help, but again,
because the game is not released yet, there's no way to help them learn the game. When the time comes, they will have more help than they can stand, I promise you that.
森小熊, on 05 March 2012 - 07:30 AM, said:
A good example of this is this topic. Only the 5th post in provided a constructive response that suggested where a new player should begin, and this was by a mod. A few members posted derisive comments regarding console gaming. many of the responses to this topic simply stated that such complexity is what make the game good, not answering my question of how MWO is not going to be just more of the same.
Well, no one suggested where a new player should begin because:
森小熊, on 05 March 2012 - 06:14 AM, said:
When I first heard about a new Mechwarrior game, I became really excited, and I was really looking forward to it. As a long time Mechwarrior and battletech fan, I thought a new game that departed from the Mechassault style would be great.
You aren't a new player! Also, you took the time to log onto the forums without reading the 6 stickied threads at the top. We can't force new players to read what they should, we can only suggest it. It's the top stickied thread. I guess it needs to glow or something.
Edit: Just to be clear, when I first started reading your post, I assumed you were a current board member who made a new account so he could ask this question without getting railed on on his regular account. I still think this is true, actually.
Edited by Tsen Shang, 05 March 2012 - 12:30 PM.
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