What am I doing...?

Don't get me wrong, I've beta tested several MMO's and also been involved in one or two Alphas so I'm used to lag spikes, roll-backs and whatnot.

I actually appreciate the idea of a server wipe so we all start of on even ground again when the game officially releases. This is something I've gotten used to in Beta testing.

First of all, I was under the impression that this game was much farther along than it apparently is. I mean, they're pre-selling the game for release in March - note that it even says there is no Beta test only early access. This would make me think the testing was done and they're ready to release, but so far I don't see it.

So here's the problem I've having since this is my first full, official day. I don't know anything about the game other than what I've read online and in the forum. 90% of my learning, though happens through experience, so if I want to really get to know what to do, I need to be in the game.

This isn't easy...

1. There's no "introduction" to the game. I don't mean a hand-holding 5 hour long tutorial process, but I mean a basic, "this is you, this is grass, this is how you harvest grass." kind of explanation. Something similar to Wurm's tutorial.

2. No warning the server is going down other than a minute of non-responsive actions. I don't know what the hell I'm doing half the time in the game since I don't have any clear cut explanation to guide me along. This means I'm testing A with B to see what happens.

Half the time I test, nothing happens because I didn't do it right, the other half I test and nothing happens because the server is in one of those "limbo periods" between crashes. Frustrating doesn't begin to describe this... half the time I'm ready to throw my keyboard through the wall while shouting "I just did that a second ago and it worked... what the hell is going...?!?!" before I end up staring at the login screen.

3. No floating tool-tips, no descriptions for anything, no explanations for anything. I read the manual file and then logged in and had to alt-tab back and forth to figure out what stats I wanted to start with. The tools I start with don't exactly offer much assistance in figuring out what they are or how they work either.

I went to start a campfire and had to figure out what was meant by "rocks" in the recipe screen before I gave in and just started throwing random stones (limestone and granite) in the recipe and suddenly it worked (providing the server wasn't either lagging or crashing on me).

4. General "fuzziness"... Thanks to some tutorials and forums posts I was able to figure out some basics of crafting, but there's still a whole lot that's fuzzy. For instance, I had to read through a bunch of forum posts before figuring out how to gain recipes (scavenge and crafting what you already know).

Back to that campfire, it took some hunting around to figure out that flint can be discovered under Resources. Which also highlights the usefulness of that "Resources" tab that is severely underplayed in the pdf manual.

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If I can offer some advice, might I recommend, even just a simple in-game "Help" file that people can read through at the start? It can give some basic starter tips and advice like "how to place a totem" or "build a camp" or the usefulness of certain tools and items (baskets for instance).

If I had something to go by that told me what to do and I knew I was doing it right, then having lag spikes and server crashes aren't that big of a deal since I'd know at least I was doing what I was supposed to be.

I know there's a chat as well, but when the server's up and down, it gets hard to ask questions. It's also easy to blend in and get ignored without being a total schmuck about spamming your question... at which point one person might respond and then the server goes down again.

I do appreciate the helpfulness of the players and the openness of the Devs. Which is why, despite still obviously being in a testing phase, I'm willing to stick with the game and don't begin to regret the money I spent.

What this game is in need of though is some "Accessibly Tools". Tools that will explain how things work to the newcomers without destroying the freedom the game offers. People like to know how to play the game they're playing in order to have fun... so make it easy for them to learn!

I come from a rather bland Adult Training and HR background, so seeing some of this is just an occupational hazard of mine. :(

There is a game manual, Willbonney's guides that are stickied in the Prelude section, and Saintbob's tutorials.

These are all external mediums of learning the game, but they are available. Plus the help in game from tribe members. It isn't an easy, or friendly game to start out but everyone that plays has made it this far. So it works. I personnally like this design. It forces you to invest time learning the game and interact not only with the game, but the community.

Saintbob's and Willbonney's tutorials are a fantastic resource for new player orientation. I'll see about condensing the resource posts into a single post to aid with learning. Do always keep in mind the Guide team is here to help you out. You can contact us on the forums or in game by typing /h.

I like the fact that the game doesnt hold your hand, it makes things more satisfying when you figure things out... and people will help you out if you are stumped.

You could always join a tribe and they could tell you everything you need to know. I suggest forsaken. First I'd like to welcome you to the game.

If you are interest in a tribe then check us out. My guild Forsaken was the only large guild in Mortal Online to successfully maintain it's neutral status even in the face of countless wars. We were at the top of our game in Mortal Online and I expect us to do the same as the Forsaken Tribe division of Forsaken in Xsyon. Our ideals in the game are Neutrality, and we stick with that ideal throughout all of our actions.

If you are looking for a tribe and we match your ideas check us out, we are happy to welcome any newcomers into our ranks.
You can check us out here for our forum post: http://www.xsyon.com/forum/showthrea...n-Tribe-arises
And here for our forums: http://forsaken.clangroups.com/Guild...&TabID=2889646

Generic recruitment, but a great tribe. =P

Agree with OP, I had quite a lot of problems getting into the game as well.
Spent like 15 mins trying to figure out how to craft a basic fishing rod, scrolling through dozens of recipes that were useless because i didn't have the resources or tools to use them.
Finally, I realized my char can somehow craft all that stuff, but no fishing rods. I still don't know how to get any food...

First, thanks for the welcome.

Second, thanks for the recruitment ;)

Third, I'm grateful for the guides and the help.

I think of myself as an "average" gamer. I'm in my mid-30's have bills, a family and a mortgage. I used to say I was a hard-core gamer and am ashamed to admit that life caught up with me along the way. Now, I play when I can.

The problem is, I'm average. That means there are people more hard-core than I am and people less hard-core than myself. Technical issues aside, if I find bits of the game a bit complex and difficult to get started with, there are going to be others who are totally baffled by it.

Guides are good, tribes are also a great step but even a lot of hard-core games have some in-game guidance that doesn't rely on other players; a safety net, so to speak that will tell people how to get their toon off to a running start.

Here's the world I grew up in - I joined my first online game, a PK MUD, in 1995. I immediately went north and explored an ancient temple. Two rooms over I encountered a boar who impaled me to death.

Next life I come back, claim my stuff and head to the country. "Hey, someone's coming, I should wave." 10 seconds later, the guy standing over my charred corpse loots me dry and leaves me naked at respawn.

Yeah, that was harsh, but... after typing "/help" and reading all of the files for the different skills and actions, I was able to at least navigate around and survive a fight with a rabbit.

When I say "help" in terms of files or tips, I don't necessarily mean a "here's a bottle little baby, now don't go and hurt yourself" kind of tutorial. Just a couple words saying what something is or does that helps it make sense.

I watched the Youtube videos and read the tutorial posts, that's how I figured out what I have, they've been great! Here's the problem - when a person logs in and sees all these resources from the players and a noticeable lack of info about the game, in the game, it starts to open up a Pandora's Box of questions and doubts. The only things some of those people will need is a slight push to knock them over in the form of, say, a server crash, lag or roll-back...

Really, just a nice little "Hey, welcome aboard... and by the way, remember to eat so you don't starve to death" kind of intro is all it needs to give people a little more confidence in the game.