On "helping"

[preechr]

Personally, I enjoy pitching in every now and again to help a new player that really wants to unlock Necromancy or that got a little ambitious and needs help removing a curse, and I've been helped out by other players at various times as well

I think that's part of being in a great community, but I wonder if part of building a great community is not helping as much

As long as I have been playing games online, I've been a care-bear, but over the last couple of years I've either grown jaded or have noticed a trend in player behavior: "Game Hoppers" that join up and immediately start begging for gold and power-leveling

Not to say that's a problem in P:G at all... but I'm wondering how the community feels in a general sense about over-helping new players... Where is the line between helping someone with a problem and helping them understand how to solve or avoid their own problems?

While many have noted that the game doesn't hold the hands of new players, there has been obvious care taken to introduce newcomers to game features and skills as they become necessary or relevant... Though there are a few things that you might never know if someone didn't tell you or you found it on the wiki, the game does a generally great job of leaving little hints all along the way as to how things work and what you need to know

So, is it doing new players a disservice to answer every little question or run out to help them fight through a problem or give them things they need but are having a hard time finding?

Would it be better to let them learn to figure out things on their own, or is the reason P:G is known to have a great community because we do help?

Could we have a great community based in everyone figuring things out for themselves?

(That's not to say live with your curse, but ask among other low levels in the dungeon, or instead of us telling you how to get back to anagoge, direct you to the currently non-existent wiki page for that, etc ...)

[Niph]

I think it's ok to answer specific questions such as "Where is Yetta?", with the spoiler tag unless in help channel. It's probably not as ok to answer generic game questions like "how do I make money?". I tend to not answer them.

About help with curses, in my opinion the community of high level players should help people, unless in prime time when help can be found with same-level players. It's better for the game if there is an incentive to try dangerous things (it's more fun to win hard fights) along with a safety net. Since this help comes from the community of players, it's also a good way to make bonds.

[Taledar]

I don't have a problem with "How do I..." especially when it is something like realizing they left the island before seeing most of the content. I've ran back with a few players a few times since I needed to grab something from storage. Like Niph mentioned, spoiler tags are good for passing along info and I think sometimes the answer is that they just need to explore/experiment with it since a lot of players are probably coming in with preconceived notions of how an MMO is supposed to work that don't apply here.

Helping someone figure out how to do something on their own or assisting them with a difficult task is really what a community should do... but at the same time I don't think that anyone should feel obligated to help and certainly nobody should feel entitled to that help. It should be an organic thing to assist and/or correct players to be more self sufficient. I feel like the greater community should encourage and educate the newer players and as they progress I see guilds as kind of taking over that role of a tighter knit group where people can learn the more advanced topics and access more difficult areas while also contributing to the group.

[chainlink]

I think there are two separate things you are describing here that have two distinct answers. I don't think begging and PL-ing deserve any obligation to help. On the other hand, I want to see the golden age of Asheron's Call come back where patrons/players want to help their vassals/guild/friends/others with sharing of knowledge and help on quests/skill acquisition and things of that nature.

Fostering a helpful society can do nothing but improve the reputation of the game, IMO.

[Taei]

I think if new players are really really struggling with something, then help should be provided.

Otherwise, I remember how much fun I had with my group when we were just starting out, struggling through dungeons etc. That's part of the game. Not getting carried by high levels through dungeons, but figuring out your limits and then testing those limits.