Goblin Squad Member
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In recent posts we found out that the vast majority of players are not part of a company and this could potentially have a very negative impact on the future of the game. To help new players get over the learning curve, and get them affiliate with a company, RiverBank is going to be opening the River Academy. River Academy will be a ‘holding’ company, where new players can go for a MAXIMUM of 90 days.
I am looking for supporting companies to teach classes at the River Academy. You will get an opportunity to plug your company/settlement in return for hosting classes. More info at http://tinyurl.com/RAOverview .
In an opportunity for full disclosure, RiverBank is (and will continue to be) part of the EverBloom Alliance and Covenant of the Phoenix. We will be using the CoTP boards and Mumble for discussions. That being said, we welcome ALL companies to be supporters of the Academy and will try to give equal class time to each.
For more info PM me here, catch me on mumble or in game as Hoffman
Quick highlights below:
RiverBank is refocusing to provide a home for both learners (those new to pfo) and teachers (those who want to guide) to help people enjoy playing PFO. PFO has a steep learning curve and if new players do not have support (and just someone to play with) there is a risk that they will stop playing. To that end, RiverBank is going to have two main companies associated with it, River Guides and River Academy
River Guides - Is a loosely knit company of people dedicated to helping new players. River Guides will provide support in the Help, hold classes and help those in the academy grow. To be a River Guide you need to have 1 month experience in PFO (will probably grow in the future) and be willing to commit 2-4 hours per week in Help. Those who are part of another company but would like to volunteer as guides are welcome, but when acting as a guide (either as part of the company or not) they need to abide by the rules of the River Academy and Supporting Companies/Settlements.
River Academy - Is a company for new pfo players and is time limited. A player can only be a member of the River Academy for their first 90 days. After their first 90 days they need to move to another company in PFO. The intent of the River Academy is to give people a place to grow, try things out, and then move to the right company/settlement for them. River Academy will be a collaborative (sharing in resources and supplies) and will have regularly scheduled events and classes. Classes will be held at RiverBank but taught by companies from across the map and open to all. River Academy will have an officer structure to allow people a chance to lead the company but will ultimately report to the River Guides. In this way the River Guides are the only ‘permanent’ officers of the River Academy as we are committed to only allowing people to stay in the academy for 90 days.
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Goblin Squad Member
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I hear you Calidor. RiverBank signed on the EBA a long time ago and are sticking with that agreement. We will not be participating in settlement warfare, unless as part of a class or exercise.
I have intentionally invited all companies to come teach at River Academy and all will be welcome (no matter of the politics).
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Goblin Squad Member
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In recent posts we found out that the vast majority of players are not part of a company and this could potentially have a very negative impact on the future of the game.
Just out of curiosity: why do you think that players not being part of a company (and what exactly is that?) is so bad "for the future of the game"? Mind you, I'm not at all versed in MMO games, so I don't know about any genre conventions, but your post felt strange somehow. So, why is bad for the game as such if I, for example, were simply to strike out on my own?
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Goblin Squad Member
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Just out of curiosity: why do you think that players not being part of a company (and what exactly is that?) is so bad "for the future of the game"? Mind you, I'm not at all versed in MMO games, so I don't know about any genre conventions, but your post felt strange somehow. So, why is bad for the game as such if I, for example, were simply to strike out on my own?
Great question Zaister. Since PFO is a Sandbox game, there is very little 'to do' in the game unless you are interacting with other players. Interaction can include grouping up to do an escalation (take out a group of monsters), PVP, or even just simple trade. Otherwise you end up just wandering forever, and unless you just love sight seeing (which some do), you get bored quickly.
PFO is NOT a solo game. I am worried that the players who are wandering around on their own will quickly get bored and give up (leave the game). If you are part of an ACTIVE company there is pretty much always something to do. Around RiverBank that might include going out to kill Ogg (the Ogre who eats himself), practicing PVP skills, or working on crafting (as it is very hard to do everything you need to craft high end products without others or a dozen DT accounts).
I am setting up the River Academy to allow people to have others to play with, WITHOUT the long term commitment that some fear comes with a company. In an ideal world the River Academy will put itself out of business as everyone moves on to their long term homes. The key is just to get players over the considerable starting hump and enjoying the game first.
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Goblin Squad Member
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Just out of curiosity: why do you think that players not being part of a company (and what exactly is that?) is so bad "for the future of the game"? Mind you, I'm not at all versed in MMO games, so I don't know about any genre conventions, but your post felt strange somehow. So, why is bad for the game as such if I, for example, were simply to strike out on my own?
Due to the game mechanics in PFO, a character can't effectively get into Tier 2 attacks and gear without belonging to a settlement, and the settlement has to have a certain amount of holdings.
So you can strike out on your own, but after 3 weeks or a month, you'll be bumping up against Tier 2.
In recent posts we found out that the vast majority of players are not part of a company and this could potentially have a very negative impact on the future of the game.Just out of curiosity: why do you think that players not being part of a company (and what exactly is that?) is so bad "for the future of the game"? Mind you, I'm not at all versed in MMO games, so I don't know about any genre conventions, but your post felt strange somehow. So, why is bad for the game as such if I, for example, were simply to strike out on my own?
The fact that you asked that question means that some of the mechanics of the game are not widely known and something like Axi's proposal could be very helpful. Currently the design intent is that a player cannot advance past a certain point without joining a player settlement. They can broaden their character by learning other Tier 1 feats but they cannot advance into Tier 2 or eventually Tier 3 without a PC Settlement. This is very true now and will be even more important in the future if/when they add the Role Support feature.
I would not say it's impossible to solo play the game, but it will be a lot more difficult and you will be cut off from the larger portion of character advancement. That said there are plenty of places to possibly call home and I'm sure one of them will have no problem letting you retain most if not all of your preferred play-style.
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Thanks Yrme and Thannon. I'm not even as worried about Tier 2 (although you are both 100% correct) as I'm worried about people giving up way before then.
My original thought of this academy came when two players from my tabletop game gave up within the first two days. Their experience went kind of like this:
*I'm clicking on lots of things but I have no clue what to do. I went into the woods and got killed
*I just went into Marchmont to try to do the crafting tutorial and was ganked twice (hopefully now fixed by the NO ganking rule in NPC cities)
*There are just too many damn options. I don't want to have to read hundreds of pages just to get started.
*The game just bugged out on me, I'm bugging out on the game.
Without some support I worry that the 4 items above are most new players first couple of days... I want the game to succeed and people to have fun.
My hope is that by the time players are deep into Tier 2 (and looking at Tier 3) they are looking for their 'final' company as 90 days pass by pretty quick. River Academy is targeted to help people who haven't lived on the boards for the past year or more to know what the game is (and isn't) and how to enjoy it while helping to crowd forge the future.
Just as a reference if you stay pretty focused on a particular aspect you reach the first rung of Tier 2 in about 3-4 weeks.
I do agree the biggest hindrance right now is lack of knowledge and possible bad experiences due to some people who's *ahem* philosophies are not necessarily conducive to getting new players in the game.
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Goblin Squad Member
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This is a great idea. In a recent post by Thod enumerating the members in each settlement (characters, not players) the total came out to (iirc) 1113. Lisa Stevens posted shorty after that announcement that our numbers are off, as there are more characters NOT in a settlement than there were in settlements. That's a lot of players, and great potential. But they might never know the benefits of belonging to a group (company, settlement, etc) without a little help.
Granted, many MMOs encourage soloing, but PFO is not one that will make the life of a solo player easy.
It just doesn't seem neutral enough for me to send folks to it.
Please prove me wrong over the coming years, but getting new people settled in one group's area on one group's forums and comms is going to make me worry that I'm sending people to learn how best to oppose me since they have already been stealth-recruited.
All their stuff will start to be there. All their mates will start to be there. It's only a matter of time until they're defending/taking the towers they need for their training.
I've pointed people to Eve Uni and I'd point them to something similar in PFO, but people tend to settle in to places and giving yourselves the area/forums/comms advantage (even if only for your own convenience) was not the best way to start this and get others to buy in.
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I can only see widespread support for this if it's either at a truly neutral settlement, like Marchmont or Thornkeep, or is a sort of roaming academy, with either various aspects happening in various places, or the whole thing moving on a regular basis.
On further thought, I think it would be far better set-up in Marchmont, where all new Characters will start, and combined with the existing guides to provide as neutral an environment as possible, and as close to the center of the map as can be achieved, and it contains all training facilities, instead of the limited selection available at any Player Settlement. The inability to step through training any wizards or rogues, or certain crafting options at Riverbank would hamper some options for training.
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Goblin Squad Member
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(disclaimer: i'm likely to be taking an active role is helping Hoffmann set this up, but i'm speaking only for myself here).
@Savage Grace (love the name btw) and Caldeathe:
1) yes, the idea has originated from TEO and will never be 'neutral enough' if EBA is the only major group supporting it.
If, say, Golgatha provided some guides and lecturers (maybe pvp teachers?) and gave a guarantee of independence (ie pledge to hunt down anyone going to war on Riverbank), then it would become a lot more neutral. As I understand Hoff above, Riverbank would -not- help defend other EBA settlements.
2) Marchmont makes sense for a lot of reasons - especially until player-buildt settlements are implemented- but Riverbank offers some extra options that we see as important.
First: Riverbank will have a pvp window which allows pvp practice.
Second: Riverbank has a good mix of escalations nearby (different mob types and different achievements) for pve training.
Third: Riverbank offers opportunity for players to learn settlement management (when that is implemented).
Fourth: specifically not being the default starter town means that those unwilling to follow the (very simple and non-oppressive) rules can be asked to leave.
Fifth (and maybe a weaker/less relevant argument, but still true): we are making the SW region relevant, and preventing a settlement from becoming a ghost town.
Sixth (and a double-edged argument): not being in the middle of all the action might be a good thing when settlement warfare starts. Some new players will appreciate a quieter corner to learn the game before diving in.
My expectation is that as soon as players get control of their own settlements, Riverbank will support/train maximum number of roles to T1 (but be very limited for high-level support). Until then, the fighter/cleric limitation is very unfortunate, but i'm seeing the Academy as something that will last far beyond the tower wars.
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Goblin Squad Member
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A great idea - but I share the concerns from Cal and Midnight.
I could cite some advantages of EL vs Riverbank
1) more central
2) between 3 different blocks (Golgotha, EBA and the Aeonian Empire as a representative for smaller settlements)
3) certainly more neutral as Riverbank
But I'm not even sure if the Emerald Lodge would be 'neutral enough' for such an endevour. So Marchmont / TK or multiple settlements are likely the best way forward and I did offer the support of the Emerald Lodge in the past.
So far I told everyone who wanted to leave the Emerald Lodge that it is more of a win (aka having an Ambassador for us elsewhere) as a loss (losing a player) if someone moves on.
The 90 day limit seems rather as an arbitrary way to force them to move on. What do you do if someone might want to stay. And yes - which percentage will move on to a non-EBA settlement after the 90 days.
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Goblin Squad Member
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I'm also uneasy with an academy being based within one of the alliances. I understand the impulse, but no non-neutral settlement will ever truly be seen as neutral in the matter; even if the intentions are pure, the mere presence of so many members of RiverBank's alliance will have an effect on new players.
Merging the Guide Program's starting town-focused presence with RiverBank's leadership might be a better approach.
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Goblin Squad Member
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First, I really appreciate the discussion (and that hit hasn't turned into a flame war as too many threads have lately).
Random provided some good answers (which I agree with) but thought I would share my thoughts.
1. You are 100% correct that being part of the EBA is a 'problem'. That being said, I'm with Thod that I'm not sure even EL is neutral enough for everyone to agree. I watched some of the threads about neutrality and decided there was essentially no such thing right now in PFO (with all respect to EL, I'm not sure anyone is trusted right now as neutral). What I am trying to do is rather than making a claim of being neutral, I am trying to be upfront about connections and invite others to join. We are hoping to have representatives from across the map teach (and plug their company/settlement). We are recruiting for three leadership positions (Dean of Students, Dean of Guides and Dean of Curriculum). Randomwalker is going to be our Dean of Curriculum but I would love to see the other two positions filled by people who came from the other large alliances.
2. The location of RiverBank is good and bad. Right now I agree that Marchmont would be better BUT as soon as Fort Inevitable is in, RiverBank is 3 hexes away. (and all new players will be starting in Fort Inevitable or Thornkeep) Randomwalker is correct that we have skeletons, bandits and ogres all within 1 hex, so escalations are plentiful in the southwest.
3. I would probably set up some things in Marchmont but there are three issues with that: A. Marchmont is a temporary solution for new player start. B. There is too much ganking going on just outside of Marchmont and C. It would be very hard to enforce the common rules as Random stated.
4. My hope by setting the arbitrary 90 day rule is to keep RiverBank from moving away from the mission of helping new players and encourage people to go elsewhere. At the end of 90 days someone could choose to be a guide and stay in RiverBank but that would be committing themselves to teaching others and I expect the guides to be a small group. I am actually hoping that players will find their new company (final home) right about the time they make Tier 2 (30-45 days) but I don't want to force that. The other thing the 90 days does is gives people a chance to be student leaders. (think about cadets- after 30 days they can become a student leader of the Academy but can only be in the role for 60 days or when their 90 days runs out, whichever comes first). Thod, someone is welcome to stay in RiverBank (anyone is welcome to hang out there) but by tracking when people join the Academy we can easily remove them from the company when they reach 90 days (i.e. warn them 1 month, 2 weeks and 1 week out, followed by a kick at 90 days).
5. At this point, I cannot guarantee how many go to EBA settlements at the 90 day mark or others. What I can guess is that they will be more interested in joining companies that help the Academy, (i.e. teach classes, do exercises, etc) than those who don't. We need settlements that cater to different groups to be part of this initiatives. For example we need groups with a bit more of an evil alignment, those who are racially based, more role playing, etc, etc, etc...
I understand and appreciate your concerns and as they say, the proof is in the pudding. At this point settlements have to make their choice about if they want to support the effort or not (with the reservations expressed above) and I understand people choosing either way.
I would encourage anyone who wants to start another academy (be it at EL, TK, Marchmont, roving, whatever) to. My back of the napkin math based on comments here is that there is 1,000-2,000 players who are currently not in a company. Even if the River Academy is hugely successful, we are not going to be able to help all of them. Each company should have their own way of helping new players, and ALL are welcome to join the River Academy classes, even if you are not a member of the Academy. We hope to post our first class list in a week so lets see how it goes.
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At this point in the game, any formal training/academy company/settlement should not worry too much about neutrality. The whole company-settlement connects are going to change over the next year.
What is important is to help new players through the maze of information that is needed to get a hold on this game. Should EL, Riverbank or whoever be the base of said academy is not an issue.
The New Player Guide has a wealth of information. But new players don't want to read it. How do you help players expect things to be like other MMOs but don't take time to understand the game.
Once Tutorial quests are in place that cover the topics of the New Player Guide, then players will have an in game foundation to get started.
Then other groups can better come in to help new players plan and play their first month or two. Even EveUni required all new players to go though the basics on their own before joining. But the basics were available to be learned.
Right now, new players don't last long enough to know who to ask for help. Or even develop questions beyond basic how does this game work.
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Goblin Squad Member
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Thank you guys, for answering my questions. That makes it abundantly clear that, unfortunately, PFO is not a game for me then. Forced non-solo play is just not for me, and neither is PVP you can't opt out. Forced PVP is something I, personally, would never want to see in a game I play.
I saw that coming, but I wanted to see if it might be different, as it is Pathfinder, but, OK, so it goes.
Every settlement is capable of providing new player orientation.
They have simply been (largely) reserving that effort towards their new members.
The settlement where I reside has open forum pages where strangers can ask questions, and a TS3 commons channel that is either public or the worst kept secret in Golaria.
It might be that settlements should just be more helpful to the unaligned and make them aware of the resources at their disposal.
Perhaps easier said than done, but if anything, the O.P.'s announcement may be offering settlements the incentive they need to to start no-pressure orientation for even the unaligned, or be left out of the orientation process and it's resulting recruiting possibilities.
On a slight tangent, one thing I've noticed is that no player that I have defeated or sent running has ever messaged me to ask what they could have done better. In "that other game", it was fairly expected to get that question from someone you defeated and it was often answered in a helpful and respectful manner by the victor. Perhaps I need to take the initiative and start that conversation after battles but I haven't in the past because it might sound condescending for the victor to start it. (And when I've lost I've been fairly clear on where I screwed up).
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Goblin Squad Member
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@Ziaster, I'm glad at least you were able to make a good decision. PFO has a lot of the lore and feel of Pathfinder but it is an MMO. (emphasis o the multi-player). The best analogy would be playing Pathfinder alone vs with a group. It is the group that makes it fun. I don't know about you but my tabletop group has just as much fun chatting and messing around as actually playing Pathfinder. (same in PFO)
@Midnight - If everyone helps new players and puts River Academy out of business, all the better. Ryan has made it very clear that GW's focus is on features so the community's focus has to be on helping each other learn the game. My belief is that it would be easier for one group (River Academy or another) to do the coordination group with help from other settlements but if each company or settlement ups their training of new players, all the better.
@Lemkii - Right on! (exactly what I have been thinking)
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Goblin Squad Member
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Thank you guys, for answering my questions. That makes it abundantly clear that, unfortunately, PFO is not a game for me then. Forced non-solo play is just not for me, and neither is PVP you can't opt out. Forced PVP is something I, personally, would never want to see in a game I play.
I saw that coming, but I wanted to see if it might be different, as it is Pathfinder, but, OK, so it goes.
You can do a lot solo in PFO. I gather, hunt, clear escalations often by myself. It is faster and can be fun to do that in a group.
Where you need the group is for refining and crafting. You do not have the time to learn all of the refining and crafting skills yourself - you need to trade with refiners and/or crafters to get the gear that makes your life easier. Same as in the Table Top game - your character can't learn all of the making skills or all of the magic item making feats - you trade with team mates or buy them.
The other group related activity in PFO is that settlements limit how high your skills can go - you have to be part of a settlement to gain access to higher level trainers. However, there are some companies that have stated that they are or will be mostly for solo players, so that they can benefit from the higher level skills.
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Goblin Squad Member
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I wanted to see if it might be different, as it is Pathfinder, but, OK, so it goes.Can you explain why the Pathfinder brand implies no PVP to you?
(Edited to remove a leading question.)
There was no connection implied. I just meant to say that I was just more likely to give it a shot since it's a Pathfinder game.
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Goblin Squad Member
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There was no connection implied. I just meant to say that I was just more likely to give it a shot since it's a Pathfinder game.I wanted to see if it might be different, as it is Pathfinder, but, OK, so it goes.Can you explain why the Pathfinder brand implies no PVP to you?
(Edited to remove a leading question.)
Ok, thanks. That makes sense.
Non-consensual PVP is definitely part of the Goblinworks plan for PFO. They're working hard to prevent an Ultima Online level of indiscriminate slaughter, but outside the starter towns, the possibility of being attacked by another player will always exist.
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Goblin Squad Member
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Much like "The other game," in PFO PvP can happen anywhere. However the chance of PvP is not the same in every hex. In some hexes at certain times, PvP will cost the aggressor. Right now that cost prevents rampant murder-hoboing, but does not deter going after the occasional "opportunity targets" (aka mobile resource nodes)
On the flip side, there are tools in place to mitigate your risk of unexpected death as long as you take certain precautions.
At the very least you will need to join a company to join a settlement in order to train after about a month or so. However, you can create your own "solo" company and already there are a few settlements that are welcoming said companies with no requirements.
Like any MMO, grouping will allow you access to certain content. It depends on your own goals towards advancement. But you do not need to group in order to acquire more advanced gear. You will need to trade and haggle for it, but everyone will be doing that. All gear is player made and not loot drops. Any individual can provide use to the established companies.
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Goblin Squad Member
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There will be far to much bias to join what ever settlement/power block this is housed in. If you want it to be all inclusive it needs to be set up by someone who isn't a member of any large organization, held in an NPC town, and staved by people who aren't members of a city.
In short to make this the unbiased training tool you claim you want it to be is impossible with the current player base. Most people who understand the game mechanics is politically aligned some where.
I think it is a great idea once the player base is grown. Right now it would just be a recruitment tool for the EBA, and I'm sure you can understand I don't want to help make the largest group in the game even larger.
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Goblin Squad Member
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A dedicated Academy settlement either centrally located or immediately adjacent to TK or (eventually) FI would be pretty ideal. You can have staff operating out of the NPC city and have access to a settlement to avoid inhibiting their advancement too much and allow them to train people on the settlement and PoI aspects of the game that are just a short jaunt away. There is a pretty ideal future settlement hex east of TK and Riverbank is in a pretty good position for FI. Dual Academies might not be a bad idea long run.
While I agree the EBA status is not ideal, couldn't something be done to make this idea work aside from allowing our biases to inhibit a good idea? What if all the power blocs essentially gave them honorary member status as a kind of protection/cooperation effort or something?
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Goblin Squad Member
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Although I am sad to hear that politics may prevent some from participating, we still plan on launching the River Academy with classes to start next week. All will be welcome to attend.
I agree with many of the comments in this thread (would be better as an npc type city, not as part of an alliance, etc) and that is why my first post plainly stated the existing alliances and connections. At this point anyone who can put together a group to help teach new players (understanding we are all new..) would have a political connection and to hide it would be wrong. I decided instead of trying to pretend to be completely neutral to set some boundaries (90 days, invite everyone to teach, etc) but understand completely if people do not agree.
If someone wants to start another Academy, please feel free and as Duffy says, it would be great to have a TK and FI Academy. I would gladly volunteer to be an adjunct instructor in another Academy. At the same time, keep your eyes open for the official launch of the River Academy shortly.
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Goblin Squad Member
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I do have to agree with many that holding the Academy at an Everbloom Alliance settlement does taints that training to the Everbloom powerblock.
If you want neutrality as most said, it'd need to be in a neutral settlement. So Marchmont, Rathglen, Ossians Crossing, and Kindleburn are the only acceptable ones right now.
Futhermore the items you listed about River bank location are also true at Rathglen.
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The truth is while the members of the school can join the River Academy company, there is little reason i see that the classes have to actually be held down in RiverBank. A central location would make it easier for people to get there and teach, especially from the North. As Guurzak mentioned, Rathglen is a rather ideal spot. It means new players need not travel as far to reach the Academy once Marchmont becomes the auto start point, its a neutral town that allows all the services of trainers, has access to an AH that will allow players to bring starting gear for new players to buy, and its still rather centrally located of all the NPC towns. With training being tied to the company/settlement you belong to not the settlement you do the training at, it does allow that members can join the academy company and still train there.
Granted, i understand this method does just turn RiverBank into a beacon to access training that does not need people to actually be there. But once more settlement options open up, i can see a reason to move the Academy back to RiverBank so classes and schooling can be dedicated to dealing with mechanics involved around how settlements work, but a lot of those mechanics are not yet implemented. Also a plus to having classes held at riverbank is there are towers there that RiverBank owns that can be used for training and classes involved with PvP in both attacking and defending tower sense, where up at Rathglen the school would need to use someone else's tower (unless a company/settlement was willing to offer a tower up for the school's use)
Regardless, i intend to help out with the school how i can, but i know a lot of new players are staying near their starting settlements, and RiverBank's distance far from starting towns does not mean players will actually be willing to make that trek to even attend the academy.
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Goblin Squad Member
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The Towers near Rathglen are under either under Cabambella or Stoneroot Glade's control.
And StoneRoot Glade has a big PVP window that could be used for PVP training.
There are also two fully working crafting Settlements near Rathglen that could provide gear for the Academy, Talonguard and Alderwag.
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Goblin Squad Member
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If Riverbank withdrew from the Everbloom Alliance and proclaimed itself a neutral settlement going forward, would that change some of the perception of bias?
Kabal, great question. I'm trying to figure out how to make things neutral as I want to see the Academy work. I'm trying to figure out how to do Guurzak's walking academy, or things in Marchmont, or others...
The goal of the Academy is to help new players and the game. Being part of an alliance helps to provide support but if there is enough support from all of the groups (evenly) to support a Neutral Academy, then it is something I would like to look at.
So the question is, under what circumstances would the Academy be accepted as neutral and gain full server wide support (or as full as possible)?
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To get my Full Support,
it would require that a NPC settlement is where the Academy is, as this guarantees that the settlement and academy is neutral and has the least amount of ties to a specific Powerblock, Settlement, and or Company.
Further more all NPC settlements are at the borders of most of the power blocks currently in the game.
Here is some data to look at each one, so it's clear which one should be chosen, as it is neutral, a good distance from Marchmont (as it'll be the only new player spawn pint soon), and have the item support for it.
Number of powerblocks adjacent/near to NPC settlements
Rathglen: 3 (NC, HRC, FH)
Ossian's: 3 (NC, EBA, HRC)
ThornKeep: 2 (NC, FH)
Kindleburn: 2 (NC, EBA)
Marchmont: 1 (NC)
Distance To/From Marchmount (Hexes):
Rathglen: 5
ThornKeep: 10
Ossian's: 10+
Kindleburn: 10+
Number of (Active) Crafting Settlements within 5-6 hexes to supply goods for new players (based on this map)
Rathglen: 3 (Talonguard, Alderwag, Callambra)(would of been 4 if Guardhiem was active)
Ossian's: 3 (Talonguard, New Daggermark, Canis Castrum)
Marchmont: 2 (Callambra, New Daggermark)
ThornKeep: 2 (Brenstien, Black Feather)
Kindleburn: 1 (Brenstien)
Looking at this data; Both Rathglen and Ossian's Crossing have the most Neutrality and Item Support for new players.
But Ossian's Crossing is farthest from Marchmont.
Now Ossian's Crossing/Fort Inevitable will make more sense once Fort Inevitable is in and a new player spawn point.
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After a bit of thought (and some long term planning) we have decided to move the classes and Academy to Thornkeep (with intent of doing a 'mirror' Academy in Fort Inevitable when it opens).
Additionally, we will be utilizing the Golarion Mumble for communication. We have partnered with Caldeathe (thanks!) and the Academy is paying to increase the Mumble capacity in hopes of keeping everything neutral.
Golarion Mumble Server
Address: golarion.mumble.com
Port: 3093
Password: PFOnline
More to come. Our first class will start next Wednesday with a guest speaker (all to be announced soon).
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Goblin Squad Member
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I've not put voice to it before, as I didn't want to further draw out the issue of EBA involvement, but with this development I did want to say that I fully support these efforts. I look forward to seeing how the Guide Program can integrate with these efforts to improve the overall experience of new players. I think what we're going to really need for success is the support of all Companies and Settlements to point folks toward the training, and I hope this shift will encourage such.
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Goblin Squad Member
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Just to keep everyone up to date, this idea is moving forward as the Pathfinder University. We had a great first New Player help day today and will have another one next Sunday 2/22 from 1-9est (8 hours after the server comes back up.
We chose to change the name to Pathfinder University to prevent confusion for new players with the Wizard Academy. Pathfinder University will hold classes in Thornkeep but will still keep RiverBank as a training ground (for those who want to learn settlement/company mechanics, POIs, etc). RiverBank is leaving the EBA to become a neutral settlement for training.
Formal announcements and more to come in the next day.
I've been thinking about it, and 90 days seems like a long stay (though 5 years from now it might not).
Basically, by the time they leave they'd be twice as worldly as anyone today who started at the beginning of EE, just through gameplay even if they didn't take a single class.
This isn't a strong objection, I'm merely wondering just how savvy new folks need to be before taking off the training wheels. Getting them to the point where their first week or two are spent smarter than my first 2 weeks would be cool, but just how much is there to teach people, as compared to just learning as you go?
Keywords explanation, gating, Explaining gathering/refining/crafting. Whether to be focused or general and the upside/downsides of each.
There are certainly topics to teach, I just wonder if there are 90 days worth in a game that changes every 2 weeks.
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Goblin Squad Member
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I hear you on 90 days feeling like a long stay. I am hoping that people find their final company well before the 90 days, it is a max stay not minimum.
What I am trying to avoid is new players being pressured into picking a company before they know their play style and what the company/settlement brings. For example I was recently a new player who wants to PVP who is part of a company/settlement that is anti-pvp. It sounds easy enough to 'switch' companies/settlements but there are loyalties and politics in play.
The 90 days is also there so that they can rise to leadership of their new player peers, which may encourage people to create their own companies. Those companies will of course need a settlement to join but we shouldn't discourage people from making their own companies with their own focus.
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Goblin Squad Member
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Well, classes will be held near daily, but we assume not everyone will make it to every class. More then anything though i believe the 90 day will give players a chance to meet friends who they may decide to join a settlement with or to forge their own company together and then find a settlement to take them in. Looking forward not everyone will be a DT user, and i see a lot of players dabbling in both combat, gathering, and crafting, this 90 days give them a chance to if they want try multiple paths among other people who are likely doing the same and forge their own destinies and choices. The goal is to get students close to T2, and 90 days gives new players enough time to get to T2 in their specialty while still having wiggle room to decide what they want to do and pick up a few other skills.
Longer stay will also allow for larger classes, so more large scale practice in PvP becomes and option. If players can only join for like 2 weeks, turnover will be great, players who can not make every class loose out.
Also 90 days give plenty of time for all settlements to come to both teach classes, but also get to planned "recruiting fairs". I on;t see every player joining the first settlement that comes by an giving every settlement a chance to come, pitch their ideals, and try to draw in players is important.
Lastly, 90 days is the max limit. I see quite a few players eventually choosing to bow out earlier if they find someplace to join or they feel they have nothing else to learn.