Newb Guide to not Annoying everyone

[voodoogroves]

Yes I expect my minions to perform their tasks

Minions wanted, must know quest. Need leader. Have dental. Must love dogs, we only kill puppies the hard way because our barbarians all left us.

[Mrphish]

I'd suggest adding a "please and thank you when requesting something" guideline, but i have a feeling that would be asking too much of ddo's player base as a whole. (meaning, new players, hard core players and elitists alike)

I can't count how many times I've been asked for ship buff's without the decency of saying please first. it's my biggest pet peeve about this game, just because your behind a keyboard doesn't mean we need to throw manners and common decency out the window.

[hp1055cm]

A different perspective:
On my first life I suffered a lot of abuse but I put up with it because I at least realized that I did pretty much suck at the game. I didn't see the game as I see it now, as an experienced player, I was absorbed in the little details like how to get from a to b on the map.
I can't remember anybody ever telling me that a higher CON stat would help me survive - I just got jokes about how low my HP was. No one ever explained to me how AGGRO works - they just called me stupid or some other expletive. Fortification? why do I need that, am I right? I didn't know any of the quests and ran much of it on Normal if I could but most LFM groups ran ELITE or badgered me into running ELITE and I was usually in over my head. I needed a lot of help, and often was not a big help to the group I was in.

I didn't even know what "buffs" were until I had been playing for a month; didn't understand BB until after I TRed the first time; never understood how people expected me to BYOH as a Fighter or solo one side of a dungeon I had never run before.
For me it took until my third TR life before everything came together and I became self sufficient at most content; and though I am still learning things in the game I have a solid grasp of the basics and my role in a group. I still run into people who find a reason to be critical of something, but that hasn't ever bothered me; the difference now is that I give back as well as I take it.

I don't think you can expect people to hit the ground running in this game, its just too complicated for beginners. So you just decide either to accommodate them (as I do), or exclude them from your group. If they like the game they will stick around long enough to figure it out.

[Aolas]

Being the bad guys we have a much better dental and health plan than the good guys. At least if your not named "nameless henchman"

Bowserkoopa,

Yes I expect my minions to perform their tasks

I understand you are only being evil but appending *all* of your posts without using Postscript (PS) is a trifle annoying.

As a newbie I have never raided or grouped and the thread has been educational.

Aolas

PS. <- SEE LIKE THIS YOU CRETIN! Being evil also means you can wear black (which is a lot easier to keep clean than white) allows you to say "excellent" all the time and provides you with a squad of goons to basically mess about with.

[Aolas]

I'd suggest adding a "please and thank you when requesting something" guideline, but i have a feeling that would be asking too much of ddo's player base as a whole. (meaning, new players, hard core players and elitists alike)

I can't count how many times I've been asked for ship buff's without the decency of saying please first. it's my biggest pet peeve about this game, just because your behind a keyboard doesn't mean we need to throw manners and common decency out the window.

I'm with you, please is such an easy word to use it's hard to understand why it has been largely forgotten. I would hazard a guess you are from the UK like myself and are just as dismayed by the amount of social decay there has been in the last 30 years as I am. Problem is if youngsters have no manners we can only blame ourselves for being poor parents (I am childless unfortunately but you know what I mean)

[Khelelothe]

I mostly run with PUGs, and the OP is right about a great many things!

When I'm in a PUG, while we're waiting for everyone to shrine, or for everyone to gather at the quest-entrance, I take a look at my party. Am I in a group with only Legend of Hero-characters? Great! Then I assume I am in a group with people who know the game (har har, I'm so naive sometimes). Do I see Adventurer-characters, or some few with Champion (because they stormed through as Adventure enough to unlock Drow or just were VIPs to get Champion-build)? Then I start considering things like their HP, what sort of item-sets they might have on (it will show on their Status-line)... If I see people with 160 HP at level 18, I will tell them that they should invest in a higher Constitution, a +6Con item, and at least something with False Life. Maybe not right away, but it is something to bring with them for the next life or the next character.... after all, hey, I was there myself on my very first character! I too needed someone to tell me how important Con, Fortification and HP in general was.

But, as I have often played a healer of various sorts, I do get very very concerned when I enter groups with low HP toons. Why? Because I see that THAT is going to be the drain on my spell points. They will die, often, and it will either drain my scroll-resources, or my spell points. A Fighter with 700+ Hit points, I know I can wait until he is under half-way or more and then hit him with 1 single Heal and know that will be that worry fixed for a while.

Anyhoo, linking to this in my Character Bio in the game. It's a good read!

[Mrphish]

I'm with you, please is such an easy word to use it's hard to understand why it has been largely forgotten. I would hazard a guess you are from the UK like myself and are just as dismayed by the amount of social decay there has been in the last 30 years as I am. Problem is if youngsters have no manners we can only blame ourselves for being poor parents (I am childless unfortunately but you know what I mean)

Nope, I'm american and under 30 (only by a few years though ;x).

[Aolas]

Nope, I'm american and under 30 (only by a few years though ;x).

Just a tad older here, 42 at the end of September but hearing this gives me hope knowing that future generations still care about decency. Incidentally I hooked up with another player for the first time on DDO for a good five hours and had a great time so I guess the problem is with larger groups.

Thought Guilds were meant to alleviate the need to PUG so maybe your guild has some explaining to do if you are having to LFM?

[mitchamm]

i see many valid points here.i can see why players get annoyed.i can see why new players become ex players very quickly.i have played DDO for 5 years now.played pen and paper before it so had a little bit of a head start.i have always had time for new players and try to help them.i remember starting out it was hard to pay for a few cure curse resto pots etc.i had **** gear **** weapons.it was tough running around dungeons following a trail of broken boxes my map was blacked out and it was hard to tell how to get to the blue dots that were my fellow adventurers, all for 1 and 1 for me me me.i think i ran waterworks 4-5 times before i even saw which lever opened what door/gate.although its supposed to be role play lets be fair its a video game played by people.you meet all kinds in real life its going to be the same online.my solution is to make chars i can solo with.i suffer groups if i have to.sometimes i am in groups i enjoy.most times it tries my patience.so you all have good points.i just wonder if we are a community why some want to divide it into separate units 1 for elitist. 1 for noobs and so on.dont like pugs? not a good enough player to solo? maybe you are the noob?personally i have more time for a new player learning than an elitist geek who thinks they are something special in a video game whilst trying to compensate for being nothing in real life.want the game to survive? i do.lets spread a little love to newbies.after all the children are our future, not the bitter and twisted old farts.funny i looked at the forums because of a log in issue.now im going to be flamed for being a troll,sigh.well never mind i rarely look at the forums so wont be lookiing for any angry responses.like the man said... if it aint fun go do something else instead.peace folks.

[Megamart]

I had a very pleasant experience clawing my way up to 25 the first time round. Picked up on these little tricks early on...

Took the criticism of my 26 DEX, bow-wielding Wizard/Rogue constructively...
Got the inside scoop on the gear and the quests the pro's are into.

Didn't type in caps.
Didn't melee the dragon (shot arrows at it instead).
Didn't scream for a Res after jumping headlong into Lava/Trap riddled hallway/Boss fight without party.
I DID press release once... the very first time, and was promptly booted from the group. It was the only time.

Today I'm a badass, Truly Reincarnated Pale Master, a mere 7 levels away from equipping my Robe of shadow.
Making ConOpp Goggles like a boss.

Just being generally hip to the groove.

Sometimes things just won't work out... you may do everything right, and someone will still call you a noob because you didn't cast "Protection from Damage" as they charged into "Too much Damage". This cannot be helped, for you will have unknowingly fallen prey to the "noob in denial". Don't let them confuse you, they will talk as if they know what's Hip, they may even believe it themselves... but the players you want to hang with are the ones who do not blame others for their mistakes.

Anyways, any new players should take OP's advice if you wish to progress through the ranks with any ease. I really enjoyed reading that.

[Bowser_Koopa]

I understand you are only being evil but appending *all* of your posts without using Postscript (PS) is a trifle annoying.

As a newbie I have never raided or grouped and the thread has been educational.

Aolas

PS. <- SEE LIKE THIS YOU CRETIN! Being evil also means you can wear black (which is a lot easier to keep clean than white) allows you to say "excellent" all the time and provides you with a squad of goons to basically mess about with.

This has to be the first time ever someone didn't like my snarky remarks after I make a post that is generally full of good information provided in a sarcastic matter. And to that I say...oh well I'm going to keep doing what I do because I'm the King of the Koopa's and I change my way for no one, not even the princess I kidnapped.

Also in other news I still need more minions for building pit falls and setting up more bullet bills.


Bowserkoopa,

Yes I'm still doing this and you can't stop me