Sunny/Snowy Korthos

[Dulcimerist]

After unlocking Sunny Korthos, would it be possible to have an option to return to Snowy Korthos later on to help new players? I'd love to be able to meet up with brand new players to give them some useful beginner items; such as ammo, a quiver, potions, wands, etc.

[Arch-Necromancer]

If there is a reason to keep other players from entering snowy Korthos, then it should stay that way (it wouldn't be nice to have guild recruiters bothering new players when they pop out of the Grotto).

It would be nice for new/returning players to be able to go to Harbor, enter the guild and get buffs and then return to the snowy side if they want to, but then they would also be able to spam other new players with guild invites...

Maybe if it would be possible to disable guild invite option in the area, then the snowy area could be opened to all players.

[Dulcimerist]

(it wouldn't be nice to have guild recruiters bothering new players when they pop out of the Grotto).

Good point. Is that probably the main reason for the snowy/sunny separation? I do remember how aggressive guild recruiting was, back when I started in 2010.

The downside to the snowy/sunny separation has been the confusion with grouping. When I started playing, I tried to use the grouping feature for the first time. I was on snowy, and the group was on sunny. The grouping wouldn't work, and I thought either it was bugged or I was doing something wrong. It was really frustrating my first day in the game. Thankfully someone explained snowy/sunny to me before I gave up and quit.

[DrawingGuy]

My understanding is it is instance separation required for the story. Korthos is unique in the fact that there is a story arc to the entire zone that once you complete it, you change the town for the better. It is an immersive area that I wish they did more of. That separation, though, does create confusion for new players - if they added an NPC that let you go back to snowy (maybe with the logic of "recalling the history of the town"), it would allow the more experienced players to hop to snowy to play with the new players rather than having to tell them to break the town's story plot and lose that effect so they can party. It would also let you replay the entire plot if you so desired.

The concern of aggressive guild recruiting I don't think is an issue today - if anything, the opposite with players struggling to find a guild. But if guild spam is an issue, I suspect it would be specific offenders that could be addressed by GMs rather than a vast concern.

[LeadHero5]

Snowy Korthos is the only place a new player can experience a 'pure' environment. Wanting to group with new players is a laudable idea, grouping with a multi life character with all the good gear, not so much. The same result can be accomplished with a new ftp account and creating a few characters.

[DrawingGuy]

The division doesn't stop a new player from getting shoved out of that "pure" instance and losing out on the story event of their first run just to be able to party with others as often the players are the older one on the sunny. And there's nothing stopping a player with 100+ lives just rolling naked through snowy anyways. I've done that myself on occasion as I usually just roll naked at the first levels. I consider an added layer of confusion on the new players with the LFM system and breaking that first time story for them a bigger concern than them possibly being partied with someone being overly equipped in snowy. People that zerg and leave new players behind and confused with no chance to talk to NPCs are a separate concern that spans the entire game. I've restarted quests to allow a late-coming new player to flower sniff, and make a point if they tell me they're new, to have them do the NPC talking. DDO has some quests with good stories, and can be what helps hook new players rather than them just watching you play. Reaper has put some new barriers, but I won't digress this topic with that.

[TitusOvid]

It is not a bad idea for a starter area. This game can be overwhelming in the beginning. It is good that some of the distractions are withheld. There is a reason there is no mailing box in Korthos. Let newbies enjoy Korthos on their own pace and when they found some footing and venture into harbor there is a lot of what you can do to help out:
- be welcoming
- not zerging
- explaining the mechanics
- help out with plat or equipment
- guild buffs
- be encouraging
- craft some
- help out with advice in general.

Those things go a long way.

I started to do a sightseeing tour of the game a few years back - in german - and explain a lot in wandering around the public areas. But my equipment is to bad for doing a good video. Maybe someone else finds this idea appealing. If so, go for it!