[Suggestion] Catering to Noobs

Discussion in 'PlanetSide 2 Gameplay Discussion' started by Scroffel5, Sep 17, 2021.

  1. Scroffel5

    For the most part, stop catering to noobs. I keep seeing threads and posts about how a new player would probably experience the game. We need to face facts: players who are just getting into gaming these days are dumb and make dumb decisions. Its true that we all die at one point, but the difference is that we grew up and invented gaming culture. Therefore, it makes no sense to water down a game just because of the new players.

    Instead of trying to cater to noobs or make suggestions catering to new players in efforts to keep them while simultaneously losing your veteran players, why don't you make a conscientious effort to help out any new players you see by being their guide? Most of us here had those few players in games who showed us the ropes and we were grateful for it and remember them for it, even if we aren't still in contact with them. Be that person for them. Don't make the game easier for them; teach them to be better.

    I'm absolutely tired of seeing games everywhere get watered down because their consumers are stupid. Think about tag systems on websites nowadays. People simply copy and paste every popular tag even if their game or product has nothing to do with it. Why? Because someone will see it, click it, and get it, simply because they saw it, even if the product is trash. Think too about how games are becoming more assisted and less challenging than they have been before, more basic, more copied concepts, less original. We don't want that. We can't have that. So stop creating it.

    Simply put:

    "Weaklings die. Big deal."
    - some weeb
  2. JibbaJabba

    If you want to keep having a game:

    1. Cater to the people that spend money.
    2. Give people that don't spend money something they want to spend money on.
  3. Shadowpikachu

    Wait what was changed that caters to noobs, except maybe TI Alloys being reenabled to ****storm once again.
  4. Demigan

    I'm tired of people pretending that veterans are the only group you should cater to.
    I'm tired of veterans asking for not watering down the game to noobs by watering down the game for veterans. For example Nanoweave used to protect the head but veterans were given a free boost when they removed that protection. Similarly the Engagement radar was supposed to help newbies spot veterans and help them see wha they do, but at the very last moment it was altered to let veterans hunt newbies while remaining undetected.
    I'm tired of people pretending only they are the smart ones and that anyone not like them has to be dumb and dropped from the game.

    And I'm tired with people who dont understand that making a game newbie friendly does not equal watering it down.

    Smart newby systems help newbies stand a chance against veterans while learning the game's mechanics, but have drawbacks that let newbies eventually drop it.
    The noobtube is a great example. A weapon that can quickly dispatch a veteran and teaches you the basic skills to get better with your weapons, but has the drawback of extremely limited ammo and slow ROF meaning you get one chance and thats it. Miss and you are dead, fight more than 1 enemy and you are dead. Eventually newbies know enough of the mechanics to ditch the noobtube and use more reliable weapons instead.

    We need newbies, we should not cater to vets who only ask their own strengths to be boosted. Basic Veteran gameplay goals should be high risk, high reward. Basic newby gameplay goals should be lower risk, lower reward. That way a veteran trying to complete his more skillful gameplay can be foiled by newbies since he takes more risks. Newbies feel better rewarded for being able to do that and learn the game while veterans have the challenges to complete.

    After all, why should you want to get rid of newbies if you could make them a challenge for vets to overcome?

    A free-to-play model relies on non-paying players to provide background for the paying players. It means a lower cost for coding and maintaining the game as the devs dont need to design a competent AI. Players are the best "AI" you can want as they keep learning and providing a challenging obstacle to overcome, even the non-paying ones.
    • Up x 3
  5. BlackFox

    Like Demigan said, F2P games must also keep the non-paying players entertained. The F2P players provide content in form of teammates and enemies for the paying customers in the game.
  6. RabidIBM

    This thread looks like nothing but salt. Some of the changes in the NOE patch may be arguably questionable, but nothing I would call "watering it down".
  7. Scroffel5

    I completely forgot about the NPE. This post has nothing to do with that update. Its about you and your comments about "Oh no, noobs will find this hard." Again, the NPE update wasn't even in my mind when I made this post.
  8. RabidIBM

    Please refer me to the successful business which made no effort to attract or retain new customers.
  9. JibbaJabba


    Of course. Players are the content in a sandbox. If you lose a portion of them it diminishes the game.

    But...
    If you lose a portion of paying customer though you lose the same and then some.

    If we're at a 5-10% ratio of paying to non paying players then if you lose a single paying member it will take 10-20 new members until you statistically get another one.