Newbie bashing explanation of problem and potential solution.

[IrishDrunk]

Been playing this game for 2 weeks now and i'm really enjoying it, i can see it's still in constant development but what's there has been really well put together. Now i'm a working professional who has changing times to play from week to week if i play a game i stick to it not usually getting invovled in any forum bullshit or crap talk on chat. i just like to play my own game, sometimes join an alliance be the happy medium. I have supported many games over the 15 or so years i have been playing never had any interest in cheat scripts etc .
However i see this game as having one main problem, as i have moved between games, i have come into contact with various different newbie bashing method's and counter's made by the games to stop the actions of various idiots who do nothing else but knock on the very players games need to survive and grow the a typical NEWBIE. Yes they are NEW, no they haven't played for 6 plus months, but they also don't want to be out of the main loops of games where the experts play,that they can learn from, where they will meet the good players who are not egotastic morons, who proballly get bullied in schools and see a way to hit back.

Now i have made contributions and probally would again in the future  realised i missed the round start and another one will start shortly, but 99% of all new players u get into this game are going to miss that . If everytime they want to be out of the nebula they get bashed they are not going to stay in the game and bring in more money more cash prizes and i would think cash prizes are only just being covered after games running not sure, but i would think that is correct?

One solution to this problem in other similarc games has been to making attacks equal to level which i'm sure you all have played. In this game the comparable would be Commander level if you want this game to grow i think the game needs to go down this route to keep adding fresh blood to the game and keeping them there. Game is complex and it takes awhile to get used to it  i and no other player like myself are going to stay in a game where a experienced pro is going to attack us constantly for a week  or more with every oppertunity! This option could be placed with just a penaltly on say no attacks on players eg 10 levels below, but can attack all comparable or above.
This could be staggered whereas a level 30 player would be able to attack a level 20 player. However a level 50 player would have a -20 ranks limit and would be able to attack the level 30. A level 70 be able to attack down to level 40 etc

 
Another potential would be limiting the amount of attacks two players that each players can perform on another eg  2 each per day. I would imagine this has been discussed before so i won't expand.



Hope to see you all in the game now and in the future hopefully with a huge playerbase to go along with us.

Peace The Drunk.   

[Borg!]

Before you say anything I did read this whole thing, and not all egotistical bastards got made fun of in highschool  however some of us who arn't quite able to make it to the top end. Basically those who are unable to stick with the top 25ish are mostly pissed off at their own failure to adapt, so they just troll around in lower rankings boarding everyone and laughing at new players, because they themselves arn't that great. But as for most top players (top 20ish) we are fairly helpful if you ask questions in a tactful manor. I personally try to respond to every message I get in my mailbox with a legitimate honest answer. I've even had highlandknight whom I'm at war with ask me a few questions here and there which I've answered (he might deny it, but it's true ). The current system of being attacked is fine how it is, from a more experienced (no offense) player's standpoint. I just recommend personally to get in with the chat trolling, and forum mockery. tis quite fun really. But if you have any questions just send it to my inbox. you know where I am.

[IrishDrunk]

ah listen the game is the game i'll end up getting there before long but this "farming" of new players is ridiculous how can anyone actually expect to keep people in the game with that going on is beyond me ? surely at least a cap on hitting those below level 30 players would solve alot of issues of this nature doesn't matter a d**n to anyone other than these newbie bashers and the newbies themselves..  Newbie bashers would get pissed off at actually fighting someone able to defend themselves and might even play the game with others of there standard.

[Jan`go Vhett]

I agree with Irishdrunk here that something should be done to prevent new players from being mauled when they start.

Irishdrunk if you need help with anything feel free to pm me.
I'll answer anything as best I can

[clouthour]

yeah but as Borg said, the current attacking system is good 

[PsuhychoDrifterKC]

But if You did somthing to stop new players from getting like attacked, couldnt good players do i until they are ready to get really good like almost max?
But if you do it at like lv5 or somthing that would be ok

[Cpt. Relentless]

I do agree that something needs to be done for attacking the newbies, like possibly a 14day protection period where you can't be attacked or attack any other commander, but that doesn't happn every round, only when you've just started?
This would stop the players quitting, allow them to build up a bit, learn the game slightly from others and also makethese 'newbie bashers' have to get better at the game?
Cpt. R

[baltic]

the suggested solutions won't work. a commander level limit would only stop the absolute top players from hitting mid to low rank players which the power difference already does. the people who deliberately harass new players are most likely alts and will stay in the low commander levels and ranks anyway being able to hit whoever they wish.

the other suggestion of a 14 day protection time could potentially be abused by experienced players making alts and using those 14 days to build up space stations and stuff or similar before bashing noobs or using kamis on a rival.

a limit for the amount of attacks per day may have some potential...the limit for raiding a secret base is already at 5 per day but limiting normal attacks is more difficult considering wars, long battles between players or counters.

[Cpt. Relentless]

the 14 day thing could be monitored by ip? when a brand new ip is used or something, then they get the potection period, or don;t mke it 14day, make it 5 days, which on't allow them to build up as quick for as long

[PsuhychoDrifterKC]

Maybe A 2 day protection or one day.
But if SO just reset it wouldnt count.
only the 2 day protection would count about a week in.

[Saturn 7]

  I have suggested before an automatic neb cover for new starters which will expire as sson as that player makes an attack themselves. This was before the changes Emi made that stopped you doing encounters/aliens whilst under neb cover.
  There is protection in place already, players can't power down to low level players really until quite some way into the round, and then it's expensive for them to do so. Then the co-ops counter can be potentially rewarding for hiting a 'big' player back.
  I've been through the same process these 'newbie' players have, being attacked by bigger/experienced players when I started. Part of learning this game is in how to defend yourself.
  The only real issue is later on in the round when very high powered commanders can wipe any players structures off the map, even though you get a counter from it, the reward for using it nearly always isn't anywhere near compensation for all the work put in to the building of them.
  As Borg and Jan'go have said, most experienced players will answer and give advice..... it's in their interest keeping new players from leaving. One important thing new players must not do.... start mouthing off and calling names etc when they get hit... that usually gives the experienced players new incentive to keep attacking.
  PvP is limited as you may discover many Vets will say, so to limit it more will just push them away from the game.... which needs both vets and new players to keep the game going.

[Cpt. Relentless]

ahhh i see, didn't think about it in that much detail.
and yes, i agree that it's part of learning the game but they get attacked too much, even when most don't mouth off, to be able to learn to defend themselves properly because they get drained of all of their creds