chill04 (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} chill04) wrote,@ 2006-02-07 13:22:00 |
|
Queen's Colony
Upon logging in to the new orientation island, I was kind of hoping to see a new island and landscape before me. No, the same old island awaits, but the new content that has replaced it excites me more than it disappoints.
First of all, being able to leave the island at any point in time is great for veteran players looking to create an alternate character. No longer must they gruel through the menial labors involved in acclimating newbies to the game. On the flipside though, it's possible that a new player will just skip ahead to Qeynos or Freeport and miss out on all the helpful information on the island. But that would be their fault for not exploring, so I could pity them little for their loss.
The NPCs around the starting area that now teach about basic Combat, Heroic Opportunities and the costs of Death and Dying in game were extremely helpful to me. I don't recall coming across this information in-game when I was here for the first time two weeks ago -- I do remember asking a question in the newbie 1-9 chat and getting an "RTFM" response. I'm well aware the game came with a manual. But I bought a game, not a manual, and I feel having to consult these resources out of game, be they manual, or website, or whatever, really makes the game environment and interface seem much more complicated when you can't find out these basic and fundamental points of the game actually IN the game.
Those little question mark [?] tip buttons (that were borrowed from WoW) that popup giving out little bits of information the first time you kill a mob or find a treasure chest or learn a new skill are a real treat for new players. Having previously experienced World of Warcraft, I was actually hoping that these little tips would pop up and help me out of my dark confusion when I first came to the orientation island in EQ2 a few weeks ago. Unoriginality aside, I'm grateful they added them -- I'm learning things from them that I hadn't previously learned from a few weeks of playing.
Overall, I think the new orientation island has really improved. The emphasis now is on getting comfortable with the interface and understanding the basics of gameplay. Hopefully new players will find the game more welcoming as well.
Upon logging in to the new orientation island, I was kind of hoping to see a new island and landscape before me. No, the same old island awaits, but the new content that has replaced it excites me more than it disappoints.
First of all, being able to leave the island at any point in time is great for veteran players looking to create an alternate character. No longer must they gruel through the menial labors involved in acclimating newbies to the game. On the flipside though, it's possible that a new player will just skip ahead to Qeynos or Freeport and miss out on all the helpful information on the island. But that would be their fault for not exploring, so I could pity them little for their loss.
The NPCs around the starting area that now teach about basic Combat, Heroic Opportunities and the costs of Death and Dying in game were extremely helpful to me. I don't recall coming across this information in-game when I was here for the first time two weeks ago -- I do remember asking a question in the newbie 1-9 chat and getting an "RTFM" response. I'm well aware the game came with a manual. But I bought a game, not a manual, and I feel having to consult these resources out of game, be they manual, or website, or whatever, really makes the game environment and interface seem much more complicated when you can't find out these basic and fundamental points of the game actually IN the game.
Those little question mark [?] tip buttons (that were borrowed from WoW) that popup giving out little bits of information the first time you kill a mob or find a treasure chest or learn a new skill are a real treat for new players. Having previously experienced World of Warcraft, I was actually hoping that these little tips would pop up and help me out of my dark confusion when I first came to the orientation island in EQ2 a few weeks ago. Unoriginality aside, I'm grateful they added them -- I'm learning things from them that I hadn't previously learned from a few weeks of playing.
Overall, I think the new orientation island has really improved. The emphasis now is on getting comfortable with the interface and understanding the basics of gameplay. Hopefully new players will find the game more welcoming as well.
