Post: #1

Hey everyone,

I am not looking for staff per-se, but I am looking for some help. Our server is growing by 15 accounts a day, yet only a few of them stay, and it is hard to figure out why when I can follow the steps to log in easily, and know what to do on my own server to start out..

Would anyone be kind enough to test our signup, download and login process, and see how the first 30mins - 1hour of the game feel as someone completely new? Really need some feedback on this, new players tend to just vanish without giving feedback if they get lost/confused, and I would really like to know why and help them out and improve the first hours of the game.

We have been open 2 weeks and peaking over 90 already (pretty good for a Sphere server that does not allow more than 1 account per person!) - all help is vastly appreciated, we are one of the longest running/largest sphere servers out there (MPZ/Burstfire/TUP are the same thing).

Sorry if this kind of request is not allowed here - if so delete the topic and accept my apologies.

- Charm

Post: #2

Well technically it IS a help request

Post: #3

I haven't played UO as a player in about 8 or so years now so this is as near a new player opinion as you'll get from me.

Sign up, was easy, though the instructions after sign up for installation could be a little clearer, speaking for a generalized standpoint.

I installed the patch and logged into the server, accidentally into the wrong folder (I have 3 versions of UO it's easy to do)and so then had to copy the files into the right one.
After logging in the server told me that I needed the patch in order to play and kicked me. Fair enough, perhaps something got missed when I copied the files in.
Repatched (to the right folder this time) and launched the game. However the login file in the patch contains a completely different address to the one you give on your website, and so obviously I couldn't connect to the server. I'd suggest you fix that. It shold take as few steps as possible to get into the server.

After logging back in I found myself in a locked house containing a moongate, stepping into the moongate gave me the 50% skill start menu with the smallest buttons I have ever seen a little - next to the skill names does not make for a very good button...
Then having been made to start in Trinsic when I made a miner character was needless to say slightly inconvenient, but finding that the moon-gates seem to run on a random destination type setting made getting to where I wanted to be a royal pain in the backside. I understand the concept of a menu-less moon-gate system, I used to run one myself, but running in and out of them and typing .where to reach your desired destination is a little frustrating.

A gump to show all your commands INGAME would be useful seeing that there are so many, it would save having to go back to the webpage to look for them. While I am on that subject your .deathmenu command does nothing, so it either should be removed from the list, or fixed (feel free to steal mine)
Ok so now I am dead... In Minoc and I have no earthly clue where the healer lives.... fortunately you have some friendly and helpful players on your world chat. Unfortunately having now resurrected I notice that my pickaxe and starting gold is gone... not newbified. Which puts me in a really bad situation for picking up where I left off... I can't mine because I don't have a pickaxe, and I can't buy new because I don't have any money.
That's the point at which I got most annoyed. Imagine you picked a warriot class and went out to fight stuff on purpose (yes I did go on purpose to test your death menu but still)
You die, you lose your weapons, armor and any gold you figured would be safe, and now the fastest thing to do is make a new character or leave?

ALWAYS NEWBIFY START ITEMS! They don't have to be good, but a player with nothing at all can do nothing at all.

Post: #4

I did the registration part but got bored before downloading the client

Post: #5

You find registering for ANYTHING to be too much work though

Post: #6

Thanks Mord! Very grateful of the feedback and will work on that.

The moongates run a specific order, but can be confusing someone not used to it. We do have a gate in the Academy (Trinsic start location) which takes academy members to other towns. Maybe we should point that out better Or building an Academy in several towns so you can pick which one to go to.

The rest - well simply put, needs sorting out! lol.

Post: #7

A "new player zone" would not be a bad idea

When I ran a no menu moongate system I had players enter the gate in the direction they wanted to travel and they'd pop out at the next gate over in that direction.

Post: #8

darksun, any reason? or just bored? There isnt a need to download the full 800mb file, thats just a pre-patched game for those without the game.

(our patch does have the old loginserver in it though - needs to be fixed)

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Soon we will have a single 'launcher' which you download, which will patch all the game files to be what you need - so a 1 download, , 1 click and done.

Post: #9

Maybe some other trivial systems for bankrupt newbs to get back in the game... escort an NPC from one side of town to the other (all the time remaining in a safe place so you dont need to fight monsters.) Pick some fruits and veggies and sell to a pie maker... "recycle" some garbage... offer your opinion to a craftsman and get a tool/armor/weapon for free... etc.