How do today's MMOs treat new players?

By: Thurston “Ratboy” Hillman

Before even playing…

The size, pace, chat, teamplay, and massive character creations choices indicate one thing; “Toto, we aren’t in Final Fantasy land anymore!” That was my reaction to first playing World of Warcraft; my first ever MMORPG. Besides the shiny packaging of my Collector’s Edition Box, I wanted to see what WoW had to offer; and since I had never before played an MMORPG this would be a completely new experience to me…

Before I even go into gameplay aspects of World of Warcraft, I want to take a second to discuss my first real “issue” upon purchasing the game. Something that caught me “off guard” after purchasing the game was the requirement of a credit card to input. Originally Blizzard had announced that Paypal / Credit Cards / Gamecards would all be valid ways of paying for World of Warcraft, but it seems at launch that Paypal was not available (and according to Blizzard at this moment is still in the works), as well as gamecards not being shipped as of yet. This annoyed me slightly on launch, as the gamebox came with a free 30-day trial, but still needed a credit card to be input to the account. Since your paying to play this game after you buy it, it is worth knowing what you will need to start, so be sure you have a gamecard/credit card as well as the packaged game or you will not be able to play.

Once the “issues” in regards to billing and getting my account setup were passed; I was able to install the game and get right into playing (the important part of course) and so the fun began. Installing and patching any online game is a pain, sometimes taking up to an hour to get the job fully done, thankfully WoW patching process is streamlined and easy to use, so it is very accommodating to the new player. If you can keep clicking “next” you will get to play, I promise!

Into the game… kinda…

Entering WoW can be a fairly daunting experience, but Blizzard has made picking a server as easy as putting in some preferences and then being provided a suitable server to play on. With over 100 servers, Blizzard’s automated selection process will select a medium or low population server (which are usually the best for new players anyways), but there is no “cap” on which server you can and cannot play on, so feel free to pick one if you have friends on it.

In standard Blizzard form, the game starts by placing you right in the story; giving a brief overview of the nature of the race you have selected and then giving you immediate control over your character. There is no tutorial that you need to go through to start the game, only a small “tips/information” box that pops up at the bottom of the screen; showing basic information on how the game operates. It seems that WoW runs under an “RTFM” (Read The *@#%ing Manual) system for gameplay, as all the essential information is presented in the game manual.

The interface is quite easy to understand for any person who has had any experience with computer games. Movement can be accomplished through use of the mouse; the arrow keys, and even through the 1st person shooter fan’s favorite “W.A.S.D.” key combination. Blizzard also starts by placing the known first level skills in the U.I. so that characters can just run into combat without worrying about setting up any sort of abilities. If players want to setup their preferences right away, it is quite easy to do by simply going into the “Interface Options” and selecting the options you want turned on. The basic interface of wow is “idiot proof” (of course, if you make something idiot proof, they will make a better idiot) and has a simple click to activate system for using skills and abilities, which makes it easy for any players new to the MMORPG world.

Actually playing (a genuine concept)

So with the setup, installation and non-existent tutorial done; it is now time for the player to take action and start playing the game. WoW starts all characters off in a secluded area in which there is no chance of getting killed by other players (even on a PvP server), and in which enemies are docile, plentiful, and the quests are easy and simple. This “Newbie Zone” is geared to take characters all the way up to level six, with appropriate enemies, quests and trainers to bring a character to this point. Enemies in the Newbie zone are all docile and non-aggressive for the most part, making beginners feel welcome in the world. The learning curve changes as the players begin to explore beyond the walls of the Newbie Zone and find more aggressive enemies.

Starting a character at launch and starting one now, would be completely different (I know, I have several new alt’ characters) mainly because starting one right now would not have the same impact as it did when the game first launched. Imagine almost fifty different players running around, all trying to do the same quests as you, and partying with them to make sure everyone gets them done. That kind of “start” to a game is what really makes guilds and a player friendship last, and is something that is not as easily received by someone who is starting on an established server. There are however players of all different levels playing all the time, and finding a group to do a specific dungeon is by no means “hard” for new players. Whenever I have made a new alt’ character, there has always been someone doing the same level tasks that I am doing, most of the time those players are in the same area and are willing to group to get the job done faster, something prevalent in WoW; team play.

The big question when it comes to how WoW treats new players to the game (for both players and developers) is what keeps those players playing the game and not simply logging out and forgetting their account? With WoW, the big answer seems to be the implemented “quest” system. Every person I have talked to who is still at the process of leveling their character is obsessed with completing the various quest lines available through WoW. One thing that drives WoW players is to be involved in the evolving storyline of the game, and finding themselves standing side by side with characters like Thrall and Jaina Proudmoore, or engaging in epic battles at Blackrock Spire, or the Molten Core. The “quest system” seems to push people into the storyline and get them involved in the various different aspects of the game. Even a simple dungeon like Ragefire Chasm has huge ramifications on the story of the game, and playing through it at the time is a big deal to players.

The newbie’s verdict

To quote a movie I remember; “There’s something about WoW” (at least I think it was about WoW, but I could be wrong!). With new players joining up everyday, World of Warcraft truly has mastered the art of pulling in new players and keeping them interested all the way from level 1 to 60, and holding them in place with new content that is constantly being added to the game. For new players, by the time they can even ask themselves if they like the game or not, they are no longer “new” and now can access even more features of the game that low level characters could not (PvP battlegrounds, & Instances dungeons to name a few).

How does WoW treat its new players? Based off everything I’ve seen (keeping in mind I was a complete virgin to MMORPG’s), I would have to say that they put me in a penthouse suite and pampered me like a king. Since I started WoW, I have tried out three other MMORPG’s; each with their own different quirks and gimmicks, but WoW is the only one that as a new player I could jump into and stay with for prolonged periods of time. That is what an MMORPG comes down to; how much of your life can it consume while still being enjoyable? WoW has consumed a fair bit of my life… but like every other level 60, I too was once a “n00b” and have stuck with the game.