I've mulled this over a bit recently, and I just thought it was something that should be brought into attention. Between now and a few months ago, I have made some forays into SMP, which was a new experience for me. I had played single player for a while to get the idea and purpose of the game down, and I decided to head on in to SpA's SMP server. After being somewhat surprised with the lack of help files and commands that I knew about after being an op on freebuild for more than 8 months, I went off to find a good spot to build a house (at this point there were very few people on the server - I was either by myself or with one or two other people), and that's what I did. I found a nice place to mine and found some great caves and stuff to do.

At around this time, the map was reset. I didn't have much initiative to go back to build the same house again, and make the same mines again, so I went to find a new spot. I didn't really get to this until a while later - I can't remember exactly, now, but it must have been at least a couple of weeks. Anyway, I went off to make my new house, and this point SMP was getting a bit more attention; there were usually a good number of people on at any time, anywhere from 5-15 people if I remember correctly. I went on to setting up the area for my residence (not the plugin, just the word ), and got on my way to having a nice spot for myself.

This was when the plugins and add-ons started rolling in. There were skills, residences, cauldrons, portals... even as they were coming not at the same time, I was pretty overwhelmed. I wasn't sure what any of it did, or what I could use it for - I had been getting along fine before. I tried looking at some of the help files, reading up on things on the forum, but I just didn't see the need. Why would I want any of this stuff? Keep in mind, I had not been used to the "old" SMP, I had only been using it for a very short time, so I wasn't just resistant to the change. I began to not go on SMP as often (not that I had been going on frequently in the first place), and eventually I lost all interest in going back. I had these new things come in gradually, and I was overwhelmed, so I can only imagine what new people would think getting it all thrown at them at once.

This is to say, our introduction of new users into the SpA SMP experience, in my view, is lacking. Maybe I'm missing something entirely that would make everything make sense - it's happened before - and maybe I was given a less than adequate introduction because it was assumed I already knew how things worked, but from my experience there, it's something that is difficult to work your way into, and once you're there, you're not sure where to go.


tl;dr: I tried SMP and got confused by all the fancy plugins

It all comes down to your experience with RPGs/MMORPGs, when you 1st start playing them theres always tons of possibilities, all you can do is give it time and learn them 1 by 1. I myself didn't pay much attention to most of the plugins on my 1st days, 1st learned about the portals, then about privating chests/doors and so on. 1 step at a time.

Sure there could be some more help in the spawn point in IC, when I 1st logged the only helpful thing I saw was how to activate my iconomy. Maybe it would be easier to have a full "Starter's guide" here in the forum and place a link of it in the notice board in IC, that should give them all the help they need at the start.

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"I haven't failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work"
"Never argue with idiots. They will drag you down to their level, and then beat you with experience"

Well you have already explained your main problem. You were trying to learn how to play SMP as the server was being put together. The experience of playing SMP for the first time on a server that is still under construction has nothing to do with the experience of other first time users. What you did is essentially get into a very early pre-beta of an MMO and then quit because it made no sense.

Now the server is complete (more or less) and everything has settled down, there are a hug number of resourses one can learn about the functionality of the game and it is the players responsibility to use said resources. Yes there is a lot to learn in SMP but that is just the nature of the game. Deal with it or go play something more simplistic.

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"Fire rained from the sky on the day I was born: 10,000 lives I ended before drawing first breath. Do not speak to me of guilt or regret, Jonathan.” - Brayan, The Keepers of the Fire

Everything you need to know about SPA.SMP, the commands, the ranks and their permissions, and plugins, guidelines and rules, are written in the forum. What? We have a forum? Well, yes we do. It is at specialattack.net

Other than that, there are those who rush off to Iron City to help out a new guy, there is a message area at the spawn point offering suggestions, and pretty much every person who joins gets a greeting from somebody sometimes everybody.

I agree it is a bit overwhelming at first arrival, but as JMPanty pointed out, first steps, baby steps.

Be active, read the forum, be social, read the forum, ask questions, read the forum, read the wikki's, google. No real reason for ignorance in this century except maybe the lead paint chip defense.

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Mincrafters never age, their stones just turn to cobble.

I have a new suggestion
My mind was wondering one day. Its kinda like a several step plan that could be implemented.

First, we create a new world, only new players get spawned there, and once you leave, there is no going back.
The world includes examples of what to do in Beta and how to do it. It also explains how spa works and the server rules.
Now, that would take alot of ops time your guessing?? WRONG.
We could implement this plugin on the newcomers world: http://forums.bukkit.org/threads/rpg-np ... 000.27540/

Basically it implements npc's. You can make these NPCs walk around, reply to questions, with the use of trigger words.
So in my quest to expand my knowledge, i installed this pluggin. I found out you need some type of database thing, Nothing i am good at! I downloaded phpmyadmin and couldn't get it working. So i thought, i bet SpA already has a database, And most likely SpA does, because we have Usernames and Passwords to store

If i had a working database, or someone to set a localhost one for me , I could possibly create a newcomers world that shows them everything about the game, server, and rules.

I had an idea with a giant building.. At the top of the building is a portal into iron city
But to get there you have to either walk all the steps, or walk all the steps and learn the rules...

This would have two good outcomes:
1. Guests would know how the server operates by the time they reach IC
2. Guests only coming to grief, would get tired of stairs and would leave..

Any thoughts?? If this is a good idea ill post a thread about it..

P.S. the database bit only is used to store the npc's, like where they walk, what they reply to, and such. Nothing much or big really, cause i would plan it as only one NPC, two at the most

Theres the "make a beter start area" idea again. I don't remember exactly: was it turned down last time? I guess it was.
The problem with having new players walk UP stairs is that the spawn is always on top of everything (afaik) and its a up to 40 blocks circle or so.


Another thing you can improve of the spawn lawn in IC is that there is no "warning" that SpA SMP is "special" (more rpg-like than vanilla).
(Put this sign to the lottery-signpost?)
(Put the lottery-sign on the board?)

And the "fishing and boating lake below the city-sign is somehow wrong on the board.
(Put these signs close to the balconies?)

(And we could put a lwc-sign and a gigant-sign close to the mcmmo-sign and the /kit-sign)

My idea could easily be changed then. With portal at very bottom.