Getting a new player into the game

[Njord]

So I have been trying to get this mate of mine into the game for a while now but he only wants to play mortar brig, which has fairly limited use in game. He doesn't seem too confident in his sailing skills and probably got wasted one time too many by some mark farming veteran. I am looking for a way to get him motivated to improve his skills and enjoy himself. And since this seems like a interesting topic for NA, I'd like to ask for your suggestions to get a new player hooked. Probably most important, what ships are the best for new players to get into PvP? Probably he should start by hunting traders? Truth be told, I don't think dragging the good lad in his mortar brig with me is too effective...

 

[Angus MacDuff]

He needs to start in the PVE server.  He might actually enjoy the testbed too (although that is PVP also).  If he goes OW in a Mortar Brig, he is dead meat. 

Best to jump right into PVP would probably be the Hercules, but for that, he will need to do the final exam.

Edited October 11, 2018 by Angus MacDuff

[Njord]

1 minute ago, Angus MacDuff said:

He needs to start in the PVE

I told him so but he'd rather not play at all than hit a single bot mission...

[Angus MacDuff]

Well, he has to learn basics before he starts tagging other players in a Pickle, lol.  Maybe find him a remote spot where he can hunt AI.  Killing AI traders with a 7th rate gives good XP for a starter.  Don't let him learn in a "Reinforcement Zone"!

Edited October 11, 2018 by Angus MacDuff

[Njord]

1 minute ago, Angus MacDuff said:

Well, he has to learn basics before he starts tagging other players in a Pickle, lol.  Maybe find him a remote spot where he can hunt AI.  Killing AI traders with a 7th rate gives good XP for a starter.  Don't let him learn in a "Reinforcement Zone"!

He did the tutorial, except for the final mission, which he can not handle and as far as I understood he thus thinks PvP is even harder and not even worth trying. Basically he envisions every other player to be Ram Dinark. I want to recommend a ship to him that he can stick with, get used to and unlock the slots for but I am not quite sure which ship would be the best for a new player to start PvP with. I think he has 240 crew at his disposal currently so the ship should not be far beyond that limit  ( I am not certain how much xp he needs for the next rank ). So we are looking at some 6th or 5th rate I suppose. Maybe I should tell him to wait for the rebalance of ships that was vaguely announced?

[Angus MacDuff]

I hesitate to recommend DLC, but it sounds like the Herc was made for him.  He can lose one every day and still come out in a new one with good build in 24 hours.  Once his slots are open, they stay open for his next daily ship.  If he doesn't want to do that, then he'll have to buy 5th rates off the shelf or get into the building game.  I have to say though, a rookie player in a 6th or 5th rate is easy meat for all the Herc and Req drivers out there.  Tell him to follow the youtube videos (which I believe are on this forum somewhere) on how to pass the final exam.  The final is very hard until you learn the tricks and then it's simple.  PVP is definitely harder because players are not as predictable, and the really good PVP'ers (not me yet) have analysed the heck out of this game and have the great mods to boot.  He can also go out to the Patrol Zones in "throw away" ships and learn his PVP.  That means he will lose multitudes of ships while learning, but it is really the only way.  I can't begin to tell you how many ships I have lost.  His not wanting to do bot missions could be an issue for him.  I hate it too, but that is where you can pick up new books.  The missions on the test bed are very rewarding at the moment, although I have been informed they will not be as lucrative when they come over to the regular server.

[Njord]

10 minutes ago, Angus MacDuff said:

I hesitate to recommend DLC, but it sounds like the Herc was made for him.

Yeah, this is what I recommended to him aswell but at this point he doesn't want to invest more and I understand it. I wish I could give him my DLC ships since I barely use them...

[Anolytic]

First of all. Don't knock the mortar brig. If he has talent for it, he could make a living selling his services. it's not a great ship for OW PvP, but on the other hand it's a very cheap ship, and I've seen it used to great effect as long as it has plenty of support. 

Secondly, I wouldn't tell anyone that they should start on the PvE-server, unless they themselves know that they want a soft start or they know of themselves that they are decidedly PvE-players. I commend him for wanting to start on the PvP-server. Better to take the good with the bad from the start, than get shocked by the transformation later on. And better to try the PvP-server and find it doesn't suit him, then switch, than start off on the PvE-server and get used to the lull there which will cause the transfer to be all the more overwhelming. 

[Archaos]

Are you sure he is actually interested in playing the game as from what you say he does not seem confident to do PvP and also feels PvE is too boring.

The mortar brig is only really useful in port battles as it is too slow to get the required distance from targets in general PvP. But if he is really only interested in sailing the mortar brig then I would suggest the PvE server playing as GB, that way he can set up in Belize and attack some of the 1-3rd rate fleets that sail around there. If you are careful you can kite them through the shallow areas and get yourself into a position where you can use the mortar to destroy them while they have difficulty reaching you as they have to sail round the islands to reach you and if they get close you slip back between the islands and set up again. It can be quite challenging and fun especially when you are learning the mortar brig as if you get it wrong the AI will most probably wipe you out in a single broadside.

For PvP it may be possible to take a mortar brig into a large ship battle and engage from distance while your team keeps them away from you, but this requires having a good team and hoping the other team has no smaller fast vessels to chase you.

[Vernon Merrill]

Prince.  Can punch above its weight and 9 times out of 10 can disengage if things go south...  

That being said, a good captain in a smaller ship will ALWAYS beat a larger ship with a sub-par captain.

Bonus: Princes are cheap to replace and also to fit out.

Double Bonus:  You can engage (and beat) everything from T-Lynxes to Surprises to Indiamen.

[Angus MacDuff]

28 minutes ago, Sovereign said:

Yeah, this is what I recommended to him aswell but at this point he doesn't want to invest more and I understand it. I wish I could give him my DLC ships since I barely use them...

There are plenty of PVP players who would be happy to duel him in a matching ship and it's easy enough to arrange.  They would probably eat him alive, but again, that's the only way to learn PVP.

[Guest]

2 hours ago, Sovereign said:

So I have been trying to get this mate of mine into the game for a while now but he only wants to play mortar brig, which has fairly limited use in game. He doesn't seem too confident in his sailing skills and probably got wasted one time too many by some mark farming veteran. I am looking for a way to get him motivated to improve his skills and enjoy himself. And since this seems like a interesting topic for NA, I'd like to ask for your suggestions to get a new player hooked. Probably most important, what ships are the best for new players to get into PvP? Probably he should start by hunting traders? Truth be told, I don't think dragging the good lad in his mortar brig with me is too effective...

 

Duels. 1v1 in  the duel room... except there is no duel room ofc.. but ask a friendly enemy player I'm sure there are some who will do a duel even if it means no kill..

[Hethwill, the Red Duke]

1 minute ago, Lars Kjaer said:

only wants to play mortar brig

1v1 duel room is not the best approach.

best approach is, to join a raiding squad with the mortar brig, and assault the ships doing missions/battles near their ports with forts, like in old providence, new orleans area, etc.

He will be the one killing the forts while the rest of the gang will kill the enemies / capture ships.

This will grant him 2 things essential to NA caribbean - learn to survive ( know your ship ), be a team chap.

[Guest]

3 hours ago, Angus MacDuff said:

Well, he has to learn basics before he starts tagging other players in a Pickle, lol.  Maybe find him a remote spot where he can hunt AI.  Killing AI traders with a 7th rate gives good XP for a starter.  Don't let him learn in a "Reinforcement Zone"!

Wrong. Slap that boy into a pickle and drag him out with your clan. He will die die die but he will die with friends so it will be ok.

[Vernon Merrill]

1 hour ago, Hethwill the Harmless said:

1v1 duel room is not the best approach.

best approach is, to join a raiding squad with the mortar brig, and assault the ships doing missions/battles near their ports with forts, like in old providence, new orleans area, etc.

He will be the one killing the forts while the rest of the gang will kill the enemies / capture ships.

This will grant him 2 things essential to NA caribbean - learn to survive ( know your ship ), be a team chap.

Shhhhhhh....   stop giving away Rovery secrets....  lolz

 

[Angus MacDuff]

21 minutes ago, Flinch said:

Wrong. Slap that boy into a pickle and drag him out with your clan. He will die die die but he will die with friends so it will be ok.

That's the bottom line if he wants to be on the PVP server.  Get him into a good clan.  It's like getting your kid into a good school.

[Guest]

1 hour ago, Flinch said:

Wrong. Slap that boy into a pickle and drag him out with your clan. He will die die die but he will die with friends so it will be ok.

Never sink in a ship that isn't pretty.. No shame in sinking as long as you do it in something nice.... and with friends

 

[DeRuyter]

5 hours ago, Sovereign said:

Yeah, this is what I recommended to him aswell but at this point he doesn't want to invest more and I understand it. I wish I could give him my DLC ships since I barely use them...

Steam sale should be coming soon....

[Cetric de Cornusiac]

Give him a Snow with speed buffs. This way he should have fun. Snow is fast and when things go wrong, he may still retreat from battle. Ship is easy to replace (upgrades maybe less so) when things go wrong, what is of course always possible.

With the Snow he can be useful to you when you sail as group, because he may tag ships which are too fast for your vessel.

Other than the Prince de Neufchatel, which was mentioned before, Snow does not require a permit expense.

Edited October 11, 2018 by Cetric de Cornusiac

[Guest]

Looks like what’s missing is the hunger for a better ship, better canons, better fire power, that’s the drive behind us grinding, winning.

Have you tried to coax’s him down the crafting path, get him to build multi-deck canon ships, fashion crafting interest, show off the majestic beauty of the next better war ship, build interest from a different direction, the game has scope to play it in different ways, explore those.

Edited October 11, 2018 by Guest

[Stars and Stripes]

Tbh your mate sounds a bit lame even if you eventually get him in the game he sounds so set in his ways he won't last anyway.

N.A. is about learning and adapting and from what you have said he don't want to do either.

[Jean Ribault]

14 hours ago, Stars and Stripes said:

Tbh your mate sounds a bit lame even if you eventually get him in the game he sounds so set in his ways he won't last anyway.

N.A. is about learning and adapting and from what you have said he don't want to do either.

I didn't want to be negative, but I do have to agree with this.  Every game, one needs to adapt and learn, or just move on.  I hope you can convince him to branch out and try new things.

[Njord]

14 hours ago, Stars and Stripes said:

Tbh your mate sounds a bit lame even if you eventually get him in the game he sounds so set in his ways he won't last anyway.

N.A. is about learning and adapting and from what you have said he don't want to do either.

Really wish it was that simple but looking through the steam reviews he sadly is within the majority and without players like him NA will never be more than it is now. I would probably never have gotten into NA and learned to love it, if I would not have had a lot of free time and played with the right people when I started playing the game. 

We will need a lot more guidance and help for new and casual players, if we wish for NA to ever become a real mmo. The current "let the noob eat shit until he is good and if he doesn't then the game isn't for him anyways" attitude is what left us with the whopping 300 players server pop. More than anything it is the fault of the community that the game has so few active players.

[Stars and Stripes]

On 10/13/2018 at 12:01 AM, Sovereign said:

Really wish it was that simple but looking through the steam reviews he sadly is within the majority and without players like him NA will never be more than it is now. I would probably never have gotten into NA and learned to love it, if I would not have had a lot of free time and played with the right people when I started playing the game. 

We will need a lot more guidance and help for new and casual players, if we wish for NA to ever become a real mmo. The current "let the noob eat shit until he is good and if he doesn't then the game isn't for him anyways" attitude is what left us with the whopping 300 players server pop. More than anything it is the fault of the community that the game has so few active players.

No. Sorry. 

You come to a game and you adapt to it or leave. You mate does not seem to want to try anything??

[Njord]

3 hours ago, Stars and Stripes said:

No. Sorry. 

No need to be sorry. You have some very subjective opinion and I don't share it. 

3 hours ago, Stars and Stripes said:

You come to a game and you adapt to it or leave. You mate does not seem to want to try anything??

I think I made it more than clear that he showed very limited interest in the game due to getting farmed by experienced players. And so I was looking for advice to get him motivated to give the game another shot. In this regard your idle talk is nothing but useless rubbish...

Edited October 14, 2018 by Sovereign