[dev1228] Ain't no noob gonna know which of the 100 NPCs in the zone is noob helper.

[Edyth]

These NPCs cannot have inconspicuous names. They need generic names that catch the eye because they show the NPC's purpose. Voidwatch Purveyor is a good example. No one has to guess which NPCs are Voidwatch Purveyors, because that's their name.

These NPCs need names those show their functions; otherwise, they just look like average NPCs who say nothing of importance. ESPECIALLY those cardians. NO ONE likes how Cardians talk. If these new cardians speak like RMTs trying to bypass chat filters like all the other Cardians, NO ONE will touch them with a nine-and-a-half-foot pole.

The developers' hearts are in the right place, but it's like making a beautiful present and then burying it in the most secluded corner of the recipient's backyard, making it look like it's not even there, and then expecting them to find it anytime soon.

Edit: I will take this opportunity to report all Cardians for bypassing RMT filters. Please ban them and remove them from the game. Except the ones we can kill.

[Sapphire]

And this is why we can't have nice things.

This is an RPG! In an RPG - YOU TALK TO NPCS! Often two to three times until they start to repeat themselves. Have players really gotten so spoiled they need arrows everywhere?

SE is doing something good for new players, but no, let's complain about it because this is as unpleasable a fanbase as you can get...

[Edyth]

And this is why we can't have nice things.

This is an RPG! In an RPG - YOU TALK TO NPCS! Often two to three times until they start to repeat themselves. Have players really gotten so spoiled they need arrows everywhere?

SE is doing something good for new players, but no, let's complain about it because this is as unpleasable a fanbase as you can get...

Get real. Most noobs are lazy and quit at the earliest sign of a struggle.

[Sapphire]

Get real. Most noobs are lazy and quit at the earliest sign of a struggle.

Most new players quit because they encounter lovely people who call them noobs and scoff at them.

If talking to NPCs is a "struggle" then I question why anyone plays any kind of RPG.

[Edyth]

Most new players quit because they encounter lovely people who call them noobs and scoff at them.

If talking to NPCs is a "struggle" then I question why anyone plays any kind of RPG.

I should clarify that with me, noob is a term of endearment for wide-eyed new players first experiencing this amazing game.

I should also clarify that, in principle, I 100% agree with what you're saying, Sapphire. It's a shame, though, that many gamers aren't this way anymore. My guess is that you're in your 20s or 30s, Sapphire, because that's the generation of gamer who talks to all the NPCs. I don't think a lot of new players are in their 20s and 30s though; I think most new players are teens, and the teen culture today, in the U.S., at least, is very attention deficit and gives up on the slightest challenge or time investment unless there is constant instant gratification. Factor in the fact that most teens can't afford subscriptions to 2 MMOs and that FFXIV offers instant gratification and excessive handholding, and you are making the choice clear for younger players.

My point:
It definitely isn't going to lose SE any players to give these NPCs names that reflect their purpose. However, giving these NPCs incognito names is going to cause some players to unsubscribe when they feel lost and overwhelmed by all that FFXI offers.

[Jedd]

Perhaps SE could give these NPCs some emotes, like waving or poking, to make them stand out from other townsfolk. Also might be helpful to have them /say something to the new player as they get close to alert them they have tutorial info to give.

They could check to see if the approaching player is new (play time below a certain value) and then perform the animation or /say help dialogue. Like, "Haven't seen you around here before, need some help?"

To prevent chat spam and general annoyance (not that many people even go to towns anymore...) the NPC's /say dialogue could maybe only be visible to the new player. Not sure if this is something SE could do. Has there been instances of this before?

[kallika]

Also i know that the Jack of whatever Npcs have a distinct way of talking and text which is for lore purposes, but please have them use normal text on these specific Npcs.

[Demonjustin]

Personally, I talk to every NPC in most RPGs to find quests and such, but FFXI is different.

To start playing this game you have to download it, install it, set up your account for it, and update it. It's very likely that these 4 things alone will take you roughly 24 hours or more, then you have to make your character and pick your nation. Some people will take a moment to look around online to find where they should choose to start. Finally, they get to play the game.

The first thing they encounter is a CS that takes them about 5~10 minutes depending on the zone they started in, a CS which truth be told isn't really exciting and doesn't really make you want to see more CSs right afterward. After this you can run around and talk to NPCs if you'd like, go into your MH and go through that tutorial, or go outside. Personally, I don't expect people to talk to NPCs off the bat, or really that people will want to talk to NPCs until a bit later down the line. I love RPGs, I normally talk to NPCs as often as I can, but the idea of doing that when from the start this game has shown long CSs which aren't very entertaining and simply getting to start the game itself has taken more than a day of waiting, yeah, I can do without the talking and get straight to the gameplay/fighting for a bit, I've waited long enough. At least, that's how I went about my starting of the game, as well as how I think I'd go about it in todays game.

[Raydeus]

Voidwatch Purveyors aren't named probably because they are the red shirts of XI. They die so often there's no point in giving them a names.

And about the newb npcs I'm completely in favor of keeping them the way they are, if newbies lack the skill to find them and can't understand the heroically mechanical speech of Cardians then they are not XI material.

[Lithera]

I'm having trouble figuring out if these are the same npcs you get told to go to after that opening CS to get those leet gills from after giving them your paper that you get at the start. So if I am correct then the game already will be shoving new players to these npcs.