New and Returning Player Issues, linkshell and poll

TLDR: New and returning players cannot find parties or linkshells. These players are risks to active linkshells with current linkshell management tools. Adjustments to linkshell management tools may help retain more of these players. edit: What would you do now if approached by a new or returning player? (poll choices below)

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Categories: New Player Help, User Interface, General Discussion

Concern: A new player or returning player comes into the game and cannot find a linkshell with active members.

Scenario 1: New player comes into the game. Tries asking around for advice or parties. Finds no responses in-game. Does a web search, may end up using the wrong words or is overwhelmed by the search results, not even sure where to start. Ultimately learns that the game is best played with a linkshell and Ul'dah is the place to go for people. Player goes in-game and asks around for an active linkshell, no one wants to recruit him. His hope for the game fades. He does not play beyond the free month included with software purchase and decides to unsubscribe.

Scenario 2: Returning player comes back to the game having left from beta or launch days. Likes what he sees. Looking for an active linkshell. No one wants to recruit him. His hope for the game fades. He stops playing and decides to unsubscribe.

Linkshell Perspective: Limited membership capacity. Cannot remove inactive members. Does not want to inconvenience active members with a reform. Will likely have to reform if new/returning players do not show commitment to the game. Decides not to invite new or returning player, understandably so from their perspective. Not entirely understood by seeking player's perspective.

Resuming Topic: Players may have any assortment of reasons why they would stop playing. Players who want to experience the events leading up to 2.0 can do so with a lasting shell. Some of the things I think would help reduce the rate of discouragement is by having a handful of linkshell management tools prior to 2.0.

Such tools may include, but not limited to the ability to:
*Remove inactive, offline, or distant members.
*View last login date from linkshell interface (indicator of inactivity).
*Switch linkshell chats from text commands, such as /L1 or /L2.

Created an awkward and inaccurate poll after this next part on what it would take for you or your linkshell to invite such a player.

Referencing for new player help: forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/threads/26075-To-all-high-level-players-on-every-server-we-need-to-do-something-for-the-game/

That thread was setup so that new players could find mentors in-game. Should that thread be used as a roll call, then recreated on the New Player Help forum?

Poll choice: I would consider inviting these players to my main linkshell if I could remove inactive members.

Poll choice: I would consider inviting these players to my main linkshell with the current tools and reform the linkshell as needed.

(Cause we're like a phoenix... speaking of which, is there a primal for that?)

Poll choice: I would not consider inviting these players until they demonstrate further commitment to the game and/or meet the qualifications of my shell.

Poll Choice: Other:

such as... I would create a separate linkshell for these players. When I start crafting or partying, I would probably only chat in my main shell unless I could chat in multiple shells easily.

or write in your answer in the thread below.

Cookies may be involved.

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Linkshell Perspective: Limited membership capacity. Cannot remove inactive members. Does not want to inconvenience active members with a reform. Will likely have to reform if new/returning players do not show commitment to the game. Decides not to invite new or returning player, understandably so from their perspective. Not entirely understood by seeking player's perspective.

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We've been debating how to deal with this for nearly a year, every so often we try a new method in hopes to alleviate some of the stresses it causes. Currently we're locking down new applicants at specific thresholds to leave room for those semi-active members who might have missed the previous repearl.

Yep. SE has made it extremely difficult to run a linkshell. I'm not sure what, if anything, can be done about it before 2.0.

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Originally Posted by Fiosha_Maureiba

TLDR: [Scenario 2:[/B] Returning player comes back to the game having left from beta or launch days. Likes what he sees. Looking for an active linkshell. No one wants to recruit him. His hope for the game fades. He stops playing and decides to unsubscribe.

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I fit scenario two...but I decided to play SOLO! I just hit 50 THM last night, and CNJ is next!

Gath thinks SE already said they will be addressing this sometime in the next couple patches.

Gath's 1 gil is worth more than your 1 gil.

How many times is this going to be discussed?

They've already told us they can't fix linkshells until 2.0. There is no point in continuing to rehash how crappy the situation is. We know. They know. Nuff said.

I support any reform to LS functionality.. I am essentially a returning player (played on and off during the free year, subbed a week ago)... My current LS is completely empty as everyone went back to FFXI, and I really don't even know where to start looking as it seems that all the active LS's on Mysidia aren't currently recruiting, mostly due to the limitations of the LS system.

In Pandemonium on Wutai, we have open recruitment and deal with inactive players by having a structured procedure for reforming. Essentially the active shell bounces between the names "Pandemonium" and "PandemoniumLS". Whenever one is made inactive, its icon gets changed from the normal one to one in the same color with the pattern that looks like a lightning bolt or fracture. This signals everyone to repearl. This inactive LS exists until the next time we repearl. If someone happens to be gone for so long that they miss two repearlings, we do have a consistent location to AFK in Ul'dah and do not change the icon, so we're easy to find.

That said, being able to just remove inactive players would be nice. I'm not sure if it would necessarily be less work, as maintaining the list based on inactive status would be time-consuming.

I do very very much want the ability to type /L1, /L2, etc, especially since you can't change shells while you're busy doing something like crafting or gathering.

Yup, pretty much why i'm not playing. Its pointless to play a shotty MMO if its just a shotty single player game :(

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Originally Posted by REDace0

In Pandemonium on Wutai, we have open recruitment and deal with inactive players by having a structured procedure for reforming. Essentially the active shell bounces between the names "Pandemonium" and "PandemoniumLS". Whenever one is made inactive, its icon gets changed from the normal one to one in the same color with the pattern that looks like a lightning bolt or fracture. This signals everyone to repearl. This inactive LS exists until the next time we repearl. If someone happens to be gone for so long that they miss two repearlings, we do have a consistent location to AFK in Ul'dah and do not change the icon, so we're easy to find.

That said, being able to just remove inactive players would be nice. I'm not sure if it would necessarily be less work, as maintaining the list based on inactive status would be time-consuming.

I do very very much want the ability to type /L1, /L2, etc, especially since you can't change shells while you're busy doing something like crafting or gathering.

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This is an interesting solution. Thanks for this.

I've seen a lot of new players wandering excitedly into uldah in their starter gear in the last few weeks. They stand there for a few minutes drinking it in and thinking "Oh! So this is where everyone is." Then they shout for a linkshell.
I have not seen one single player fail to get multiple invitations to linkshells.

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Originally Posted by Blitz0309

Yup, pretty much why i'm not playing. Its pointless to play a shotty MMO if its just a shotty single player game :(

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Unlike all the other MMOS out there right now (from what I've heard/read), this game is not a single player game. You cannot complete most of the content playing single player, so I have to disagree with you on that.

If you need a linkshell, ask. Somebody will hook you up. The problems start from that point for the LS leaders such as continuous re-shelling.

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Originally Posted by charlemagne

I've seen a lot of new players wandering excitedly into uldah in their starter gear in the last few weeks. They stand there for a few minutes drinking it in and thinking "Oh! So this is where everyone is." Then they shout for a linkshell.
I have not seen one single player fail to get multiple invitations to linkshells.

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Selbina -> Ridill sounds like a good place for a new player. The server appears to have such a good retention rate that it's not going to be merged with other servers.

I will definitely keep this in mind going forward.

going to be honest, as a returning (sort of) player i often get bored, and while i still get joy out of the game wouldn't mind a LS but back the sort of thing, my job has me unable to be active for sometime large periods of time (like 7 months) so finding a LS that's willing to work with that is hard, and hard on me cause i don't want to take up a place in a LS if i can't be around. now though come june i'll have plenty of time but until then it's a touch and go kind of thing for me.

I hate to be that guy BUT

this thread has no real use, and let me explain why

1) we know the LS options need work
2) The developers have stated they need work
3) They have also stated its being worked on


So this is already gonna happen, we will get the linkshell options we need to clean all this up, its a pretty old topic if anything and theres nothing really new to bring to it when we are already going to get it when its ready.

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Originally Posted by Holy_Dragoon

We've been debating how to deal with this for nearly a year, every so often we try a new method in hopes to alleviate some of the stresses it causes. Currently we're locking down new applicants at specific thresholds to leave room for those semi-active members who might have missed the previous repearl.

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You guys are still getting new applicants? Man, I didn't know you guys were that popular. You know, I can probably help you out with your overflow problem. Last week or so I created my own linkshell (of which I'm the only member) for shits and giggles. If you want, you can send the people who couldn't get in due to player limit/capacity over my way and I can hold them for you. That way they can still play and party with other people (people who will more than likely see each other when they get into Seraphim) while they wait for spots to open up in Seraphim.

Either you or I could let them know (people who are on at the moment) that spots have opened up and they can go apply if they didn't. I really didn't have any plans for my linkshell when I made it. It was just one of those spur of the moment "wouldn't it be awesome if I did this" times. This offer doesn't just go out to Seraphim but to all players in Mysidia.

If you have too many new applicants that can't get into your linkshell then send them over the Moon Tree where they can wait for spots to open up. I want to help as many of my fellow Mysidians find groups and friends as possible. You all can consider Moon Tree the "Community Linkshell". If any of you are considering this then you can contact me by PMing me on Youtube, insaneshadow85, since I don't know if there's a PM thing here on the forums (that and I'd rather not post my email address for everyone to see). You know, to iron any wrinkles in this idea of mine.

Anyway, just throwing that idea out there.