What is Novice Network chat REALLY for?

[OMega_ARcane]

^ Also don’t forget there are returning players in the NN too, which can be any level (I think).

Yeah I know of the returner status, my thing was the leafs.

[MoroMurasaki]

I'm in the NN on two servers.

On Zalera my main is a mentor and, by and large, the conversation isn't bad at all. There are a fair amount of sprouts/returners and fairly regularly someone will ask for help with something. I just helped someone through the Vault on there. There are some mentors that are more active in that chat and sometimes the conversation strays but our new players apparently feel comfortable enough to interject with questions and requests. I think it's working.

Then there is Cactuar. Oh, Cactuar.

My alt there is in the NN because she's new. That place is kinda trash sometimes. The mentors who are active there make it feel like a big FC you've joined where the major clique has already formed. Their conversations are often about random, inane things and include a ton of inside (and inappropriate) jokes. There are a few sprouts/returners who are kinda active there but I've gotten the impression a few of them are alts for mentors. One conversation in particular annoyed me.

The notification that someone had been kicked from chat caught my attention. I read the log a bit and apparently 3 mentors were arguing about healing priorities. One said that when a player has died repeatedly to silly things raising them becomes unimportant where as two others argued that raising should always be the number one priority.

My dilemma was that I knew there were like 80+ sprouts in this chat when I had logged in a short while ago. If any of them were reading this exchange they were going to be misinformed. I am of the opinion that there are people who eventually aren't worth my mp/casts to raise them. I decide as a sprout myself they'll hopefully be less likely to kick me for disagreeing.

The argument continues between me and one of the kicking mentors until my Susano queue pops. This mentor is arguing that every player is worth raising all the time which, to me, just seems like something an inexperienced healer would think.

So yeah, even when conversation is revolving around relavent gaming topics sometimes it's just mentors spreading misinformation and kicking any who oppose them.

NN could be useful but I think the first step to that is removing the mentor kicking powers.

[Metalwrath]

To be fair glamor is an important part of gameplay that affects all new and old players XD.

[Squintina]

I'm not in NN anymore as I lost my sprout when I reached the criteria (and I'm not a mentor yet), so this is what I learned about NN as a sprout:

It's:
- for talking about whatever
- answering people's questions when they ask (the good mentors at least, and actually a lot of the sprouts as well)
- however if the non-question chatter is really active, sometimes those questions that do pop up are forgotten
- arguing because one mentor offered advice other people (usually correctly) think is bad advice, or a bad topic
- and people wanting to kick other people who actually do want to help out if it doesn't mean that individual person's criteria of what is "valuable"
for example: people kicking off those advertising an FC or LS or a hunt, even if it's not being spammed (I'd get it if it was spam because no one likes spam), even if some sprouts will stand up for those people and say that it actually helped them - yet somehow those same people might let people argue (not discuss, argue) over which FF game is the best in that chat and not say a word, because that's totally helping people.

Oh and the biggest rule about NN is that everyone has their own rules and SE doesn't care as long as you're meeting its basic TOS.

In other words, it's a limited version of what other games call a global chat, as in other games' global chat you also see tons of chatter, arguing, and new people asking questions and they usually do get an answer unless the casual chatter is just too intense. Same thing really, just with a chat limit.

I'm not even sure if I ever want to become a mentor because it's such chaos (though I suppose I could become a mentor who just never has NN turned on and helps out people in DF/PF/FC instead)

[Vstarstruck]

It really dependents on context><
the "patting themselves on the back" stuff could just refer to they answer questions when it pops up.
"futas are hot" or any generic reference I do not see a reason to kick them.

However if they are going in details and cursing a lot? then it should be fair to kick them.

[Bellsong]

NN was a mistake it feels for the most part. Though it's nice to help new players and returnees/see them get help. But over all NN just turns into WoW's trade chat and borders on Barrens chat every now and again. Diabolos NN can be at times a cess pool of over inflated egos, trolls, and the rare kick happy mentor.

IMO, SE should have put more ground rules on the NN and not just left it up to the mentors, cause mentors rarely ever agree on things, and that mentor arguing probably sucks for the sprouts who just want a hand.

[hynaku]

There is a profanity Filter you can turn on. Only thing think that's not allowed is fighting, calling one's offensive names, belittling ones, and offensive macros. Also keep chat at pg-13 level.

[Solarra]

@Hynaku
You are right, there is a profanity filter. However, this does not mean it's ok to swear in a public channel and no action will be taken if it is reported. There have been numerous cases of people falling foul of these rules because they thought that filter gave them protection, which it does not.

The following is a quote directly from the ToS :

The use of inappropriate or offensive language, whether or not directed at another player, is considered harassment and is strictly prohibited.