How about a NUB change to actually help new users? (in General)

Everyone has problems with the New User Bonus. But let's not talk about those. Here and now is NOT the time or place. Instead, I want to submit an idea for a constructive purpose.

As is, I do not like how the NUB works. Let's ignore that veterans feel slighted by it- so please all, do not bring that up. Don't argue it's too much. Instead, I want to help new users more. And my change idea isn't a very big one at all, I just want to see what everyone else thinks.


And what is this idea? I think new users should have a two week waiting period before their NUB kicks in. In addition then, the NUB time could be shortened by 2 weeks, perhaps 3 even. Here's my logic for why:

1) Let new users get acquainted with their new surroundings. Let them be new users and learn for the first week or two. They'll have no pressure to try to jump in MPR, only learn. Mentors won't feel obligated to tell their mentees to just 'go single FB mage' and actually let them experiment a little before they have to worry about squandering precious NUB time.
2) NUB would then be a goal. Something new users could look forward to. By the time it started, they would be adequately trained (hopefully), so that they could take full advantage of their NUB. And isn't that what the NUB is all about? Letting new players have a chance at the top?
3) Discourage multis- hopefully a few weeks waiting would discourage players from making new accounts. There would be no instant pay offs, and it would give more time to catch multi's before they started reaping in big benefits and rewards.

That's all I can think of for now. I really believe this would be a positive thing, if we gave new users a few weeks before the MPR race really started. To be frank, with the status quo, the only people that can use 100% of their NUB either know people in real life that showed them how everything already works, or they are a multi. And yes, I know that is a biased opinion.

So what do you all think? I would love some criticism or feedback. I think this change if implemented, although minor, would be a positive and could truly help those poor new guys. Anyone else second that?

Big thanks to Rubberduck for pointing out an error. New users get their NUB to start 2 weeks later, and it should last an extra two weeks. Not end two earlier. Stupid me. Thanks for pointing that out.

It's redundant to me, since you are shortening the NUB by 2 weeks or more and letting them starting NUB 2 weeks later. They can always use the current environment to test whatever they like.

The best way to help them is display the link to wiki on home page for them, in BOLD for a week or so :P That's the place they should visit before being influenced by 'veterans' about single mage strat

He changed that 2 week mistake.

oh well, i was typing :P How can I know he corrected the mistakes? hehe

Not bad... actually, I do like it but the one or two week wait for the NUB to kick in would not discourage multis. Most people who use them are irrational as it is, they don't need much more logic than "well I get to fight twice as much as everyone else and I'm too smart to get caught so why not create a multi?"

But yes, it would help newbs out a lot to give them a week of experimenting before they get the NUB and I do agree that this change should be made.
Although I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for any changes to the NUB if I were you. ;)

smallpau1, September 26 2005 10:24 AM EDT
Like someone stated before, make it so once the new user reaches 7/10 BA refresh the NUB stops dead in its tracks...

Or...........

Make it so the newbie has to play for a month(Normal play - NO NUB), so he has to be dedicated to the game, once a month rolls around then he'd get some kind of NUB, but not such a still outrageous one.

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smallpau1, September 27 2005 1:34 AM EDT
make it so the NUB stops after the char reaches 7/10 BA refresh and some mil NW in forging equivilent to 7/10 BA refresh, its not that difficult to comprehend...and a little added bonus to forging for NUB is maybe 10% of BS price.

And if the newbie uses both forging and fighting, make them meet in the middle, all it is is math.



I already brought this up...lol

Glad to hear someone else had the same idea, Smallpau1. Sorry I didn't notice- there have been dozens of threads talking about NUB in one way or another, I've gotten to ignoring quite a few of them.

And on that subject, sorry about starting up another NUB thread ;) I just had to speak my mind though.

Perhaps scale the NUB the same way the BA replenishing scales...


full NUB when having 10 / 10 BA replenishing
90% NUB when having 9 / 10 BA replenishinig
80% NUB when having 8 / 10 BA replenishinig
70% NUB when having 7 / 10 BA replenishinig

That way the top NUB players will still get their precious NUB, but also make their NUB somewhat less, so that they too have to make more effort in getting to the top spots.

Just an idea and flame me if you want to :p

Didn't everybody have the same bonus when they started? Sounds like people wanting to change things after their bonus ended so new people have no chance to catch up with them.

Oh, no no no, David. No one would dare suggest that the new players shouldn't have a chance of catching up. And we all agree that someone should have to choose the basically arbitrary time it should take for them to do so. We just don't think it should be Jon. :P

david, a lot of us didn't even have a New User Bonus, and most of the people that did have or do have have lower bonuses...

Hey,

Change Month is almost here.

Let us just see what changes will happen then. I think Jon knows full well our thoughts on the NUB, a potential VUB and all the other abbreviations we can think of.

I know he is keeping track of how the new players are doing, so let us give the guy a break for a few days at least and see what happens in November.

Personally after fighting the same people time after time, it is a bit refreshing to have new blood at the top. Perhaps a bit of tweaking but lets see what happens.

Just my 2 cents.

Okay, quite honestly, I wouldn't mind losing the NUB thing now since it makes me feel like I'm getting something special that I don't feel I need. Its not that I'm just so good at the game, if anyone checks my battle log, they'll understand, its that I'd like to do something that didn't give me a super bonus all the time.

And I'm not going to try and forge again because that screwed everything up and I don't understand how to do it.