Topic

Should New Players be given a "crappy house" ( staff words not mine) to start with?

From another thread I read that giving a house to new players "may" be in the works. I am of the opinion that the price of a place to live is not that expensive and could be purchased rather quickly. The reason I feel this way is because there is a sense of accomplishment in obtaining that "first house", that I would never want to take away from a player.
 What is your opinion?        (there is no right or wrong answer)

Posted 17 months ago by Joy Subscriber! | Permalink

Replies

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  • Mahalla, your story made me feel for you but it was also such a great new player story!
    Posted 17 months ago by Nanookie Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I agree that a "Rental Unit" to be paid on a daily basis be available, set up like rental storage units with doors and flowers in front, but no amenities inside, no storage, no window, no anything except for privacy and a place to rest. It being tasteful allows dignity to the newcomer and the ability to meet other new members. It also allows for those who have more experience to know where these units are so we can find them more easily and offer assistance, give a welcome party or whatever! Rental costs can be $100 currents daily or whatever, the rental agreement is for a limited amount of days only, thus there is no problem there. Just a thought!
    Posted 17 months ago by Joy Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I don't think they meant crappy homes as being ones that are different from what are already created. You'll notice the things inside these homes (storage shelves) are called "Crappy storage shelf' etc etc
    Posted 17 months ago by Taylor Swift Subscriber! | Permalink
  • "I don't think they meant crappy homes as being ones that are different from what are already created" — Actually, I meant something like what striatic described above (though probably not made out of cardboard, and probably windowless which'd mean no patch or garden).
    Posted 17 months ago by stoot barfield Subscriber! | Permalink
  • +1 for Zira's idea of visitable houses - like the model homes in Alakol, stick a model home on the main starter streets so players can get a feel for the houses available.
    Maybe the starter homes could be rented apts?
    If it's a storage issue they could have rented cabinets? Left luggage :)
    The main site (forums, groups, skills, encyclopaedia) are a useful resource, but when the game is 24/7 who will visit it? Maybe an early skill/quest could introduce players to the other pages. An achievement for posting in the forum, one for joining a group, one for visiting the location pages? Once there they can see the realty pages and what's on offer. 
    Posted 17 months ago by Momo McGlitch Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Friends!  LOL I learn everyday! ha! I never heard or have I ever seen a "crappy cabinet"!  But it does explain the Crappy House idea! Thanks! like I said, this is fun to come up with nice fresh ideas! I think these are good ideas and I love the communal caring each and everyone who has given input has for the new players that soon will be joining us, especially since this is an idea only thread! <smile>
    With that said, what is your opinion? Should new players be given a "crappy house" when they enter Glitch?
     p.s. won't we be entering soon as a new players when the game officially opens? Humm
    Posted 17 months ago by Joy Subscriber! | Permalink
  • +25 Zira and Momo
    Posted 17 months ago by Sheepy Subscriber! | Permalink
  • You know.. This is my 3rd day here on this game and I really like the idea that you aren't given a house. It gives each player something to work for.. gets them to do quests to get money and learn new things..

    I've played on SO many virtual worlds where they all give you a starter home. Its nice, however, I like how it is.
    Posted 17 months ago by Logith Subscriber! | Permalink
  • +1 Model homes.
    Posted 17 months ago by emdot Subscriber! | Permalink
  • "I don't think they meant crappy homes as being ones that are different from what are already created" — Actually, I meant something like what striatic described above (though probably not made out of cardboard, and probably windowless which'd mean no patch or garden)' Posted 19 hr ago by stoot barfield | Permalink

    @ stoot: +1 For the reasons expressed by Little Miss Giggles, Stri, Joy, FrankenPaula, Leithwn, Mortica,  Ebil and others.  It should be really crappy. Just a place to catch one's breath, organize inventory, figure out where/how to buy a knife/board, etc., and do some exploring to help decide where to buy a more permanent home. Maybe give the newbie an eviction notice (or a quest) once the player reaches level 5 or 7.
    Posted 17 months ago by GreyGoose Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Yeah, I definitely think this is something that you should have to work for. I know when I first started playing, I discovered the houses, and then realized that i could purchase them, I looked forward to doing it myself one day!

    One thing I do wish for the houses, is that we can decorate them ourselves, or add extra cabinets/storage space, and then being able to take that with you when you sell. Think of all the Glitch artwork you could buy/create/sell for your walls!  :0
    Posted 17 months ago by Zora Subscriber! | Permalink
  • +1 to more model homes.

    I'm not in favor of just giving living space away to new players; buying your first house gives a great sense of accomplishment that I wouldn't want to see taken away.

    That being said, I do think perhaps a little more hand holding is necessary in terms of tutorials/quests in the first few levels, one of which might be "buy your own home". (I nearly turned global off a couple times this test due to all the new players that couldn't even figure out how to find specific vendors on the map on their own--sooo much respect for those with the patience to keep answering that kind of thing over and over.)
    Posted 17 months ago by MX Ghostie Subscriber! | Permalink
  • As a newbie I feel homeless. My poor avatar! I hope not catch a cold. Worst is snoring, yes! lol
    In the first few hours of play, I wondered if I had a house or anything else as my private little corner. I explored a bit and saw that there are many homes for sale. But because I don't know yet what are the goals, decided to continue to walk everywhere.
    Then I came to the forum, trying to learn more about it and there seems to be places more strategic than other.
    I couldn't play long enough to gather all the requirements to buy a house, I had no time to choose the place nor the type of home. But I know this is my first big goal! ;)
    I think it would be interesting to have a shelter (both communities as the hotels seem to me excellent ideas! Why not both?) but reinforcing the idea of ​​having our own home. I do not know how long I will take to gather the necessary for purchase a house and being outdoors does not seem very nice. But if I were given a home early I would lose that motivation. Unless it was really crappy!
    Posted 17 months ago by mira gaia maia Subscriber! | Permalink
  • +1 to model homes.

    I'm two days into the game now. 1000 currents is not too much for a new player to work towards, early quests are very generous with their rewards :) I've deliberately stayed away from buying the first 'crappy' house because I don't want to grow used to having that extra space there, then having to find a way to move all my stuff out should I want to upgrade to a bigger house. I'm not sure how feasible it is to save up all the way for the largest one, but I'm trying. It would be nice if there was some sort of 'moving' service that transfers your items from one house to the next, for a fee -- I would definitely give housing a shot early on if this was possible. Until then, my character shall be a hobo until she moves into the best housing I'm able to save up for!
    Posted 17 months ago by Marie Antoinette Subscriber! | Permalink
  • How about a locker at the subway station it could hold a few items and they can sleep in it. I know when i started i didn't like leaving my Glitch out in the "open" not knowing what evil was lurking!
    Posted 17 months ago by Naiad Subscriber! | Permalink
  • This was my first beta test. I never did get around to getting papers or even looking into a house. I was mostly just exploring new areas. There's sooo much to do and figure out how to do. One thing that I liked was that it was easy to start playing. I didn't mind having to wait to get a house - it's just one more thing to figure out how to do. Exploring and learning takes time anyway.  But since I haven't had a house, I don't know the other side of the argument. I do think the game logistics as to "keeping people off the streets" *might* be a real consideration with more players, but I wouldn't know...
    Posted 17 months ago by gimmegames Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Since houses are not necessary for basic game play, I see no reason to do this. Also, the cheapest houses are affordable to newbies very early on in the game, so there really is no reason to do this. Maybe making it more obvious that a house can be bought, and how to do so, should be focused on (like, via a quest or informative billboards or something).
    Posted 17 months ago by Shepherdmoon Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Hmm, I'm divided on this too.  No, it's not that hard to get a house, but that's easier to say for someone who's already done it.  I liked the challenge of working it out and achieving my 1st house buy.  I've just done it again on a new account and I must say the getting of papers was much much easier and quicker this time round, but again, this is because I knew what to do with my skills and what to do about the papers.

    I don't like the idea of renting for the reasons already said above.  However, if a starter home is to be introduced, I think it should be quest based.  First quest to explain getting the required papers, followed by a further quest to obtain your free starter home and not necessarily dependant on further skills.  Yes, I expect to learn skills as I go, but that will vary from player to player so a Free Starter House quest should not be related to any particular skill after BA1.

    Perhaps it should be, having to visit a set number of named areas and and obtain something from each of them - not something that must be retained in inventory.  That way it would get people travelling and exploring too.
    Posted 17 months ago by ♥joby♥ Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Well, no offense to the lovely posters above me, I didn't read most of the comments <3 sorry!

    But I just wanted to say that this is kind of a cool idea, and I like it!  What if (and sorry if anyone has suggested this above me) the new house were only a *rental*.  So, say you come into the game and you get a quest to find your house.  Perhaps that could be the very first quest a player receives, and it can be a chain quest.  So first, the player does x.  Then they get a reward.  Then the player does y.  Then they get another reward.  The player does z.  Then they get their final reward, which is the crappy little house.  

    Say they earned 200 currants doing x, y, and z.  Well the house rental could be 10 currants per game day.  That would sort of push Glitches in and out of the started home pretty quickly since they are paying to stay there, and encourages them to then purchase their own house.

    EDIT:  The starter home should have maybe 2 herb plots and 2 produce plots, one light patch and one dark patch.  Since its just a quick rental to learn about houses, they could play around with which they prefer.
    Posted 17 months ago by Laurali Subscriber! | Permalink
  • The idea is to give an immediate place to rest, privacy ( a place to leave your Avatar) and a place to safely sort out inventory, given or earned until the new player gets their first currents to purchase a home. Some sell for as low as $1000 currents. Players upgrade their homes as they play and more currents become available.
     Making it a quest to get a "crappy house" defeats the purpose I think. My opinion is that we should take care not to take away that sense of accomplishment of purchasing your first home. Now that is only my opinion.

    The question remains: Should a crappy house be given to new players when they enter Glitch?   
    What is your opinion?
    There is no right or wrong answer.
    Posted 17 months ago by Joy Subscriber! | Permalink
  • In another thread a new player summed up their (and my) initial house buying problem pretty well:

    ""Also, if I had known I could buy a house for the price of a bag, I would have bought a house much, much sooner, rather than initially accumulating more bags"

    As a noob I would have benefited so much from more early info about just how cheap Apts are.

    @Joy - I'm okay with the idea of giving players a starter house, but I'd really like to see it as part of a quest. Just because these potential noob houses are currently being referred to as "crap"  -  if the Rock gave out a quest called "Home Sweet Loam!" I think players would be thrilled to do the quest and acquire their "starter" homes in Loamy Lane (or wherever they would be located) while being educated about papers, permits, Real Estate etc.
    Posted 17 months ago by The Cat Face Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Not that my opinion matters....but since it was asked...

    I believe a house is something you earn - whether someone helps you pay for one, gives it as a gift - that's your fortune if it happens to you. But for it to be standard issue? We don't even give you standard items like a shovel or a pot. Why a house?

    I think the information should be more obvious about purchasing a residence and the price ranges shown. Otherwise, you have an option to purchase a residence (or not).
    Posted 17 months ago by g33kgurrl Subscriber! | Permalink
  • There is a great number of people asking what the 'point' of Glitch is. I think it might be a real mistake to take away one of those 'personal goals' that the game seems to be about.  How many times have you seen happy players raving in Global because they just bought, upgraded, or moved into a new home? I remember the excitement I felt when I first discovered housing; it became my directive for that entire test to procure a residence. Giving it away, as anything free, may make some people take housing for granted, instead of it being a challenge. 

    When in doubt, make things more difficult, it makes the reward so much sweeter. Handing things to people makes them bored. 
    Posted 17 months ago by Blix Subscriber! | Permalink
  • LOVE the Crappy First House idea!!!!!!!
    Posted 17 months ago by Priscilla Parsley Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I just started playing this past weekend, and I would love to have a house! But I didn't know until exploring the forums today that I could have gotten one for less than 5000 currants. When I checked out the realty listings the majority of houses there were the more expensive and I just didn't see the 1000 and 2000 listings. (An option to sort by price would be nice.) So I thought the price was beyond what I could do sooner rather than later. If I had known what I know now I definitely would have made purchasing a home a priority.

    I'd like it more if it were introduced as a quest instead of a free crappy house. Hopefully the quest could be informative in some way, so that people like me can find the right steps to take. But also it would be nice to have the choice to wait til you build up enough currants to get the home you want rather than settling into the cheapest home first, which you will soon want to move out of. Now that I have found out about the process and what is available (too busy playing this weekend while I had the chance instead of reading the forums) I'd want to skip the 1000 currant homes and go for one of the ones that are slightly more than 2000. That way I'd be happy there a little longer.
    Posted 17 months ago by crowdedsky Subscriber! | Permalink
  • @crowdedsky ask and you shall receive! there is a script that sorts Houses by price:

    beta.glitch.com/groups/RHV1...
    Posted 17 months ago by The Cat Face Subscriber! | Permalink
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