Topic

GREETINGS! A Newbie Primer (Some Spoilers!)

Greetings to all New Players!  Some of you were met by Greeters, some chose not to meet the Greeters and some did not get the opportunity to be Greeted.  I welcome you to Glitch!  If you need help or advice, please don't be afraid to ask. 

To those Glitches who have been here a while please post some good advice including Links to other Noob threads and pages that are Helpful.

1.  This is a side scrolling game.  It relies on use of your Keyboard.  So you think this is old-fashioned?  Maybe so but you can get used to it.  When I was new I did not know that and was unable to move for a few minutes.  So, dust off your Arrow keys and use them!  You can move right and left using the arrows.  You can also move somewhat using your Mouse but the Arrows work best.  Use the Space bar to Jump.  When you move in front of something and that object or animal has a blue aura you can hit Enter and open a menu.   I personally still use my mouse for this but you can do everything in the game with your keyboard.  This may be easier for Plarformers.

2.  Please Pet trees and pigs.  Squeeze chickens.  Water trees and Harvest them.

3.  Currants are the coins of Glitch.  On your window you can check how many Currants you have.  You will need a minimum of 1,000 currants to buy a house.  You will also need to purchase some basic Tools:  Shovel, Hoe, Pick.  There is another Thread here on "How to Buy a House":  beta.glitch.com/forum/gener...

4.  You need to learn Skills.  From your Home page click on the Skills link at the top and check out the Skills.  You will need to learn Bureaucratic Arts I in order to get your Card Carrying papers and a permit to buy a House.  You can purchase these papers at  the Bureaucratic Hall in Gregarious Grange.  In the middle of the Top of your Window you will see your Magic Rock.  The Rock will advise you.  When you choose a Skill to learn, the Rock will learn it for you and tell you when he is done.  The Rock will also offer you some Quests.  The Quests are fun and will help you learn how to play so do try to complete them.

5.  There is a Subway system with two routes, Red and Blue.  Both routes go to the same places just in opposite directions.  Click on the Map in the subway to see the routes (or hit Enter once the sign is Highlighted).  You must have your Card Carrying papers before you can ride the sub.

6.  The Map is at the top right corner of the window.  Click on it to open it and see where you are.  There is a Search Bar.  Enter a street name in the search bar to see where it is located.  On the map you can find where you want to go, click on it and your route to that place will be mapped for you.  Instructions on where to go to get there will then be displayed.  if you make a wrong move you will still be directed   to your location.  If you enter a housing block or some other location, you will be told that you are "Off the Path".  Click on the "X" to close the directions if you change your mind about where to go.

7.  You need Food.  At first, the best way to get it is to Harvest every tree, Sqeeze every chicken and Nibble every pig.  As you obtain Currants you can buy food from the Grocery vendors.  When you get a home, you can plant vegetables and trees in your garden.

8.  Hell - If your mood and/or energy gets too low you will be sent to Hell.  Don't be alarmed!  Squish enough Hell grapes and you will return to where you were when you died and you will see your own gravestone.  To avoid Hell, keep you Mood and Energy up.  Look to the Top left of your Window to see the state of your Mood and Energy. 

9.  A New Day!  When the new Day dawns your Mood and Energy will be restored.

10.  Groups and Friends.  On the right side of your screen is a List of your Friends and any Groups you belong to.  You can click on the little Tab on the list to expand it outward.  Click on a Group to read it's Live Chat.  Click on a Friend's name to IM them.  There will be a Local Chat window on the bottom right.  This will show you Chats and updates for your current Location.  The upper Chat window (if you have opened one) will either be the Global Chat or the Group Chat that you may select.  You can get Help in these Chat windows if you need it.  Don't hesitate to enter into the Chat.  You can click on another player and open a menu.  At the top is "Info".  Click on "Info" to learn more about the person.  Soon you will also be able to Kiss, Hug, Splank, etc, any Glitch by opening their menu and choosing an action.  You can also Give and Receive things from them.

These are just a few of the basic things that I did not know when I began and which would have been helpful to me when I first played.  There are many more things to know about and that you can do.  These are things that you will use every time you play.  I hope that you enjoy this game as much as I have!  Please use the Live Chat if you need Help!  There are many Helpful Glitches here!

Posted 17 months ago by Brib Annie Subscriber! | Permalink

Replies

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  • Also, if you don't feel like using your arrow keys, you can use a modified WASD scheme as well (A=left, D=right for movement, W=up and S=down when navigating through menus). For me this is an easier scheme than using the arrow keys.
    Posted 17 months ago by Ferbot Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Great post! I'll add....

    11. Leveling up. This is not as important as it is in some games. I was in the must level up mentality when I started. I still am, it's a fine goal! it's just not as big a deal in Glitch. You actually progress in the game through skills - those are what will grant you the ability to make advanced foods & drinks, have better/easier interactions with plants & animals, use various tools, etc.

    12. Shrines. Shrines are the things in the middle of most streets that are not vendors. You can donate to them. They'll take just about anything but they like some things a bit more than others - they seem to really like gems & music boxes (both of which are bonuses you get from doing things like harvesting trees or mining rocks). At the start, you can donate up to 1000 pts worth of things in a game day. As you get emblems, that limit will increase but you might find it better to use the favor you've gained to speed up your skill learning. (and, if you're a leveling sort of person, donating to shrines is a great way to get more XP)
    Posted 17 months ago by Vera Strange Subscriber! | Permalink
  • You don't need Penpersonship for your papers or housing permit. o.o

    Great post though!

    To #6, I would also add: Also on the map, next to each street, are two small gray icons. One is currant-symbol shaped, and hovering over it will tell you what kind of vendor is available on that street, and the other symbol will tell you which Giant's shrine is on that street. There is also a second map, accessible by clicking the little train icon in the top left corner of your map window, that shows you the subway route. This is handy for finding the nearest station.

    13. Explore and experiment! Don't be afraid to go new places and try new things. Read item descriptions, especially on things being sold at the vendor or on ingredients you've never seen in recipes. Learn what each type of vendor sells; learn what areas have what resources. Try menu options that look new or different.
    Posted 17 months ago by MX Ghostie Subscriber! | Permalink
  • +1,000 Brib, what a fabulous idea for a thread!
    Posted 17 months ago by RM Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Absolutely love all the info you shared to help newcomers, Brib Annie!  Wish there was a way for this to be stickied so it stays up top for new members still to come.

    I also found this site, Glitch Wiki, that has been very helpful.

    Thank you for your post, Brib Annie. +1,001
    Posted 17 months ago by oli kins Subscriber! | Permalink
  • No greeters when I first started up, and wonder aimlessly for hours through streets wondering what the ... I was suppose to be doing... Came across the forums and slowly started to find my way around, so great idea for a thread and definitely encouraging them to check out Glitch Wiki is a good idea too!

    And something small that I assure you had me stumped for WEEKS ... Butterfly Milk makes butter which then makes CHEESE !!!!
    Posted 17 months ago by BumbleBeez Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Some Links:

    Official Glitch Blog:  www.glitch.com/blog/

    Greasemonkey Scripts, great addons to Firefox and Chrome.  Some might work in other browsers.  These are unofficial but so helpful:  beta.glitch.com/forum/gener...

    Also unofficial but very helpful is Glitch Addicts:  glitchaddict.com/

    And, as oli kins pointed out, the Wiki has many answers:  www.glitch-strategy.com/wik...
    Posted 17 months ago by Brib Annie Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Great post! :)

    The wiki is a very useful resource. I would recommend that new players take a look at these pages:
    Start Here
    Frequently Asked Questions
    Posted 17 months ago by Varaeth Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Thanks for the info. Here are a couple of newbie questions I don't know the answers to:

    How are people messaging each other outside of the game? I see updates on my home page with messages between people.

    Is it okay to harvest crops in community gardens if there is no player waiting to harvest them? Is the policy to "take some, leave some", or is it "to each her own" and paws off!
    Posted 17 months ago by Widdershins Subscriber! | Permalink
  • widdershins, I think probably you're seeing people who are connected via Facebook, Google+, email or just in various groups with each other. Sadly, as yet there's no PM/in-game email box so we can't really send personal messages to other Glitchers unless we're connected up with them in one of those ways. I keep hoping something like this is coming someday.

    No one really agrees on the community garden etiquette but based on what I have read in forums, I think the majority would say "take some, leave some" is a good policy, especially if there's not someone sitting there, actively waiting to grow stuff.
    Posted 17 months ago by RM Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Widdershins, if you type in the "status box" on your homepage, starting with an @ sign and the username of the person you want to talk to, then I think it sends the update just to that person (like Twitter). Either that, or all of your friends can see it too, I'm not totally sure about that yet.

    My newbie-like question is this: Are there keyboard shortcuts for working with your inventory?
    Posted 17 months ago by Ferbot Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Thanks, Rascalmom, glad to hear I'm not evil. :)  And I'll add that I water any plots that need it, and clean up the plots I harvest from. 

    Ferbot, all the friends can see it, that's why I'm seeing it.
    Posted 17 months ago by Widdershins Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Ferbot, yes there are some; I only learned them myself about a test ago! The one I found useful was typing "B" which highlights your bags. Then you can just use your arrow keys to very very quickly page through all your bags and/or the contents of each bag. Save time mouse clicking on each bag and item. The right and left arrows will move you along the bags or the items in a given bag. Then the up arrow will open a bag that's highlighted. The down arrow will take you from the list of items in a bag down to the list of bags. Play with it; I found it sped up a lot of interactions for me.
    Posted 17 months ago by RM Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Great list so far!

    14. While your mood dropping slightly over time is not cause for concern (as it does over time, such as when you go AFK), you may notice the XP cost for actions you receive getting lower if you stay in a bad mood for too long. Raise your mood by doing such uplifting things like drinking energy enhancing drinks, petting trees and animals to stop this from occurring.
    Posted 17 months ago by Caesura Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Brib Annie, I think it's great that you started this thread.. wish I could have had such great direction in the game when I started.. don't even remember having a greeter.  That's ok as I'm just a gypsy street creature at heart :)

    Ferbot.. thanks for asking your question and Rascalmom, thanks for answering!  I learned something new (and very useful) today! :DD

    Looking forward to finding out other stuff I'd like to know.. :)
    Posted 17 months ago by Joni Mitchell Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Thanks for the info about that keyboard shortcut RM! :) I had accidentally activated it before, but I could never remember how I did that.
    Posted 17 months ago by Varaeth Subscriber! | Permalink
  • this thread is great and i'm going to send it to my three noobs who started this past test.

    eta "my three noobs." deserved a repeat.
    Posted 17 months ago by emdot Subscriber! | Permalink
  • excellent post Brib - So much helpful info in one place!

    I would just add to #6 - the map can also be toggled on and off by hitting the "M" key.

    @Rascalmom nice can't wait to try the "B" key next test!
    Posted 17 months ago by The Cat Face Subscriber! | Permalink
  • KEYS - There are several keys that you will find around Ur.  You may also eventually come across locked doors.  Use the Keys to enter the locked doors.  Often there are good things in there - food, currants XP, etc.  You will come out at a different location.  Keys spawn in the vicinity of the locked doors.  Sometimes they are partially hidden so look around the door.  If you don't find a key right away, wait a bit. 
    Posted 17 months ago by Brib Annie Subscriber! | Permalink
  • All my friends are telling me I should do the no-no. It looks like they're having fun, but I get a little worried cuz it seems like they're doing it ALOT! What should I do?
    Posted 17 months ago by Muncey Mango Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Just say NO to No-No! 
    Posted 17 months ago by Brib Annie Subscriber! | Permalink
  • No-no.. well lately.. Earthshakers or just plain lots-o-meat n' such seems like a better alternative.  Sadly I came in as a Beta just as the most excellent benefits of No-no were being eliminated.
    Posted 17 months ago by Joni Mitchell Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I want to add something that needs to been on top of this list!!

    #0 This is a social game. Other players aren't competition (most of the time). Don't be afraid to use local/global chat, you wil find that other players are more than willing to help you out and can be very generous. In Glitch it is really easy to make friends if you show kindness. Working together even gives higher rewards (barnacle scraping, earth digging, mining). Some people prefer to play a more solo game and that's alright too.

    @Brib Annie This thread is awesome. It's like the official newbie guide to Glitch and really really really calls for being a sticky. (stoot?)
    Posted 17 months ago by Victoria Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Sigh, Glitch is about learning and growing with the game, whilst this is well meaning and informative it completely removes the fun of discovering things for youself. Surely the only message we should be giving new players is try everything, nothing you do will harm you or your game. A step by step guide in my humble opinion just removes the magic of those early levels.
    Posted 17 months ago by Faereluth Subscriber! | Permalink
  • @Faereluth I agree completely! But after my eyes going @.@ and then X.x after reading the same questions over and over and over from newbies in global this last test... I think a few questions answered might be for the best. Maybe this thread will get a little too indepth and ruin the magic, but the true adventurers don't read guides anyway. ;)
    Posted 17 months ago by MX Ghostie Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Thanks, Brib Annie!  I've added a link to this thread to the "I Wish Someone Had Told Me That at the Beginning!" discussion in the Newbies Social Club group.

    @Faereluth -  I can't agree that this post will spoil anything for newbies (except for the most independent minded, who won't be reading the forums anyway).  Nearly everything listed here is the kind of thing that greeters might be telling the newbs  - about the mechanics of the game and how the interface works.  I think there is general (though obviously not unanimous) agreement that a bit softer a landing the first time in Glitch would be welcomed by most newbs.  There is so much to explore and discover in Ur that a little less time spent mastering the mechanics of the game is hardly going to spoil anything.
    Posted 17 months ago by Hawkwell Subscriber! | Permalink
  • @ MX Ghostie

    Then maybe the answer really is not to have a chat but to encourage people to ask other players in game, ooh the social interactions that would be needed if the only method of finding answers was to ask :) I know almost everyone in game would be happy to answer and share tips,

    Heck someone might even decide to set up an Learning Acadamy of Ur, having a source of info in game would be way cooler than a thread in the forum.
    Posted 17 months ago by Faereluth Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I agree Faereluth, this could take some of the fun of discovery away but those who like that will not read it I hope.  These are all things I wish I had known when I got here.  It took me a long time to discover most of these things for myself.  I struggled a bit when I got here and if it had not been that I had so many FS friends here I might have quit.  I hated the Keyboard use, I hated not having a home, I hated that I had such a struggle getting Food and Currants.  I hated that my Pick was mostly useless because I didn't know Mining yet and could not afford a Fancy Pick, etc., etc.  The first session of play for me was not fun.  I did enjoy the beauty of the graphics though.  My Friends and the graphics kept me coming back until at last I began to settle in and make some progress.

    Some of the comments I have read from new players are what prompted me to start this thread.  I certainly hope that I have not spoiled anything for anyone.  The first 10 points should actually be plenty of info to get a player started without spoiling much.  I hope that those who enjoy discovery will not go further than that.
    Posted 17 months ago by Brib Annie Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Brib/Faereluth: How about a simple compromise? Add *spoiler alerts* to the name of the post. That's usually enough of a heads-up to those who like to find out on their own. :)
    Posted 17 months ago by RM Subscriber! | Permalink
  • on the right of the computer/laptop screen is a chatting area. you can chat so everybody in the area can see or talk to a person in private by IMing them. there is also a global chat to talk to EVERYONE playing the game, live help, ( for help only ) and if you played faunasphere, fs refugees and friends! just click the one you want to chat in, a type a message!

    skills are something that really come in handy. use them to many things. mining, tinkering, meditating, penpersonship, animal kinship, and much more. you need some skills to do other skills. as soon as your finished learning a skill, you get a quest. the quest goes with the skill you learned so you will have to use your new skill in the quest. you will figure out how to use them

    also i would like to tell you about the giants shrines. you can donate uneeded items here to get something called " favor points ". if you are learning a skill that takes hours or days, spend some favor points to speed up your learning. jewels and rocks help alot with donations.
    get some by mining skills or by auctions.

    heres a link: www.glitch-strategy.com/wik...
    good luck new glitches!!
    Posted 17 months ago by GiaTori Subscriber! | Permalink
  • BADGES:  You will receive a Badge for each Achievement and there are many of these.  You can find a list of Achievements in the Encyclopedia.  These will also show on your Profile page and the latest ones will appear on your Home page.  At the dawn of each day you will be told what you achieved the previous day.
    Posted 17 months ago by Brib Annie Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Another perspective I’d like to offer is the idea of helping to make the newcomer’s first visit as positive and fun as possible for them.  If a newcomer ends up feeling frustrated for whatever reason, it may just make it that much easier to throw in the towel and not feel any incentive to log in and try this world again.  Especially today when there are a myriad of games and other social worlds for them to explore and interact in.

    Everyone has their own style of acclimating to a game/online world.  Some really prefer the help, some prefer to figure it out independently, and every other style of play in between.  For those that want this type of guidance, if it keeps them coming back for more and having fun and growing in game, then I see that as a positive thing.

    I’m also thinking that as there are different gameplay styles, there are different personalities.  Some will embrace and love that you can play this game solo, while others prefer joining up with others as they play, while others prefer alternating between the two.  Some newcomers may be shy and may find it hard to ask for help or interact in global chat when they have questions or are stuck on a quest.  For them, having something like this, the Newbie Primer, may be a helpful tool they are drawn to and prefer over asking someone for help.  In time, that shy newcomer may blossom and “come out of their shell” as they gain more confidence and become more comfortable in the game.

    I guess what I’m trying to say is that it seems like a good thing to have different streams of “help” for the new members here, whether that be the greeters welcoming newcomers and answering their questions, or the kindness of another member helping them that they meet on a street as they explore, or global chat, or newcomer groups, or this Newbie Primer, or a Learning Academy.  Whatever path matches the new member’s comfort level, or preference, at the time.  It seems to me that this gives a new member choices in how they wish to learn this game; and, hopefully, that will only encourage them to return again and again.

    The bottom line is if it keeps that new member wanting more and keeps them coming back, no matter how they’re learning the game, that’s a success. :-)
    Posted 17 months ago by oli kins Subscriber! | Permalink
  • +100 oli kins, well said:)
    Posted 17 months ago by RM Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Hmm although I don't want to read spoilers, the tag *spoilers* always makes me curious about what I am going to encounter and read it anyway... curiosity killed the cat...

    Don't forget the FAQ group and chat. The global chat can be a bit too fast scrolling, the faq group is a bit quiter but it's also a place where new players can get to meet eachother, and get answers from not-new players.
    Also, it's fun to discover things together with other newbies.
    Posted 17 months ago by Miriamele Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Don't forget that you can scroll the Live Chats backward if you miss something.
    Posted 17 months ago by Brib Annie Subscriber! | Permalink
  • TINKERING - Learn the Tinkering Skills as soon as you can fit them in.  Buy a Tinkertool.  With the tool and the skills you can repair your broken tools and eventually make your own.  If you have a tool that breaks, don't be afraid to ask someone to fix it for you.  That will save the cost of buying a new one.  Your cooking tools will also break and can be fixed with your Tinkertool.  never throw away a broken tool, it can be fixed.  If you have more than one of something, you can always sell the extra to a vendor or another player.
    Posted 17 months ago by Brib Annie Subscriber! | Permalink
  • MEDITATING:

    learn the first meditating skill. you will need a focus orb.meditating allows you to restore some of your health, mood and give you a bit of XP. this skill works greater when you learn meditating 2, 3 and the others. this comes in handy and is a skill i recommend.

    ANIMAL FOODS:
    beta.glitch.com/items/butte... - beta.glitch.com/items/meat/ - beta.glitch.com/items/grain/ - beta.glitch.com/items/butte... - beta.glitch.com/items/cheese/ ----milk a butterfly, squeeze a chicken and nibble a pig!! all three of these thing will give you some food. but you have to be nice to the animal first! massage a butterfly and pet a pig!
    you dont need to do anything for a chicken. use the butterfly milk in many ways! shake it for butterfly butter. and turn butter into cheese!! ( all animal food links on top of the animal section )

    all this info is making me want to play again!! please open tommorow!!
    Posted 17 months ago by GiaTori Subscriber! | Permalink
  • heres a link to the enclyopedia if you need to find a item, food or place:

    beta.glitch.com/encyclopedia/ - good luck!!
    Posted 17 months ago by GiaTori Subscriber! | Permalink
  • HOUSES:

    buy a house!! all of them have something special inside! you never know untill you buy it!
    all come with a cabinet and a place for your trophies. you can see someone elses house by clicking profile and there is the place of there house to the right of there glitch person.

    there are houses in alot of places. i cannot show you all of them but i can show you a map of the glitch world. A to Z: beta.glitch.com/locations/
    Posted 17 months ago by GiaTori Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Bump.
    Posted 16 months ago by larky lion Subscriber! | Permalink
  • This was very helpful! Thanks for putting it together.
    Posted 16 months ago by shipwreck Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Wow - this really needs to be on sheets of paper lying around the first few streets.
    Posted 16 months ago by Jewel Stoned Subscriber! | Permalink
  • bumping this for a new influx of newbies
    Posted 16 months ago by marycontrary Subscriber! | Permalink
  • This is an awesome thread -- thanks for starting it, Brib Annie
    Posted 16 months ago by kakul Subscriber! | Permalink
  • What a great thread!
    Posted 16 months ago by ~Pink Flamingo~ Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Bumpity bump for the new newbies!

    *oontz oontz oontz*
    Posted 16 months ago by Jennyanydots Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Thanks for starting this thread Brib!

    HOUSES addition:
    Here's the link to the realty pages for you to look through all the houses.  You can buy one for as little as 1000 currants which is about the same price as a small bag and other lower priced houses are in the 2000-4000 currant range (which is the same as 1-2 big bags). You'll need to figure out how to get your papers to purchase a house (see #4 in original post).
    Posted 16 months ago by b3achy Subscriber! | Permalink
  • The only thing to really confuse me when I started was getting my papers!
    Here's a very useful link wherecanigetpapers.com/
    Big kudos to whoever did it!
    Posted 16 months ago by Phochai Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Wish this thread could be stickied for the newer players...
    Posted 15 months ago by b3achy Subscriber! | Permalink
  • There's a link to this thread in the Newbies Social Cub group discussions.
    Posted 15 months ago by Hawkwell Subscriber! | Permalink
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