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New Players - Why You Can't Keep Them Playing

Zantiel··5 votes·836 views

After three years of working on me to play this game, I finally succumbed to the wishes of my significant other and decided to give this game a real chance. Having played other MOBA's for years, and this one being none to different, I expected it to give me at least a modicum of enjoyment. And until I reached Level 5, it was okay.

Then I started playing with everyone else, and it became utterly clear that this game, and it's player base, has no room for new players. My first PvP effort turned into an all chat argument about who the best "smurf" was, all the while, I'm out there lost and getting my ass handed to me by people I never should have faced with zero experience. Thinking it was a one-off moment, I tried again, and again, and again, with the exact same results. Three things always happened. 1) My team lost, largely because I was the only really new player and had no idea what I'm supposed to do. 2) Other players shit on me for my lack of skill and experience, even though I'm level 10 and none of us should really know anything. 3) There was always a conversation about who the best "smurf" was, and that only took me 2 games to realize what it meant.

You do not have any "new" players anymore. Those that do venture in run through the gauntlet of your failed elders who only wish to feed on your future to satisfy their present. I, for one, will not continue, because someone brand new to the game can not learn anything getting crapped on every time they play. Quite simply, it is not worth it. If you want to know why the game is dying, it all starts at the bottom. Without new blood, your product is stagnant and doomed to fade. As the old and tired fall away, and your new and eager are chewed up and spit out by your jaded elders, you are left with nothing. I find it interesting that you allow your elders to simply prey on new players in this way because it has been long proven to be highly destructive to the health of a player base.

9 Comments

No flash no life3 votes

While what you said is true, it is also true that, unfortunately, there is no real way to stop smurfing. Limiting account creation based on ip doesn't work, since ip can be changed and there can be multiple players living in one household.

Making it a rule won't do anything, since ppl will simply not admit they are smurfs, and you can't possibly punish players for "doing well" to the point where, objectively, they seem to be smurfs. For argument's sake, they can even say "my account got hacked and I can't get it back so I'm starting from scratch" and what can you do?

The best measure I can suggest - very flawed at it - is charge $ for account creation, which as a result will discourage players from smurfing since money doesn't grow on trees. It will also make them treasure their valued accounts more instead of the " I'm feeding and idc about report I can make new account" mind set. However, this idea is generally frowned upon and is against the free2play concept behind this game so it'll never happen anyway.

Zantiel1 votes

My gal has helped me immensely in getting started. She had me save up IP to buy Sona Sona , as she plays the most like champions I "main" on other games (Skywraith Mage, ect.). She taught me what to buy and largely how to proceed in some of the more vague "meta roles" of League. She wants me to be a Jungler/Support type, as she believes it fits how I play other games, and I've studied these roles via YouTube to see how they are done. Even with these advantages, unfair as they otherwise would be, it means nothing against years of experience and knowledge of all characters, strategies, and counters that exist in all MOBA's by default.

While I'm out here learning when to Smite what and getting killed by Raptors or something else in the jungle, or why I shouldn't kill Minions as a Support, others are out there performing at Ranked levels against unprepared competition. They are not hard to spot, especially from our perspective. Someone who has played for years can easily recognize the advanced tactics and knowledge used against many new players. My gal can do it from across the room.

Granted, some people are naturally gifted, and I am likely not one of them. But I have never felt this utterly helpless in the "FNG" stage of any game, ever. Even jumping into DoTA2 without MOBA experience wasn't as brutal as trying to learn this game in practice against the supposed "low level" competition that exists right now.

She knew there was a problem in my very first game. My gal told me to ward this "Tri-Bush" thing, and when I did, I was instantly dead 30 seconds into the game. The other team had 4 guys on our side of the map and three of us were still figuring out what to buy and where to be. She called "bull****" instantly, and I didn't understand why. I thought it was a ballsy play until she reminded me that even I wouldn't have the gonads to try something like that in DoTA, and she was absolutely right. It only got worse from there.

I understand out-plays and that, having MOBA experience, but it's hard to justify waiting 5-7 minutes for a game that you already know you've lost. That is why new players leave. Champions take forever to earn. Runes take forever to earn. Knowledge and experience come in time that you simply do not have. There is a massive disconnect in the learning curve that makes it nearly impossible for an average new player to even take enjoyment from the game. On top of this, knowing that it will only get worse as far as player toxicity and the skill disconnect between myself and others my level makes even getting to 30 to play with my gal feel like a mountain I simply have no interest in climbing.

Glaedr3 votes

I understand your frustration, but you will be surprised how quickly this game weeds out new players from the guys who are just playing on alt accounts. I'm sure a lot of people have pretty rough first pvp experiences with this game, especially if they're playing with friends who are playing on their smurfs. But if you're playing solo and say your friend is just spectating to help give some pointers, I can guarantee you after just a few games you will be playing with legitimately new players.

I can guarantee you in less than 15 pvp games the game will lower your matchmaking to the point where you're playing with other new guys and it will feel like a more natural setting to learn the game.

DemainaNyx2 votes

I can agree with you on that. I started last year, played a ton of bots, and then tried a few normal games. Within the first 5 normal games I had been placed against plat Blitzcrank with smite who would smite the minion you were hiding behind and hook you through it, flamed at by my team for not Soraka ulting the Ryze who had gone in 1v5 and wasn't even close to winning that fight, flamed at for using my Soraka ult on the Ryze who was 1v3ing and died, flamed at for not knowing what every champions abilities did, and a whole other host of things.

I eventually went to ARAM where I started to learn what each champion did without people worrying too much about my skill level cause they understood you might get a champ that you didn't know what they did. After many games there, I eventually gave Summoner's Rift a chance again and I'm glad I did, but I will admit that those first 5 games were hard to get past when you are literally just getting used to a game and people expect you to play like a pro.

Zantiel1 votes

I've given ARAM a few tries, and I'm fond of the chaos and team-fighting. It does, as you said, give me new perspectives on other champions and seeing how people work together. Since I've actually won there, I can also say that my inexperience won't outright pooch the whole team in ARAM, so there is a comfort zone there as well. Perhaps after I have unlocked a few more champions, I will have better success on the Rift.

Hakuna Matatah2 votes

I would suggest playing bot games until level 20 or even higher if you're completely new to the game. Also, it would be helpful if your significant other spent more time teaching you how to play instead of trying to play while you have no clue what is going on. I had a similar experience. Watching streamers really helps and friends who actually know what they're talking about can also be beneficial. You could add my account if you want to talk or have any questions.

Morality Coach1 votes

Play support with a heavily armored class and you shouldn't get raged on much.

Itankyou1 votes

I read until you started talking about blood and shit, weird bro

DemainaNyx1 votes

{quoted}

I've given ARAM a few tries, and I'm fond of the chaos and team-fighting. It does, as you said, give me new perspectives on other champions and seeing how people work together. Since I've actually won there, I can also say that my inexperience won't outright pooch the whole team in ARAM, so there is a comfort zone there as well. Perhaps after I have unlocked a few more champions, I will have better success on the Rift.

What lane on Rift are you trying to learn or are you just playing whatever position until you find the right spot? You mentioned that your girl suggested you play jungle and support but I don't know if that's the ideal spot for you. I don't play Dota 2, but off of the quick google search and gameplay I watched, everything mentioned that Skywrath Mage was a nuker type champion. Sona can be that way if you build properly, but she's more a poke heavy lane bully, not a 1 shot champion.

The first champion that that one reminded me of was Kayle. Her Q is a point and click slow which does damage, her W is a heal and movement speed buff, her E makes her autos go from melee to ranged and do extra damage, and her ult makes a champion immune to damage for the duration. All of her abilities are point and click, so it allows you to get used to the game first instead trying to deal with learning skill shots. Generally you build her with on hit and attack speed, so items like item 3115 item 3085 item 3091 item 3124 item 3116 item 3006 . And honestly, all you need to do is hit Q on an enemy, hit E, and then right click the enemy and you're basically done. If you start getting low, use your ult on yourself and continue to hit E whenever it's off cooldown. She isn't a nuke, but she does a lot of damage and you can't really dodge it.

Someone who actually can nuke a target though would be like Veigar. 3 of his 4 abilities are skill shots, but he's rewarded for hitting skill shots by getting extra AP. And that AP increases the damage on his abilities, so the more you hit, the more damage you do, regardless of the items you have. He's one of the few champions with infinitely scaling because of this. He does a ton of damage and his ult is a point and click nuke that does a ton of damage.

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