Pirate The World - Online Adventure Game

Ok, so remember the days of Eliza and other AI prototype programs where you could have very limited conversations? I had some buddies back in the old days of the Atari ST who combined that with a chat interface from a local multi-line BBS (POPnet) and used it to have a little fun with folks who thought they were talking to a real person.

Well, sitting in the chatroom and talking to a lot of newer players, I've come to the conclusion that it is too much to expect for human beings to actually read the damn rules, i.e. How to Play.

In response to this I think it would be worthwhile to have a primitive AI in the chat room that would answer questions like:

"Why can't I see other ships?"
"What do I do in this game?"
"What's a pearl?"
"What do I do with a pearl?"

Etc, etc. Like an interactive FAQ.

Oh tiqvah I so agree with you. Sometimes I think they can't read or maybe they just don't know how to follow directions. lol But anyway I think that would be a real good idea but then again they do ask the same questions over and over again to the same and different people daily. Would it really help????

However it is a good idea. I agree wholeheartedly.

I don't mind some of the questions, some of them are really good ones. But what is a pearl and what do I do with it, really come on now, everyone knows a pearl is a "shinny, black thingy". rotflmao

I really like that idea, the first day I played I had a lot of questions and found it very annoying to search for it in FAQ or Forum every single time I experienced something new.

2 other possibilities (or maybe even additional)

1. Make a tutorial in which a player gets familiar with the game, when hitting a town, they are told to do every possible action on a town. Show them how their fame rises after a failed and succeeded attack. Explain to them how an upgrade effects their ship. When finding a pearl, they get send to the nearest coordinate they can let their pearl examin.

2. Every first time they experience something new, show an additional message in which whatever occured is explained.

It is interesting to see how little the "How to Play" seems to be used, though. It was all I read for the first month or so---

You are certainly right on that, I think the main reason is because people want to start playing as soon as possible and not read about it before playing.

I myself am guilty to that as well, I want to see what a game is like, see if it is fun before getting more involved in 'details'. then see how to deal with things on my way. I know the reason I get annoyed because I have to look on FAQ/Forum/How to play etc. is basicly my own fault. However I think most people are like me on that issue, first play, then learn