F2P Players need chat love

Last night I was in Atlas, recruiting for 'Death from Below'. I noticed some serious problems.

The first problem was that while F2P players seemed interested, they were having trouble finding me to express that interest since they couldn't respond to me in broadcast or private tells.

A couple of them who were in visual range of me walked up to me so that they could express interest in local chat.

The second problem is that there was some friction in the help channel when f2p players started using it to look for groups. The channel nazis (in /help, really? *sigh*) discouraged them from using it.

There are a few things that can be done about this. First of all, as a player, you can make it easier on f2p players by telling them where you are when recruiting for an open team. 'I'm standing in front of City Hall' or the like.

Second, right now, /help is the closest thing to a global channel that f2p players can get. Don't discourage them from using it. Heck, treat them nicely as possible. We WANT these guys to stick around and play with us, and hopefully become premium or VIP players!

The devs can also help us out here.

Give f2p players access to the /req channel. It's a channel that can be easily filtered by other players who don't want to see it, and can be used to better coordinate groups.

Additionally, to help avoid the friction in /help, it'd be a great idea to create a similar, server-wide channel that can be used by f2p players. Call it something like /f2p or /lfg.

I'm gonna post a method that will work. Ideal? No, but it does work.

Have the F2Player /friend you. Then they can talk to you through the friends channel. Then you can just unfriend them when they're done.

Aside from available chat channels to F2P users, there is also the LFG function. Mentioning that in broadcast along with the recruiting for the trial would have allowed them to join.

This method worked quite well during Beta and many of the players actually recommended this method when people would load in and broadcast/local "lf sewer trial".

I still get chat spam from time to time. Absolutely not. If anything, even VIPs should have to pay extra to use Broadcast, Request, and Local.

If you're building a sewer team don't fill it up. If you start your sewer team with only 6 people the LFG should pull 2 people who are waiting in queue. This doesn't work 100% of the time but I do (usally) end up with 1 or 2 more players when I start sewers runs with less then a full team.

How about an option that would allow VIP/Premium players a tag to receive/not receive tells from freebies? Then people wanting to run groups for the frees could receive tells from them and those who don't want to hear from them (because of spam or whatever) could keep them silent.

Given how hamstrung the freeps are, I have no problem with them using help for teams. Lord knows I've seen far worse in help channels (across various servers) by current paying players than someone looking for a team via the only means they really have.

Seriously, when someone broadcasts "team lfm" and you have to try to hunt down the broadcaster so they can chat in local... well that's a serious problem. I certainly get that the freeps don't get all the goodies, but if we're trying to win them over, we should allow them to see the game's fundamental appeal, which is teaming (I say this as a 75% soloer). I mean really, put yourself in their shoes and ask if you would want to join a game if you were subjected to these chat restrictions.

How dare all the freebies use the Help Channel so the VIPs cant help the freebies!!! Its not like the VIPs have all these other channels to enjoy right?

intended or unintended right now it is the only channel for free players to find group and it will be used as such.

There is nothing you or I can do to change this.

The Devs MUST put in a free LFG channel or help channel will be crushed under the weight of lfg.

Why are you perpetuating the problem with the LFG system by pre-forming groups? DfB doesn't require some mystical "perfect" group setup. Any group of players with lukewarm IQs can finish that thing. Queue up, tell other people to queue up, et voila! You are automatically placed in a group that you don't have to micromanage invitations.

The LFG system is there for a reason. Use it! Encourage other people to use it!

I understand pre-forming for iTrials, which can easily be failed without a small amount of balancing. I *don't* understand pre-forming for DfB, which pretty much can't be failed.

/b Queuing Death from Below, a fun lowbie experience with tons of XP - click "LFG" on your chat bar and queue up!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dispari I don't know why Dink thinks she's not as sexy as Jay was. In 5 posts she's already upstaged his entire career.

Some of the chat limitations weren't well thought out and are pretty stupid. I get the idea that they don't want spam everywhere, but instead everyone will just go to the help channel instead.