All too often, true novices just have trouble with simple things like syntax. I think an option to NOVICE WATCH would be a huge help to guild leaders, and perhaps cut down on some frustration on both ends, especially in regard to truly new players.

I wouldn't recommend extending this beyond the guild leaders, not even to undersecretaries, but I do think giving three people per guild the ability is well worth it.

In that case I'd feel bad for novices who aren't really new to IRE or Lusternia, but are under constant watch and bugged all the time about 'important' stuff they don't really care about at the very beginning.
Novices often want some time for themselves and queasy leaders just don't want to leave them alone, threatening with prolonging their novice time if they don't obey.

Yes, I want this ability so that I can watch all the little novices get their cybersex on with each other. I could stop borrowing Etanru's Orb of Creation.

I can't imagine watching NATURE CURSE FINK ad infinitum would be of much interest to anyone. Nor the spam of watching people walk around at light speed. But hence why the ability would only be given to the three people voted as leadership.

I still think it would be a huge help.

I'd not have to ask the Fate guides to step in occasionally when the novices just don't get it, and keep trying to learn "dicsipline" and saying they don't have the skill.

Would be handy. Maybe make it so the novice has to agree to it though? They already feel weirded out enough when I remind them to select their skills.

You're aware that guides have this ability, right?

And it's enough that they have it, guides are guides.

Well personally i think guides having it makes more sense than guildmembers. Guides are OOC, syntax is OOC. Guild members, especially officials, are IC and have a role to demonstrate. It's very bad form and a bad example for anyone other than someone specifically out to help novices to send a random tell to a newbie telling him "what to type". For all you know, said newbie might have good healthy RP standards and you'll look like an idiot for insulting them with blatant OOC tells that he was quite happy to muddle along without.

Guilds arent anything to do with syntax, if you're going to promote good RP, dont fling OOC terms in the direction of every newbie you get, encourage them to refer to their skills as more than just something you type, and let the guides tell them the things that are supposed to be difficult for in-role players to explain.

If I was a novice, I wouldn't want Guido watching the cybersex. Those poor horny novices already have enough to deal with.

How about giving a similiar ability to Mentors (if anyone actually remembers and uses them)?

Sometimes we just have to teach really new novices about the syntaxes... They may not even know how to speak on the channel, so I send them a tell if they're suspiciously quiet.

Wait, Guides have this ability? *feels watched*

don't worry, unless you're a novice I don't the Guides are to concerned with you. I'd watch out for the Divine though, some of them might be voyeurs

Sorry, but an ability to watch others isn't going to be handed over to just anyone. It's far too easily abused. Anyone can get a leadership position - it doesn't mean they are trustworthy enough to not abuse the priviledge.

How about just a NOVICE WATCH (ON|OFF) skill that lets us know when novices of our guild log in and out? That would be so immensely useful to me.

Sometimes I feel watched by Viravain.

I am a novice and I don't want someone watching me type.

And no, it's not half as interesting as cybersex. I just spent a good 20 minutes getting myself a new outfit other than the standard pants and tunic. Wow, exciting.

What I *would* like is a freakin' book with the commands in it. Not online help pages. But something that was printed out and next to me to flip through.

I am not an expert on MUDs whatsover. But I have been on a few on and off and the most irritating part about it is the fact that the commands change from system to system. On one system you LOOK and on another you LOOK AT . These niggly little points of syntax are highly annoying.

You'd think that by this day and age we'd have some MUD software evolved where LOOK and LOOK AT are the same freakin' command!

Argh. But perhaps I am getting off-topic here.

I would REALLY LIKE Iron Realms to come up with some books to support the games. I'd love a basic command book for all their games, and fiction books covering the history of the worlds would be fantastic.

Oooh...that would be nice! A book with the histories, the race charts, the pictures, the skillsets in it....I'd totally buy it!

Or rather than a book.. just a print friendly page with newb commands.

I so wouldn't be buying a book when I can just copy and paste text and print it for myself.

HELP BASECOMMANDS

2.9 A list of basic commands
Information about your Character:
SCORE : Gives you the most basic information about your character.
STATUS : Shows you some information about your current status.
I,INVENTORY,EQ : Lists the equipment you possess.
INFO INV,II : Lists the unique, identifying numbers of your equipment.
DEF,DEFENCES : This will list various defences that you may have.
SKILLS : List what skills you have.
AB : See what abilities you have in a skill.
WIELDED : See what you are wielding.
GODFEELINGS : See how the Gods feel about you currently.
CREDITS : See how many credits you have.

Communication commands:
SAY or ' or " : Say something to everyone in your location. Note that there
are some other verbs that work similarly to say. For
instance: sing, whine, mutter, snarl, and scream.
SHOUT : Shout something out for everyone in the land to hear.
YELL : Yell something to everyone in your immediate area.
TELL : Remote communication with another player. This can also
be done just by typing a player's name followed by the
text you wish to send.
TELLSOFF : Stop listening to tells.
TELLSON : Start listening to tells.
NEWBIE : Speak on the newbie channel.
NEWBIEOFF : Turn the newbie channel off.
NEWBIEON : Turn the newbie channel on.
EMOTE : Send text to everyone in the room.
MSG : Send a message to someone's message file.
MESSAGES : See a summary of your messages.
SHOWMSG : See a message in full detail.
DELMSG : Delete a message.
DELMSG ALL : Delete all your messages.
CMSG : Clear your message file.
SHOUTSOFF : Stop listening to shouts.
SHOUTSON : Resume listening to shouts.
YELLSOFF : Stop listening to yells.
YELLSON : Resume listening to yells.
NEWS : Type HELP NEWS to get information about the news.
SNUB : Begin to ignore, or, if you're already ignoring, stop
ignoring, a person. Stops messages, tells, and targetted
emotes.

et cetera...(it goes on for a long time more)
they should just make a page on the website with this on it, and make it easily acessable and printable. that would solve the problem, i think.
actually, it could be cleaned up and made allot smaller for just the specific newbie commands. like the entire guild section could be taken out, and things like how to lock objects and how to snub people and things too. or things about sheathing and salute while drawing a blade and things.

True newbies don't need pure RP crap, as has been mentioned by many gods. They need the OOC things like a syntax spelled out to them. If you don't give simple things like kill a mob by ABJURE COSMICFIRE newbies will get frustrated.

essentially the initial novicetraining is an ooc thing, you check if they understand generalcommands, you teach them to skillchoice select, explain important guildskills to them on an ooc level.

this is the same reason why GNT allows ooc questions.

as to newbie watch, sorry but no. If you think a newbie is using the wrong syntax go bother a guide or if you must a god.