Keeping New Players

[Baalzamon]

I never played a game without MGU/SMC, so maybe I don't understand just how much auto-mappers hurt, but I really don't think that third party programs should be supported. That was a big thing that I liked when 1.5 JUST launched..before MGU was changed to support it, before the lazy trader...people had to find their own routes, could hide their routes, etc.

As a mac user, I can't use MGU, and even though Page says that Lazy Trader should work for me, it doesn't. And I've been fine. Still able to play. Sure, maybe I have longer arming routes because I have to depend on the locations that I wrote down and haven't figured out the quickest way between the locations, but screw it.

Put in a locations page that saves locations that you yourself have been to. Thats what I've been using the Notes section on the trader page for anyway. Maybe even create a sector list for each location where the sectors are clickable to auto-plot to (but I know most of you will most likely shoot that down). Allow there to be notes attached to a sector, for example:

Combat Accessory:
3168 *Alliance CA
2147 *HoA CA
1598
1160

This isn't a route creator, this isn't an arming plotter, not even a "Find the Nearest". Its a list of sectors that you can already make using the notes section on the trader page, and it could still be something that will help new players keep track of important locations, as well as vets like myself who think that we're too classy for a Windows computer

[B.O.B.]

The Lazy Trader, which is in Java is platform independent. And if you've seen the MGU you wouldn't think it would be easy to be platform independent. It'd need a major rewrite in a different language.

[Page]

The Lazy Trader, which is in Java is platform independent. And if you've seen the MGU you wouldn't think it would be easy to be platform independent. It'd need a major rewrite in a different language.

Can use mono to convert MGU to cross-platform with a lot less effort (but still requires modifications), it would however still need recompiling for each platform I believe, and I don't know anyone with a mac who would be willing/able to do so.

[Edgecrusher]

Well, I have seen MGU and although the code looks a bit messy in my eyes (but programmers always hate eachothers code), it's a well-constructed code, nicely available in Visual Studio. MVS supports an easy transfer of any code to any other code in the MSV package. So really, it shouldn't be a problem.

I'm perfectly fine with creating a platform independent version once I have time, which I am afraid won't be for a while.

Page, if MGU had an online version, what happened to it and shouldn't we get that back?

And Baalz, if a java program doesn't work for you, there's probably some other problem, like missing libraries or something.

[Edgecrusher]

One more thing, I completely agree with Baalz and others that you don't need MGU to play. I don't even feel you should need IRC to play. I certainly didn't have either the first years of my SMR carreer, and I stuck with the game. Players are spoiled nowadays, something more grumpy old vets will say (not mentioning names *cough* Kah *cough).

But saying that players are spoiled, although I hate to admit it, is not a particularly strong argument in the discussion and Page convinced me with the argument that removing in-game support for MGU will only limit its availability to the newer players. Big alliances will have the resources to code auto-mappers, buy SMR credits, etc. There's always someone in a big alliance that has enough time to work on a map all day. However, we also agreed that the only way to decrease the utility of MGU is to recreate gameplay (for example by introducing asteroids - properly this time), so I suggest we stop discussing in-game support for MGU and instead think of ways to gradually make it useless.

[Page]

Page, if MGU had an online version, what happened to it and shouldn't we get that back?

http://mgu.smrealms.de/locations.php
It's not fully fledged MGU, but still fairly useful, the main reason it's no longer useful is it hasn't been updated in a long long time.

[Infinity]

Make 5 newbies per alliance obligatory. I see no other solution. No manual, external software, in-depth how-to can replace live word from an experienced player.

Take MGU out, don't take it out, make an online source of info, don't make it, someone will make an external software eventually and we're back to square one.

Advanced Notes section is fine.