As stated by Nyx previously, and the general consensus about freebies to new players. Everything already comes so easy in comparison to OSI servers (skill gains, gold etc) yet new players still have a sense of entitlement.
http://uoex.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=7957
+Nyx wrote:
- Freebies. Again, from the staff's see-all-viewpoint, it is clear that the constant giving of freebies to new players is having a negative effect on the economy. "+Nyx, you crazy chick, how can that possibly affect the economy" you say? Let me explain. Giving a new player a maxed mule or 5, some nice LRC gear, and a decent weapon may seem like a super nice thing to do; and it is nice. But it also essentially teaches that newbie that on UO, one doesn't really need to work very hard for the things they need in order to progress through the game. 3 years ago, new players were greeted by a staffer and given some goodies that worked for a set period of time to help them get started. Sometimes a vet would help them out with a single item, but it wasn't the common practice for a new player to be essentially showered with things it would otherwise take them a few weeks to earn. And 3 years ago, the economy was (for the most part) in a better place, new player retention was higher, overall game satisfaction was higher. In the last year or so, older players have begun showering newbies with items until the things they are given by the staff are useless to them. As a result, there has been a drastic change in the attitude of new players. This is largely because they are taught to expect things to be given to them, or to be easy. Ultima Online isn't a graphics-heavy MMO full of leveling and raiding like the Big Boys of Gaming, but it is in many ways a very challenging and complex game that requires commitment and work. Everyone on UOEX has the option to buy the ED for their gear via donating, but you'd be surprised how few people do that in a big way. A handful will donate for a relayer or two, but most don't. The attitude problem is coming from too much being given too soon by fellow players, as well as the general 'why work for it' mentality being bred via chats. There are other factors that go into newbie retention, of course, and those are being worked on (a more friendly and sensical new player starting area, more quests for the low and mid-range players, etc), but largely the older players are sort of shooting themselves in the foot by coddling the new players too much.
