New Ensigns and Mentors

[Captain Huff 0]

Some thoughts from the Amazing Wall of Donuts on new players in Advanced sims.    

 

My job as either CO or XO of an Advanced sim *IS* to help new players adjust.  I will always respond to crew questions and concerns.  I remember very well what it is like to be a new player, and if any new player on my ships feels I don't, well, remind me!  :D

 

The only time I can't help is when I'm not made aware of a problem.  You gotta be explicit.  And if you need more than a quick PM response in sim, go ahead and blather at me in an email.  I'll blather right back.

 

I love new ensigns.  I want more new ensigns.  They bring fresh life to sims.

 

I can't speak for all Advanced sim CO's, but I doubt we have any that don't want to help crew adjust and have a good time.  As for asking about promotions - I don't have a problem with crew asking what they need for a particular promotion, or an estimate of the time it will take.  (But again, email may be a better venue for questions and answers that require more time).  I think the "don't ask for promotions" may be an *academy* guideline, as it simply sucks up valuable time.

[VileRomulan 0]

a comment on that huff, more ensigns is great, more people to scrub down the mess hall, plasma manifolds, ect...

[Yuri 0]

that could go for ALL positions, becomming an engineer, suckle off the cheif engineer for a sim or two (sorry about the disgusting imagery there)

[LtCdrGromVik 0]

a comment on that huff, more ensigns is great, more people to scrub down the mess hall, plasma manifolds, ect...

You think that's only reserved for Ensigns???? :D ::shakes head:: Surely you have not been in my department opf late. :)

[Cmdr Laura Issia 0]

Actually many GMs do recall being Ensigns.

Speak for yourself, Lightning, I'm trying to block the trauma.  I recall making a complete idiot of myself my first few sims, and the only comfort was that it was a newly-launched ship and everyone was new to simming except the GMs.

 

So, yeah, I'm totally willing to be supportive of a new Ensign.  :D

 

The rest of Lightning's post

Ditto that. :-)  I would and have discussed a player's performance in a sim virtually line-by-line when asked for a detailed critique.  Usually it only takes a couple of helpful comments, of course, but the potential for excessive amounts of information is there.  

 

The big thing is that you have to work up the nerve to ask.  Basically, if a host sees a new Ensign simming along, making a few errors but not causing chaos and not being completely silent, the general assumption is that all is well.  We can't see through the monitors to notice that, on the other end of the line, you're staring helplessly at your screen, wondering if you're doing anything right.   You gotta say something.  Even if it's just "You know, I'm feeling a bit lost."

[Yuri 0]

I still havent played....

[HyperDrive 0]

a comment on that huff, more ensigns is great, more people to scrub down the mess hall, plasma manifolds, ect...

You think that's only reserved for Ensigns???? :D ::shakes head:: Surely you have not been in my department opf late. :)

Uh-huh. :)

 

HD

[Dumbass 0]

a comment on that huff, more ensigns is great, more people to scrub down the mess hall, plasma manifolds, ect...

Can you please not tell Huff that?  For the time being I'm the only Ensign on one of her ships and she'll make ME do it!

[Captain Huff 0]

The big thing is that you have to work up the nerve to ask.  Basically, if a host sees a new Ensign simming along, making a few errors but not causing chaos and not being completely silent, the general assumption is that all is well.  We can't see through the monitors to notice that, on the other end of the line, you're staring helplessly at your screen, wondering if you're doing anything right.   You gotta say something.  Even if it's just "You know, I'm feeling a bit lost."

Issia says so much more elequently what I tried to say some posts up.  Thank you!  ;)

[Captain Huff 0]

Actually many GMs do recall being Ensigns.

Speak for yourself, Lightning, I'm trying to block the trauma.  I recall making a complete idiot of myself my first few sims, and the only comfort was that it was a newly-launched ship and everyone was new to simming except the GMs.

Some of us have never *stopped* making complete idiots of ourselves in sims... ;)  I like idiots.  I can relate to them.

[Guest STSF Dacotah]

Some of us have never *stopped* making complete idiots of ourselves in sims... ;)  I like idiots.  I can relate to them.

 

Just *in sim*??  Whew, I'm safe at Shoreleave, then  ::):

 

Dac

[Guest STSF Lightning]

Speak for yourself, Lightning, I'm trying to block the trauma. Hee hee hee, but you still remember. ;)   ~ STSF Lightning ~ Star Trek™ Simulation Forum Game Master (GM) Saturday STSF Lounge Bartender In the StarTrek.com Holodeck Chatroom 10:00 PM - 11:00 PM (Eastern) 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM (Pacific)

[Guest STSF Lightning]

Issia says so much more elequently what I tried to say some posts up.  Thank you!  ;)   Agreed. Although I have to say that you both said it well. :)   ~ STSF Lightning ~ Star Trek™ Simulation Forum Game Master (GM) Saturday STSF Lounge Bartender In the StarTrek.com Holodeck Chatroom 10:00 PM - 11:00 PM (Eastern) 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM (Pacific)

[T'Aniz Jozef 0]

Interesting Topic  Was this idea discarded ??  Personally, I went to a week of Academy sims.  Was graduated/promoted to Ensign.  Then had no idea what to do next.  (An additional problem was that my new PC's modem was acting wierdly.  But I got that fixed.)  I have no opinion about mentors on ships, as I'm not on a ship.  But a mentor bridging the gap between Academy graduation and acceptance into an advanced sim/to a ship spot seems like a good idea.  At least I, for one, could sure use one right now !!    :D

[Images 0]

woah! ::blows the thread and the whole room fills with dust:: COUGH! COUGH! this is an old one! anyway in answer to your query, nope there was never an official mentors program though on most advanced sims i think the nebies find the old wizened one in their department and cling onto them for a couple of weeks before they find their footing.

[Vex Xiang 0]

Personally, I went to a week of Academy sims.  Was graduated/promoted to Ensign.  Then had no idea what to do next.

 

Considering Jozefs comment here, I think it's a good idea to revisit this thread a bit.

 

I re-read it all and saw a lot of great comments about department heads and other experienced simmers "mentoring" new recruits. That's what department heads are there for :D, XOs and COs have a lot to deal with and while I'm sure they're always happy to help, it is probably easier for someone with less responsibility (ie dept chief) to take the time. Don't forget also the assistant ltjg's and such may have been simming for 5 or 10 years.

 

Back to my concern about Jozefs comment. I've heard a couple other newly graduated ensigns who've been confused as to what they are supposed to do.

 

It seems that perhaps the GMs graduating cadets aren't being specific enough about the transition procedure from acad to adv sim, and since the Ready Room and such is accessible from elsewhere than STSF.net, some cadets might not even be familiar with what an advanced sim is!

 

For the academies that I have been so, I rarely see GMs advertise the STSF.net site publicly.

 

On to my suggestion. GMs send out an e-mail, which I've never read, that details what cadets need to do after they graduate. Either its not specific or explaining enough, or its not being sent in time. Instead, why not have a special page on this website that outlines, step by step, with brief and simple descriptions, exactly what people do when they move from cadet to ensign, from acad to adv.

 

Then, when a cadet graduates, he/she can be given the website address at the end of the sim. So instead of waiting around confused until the paperwork is filed and they get their e-mail, they can visit the page immediately after they graduate, use it for reference. When their email finally arrives, they'll already know exactly what they're supposed to do.

 

PS: Your FAQ page is excellent for current players, but not for cadets. Honestly a brand spanking new cadet could get very lost and confused in that FAQ, because it just contains so much more than just what they need to know right away.

 

Anyway...thats my comment. Any thoughts?

[Nemesis 0]

Well personally I think cadets should become chummy with advanced simmers and join sims where they have a lot of friends because then you have tons of mentors I knw that when I graduated and joined the Talon Dak was already a good friend of mine and he and t'Aehjae helped greatly so I think you shouldn't really need a mentor in an advanced sim but maybe in the academys  :D

[Nemesis 0]

For the academies that I have been so, I rarely see GMs advertise the STSF.net site publicly.

that is not true they do it quite often through an academy as well as advanced simmers :D

[FredM 0]

Hey there,

 

Actually Vex, I'd disagree with you there. There's now a pretty detailed resource explaining the transition in great detail...::points to the FAQ:: It contains a years worth of common questions, many from brand new Cadets.

 

As to folks being confused, must say I actually only know of three situations. When this becomes an issue is when someone is graduated and they immediately (aka: 15 seconds later) leave the room. Saying the Academy GM is unable to get their e-mail address, they hit a "What am I supposed to do now?"

 

Once the e-mail is known, rest is pretty simple to follow.

 

As for advertising, we seem to be doing alright in that department. :D

[Vex Xiang 0]

Yep. It's just a suggestion :D. The FAQ is great, don't get me wrong...but if there are still cadets who are confused, there's always room for improvement.

[Vex Xiang 0]

Saying the Academy GM is unable to get their e-mail address, they hit a "What am I supposed to do now?"

 

Just out of curiosity...since GMs have special access to the room's features, do they have the ability to pull email addresses from ST.com registered names?

[Atragon9 0]

Saying the Academy GM is unable to get their e-mail address, they hit a "What am I supposed to do now?"

 

Just out of curiosity...since GMs have special access to the room's features, do they have the ability to pull email addresses from ST.com registered names?

Nope, we do not have any such ability, nor would we want it.  We are not working for Paramount, we just have a gaming agreement with them.  If we had that sort of access to their data, we'd have to become Paramount employees, I'm sure.

[Nemesis 0]

then you'd get payed whats wrong with that?  :D

[HyperDrive 0]

They'd be fully under Paramount control.

 

HUGE negative to STSF. :D

 

However, I do agree with the idea of the mentoring/helping program. I think that it would be a good thing for new cadets just joing STSF.

 

~HD

[T'Aniz Jozef 0]

The new FAQ page is very helpful.  It recently came on site, I think, and wasn't there when I "graduated" the Academy.  Also, I think PM'ing instructions during the game can be a mite confusing.  I know I can only concentrate on a PM or on the game.  I can't do both yet. When I concentrate on PM's for too long, I loose all idea of what is going on in the sim.  I get really lost that way.   So it might help to have someone put something on the chat room screen saying "Wait around after the game if you are being graduated."    

If not a mentor, then a resource person, so if instructions are missed, one could go and ask that person about the situation.  Just for general questions, if not direct mentoring.  As a new PC operator, missing instructions the first time around is a real possibility.  But I'll only learn how to operate this machine by using it, so I must persevere.

 By the way, I never did receive a letter upon graduation.  As a matter of fact, my name was inexplicabley deleted from the STSF website and after querrying and receiving no answer, I simply reregistered 5 days later.  So my post-graduation experience has had its confusion.  (Also, I never could post, until after reregistration, when I wrote the webmaster, and a couple of days later, that ability appeared on my screen.)  

 

I'm haveing a very good time here, despite glitches and my own lack of comprehension.  I thank you all for it.   (As to making a circle of buddies:  always desirable, but I'm not a high schooler, so it will likely take more time.)