Guide to Being an Awesome Mentor

itto · Oct 30, 2005

Original post was written by Skyrider on EF

When a new player steps foot into Project Entropia, their first impressions mean everything.
In most cases, the first impression is that of a mentor looking for disciples at the space ship. In general, there are two distinct of mentors, the good and the bad.

A bad mentor typically just goes on massive disciple adding spree in hopes that they will get lucky enough to get a disciple that gets to 100%. They usually provide little or no help and sometimes don't even say anything to their disciples. These types of mentors only succeed in hurting the community than helping.

A good mentor is someone who takes the time to give their disciples a quality tutorial into Project Entropia. New players fortunate enough to get mentors like these usually enjoy a better game experience and find the game much easier to get into. Obviously, good mentors like this help the community and raise up a better generation of new players. This same principle works in real life too. Educated people are much more likely to live out a quality life and not have to resort to backwards methods to obtain money (i.e. begging).

In this guide, I will explain some of my own experiences and methods in teaching my disciples. Hopefully by reading this guide, you can pick out some ideas you may like to try if you ever find yourself in the position of being a mentor. Note that some of these steps will not apply in every case. Some of the steps designed for brand new players do take a little bit of time, but you will find it very rewarding to watch these new players grow as you teach them. This guide is very in depth. I plan to release a more condensed version later, but for now this will have to do. I hope I don't put you to sleep with the length!

If you are actively seeking out a new disciple, one of the first places to look is the spaceship in Port Atlantis. There is usually a constant flow of new players pouring into the game from here. If you locate someone, start by greeting them and welcoming them to Project Entropia. If they seem to be looking around you, or generally acting lost after you have tried talking to them, try telling them to use their Enter key to talk. Once you have begun engaging in a conversation with them, make sure to introduce yourself.

Ask them if they would like you to be their mentor. Explain to them what being a mentor involves and what you will do for them. If they accept your offer, tell them how to click â??Yesâ? on your request to be their mentor.

Next, you will want to explain basic key commands and navigating the HUD interface. Tell them especially what the space bar key does. Let them explore the HUD a little and make sure to ask if they have any questions.

Once the total basics are done and over with, you can begin to get into the more exciting topics. Tell your mentor about the 3 official skills in the game (hunting / mining / crafting). If you like, provide a short description of each and what they involve. Next, you will want to ask them if they have any particular profession they would like to get in to or are interested in. Whatever they choose, you can provide a more detailed description for them if required.

Now comes basic game mechanics. This is a very important step for the new players because it is often the most confusing and has a high probability of driving them away if they are uninformed. This is when you need to talk about the whole real money deal. Most of you have probably experienced an angry player when they hear that real money is involved. How I begin this is by asking "Did you know that this game's economy is linked to the real worlds?" If they say no, explain to them the basic "10 PED = 1$" deal. If time allows and you feel up to it, explain to them your philosophy on depositing.

One of the other most important things a new player could learn is how to sweat. If they don't like the idea of depositing, teaching them this is a must. Sometimes, your disciple will learn the value of a PED through sweating and may deposit as a result. Make sure they know that sweating is hard work!

Another possible thing you can do with your disciple to get them excited about the game is to show them the skill they are interested in by demonstrating it to them. Perhaps you could take them outside Atlantis and show them how hunting or mining works, or take them to a crafting machine and show them the world of crafting. Field demonstrations of sweating definitely always help if you have the time. Throwing in a few personal tricks to any demonstration always helps!

Collecting teleporters is also a very important concept you should explain to your disciples. If time allows, take them to Billy's Spaceship Afterworld to help them collect their first teleporter. This will also give them a little taste of the game and allow them to see some creatures that roam about. Just make sure not to run into the Allophylls!

Now that all the basics are over with, you can choose to move on with their training. For example, if your disciple is ready to start hunting, you might want to show him where and how to skill and explain how it will help him. You can also begin to teach them more advanced techniques in their chosen skill.

After the bulk of their verbal training is over, make sure to try and get into contact with them occasionally. Tell them that you are always there if they have a question and that they should ask if they ever need to. A little praise always helps too if they have been doing a good job training their skills. How you would like to continue is up to you.

As I stated before, I hope you have picked up a few ideas on how to improve your mentoring. Some of the steps may seem obvious things to do, but hopefully I have expanded enough to provide extra bits that will help even more. Of course you do not need to do all of the steps contained in this guide in one sitting, as it may talk a good hour or two. If you have any questions, comments, or additions you would like to see, please post! Thanks for reading!
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