The Common "Noob"

[Tiberius Fireskull]

Well, sorry if that was a bad sounding title for the thread, however I just needed to post this. Many people use the term "noob" very loosely, sometimes too loosely. They will start calling anyone who does anything negative to them, as insignificant as it is, a noob. The term is overused by many, and almost all of us, I'm sure. So what do you define as a noob?

I have two definitions. The first is more, how should I put it... specific.

1) Someone who has just entered the game. They tend to be basic access, and know little to nothing about the game. They don't know how to use chat, or only use it to yell out "HELP" when they are knocked out or need help with killing a gravedigger. They usually keep to themselves, and are ignored by most players. When they see a high level player, they will almost always try to pirate friend, player friend, or crew the high level player, and some may throw fits if the person declines. Some of them go to places where they shouldn't be, such as Isla Tormenta, and when they get killed, they demand revives, usually without a please or thank you. And of course, a crude blunderbuss always enhances the image.

2) A player of any level or veteranship who acts especially immature. There are many different types of this type of noob. Some are constant "rep-stealers" and will refuse to stop stealing your rep, usually using an argument along the lines of "Your not the boss of me". Another type is one that acts very rude in front of other players, treating them as NPC's rather than players. They insult, make fun of, sometimes even make vulgar jokes in front of players, and usually won't care. Those types come in an assortment of levels and veteranship. However, those types of noobs can be used to your advantage. They tend to lack common sense, and cannot use any good logic to support any arguments such as "Your dumb." or "Your a noob". Therefore, if you are a good debater such as myself, or even someone who isn't, you can usually outsmart them with a bit of common sense, and they provide entertainment to you as they struggle to comeback to your arguments. The last type of noob under this section, is the self-centered player. They believe they are all the best players, and act snobby and rude in front of others, attempting to show their "superiority". These people also lack common sense, however you should just leave when you encounter gangs like these people, and I notice it is especially common in certain "EITC" Guilds.

Thats my definition of a "noob", now whats yours? And please be somewhat mature in your answers.

[titanic95594]

Originally Posted by Davy Fireskull

especially common in certain "EITC" Guilds

I have to agree with you on this one. I see to many who say "noob" to other players.

[Nelly Darkpaine]

I HATE the term Noob as an insult - usually tiny minds who can do no better. Noob. =/ Mkay...

[Red Nations]

To my way of thinking the term "Noob" is too all encompassing in the way you're using it and these players you describe fit into a lot of different categories.

When I started playing "Pirates" was my very first online game and I made plenty of mistakes simply because I was new to online gaming and didn't know any better. My first couple days in game were a real learning experience first couple weeks were mostly spent sorting out those mistakes made in those first couple days. For example I didn't understand the concept of rep stealing when I started. I thought I was actually helping those higher level players kill the bad guys. Finally dawned on me that a level 20+ player didn't need the help of a level 5. Also didn't know any better that to accept all those blind friend invites and it took a couple weeks to clean up the list and get rid of all the idiots I'd allowed to friend me. It was so bad that I couldn't even launch a ship without having a half dozen of these people TP on board and quickly get my ship sunk by shooting at everything in sight. This was before the days of boarding permissions. Took a couple days to figure out how to be invited into the crews of higher level players for some good loot and cannon XP. Accepting those blind invites always seemed to end up crewed on another low level newbies ship. Anyway this seems more to define the "Noob" Player someone who is new and simply doesn't know any better. As to those basic level players not all of them are new. I have two accounts one of them is basic. When I started out I only played as basic for about an hour before going unlimited. A lot of the troublemakers and griefers in game make their mischief on basic accounts I wouldn't classify them as Noobs

We didn't have revive when I started playing, so when a low level got knocked out they went to jail. I learned quickly not to tangle with Undead Gypsies until my pirate was big enough to handle them.

As to the immature players, first let me state that I'm an adult, I prefer to hang out with adult players and belong to adult guilds. Before anyone starts with the age discrimination nonsense. Let me say that I don't have a problem helping younger players so long as they are polite and treat me with respect. I didn't however come to this game to be a babysitter. I raised two of my own kids and didn't come here to babysit other peoples kids. I'm not saying that all younger people are bad or ill mannered there are some good ones in game and some of them act very mature. The immature ones however are the reason that I tend to hang out with mostly adults. Don't want immature acting people regardless of their age tagging along with me in game.

As to debating with the immature ones, if they cannot respond to a logical statement then I have better things to do with my time than get into a contest of hurling insults back and forth with someone on the internet. BTW I'm a former USMC Gunnery Sergeant and I can come up with some rather colorful insults, I doubt that Disney would approve of them.

As to players being labeled snobs? I recall a conversation I overheard on Abassa a couple years ago. Seems some low level basics were reffering to a level 40 which at the time was a mastered pirate as a snob. They were calling all level 40's snobs. Anyway their remarks got me to thinking about that as my first pirate was high level at the time. And I don't really see this as snobbery with high levels. Most of us are willing to help lower level and new players. However if a player is acting rudely we generally ignore them. We get hit with lots of those blind or "Run BY' friend invites and crew invites we tend to decline them. If someone doesn't have the courtesy to carry on a conversation with us, odds are we aren't going to accept a friend or crew invite from that person. This is not snobbery. We and I refer to all of us who play this game ARE NOT obligated to add people to our friend lists our guilds or our crews simply because they beg or demand it, We are also not obligated to revive or save them from higher level enemies. If we choose to do so it is an act of kindness and courtesy. Higher level players do tend to avoid the lower level and particularly low level basics not out of snobbery but simply because those are the players who tend to make the most pests of themselves. I think my first pirate was a level 27 before I actually carried on a conversation with a level 40 mastered pirate. Up til then all my attempts at conversation with mastered pirates had been ignored. That player ended up becoming one of my best friends in game and teaching me a lot about the game. Its all about the way you approach people in game.

[ex8404]

Davy, I think your definitions are fine as long as we only look at "noob" as an insult.

I know that it seems obvious to assume that noob is always insulting but it wasn't always. Remember when it was spelled "newb" because it was short for "newbie"? Being a newb is not a crime. It really isn't a value judgment at all. It is just a way to describe someone who is new to some computer related activity. In this case, online gaming.

I will freely admit to being a newb when I first found POF. I made some mistakes and got a more than a few posts edited by the Moderating team here. When I first started playing POTCO, I honestly didn't know you could sink the EITC ships. These examples might be "Newbish" but they aren't "Noobish".

In my opinion, what separates a "newb" from a "noob" is a will to learn.

Originally Posted by Red Nations

As to debating with the immature ones, if they cannot respond to a logical statement then I have better things to do with my time than get into a contest of hurling insults back and forth with someone on the internet. BTW I'm a former USMC Gunnery Sergeant and I can come up with some rather colorful insults, I doubt that Disney would approve of them.

I would say that this is the best advice anyone can give. I would even suggest extending it to the real world. And Gunny? As a former green side Corpsman, I think that even though I miss those colorful insults sometimes, you're probably right about Disney's reaction.

Anyway, spell it however you want. The problem is that "noob" is now an insult and should really be ignored or left out of this game in particular. Too many youngsters. If you are in your teens, or older, and you're calling a 9 year-old a noob, that just makes you a bully.

[Chimera Doll]

I don't like the term noob at all. I've been called it while on a lower level pirate and I have a completely mastered pirate so in no way am I a "noob"....
But the point is that it's just plain rude and it IS used way too loosely. Like if someone makes a mistake in the game, they will be called a noob for it.
Now if it's used in a joking sense; to me that is different.

[Sven Ironwalker]

I couldnt agree more with Davy and Red. I got a really good laugh reading both posts. Recently I had a new plater get upset that I kept hitting no to requests and I just said do you know how many times I get that in a single day? I dont even know who you are!

I try to take a light hearted approach the problem of how many clicks does it take to cross a Tortuga beach. It takes a second on the list to the varieties of cat callish comments if I accidental go across the beach on a certain server at night on my way supply. Makes me feel not so bad about being a construction worker when I was younger...lol

[Tiberius Fireskull]

Aye, I should have mentioned the term "newb". As ex said, it is short for newbie. Newbie ---> Newb ----> Noob. I believe the spelling evolved to noob just because people are too lazy to type newb. Takes less time and effort to type noob, but that is besides the point. Lets face it, nobody came into the game knowing how to play, unless you are some all knowing crazy person, which none of us are (well.... maybe crazy....). Anyway, if we at one point only knew how to swing a sword and shoot a gun, then we were at one point noobs.

[Chimera Doll]

^ Agreed! I meant to include that in my post but yes - We were all at one point "noobs" so that's another reason I don't get the word. Everyone in the game was at one point so instead of calling someone this word why not help them out instead?

[tayseth]

1) Someone who has just entered the game. They tend to be basic access, and know little to nothing about the game. They don't know how to use chat, or only use it to yell out "HELP" when they are knocked out or need help with killing a gravedigger. They usually keep to themselves, and are ignored by most players. When they see a high level player, they will almost always try to pirate friend, player friend, or crew the high level player, and some may throw fits if the person declines. Some of them go to places where they shouldn't be, such as Isla Tormenta, and when they get killed, they demand revives, usually without a please or thank you. And of course, a crude blunderbuss always enhances the image.

Thats a "newb." And crude blunderbuss's are completely pro.

2) A player of any level or veteranship who acts especially immature. There are many different types of this type of noob. Some are constant "rep-stealers" and will refuse to stop stealing your rep, usually using an argument along the lines of "Your not the boss of me"

Theres no such thing as "rep stealing." And the person is completely right by saying "You aren't the boss of me."

Another type is one that acts very rude in front of other players, treating them as NPC's rather than players. They insult, make fun of, sometimes even make vulgar jokes in front of players, and usually won't care. Those types come in an assortment of levels and veteranship. However, those types of noobs can be used to your advantage. They tend to lack common sense, and cannot use any good logic to support any arguments such as "Your dumb." or "Your a noob".

Thats "trolling" and you'd best not feed the trolls, otherwise they'll just get fat and make you stoop to their level. Still not noob as trolling is done for the lulz.

type of noob under this section, is the self-centered player. They believe they are all the best players, and act snobby and rude in front of others, attempting to show their "superiority". These people also lack common sense, however you should just leave when you encounter gangs like these people, and I notice it is especially common in certain "EITC" Guilds.

Hating on guilds isn't funny, even though everyone knows what bad rep *some*eitc guilds are. (Note: They are all trolls.)

This topic doesn't have a really definable definition of "noob." Newb however, is definable.

[WitchdoctorDan]

Wow, I remember posting something similar to this, it was my first topic I think.

Anyways, a "Noob" is a derogatory name to someone, interplacable with "Flamer" "Troll" "Griefer" "Twink" (We don't really have to worry about them until trading comes in) or "Idiot". Newb is a noun referring to an inexperienced player, maybe those people that sail about, going to islands where they don't belong yet. Everyone was a newb at some point, we aren't all noobs. Remember sailing around, looking at the big islands and going, "Ooh" and "Aah"? Be nice to newbs, and troll on some noobs. I'm a veteran online gamer, trust me.

[Tiberius Fireskull]

The thing is, most people don't know or don't care about the difference between noob and newb. As you have all said, newb is a new player, a shortened term for newbie. Noob is just a term that came out of that, and at one point probably meant the same thing. However now, noob is almost always used as an insult.

[SEAKING23]

When i was level 43, another level 43 called me a noob. i told him that if ye think a level 43 is a noob, the you must be calling yourself a noob. that shut him up and he soon walked away and i killed dark hart in peace with another player
P.S i am new to the forums but an experienced player in the game. i am also third in command of my guild, if ye find that interesting by any chance.

[Tiberius Fireskull]

Welcome Seaking! You should post your welcome thread. Go to the Arrivals and Departures forum and make the new thread.

[Charles Darkwolf]

Originally Posted by Red Nations

To my way of thinking the term "Noob" is too all encompassing in the way you're using it and these players you describe fit into a lot of different categories.

When I started playing "Pirates" was my very first online game and I made plenty of mistakes simply because I was new to online gaming and didn't know any better. My first couple days in game were a real learning experience first couple weeks were mostly spent sorting out those mistakes made in those first couple days. For example I didn't understand the concept of rep stealing when I started. I thought I was actually helping those higher level players kill the bad guys. Finally dawned on me that a level 20+ player didn't need the help of a level 5. Also didn't know any better that to accept all those blind friend invites and it took a couple weeks to clean up the list and get rid of all the idiots I'd allowed to friend me. It was so bad that I couldn't even launch a ship without having a half dozen of these people TP on board and quickly get my ship sunk by shooting at everything in sight. This was before the days of boarding permissions. Took a couple days to figure out how to be invited into the crews of higher level players for some good loot and cannon XP. Accepting those blind invites always seemed to end up crewed on another low level newbies ship. Anyway this seems more to define the "Noob" Player someone who is new and simply doesn't know any better. As to those basic level players not all of them are new. I have two accounts one of them is basic. When I started out I only played as basic for about an hour before going unlimited. A lot of the troublemakers and griefers in game make their mischief on basic accounts I wouldn't classify them as Noobs

We didn't have revive when I started playing, so when a low level got knocked out they went to jail. I learned quickly not to tangle with Undead Gypsies until my pirate was big enough to handle them.

As to the immature players, first let me state that I'm an adult, I prefer to hang out with adult players and belong to adult guilds. Before anyone starts with the age discrimination nonsense. Let me say that I don't have a problem helping younger players so long as they are polite and treat me with respect. I didn't however come to this game to be a babysitter. I raised two of my own kids and didn't come here to babysit other peoples kids. I'm not saying that all younger people are bad or ill mannered there are some good ones in game and some of them act very mature. The immature ones however are the reason that I tend to hang out with mostly adults. Don't want immature acting people regardless of their age tagging along with me in game.

Wow Red Nations, I don't think I could have said it any better then that!