Welcome to the Wizard101 Message Boards

I'm an adult player and use adult chat. However, I do not speak inappropriately to anyone. I like having the chat freedom so that I can answer what state I live in and what my horses' names are if someone asks me. Oh, and it's very helpful to be able to say, 'Sorry, I have a boyfriend' when someone does get too flirty.

My issue is with the limitations of menu chat and how it really downgrades your game play compared with open chat.

First, it's a pain to use; I have to move back and forth from keyboard to mouse to talk (I'm not lazy; if you're in a battle with a slower connection you don't always get the full 30 seconds to select your card).

Second, the options are so limited. You can't tell a newer player to save their pips or don't send out a multi-enemy spell so they don't get ganged up on. You can't say that you're in a dungeon and that's why you won't port to them. (With my life wizard, some expect you to heal them every other round when they cast a multi-enemy spell and get splattered.)

Third, it comes off as rude sometimes. There are two things that will make me remove someone - repeated SCREAMS for help and saying 'teleport to me' instead of 'can you help me?. (This also comes from open chat players but you can't tell the menu chat folks that it bothers you and makes you less likely to help them.)

Example:

I am in MooShu.. Within 15 seconds, I get three menu chat messages from the same person: Teleport to me. I'm like, What the Heck but decided to be nice, marked my spot and teleported to him in Chelsea Court.

The quest he wanted to do is Use Jail Keys in the prison. I said 'I'll teleport to you' because I didn't want to try to follow him all the way through. He said 'Lead the Way'. I said, 'I don't have access to that area' (because I'd already completed the quest and therefore couldn't use Quest Helper to get there.'

Then he said; 'Lead the Way' again. I said, 'I'll teleport to you'. THEN, he said, 'I don't have access to that location.'

What???? So I ran all the way to Newgate trying to help, and he didn't even go in the prison! I removed him from my list, but wasted about 20 minutes messing around.

I guess the obvious answer is not to accept friend requests from players without text chat but I genuinely like helping out some of these kids. I'm definitely not a saint, but I've been known to give treasure cards away here and there to lower level wizards, and will help with bosses and battles if I genuinely can. (If I have limited play time or am deep in MooShu, I don't want to use up my mana to mark the spot and I'm sure not going to run 1200+ steps back in some spots.)

KI - can you loosen up the menu chat or add more options? Also make it more user friendly with keyboard shortcuts, etc.

As a side note, I can't believe how many people send you a friend request and within minutes are begging for help. Or how many get mad and rude when you can't help them right away. Don't they realize that you have your own quests and battles that you're working on?

I think a Player's Etiquette guide should be mandatory reading (you have to click through screen by screen) before playing and if someone is reported for being rude. Most won't read the forums anyway, so it needs to be a part of the game client.

I guess I have to wonder how they'll ever get through the game if they keep asking for help instead of using their spells and pips correctly. I've gone through almost every quest (except Dragon's Roost) on my own. My personal rule is that I'll try at least three times then ask for help. With some people, they are bellering for help as soon as they get pulled in a battle.

The meanest thing I ever did was: I was playing with my Myth grandmaster one night and went to Unicorn Way to make some treasure cards. This other player begged and begged me to friend him; alternating with pleas for me to give him cards. I wouldn't do it, so he started following me around, begging all the way.

I decided to see how far he would go, so I led him on a merry chase all through WC. After about 15 minutes I got tired of it and went Home.

Anyway, thanks for reading my long post and letting me vent a little. Back to Moo Shu I go!