Howdy all-- I imagine I have a fairly unique and valuable perspective to give on this matter. I am one of those 18-25 demographics who played HBint something like 8 years ago and I have recently been playing around on nemesis off and on since my xmas break started.
Let me start out by saying the fast leveling makes the game incredible nostalgic for me, allowing me to quickly get characters up to and past the level where I was years ago. I currently have both a mage and war in the 150s, both of whom have been helped in several ways by members of the community.
That being said, I find 2 aspects of the game difficult to get back into as a new player- the "social" aspect of MMORPGs and the PvP part of it.
As you all probably realize, a big draw to MMORPGs is sort of the escapist socializing that occurs during play. However, with relatively low numbers (compared to other official games), socializing with random people is way down. I could sit in some pit for hours and not run into anyone to talk to. If someone does come by, its either an enemy player or someone off to find an empty pit. In either scenario, I am quickly without a peer to interact with. I imagine, however, this could be solved fairly easily by joining a guild
The PvP prospects for a neophyte such as myself, however, are decidedly poor. Pretty much anyone I run into is at such a higher level and/or has some fancy shiny equips, making any choice but running and recalling worthless. Yes, I've realized PvP isn't over as quickly as some other games, such as Conquer Online, where you would get killed in a matter of seconds. However, in every situation I've encountered, it's turned into a pot-fest for me, desperately trying to escape without getting killed quickly. Though this may be due to me being not such a great player, trying to get to the same tier as people with rares seems to be an incredibly difficult and nigh insurmountable task. Having played many MMORPGs in the past, I understand that these players all likely have earned their rare and powerful equips and it likely has taken them a long time to get to where they are. The lack of people between n00bs and vets however, make transitioning into being an experienced player rather difficult and unrewarding, which likely leads to low retention of new players.
TL;DR Rambling complaints/concerns of a new player in the supposed target audience. Food for thought!
Regards,
slapo
EDIT: Wow, that was a massive bump by Outlaw. Sorry to have fed the 6 month bump, though I suppose my opinion is still valid, however
