Do you find yourself puzzled over the aspect of the Newbie Center? Well you have come to the right place, as your questions shall soon be answered. I have collected commonly pondered questions about the center, and have answered them all for you!
How do I get there?
You can get there directly through the Bus Menu, just choose Newbie Center. To get there from Whyville Square, you must first go through the Why House, the closest building on the left. From there, you can go through the doorway on the left to the Newbie Center.
What do I do there really?
There are several resources for newcomers including the Newbie Pamphlets and the Virtual Tour. You can also get to the Why-pass booth which sits in the right corner of the room. But most people come to ask questions from the Y-mail helpers. If you are invited into the chair, you can ask the helper any questions you have about whyville.
Is it just for Newbies (new members)?
No, of course not! Many old and wise members come to ask questions of their own. Even Whyville helpers themselves will ask another helper a question sometimes. Based on my research, the average person that comes to ask a questions has already visited Whyville about 130 days and earns a salary of about 56 clams! That doesn't sound like a Newbie to me, but they are always very welcome.
What types of questions can I ask?
You can genrally ask any appropriate question about Whyville. For example, you might want to ask how to whisper, or where the disco is. You shouldn't ask personal questions about the helpers, asking them about their life is usually not apprieciated while they are on the job. If you are interested in striking up a coversation, try Y-mailing them, or talk to them later. Please do not as vague questions like "I need help playing the salary games," instead, think of a specific game you are having trouble with,"I don't understand the skater game."
Who are the Newbie/Y-mail helpers?
They can be called either "Y-mail helpers" or "Newbie Helpers," but whatever you call them, their job is to help you! Keep in mind that helpers are experienced Whyvillians just like you and they are not paid. They do however, have to work very hard to achieve the honor of being called a helper. All the helpers are very knowledgable about Whyville, so do not assume they are stupid if they cannot answer a quesiton. Your question may be impossble for even the City Workers.
Nobody responds to me in the Newbie Center, what do I do?
This is because only a Y-mail helper at the desk can hear you when you are on the floor. Nobody else even knows you are talking, and you don't know if they are talking either. Everyone can hear you, however, if you are invited into the orange chair. On the plus side, newbies who can't chat yet in other locations can talk to a helper.
What determines when someone is invited into the chair?
The helper at the desk chooses who goes into the chair after the last person leaves. They usually will try to do it in the order that people got there, but there are commonly exceptions. An urgent or quick question may be answered sooner than a long one. Also, a helper may not call you up for a while if you are rude or disrespectful.
How do I become a helper?
If you want to be a helper, you have to first meet all of several requirments and then pass a brief, but challenging exam.
You must be a citizen on Whyville for at least 90 days
You must earn at least 100 clams salary
You should have no punishments for bad behavior in the last 90 days
You can only take the Y-mail Helper Test once a week.
I saw a helper with less than 100 clams of a salary, that's not fair!
Well, when they first became a helper, it was much harder to earn clams, so you only needed a 75 clam salary. They worked just as hard as you have to now, and Whyville is not taking the old helper's priveledges away. Now there are more games that you can play, so getting to 75 clams would not be demonstrating your mastery of Whyville.
After I am in the chair to ask questions, how do I get out?
There are two basic ways to exit the chair. The helper at the desk can 'boot' you out, by saying "next", and you will move back to the floor. Or you can say "leave" to exit by yourself. A lot of people don't know this, and will resort to just moving to a different room via the bus.
What happens when you ring the bell?
When a helper isn't at the desk, you can ring the bell to call them over. But many people don't know how that actually works. The bell sends out a message to all the helpers currently in chat at the time. It is very similar to a 'Friend Finder' call, the blue logo blinks in the corner of the screen, with the ringer's name under it. If someone who recieves the message clicks on it, they will see that you need help in the newbie center. Don't get mad if nobody comes, there might just not be any helpers on Whyville at the time, or they are very busy.
By,
123pinky
