This is a great discussion, besides the odd bit of ad-hominem going off track.
I'm actually not a fan of the Haven idea, there are better ways that will retain players far longer if done right from the start, and in the true environment as intended.
I do have hope that the new system of one character, no FTP and a reputation/standing system being given a good chance to work at this early learning stage is another good reason to add this as a unique aspect rather than another 'starter island' game, this is not comparable to old MO in this respect.
Reputation and Standing could even be given as reward to characters that associate and help new players as they vent their inevitable frustrations along the early learning curve, as my wife says "you die a lot, get over it", maybe griefers will at least wait a while before bothering, also a good time for guild recruiters to get involved, who else better to point out the many possible secrets and greater reasons to get involved asap, I know we literally had no clue about any of it until we got talking to players who knew, and if there's one thing we are NOT short on, it's players that have come back to see the game succeed.
Maybe here I can see the issue if there's a large influx and not enough around to help, so perhaps a timed global help chat like we've had before and currently.
Personally, I'm crap at quest-like tutorials and instructions, that shit in Tindrem Gardens made no sense at all when I started and left me more confused than before starting, not intuitive, but I'm more visual, hands-on, get out and do it in my learning so I don't know if that's broad spectrum for such a unique game but nothing beats personal interaction for both learning and player retention.
What DID make sense apart from other players helping, was the awesome videos watching others doing the stuff I had interest in, that set me goals, challenges and a path to persist with.
Tindrem Gardens, Haven and OMFG that Golden Valley in Wurm, that did NOT help, luckily my wife had already played it before we met and there was no Golden Valley when she started, so again, that direct personal help was the main reason I stayed, I did play both Wurm and MO for years due to other players interaction in those very early moments of starting the game.
BUT
*IF* Haven has to exist for some technical instanced buffer landing zone for this expected influx, then it really should be;
MUCH smaller
- like reduce it to the current walk from pond to graveyard to town, that's it.
LIMITED resources
- one type of rock ( maybe Granum so it's just like MO2 is now lol ), one tree type/wood, one pickable and one animal like a springbok so you get the feel for the AI and using bows, butchering cooking etc,
LIMITED skill levelling of any sort,
- nothing past the old FTP system anyway, maybe the graveyard is useful to get a vague clue about AI and fighting, hard to learn much more without being on the mainland system anyway.
LIMITED time
- seriously this should be a big deal, nothing encourages crap gameplay like being left on a half-arsed tutorial island endlessly, it's a great 'haven' for lazy gameplay, casual gamers, uber-carebears, impatient ADHD FPS gamers and ppl like me without a lot of free game time and can see no point to pushing further and might just stay in the mini-not-quite-mo2-game of Haven if there's no goals or time limits,
I personally think that's a big psychological one and the potential damage unseen.
LIMITED transfer items
- when you go to mainland, you only take rags and an axe or sword plus the limited skill set.
Blah blah blah TL;DR I say no Haven, but if you have to have it, make EVERYTHING limited including time.