Player Features and Ideas Discussion

I req, so you can ignore say Amarr Frig for 24 hrs.

What you're missing here is that passive skill training isn't YOU playing the game. It is you sitting and WAITING to play the game. I am suggesting giving people something to do, with a temporary reward in game. I think you'd be amazed at how great eve would be with MORE people. Giving them something they can "do" or grind when they start is worth a lot, it gives them a sense of investment, and increases the likelihood they'd sty long enough to go "OMFG I LOVE EVE", cause currently they aren't.

First off Tanya Powers worst FnI poster in a long while.

Next off.

The OP's solution isnt the best way to handel this at all. So Ill shot the original Idea down entirely.
HOWEVER
The Op does bring up an issue that is real and it could be solved with additional brainstorming that is being discussed and would love to see contined to be fostered in this thread that has started until Tayna opened her mouth.

One thing I would like to add is to to possibly increase the skills player start with and then retailor the tutorial with thier ability to do all of the said possibilites in eve.

Maybe redo the the tutorial missions and turn it into an epic arc itself with a bit more drama/action.

This had dangers though, 1 the let down after you finish the short 'rocket ride.' This maybe solvable with better NPC missions and AI mentioned earlier.

Critically things need to happen to the firgate line up at least in balancing. Players getting offered these ships for free to start (charge them for failure the cost of the ship or cancellation of the mission but have missions to build up funds up to the that mission set) and given basic setups to try out before being set off on thier 'adventure'.

Include 'Allied' (green) npcs in missions so that players can feel thier uses in player to 'player' activity.

Heres the escort your empire's battleship mission example.

Mission 1 Rescue a battleship. Purposly give the friendly battleship very slow tracking that it cannot hit any of the hostiles orbiting it.
Mission 2 Repair said battleship with provided repair modules, and do some mining.
Mission 3 using the specialty mined minerals use them to create the special ammo the battleship uses.
Mission 4 Scan down the mission gate the battleship needed to complete her mission
Mission 5 "fun part" escort the battleship again keeping frigates off her back as she squares off with a hostile fleet of other ships while the rookie pilot webs them and then target paints them.

Thoughout the mission dialogue and mission text can state certain facts of life in eve, Like the battleshi pilot telling how he cannot hit the fast orbiting frigates becuase his guns cant track fast enough.

This mission line layouts lets the player fly various ships in various roles and understands that in order to be useful a player must interact with others or need others to interact with to gain the edge.

Better starting experinces is always wanted for though.

I think you miss the target audience with your apporach to this. You are talking to us, and are trying to tell us what EVE is about. We all know that, and we all love and play this game. This is a thread about how to attract more new players to the game. Before they actually get to learn that there is "a myriad of things to do" while waiting for skills to train, they first have to know how to train skills and what is actually possible to do in this game. If they don't get a taste for things to come, they don't know what to expect in the future. Most of them (all my students for instance) don't bother to find it out... The suggestions for what a new player can do are all well and that, but how is the new player to get this information? Not all players new to this game is tutored by a friend when they arrive. All your suggestions you have brought up in this thread requires the new player to have some kind of communication with the existing EVE communty as a part of the introduction process. Such prerequisites are not viable when trying to market something that's new and totally unfamiliar to new players - the game must talk for itself.

I'm a lone gamer, and when I first fired up EVE, I didn't have a clue as to what to do, and certainly not what to expect for the future. But because I'm patient, I gradually found out. I've always been a sucker for wikies and other information channels, and therefor usually spend some time on those sites before I get immersed in the game itself. Not all players are like that - many players would like to play the game to get a feel for it. By playing the game for a day or two, I would dare to claim that you won't get a feel for what EVE has to offer.




This is pure speculation and false assumptions about people's personalities/attitudes. All new characters already start out with basic skills that let them operate basic units/weapon systems for the faction they represent. I've never heard of any outcry from anyone as to why they have to train those skills further to get better equipment. Besides, in the tutorial missions, you already get a taste for some things to be done (like scanning, jamming, codebreaking, and so on) without having the skills for it. Never heard anyone complain about that. Those are called "civilian" items. When I first played those missions, I realized that I was given this specifically for this mission in order to get introduced to different aspect of this game. Some things were interesting, and I found out what I had to train to be able to fully use the proper version of said items, while other tasks were so boring I figured I'd leave it for later. I never was displeased that I didn't get to keep this ability without having to train for it.

So basically, the system is already in place, but it should be improved on - give more skill-less items (like ships) tied directly to tutorial missions, and make them more readily available for a brand new player.

and here is the problem overall, EVE changed a lot from 2003 in regard of safety (high sec / null sec) and people or should I say customers joined EVE at different times so actually they signed up for different products.

So with each change CCP risks to lose a part of its customers, and I hope we all agree that CCP needs the revenue and that we all don't want CCP to sink.

Nerf High Sec, you will lose customers, as they will not move to null, they didn't signed up for that
Nerf Null Sec, same thing here, CCP will lose customers

Why are WH so successful because they created a niche for null and high sec customers

So instead of nerfing one and buffing the other I say nerf them all, make null sec so hard that its not too easy for the large alliances (carebears are not restricted to high sec), nerf high sec so hard that it would be worth the risk for smaller groups to go to null.

NERF THEM BOTH

but I am afraid that will never happen as CCP cannot risk losing customers on both fronts

I want to thank everyone here for their excellent ideas and posts. I really appreciate the feedback and hopefully we can find a better solution to the agreed upon problem, that being "New players need more to 'hook' them into eve". There is no doubt end game material and even mid game material, however after you finish the "New Player Missions" you feel pretty overwhelmed. I've had 3 RL friends try eve for the 2nd time and loved the new start, but it really just extended their play by a few weeks as they definitely got a better picture of the game but still felt like they couldn't do much to "catch up" but wait.

I really think Eve needs some kind of "grind to skill points" but that would really upset the balance of play, so that is why I suggested something temporary. Now I've done what I can to help them past that chasm of wtf do I do now?

What they face is they can't really join in battles that they see whcih draw them into eve, they can go get podded in low sec, but woo hoo. They can't get into missions after playing games with actual pve, the missions are a total failure. Incursion looks very good, but again not for newbs. They don't want to mine a lot, they have tried it, but if htey train up mining skills they can't pew pew faster. We're going to bring one of them into our wh, but I don't expect that'll last long as well it's beyond their ability now, but we'll try.

I love eve, and people love hearing me tell stories of eve (they ask me about it, I don't pontificate). It is hard though keeping them around, but it is definitely getting better with the removal of Learning skills and the addition of the NPE.

So your shallow limited vision is the ONLY thing eve should ever be?

If they don't like it, **** 'em!

Come on man grow some balls and imagine Eve better than it is now.

Are you a cry baby about learning skils? Do you cry about them redoing missions?

1) Go to store,
2) Buy a douche,
3) Look in mirror if you need help identifying product,
4) ???
5) Sand is removed from your vagina.