Assembly Hall

Look, since the number of subscribers in EVE has been dropping off dramatically, I thought that what EVE really needs is a REAL hook to reel in the new players. The best I could come up with is a new take on your first 5 minutes of EVE. And then I looked into the other games I play to build up my character. Well, how about a harsh take on reality with a game like Need For Speed: Underground? Example:

- Player N just clicked the [OK] button on character selection.

- Player N is whisked away to a random spot in nullsec (not a part of the full tranquility server so no other players in the system with you), armed with a battleship, and the ever-present Aura guiding with tutorials. (i.e. warp off station, go to sun, go to planet, dock at station, join fleet.)

- Player N joins fleet (NPCs), and is greeted by (scripted) greetings and rowdy banter typical to their chosen faction. Aura guiding on ins and outs of what your ship is, what fittings/rigs are and such. Player N finally gets through the last tutorial and fleet chat starts flashing, opening it, there's a convo about an enemy fleet approaching.

- A fleet member tells everyone to undock, Aura guides Player N to undock.

- A fleet member tells everyone to warp to gate and engage hostiles, once again Aura guides Player N to activate modules to help with tanking explaining a difference in shield, armor, and hull tanking.

- Coming out of warp, it's pure devastation. There's wrecks everywhere, heavy losses on both sides. Aura is helping slightly: aim at this target, click or use a button for this module. Once Player N scores a kill (scripted), the hostiles engage Player N and succeeds in not only killing his ship, but podding him as well.

- Clone activation: Aura appears during the black screen with a tutorial about clones, skills, and various other tips on what to do. Player N upon reaching the end of this tutorial, has to purchase his first Alpha Clone, as well as purchasing (on Aura's market) a noobship (that's all the money they have for it) and various fittings like mining lasers and shield boosters and skillbooks are still given freely through tutorials.

What do you think?

brilliant suggestion

I like and Ali's suggestion except there has to be a way to keep the fool from running away from the podding so he can keep the skill list.

m

I saw your comment on the post on The Mittani. I love it, its an instant hook and you would learn so much more.

The main advertising of EvE is the awesome fleet fights. If people come to eve because of the market or some of the other niche stuff they have heard about they are already hooked. Its the people that CCP gets from the adverts that we need to convince.

Capsuleers have to graduate from a school before they can be qualified to step in a pod. I'm almost imagining a final exam type deal. This way we don't have to worry about podding/getting out of the simulation/anything else. When they start they are given the skills to fly the ships needed. When they are done, they go back to normal (and aura tells them this)

In a fleet fight almost every aspect of the game comes into play. You have logi boats, ECM, cap warfare, etc. Have a NPC Logi rep the player up from low armor/shield. Use a frigate neutralizer to cap the hell out of the player until he is useless - unable to hit the small frigate with his large guns. Then a pair of NPC destroyers can come in and save him.

The tutorial should be about establishing relationships between things. Big vs small, capacitor and mods, ECM vs DPS etc. The player doesn't need to know EVERYTHING about these things by the end of the tutorial. He merely needs to know that they exist. That cap warfare is a thing, logistics can save a ship, ECM is a ***** and big guns can't shoot small targets.

A tutorial like this will emphasize what can be gained from flying with other people. How different ship types can compliment each other and friends can come in and save the day.



Another thing to add though - I think a plug to Eve University is needed in game. Yes its favoring a group of players, get over it. The amount of help they will be able to give is significantly more than they are ever going to get from the starter corp and help channel.

CSM 7 (I think) suggested exactly this sort of thing at one of the summits. Now you are going to make me go back and look at summit minutes.

Wow, that is some serious trial by fire.

But this fleet thing, would it be like an NPC fleet? I mean, as much as i would like it to be a player fleet, its unlikely going to be that. How would aura know "undock now", "warp to xxxx", "bridge via titan".

I mean, it would be one thing if it a weekly thing planned ahead by CCP.

many games actually try this "fast forward" introduction but its easy to get it wrong esp in complex games. To pick an example, the introduction chapter of witcher 2 where you start with fairly high skills got the most criticism.

What makes those games failures?

edit: if it's not clear, I say this not because I'm questioning your assessment or can't use google, but just because it's sometimes useful to think about what parts of a thing work and what don't by looking at other examples.

Hmmm. To get the actual size of it, a you would want capitals involved, probably some doomsday animations,

Create an account
log in
"Warning Friendly fleet is engaging hostiles..."
"Please open your inventory and select a ship."
"You have selected a battleship, Please open your inventory and right click on the modules and select fit to ship."
"your ship is fitted, please click undock"
"on the right you have your overview, please select the Cynosoral field"
"in the window above that, please press Warp To"
....
etc etc
"Please click on the [NPC Titan] and select target, then activate your guns by clicking on them"
"Warning a Doomday weapon has been activated"
"You are now being attacked "
"Your ship has been blown up"
"Oh no, your pod isnt able to get away"
"you are no longer able to fly battleships until the skill is trained"
Mission Complete: Trial by Fire


Do it, I will make trial accounts just to do that.