Player Features and Ideas Discussion

We've come up with a proposed system for NPC Corporations which would facilitate a better new player experience and provide greater access to different game elements without relying on a convoluted and under-explained recruitment process into Player-Run Corporations.


Disclaimers:

• This system is not designed to encourage players to stay in NPC corporations
• The specific details and events within the proposed Secondary NPC corps are strong suggestions, they are very much up for discussion and alteration
• All proposed changes emphasize empowering new players to advance themselves in the game. They are not supposed to remove the "DIY Mentality" that has been a foundation of the game for so many years.
• The basic infrastructure of the NPC corps is what we're pushing for. All additional content to add depth to the new NPC corps is icing on the cake that could be added as development resources become available.

The Concept:
The central change necessary would be a new NPC entity that was the default Corporation for new characters. There would be one of these corporations per faction and we are referring to them here as "Rebirth" corporations. ALL CHARACTERS CREATED would start as a member of their chosen faction's Rebirth Corporation.

Rebirth Corporation:

• Only available to players for their first 14 days (obviously that time period is adjustable, but we like it being at end of standard trial period)
• Focuses on providing resources, both automated and personal (i.e. ISDs, GMs, Devs), to new players to assist them with basic game mechanics and a smooth progression through tutorials
• Intended to be highly active with players of similar experience level and remove some of the "dead weight" from the current NPC corp experience that players are born into
• Rebirth can be left at any time. The aforementioned time limit is not a minimum, it's a maximum. New players can instantaneously migrate to another corporation, just as they can now.
• At end of designated Rebirth time, player is introduced to tutorial for using Corporation Recruitment tool, where options by default show Secondary NPC corps, which are described below. If a player declines to choose a corporation (player or otherwise) they are by default placed in what we're referring to as the "Neutral" NPC Secondary Corporation.

Secondary Corporations:

• Each faction will have 4 (suggested) Secondary Corporations.
• One of the Secondary Corporations will operate exactly the same as current NPC corps do - it is not truly and actively focused on any aspect of the game. This is the group we're referring to as the "Neutral" option.
• Three of the Secondary Corporations will be NPC entities that center around certain aspects of the game. Our current proposal is to have Mining/Industrial/Trade/Planetary Interaction, PvP (this group presents mechanical challenges, some ideas floating around for it), and Missioning/Exploration as the three groups.
• These corporations will be advertised at the end of the Rebirth period according to their focus.
• These corporations are intended to be intermediate points between the brand new player experience and a more focused and detailed Player-Run Corporation
• Having these corporations offers better, earlier access to specialized communities and knowledgeable players in a given field of the game with which young capsuleers can develop skills
• Players are free to move between Secondary corps as they see fit, there is however a 24 hour stasis when changing to avoid excessive switching between. This inter-NPC stasis would not affect a player joining a Player-Run Corporation.
• Having these Interest Groups allows for future development of NPC content (such as occasional mining bonuses in given systems to introduce players to fleet mechanics and benefits)
• Secondary Corporations could offer access to more targeted tutorial elements
• Secondary corporation chats can become a much more focused community and will provide players greater social interaction without sacrificing the independent nature of the game.
• ANY PLAYER THAT LEAVES A PLAYER-RUN CORPORATION will default back to the "Neutral" corp, they will not be returned to one of the focused Secondary Corporations.

Mockup Images:
NPC Organization Chart
Aura Prompt at end of Rebirth Period
Corp Recruitment Window from Tutorial

Overall Benefits:

• Easier modes of contact for brand new players (for approved helpers via Rebirth chats i.e. ISDs, GMs, Devs and any additional helpers approved for this concept)
• Exposure to more active and focused communities based on player interest and goals
• Solid platform for introduction of advanced tutorials for things such as fleet interaction
• Removes some mystery and confusion surrounding current methods of finding corporations by exposing members to recruitment methods earlier
• Allows more effective recruitment pools for Player-Run Corporations based on game interest (i.e. targeted recruiting efforts in the Mining/Industrial Secondary Corporations for indy groups)
• Offers a greater degree of interaction for new players right from the start
• Does not replace or diminish the usefulness of existing new player resources such as Rookie Help
• Provides a stronger support structure for "profession" focuses without too much hand-holding
• Catalytic effect for formation of new Player-Run Corporations
• Greater incentive for use of Corporation Recruitment Tool by existing corps

We're enthused about this idea and see it as a viable (if not necessary) step toward enriching the new player experience and increasing retention during a critical phase of the game. Feedback welcome!

The new player experience needs almost as much love as POS's.


...or missions.

...or industry UI

...

This deserves so much more attention than it is getting. We should definitely get a dev in here. Who's job is it to worry about new player experience (I'm not sure if any of the community managers focus on it)?

A good idea? On my EVE-O Forums?
It's more likely than you think!

God that's old. I don't even know what made me think of it.

Seriously though, sounds pretty decent.

Makes absolutely no sense. This would only be halfway balanced if secondary and neutral NPC corps are wardeccable. Honestly though, it sounds like you are trying to make NPC corps a more attractive alternative to player corps. Why you would want to do that is beyond me. Newbies should rather be steered towards player corps as much as possible. Staying in NPC corps in the long term should carry serious drawbacks to balance their immunity to wardecs.

Yes, I do agree that player corps should be much more desirable than NPC corps to join. There's gotta be a way to make the new player experience better and give a couple of benefits to player corps.

I'm not sure whether this structured approach is going to do it.

The main problem is orientation. The new player faces the evecartoon.jpg learning curve. The challenge is to:

- teach them how to use the environment

- explain features

- show them career options

- provide training in the chosen activity

- encourage them to seek out and engage with other players

In EVE that challenge is fairly unique. Features change near-constantly. I regularly see people who've not been there in a few years come back and be amazed by all the changes that have taken place in the interim "So, anything change while I was away?". YES!

The original post wants to force orientation on the player. Structure is what is called for. Although I can see why that is a good idea on the surface, it is convoluted in the sense that it tries to embrace the new player and tell them "No no, wait. Hang on. Listen to this first. You need to know this stuff, it's important." It is forcing the new player to sit in a class room and take notes. What the original post fails to realise is that this is a route that takes us on the road to a theme park experience. We do not want to do that.

This is what we want to do: we want to offer the player an introduction to a feature when they are ready to accept that lesson.

How we do that is by building a self-referencing system that is consistent with the capsuleer experience. We do not address the player as someone who is playing a game. We are addressing a new pod pilot and teach them what it means to be a member of the superior social class of New Eden and how to use the tools at their fingertips. The reason to do it that way is: immersion. A new reality presents itself. A new way to think about the world is required. I wanted to kiss the person who wrote the introductory animation because -that- is how you start doing that. It is just beautiful.

But then: how do we teach them how the environment works, right?

Every part of the interface that is new [all of it] has a feature "How does this work?". CCP Karkur will give that a beautiful touch, I'm quite sure of it. It is not forced on the pilot. It is there when they want it. That is an important aspect. We don't force the new pilot to do anything, we just let them know that there is help when they need it. Why not sit them down through orientation and force them to learn? Because that may not be what they want. Some people thrive on structure. Some people thrive on chaos.

When they ask for the help on a topic, a beautiful animation shows what it is for. It does not go in-depth to explain every last little detail, because that takes too many clauses and that's what we have EVE Uni et al for. But first, they've got to be told: this is the inventory, it works like this...

Every feature has an option "I understand what this does, I don't need any more explanation". Our budding pilot is slowly finding their space legs and is allowed to show their confidence in how the environment works by dismissing unwanted help.

We will want some exquisite animation to teach them how zipping around the universe works and, as the current Help does: they must be taught that they will lose ships, that this loss is permanent and that the loss may be regretted but should not be feared (people who whine about losing ships in local is -so- tiresome).

An important step in the learning process is to introduce them into New Eden society. And here I connect to the original idea. We teach the new pilot that society is organised in corporations. Corporations may be joined in Alliances. We want to strongly encourage new pilots to seek out like-minded individuals (and here corporations may show initiative by having an outreach program for new pilots) and make their own dent in the universe.

All of that through the interface as it presents itself to the new capsuleer. Internally consistent, self-referencing. Why not ham it up by making an animation that is displayed on the screen in the Captain's Quarters, faction dependent, obviously, where a few of the 'facts of life' of the respective factions are revealed, a foundational story is presented and the capsuleer is encouraged to join civil society. They are a capsuleer now, capsuleers find kindred spirits.

The environment offers wonderful opportunities to have itself be taught to new pilots and, in the Captain's Quarters, the space dock UI, in space. If the experience of teaching features is compelling enough, that will be a first introduction into the New Eden ethos of its own accord. A statement: You are a pod pilot now. This is how we do things.

I would not structure it the way the original post proposes. It presupposes too many things that are blindingly obvious to us veterans but which mean nothing to new capsuleers.

The newly-minted pilot finds themselves amidst chaos they have not seen yet, and it is not a bad thing that they should feel a little bewildered. They are in a place such as they have not experienced before, it should leave them a bit uneasy. But then, when they start asking questions, they should find the environment replete with answers, ready when they want them.

Aura: "Welcome, pilot! Make yourself at home. Look around. Explore. Use this [symbol] symbol to learn how to command your environment. This process is self-paced. You are free to roam as you please. I will be here any time you require further assistance. Fly safe.

The pod pilot has to be taught how the environment works by the environment itself. That is a lesson that sinks in. It is consistent with the experience. It enhances immersion and it empowers the pilot as they gain more experience in how to use the environment. This process should be organic and not forced. It is the forced aspect of the original post that does not sit well with me. We do not want to force the pilot, we want to guide them.

And have them make their own decisions and mistakes.

Reposted from the EVE subredit:

Don't we already have new player corporations that you default to when you start and when you leave a corporation?
Don't we already have career tutorials that focus on specific parts of the game?
What we don't have is a tutorial on forming fleets, or volunteers running fleets for the starter corporation members.
Doing that would be an easy minor change...
Unless I'm missing something, I don't see what this idea brings to the table that's any different than what is currently in place.
In fact, I don't see the difference.


What am I missing?

I like it, sub divisions should be wardeccable though, with the option that noobs can escape the war dec by leaving the sub division by returning to the parent corp with a nasty standing penalty, or choosing to leave and join a proper player corp or form their own.

There should also be a fw subdivision. I would also say that some training missions should only be available within certain sub divisions such as the industry or scanning tutorials being only available within the industrial or exploratory sub division as appropriate.

I would also suggest that players with decent enough standings be allowed to create their own divisions as micro corps within the npc parent corp which are also war deccable which gives players the option of flying together sharing goals etc whilst allowing them to keep the npc corp chat channel making it easier to maintain friendships and the maintain a sense of community.

Some restrictions should apply to player created subdivisions such as making them unable to anchor deployable structures and, pos's etc or being unable to claim sov etc and a limit on maximum numbers of players in order to make fully independent corps more attractive as the players come to learn more about the complexities of eve.

This is a splendid idea. Props for working out so much of the process. The way it makes the process of getting involved in EVE (trial - tutorials - focus on interest - find corp) transparent and obvious is exactly what the NPE needs.

The mere existence of specialized NPC corps may be also be a PC corp factory, by bringing people with similar interests into contact with other. This is a Good Thing™.