Player Features and Ideas Discussion

One the problems with player retention is that 14 days really isnt enough to get into eve. It is to complex of a game to get a feel of in 14 days. Add to this that eve has no direction, which is fine when you are use to it. But a majority of game are not like this and people have a hard time transitioning to the "create your own content" and " do whatever you want to do" style of gameplay.

Personally had it not been for a friend encouraging me to stick with eve i would of quit after the 14 day trial. But thanks to him im still here after nearly a decade and thousands of dollars spent. Very few people have that encouragement.

So rather than just give people extended trials, i thought what if they could earn by doing various things in the game and learning many aspects of eve at the same time. So basically during the free trial you would have a "mission list" given to you by a new capsuleer mission agent. When you complete a task, you turn it in to your mission agent to get the extra time added to your account. You keep any items gained during the task With completing the whole list adding an additional 60 days of time to your trial for a total trial time of 74 days.

Rather than the basic task given now for opportunities such as enter warp, dock, etc. These would be task designed to get players to do actual content. Some examples of tasks( these may need to be adjusted):

Note: For tasks that require an item that needs a skill that cant be trained on trial accounts, a civilian module will be provided that can only be used on tech 1 frigates( including the venture)
- Mine 20,000 M3 of Veldspar, Scordite,Pyroxeres, and Plagioclase each for 2 extra days of trial
- mine 75 units of any ice product 2 extra days
- Harvest 5,000 m3 of any gas product for 2 extra days.
- refine 5,000 m3 each of Veldspar, Scordite,Pyroxeres, and Plagioclase. Reprocess 5000 units of ammo/charges and 100 modules for an extra day.
- Collect 250 units of any salvage using a salvager from any ship wrecks for 1 day.
- Manufacture 500 runs of any item or combination of any items for an extra day.
- Research a blue print original to level 5 time and material efficiency and make 5 copies for an extra day.
- Produce 500 units from an advanced factory using planetary interaction for 1 day.
- Complete 10 relic sites for 1 extra day
- Complete 10 data sites for 1 extra day
- Complete 5 combat sites for 2 days
- Complete 5 missions each for the following agent types: Distribution, Mining, R&D, Security for 3 extra days.
- Complete 15 anomalies in high sec for a extra day
- Kill 50 NPC pirates in belts in high sec for a day.
Total: 20 extra days doing high sec activities.

Warning: The following requires you to leave high sec to complete. Use caution!
- Use a wormhole to enter each of the following: High sec, Low sec, null sec, W-space for an extra day. ( reminder to bookmark wormholes)
- Scan down 5 signatures in a wormhole( w-space) for an extra 3 days
- Complete 3 sites of any type in a wormhole for an extra 3 days
- Complete 3 sites of any type in low sec for an extra 3 days
- Complete 3 sites of any type in null sec for an extra 3 days
- Kill 10 NPC pirates( belts, anoms, or sites) in lowsec for 3 days.
- Kill 10 NPC pirates( belts anoms, sites) in null sec for 3 days.
- Mine 100 m3 of 3 of the 5 following ores in low sec, null sec, or w-space: Hemorphite, Jaspet Omber Kernite Hedbergite for 3 days
- 4 corners pilgrimage: travel to each of these null systems for 2 extra days per system. You may use any ship or a pod:
*P-ZMZV( Querious)
*3D-CQU ( Providence)
* 5- FGQI ( Syndicate)
* O1-FTD (Geminate)
** Bonus: An extra 5 days for completing all 4 of these pilgrimages.
Total possible for low security : 35 extra days.
Bonus: Complete all tasks for a 5 day bonus.
Total possible bonus days that can be earned: 60

It designed to give a choice of what you want to do to earn extra days. The more things you try in eve the more you earn. The idea is to get people to experience some of actual eve and learn the different things you can do and places you can go. A majority of the days you can earn involve risk outside of high sec. People get this notion that low and null is like something to be feared and you should never go there. They usually learn this from trying to go one jump in and dying or someone else saying how bad it is despite them not spending any significant amount of time there.

Overall i feel that newbies need both more time to get a feel for the game and a sense of what you can do in the game. Opportunities fails at delivering on actual gameplay . Its more of a tutorial on interacting with the games interface rather than playing the actual game.

Thats odd i was making 10-15 mil an hour on my newb recently before actually switching to a paid account. And i guess mining, doing exploration sites, combat sites, killing belt rats, running anoms, and running missions pays nothing? If so i owe CCP a lot of isk because they have been greatly overpaying me the last 9 years.

Contrary to many examples over the years, I like to think CCP know what they are doing. Does anyone know why they chose 14 days as the trial length?

As to OP, I'm trying to blow holes in it and find exploit points, but it's been a long week. I do like the fact that you did not ask for special protections and allow full exposure to danger and destruction.