Another plug for the Learning Coalition.

You don't need to be running proto anything to do well in this game, and it's not mandatory to be part of a corp to survive or be effective. It helps, but you can usually find randoms to squad with and even contribute solo if you play with your team in mind.

Thanes of Dust currently has 2 members and we usually run solo, but work with our team filling roles that we see need an extra body. If you play smart you can be a force even with militia gear...just don't run headlong into fire ;)

You said you can see potential in this game, and CCP has said that there is gong to be regular growth of what options are available to all players. We of the community are trying to help guide that, and we know it'll be a bumpy ride for a bit along the way.

Feel free to mail me even if it's just to say "Hi" and welcome to New Eden! :D

Yes, this is true. There's always going to be players with more skill points than you, and there'll be people who start after you with less skill points than you.

It's a common sentiment to feel that because someone has more skill points, that you'll be hopelessly left behind. But it's a misplaced feeling. I'd agree with you if not for the fact that skills are capped at V. Because the maximum a skill can be learned is V, that means that there's a limit to how much better someone can be than you (skill wise), and that also means that you can--for sure--train those same skills to V and be on the same level as a veteran.

Plus, considering that the jump from IV to V in most skills is small, roughly ~5% or so, the difference between level IV (relatively easy to train) and V (harder due to more skills) means that you'll be nearly as good as they are, with a 20% bonus vs a 25% one. I mean, vets may be able to use a Combat Rifle and an Assault Rifle with equally good proficiency; that just means that a new player has to specialize into something first, get good at that, then you can "afford" to branch out. For example, instead of putting all the rifle skills at III, consider specializing in, say, a Scrambler Rifle. You get really good at using it (and its assault variant), and then consider adding skill points toward a Rail Rifle or whatever else floats your boat. The same is true with tanking style, drop suit, etc. Pick Caldari and shield. Train those skills up. Then think about an armor scout. Don't try to do it all at first.

The other thing--and many other posters in this thread have said similarly--is get into a corp. Dust is VERY MUCH a team-based game, so the faster you can get into a corp to run a squad with, the better it'll be for you to experience Dust as it was meant to be played: as a team. If your run-ins with corps so far have been poor, then they likely weren't the corp for you. Don't stick around with shallow assholes, and certainly don't think less of your skills if they weren't new player friendly. There's plenty of new-player-friendly corps out there. Just look around, the internet and the forums for example, and you'll find people looking.

Lastly, do not waste your SP. It is a precious resource. If you are unsure of what you want to try out, remember that you can make an alt on your account who'll start off with SP that you can blow finding out if you're a scrambler pistol lover or a fan of the SMG. All basic models can be trained at skill I, so there's no need to dump lots of SP into something if you just want to try it out.

Trust me, many of us know full well about the lack of proper options to get new players caught up in this game. Vets have been championing the expansion of the new player experience and the addition of PVE (player versus environment) development for a long time.

CCP should have expanded on this with the expected influx of players due to the shutdown of MAG servers but have been behind the ball since the flop of the Uprising release last May. Since then, they have been trying to play catchup to the expectations they gave the community.

My advice for progression is as follows (MHO, not guaranteed)

Focus on gaining higher levels of your weapon of choice (choose either the Assault Rifle, Combat Rifle or Rail Rifle). Higher levels of a weapon will make the base weapon more capable. The Rail Rifle will give you a range advantage which will benefit you the most as it will help to negate your deficiency in HP versus other suits. Get to proficiency two or 3 in a weapon.

Get to level 3 in an equipment of choice. I would suggest either uplinks or a repair tool as these will gain you the most War Points in a particular match which will aide you in gaining SP faster and you will be more helpful to a team.

Once you have those two, work on your core skills which are Electronics and Engineering. This helps you to maximize what you can fit on your suits. Get these both to around level 3 at minimum but it should be a priority until they are at 5 each.

Decide on which race you want to skill into and what suits you want for that race. 1.8 'should' deliver racial suits for all classes so plan ahead. Deciding what race you want to be will decide on what you will use to gain EHP for your suits. Some players dual tank which can help but it requires more of an SP investment.

Shield Tanking (Caldari and Minmatar) - Build in regeneration but less total HP. Requires more SP involvement from the get to go gain maximum HP (Complex)

Armor Tanking (Gallente and some extend Amarr) - More total HP but no regeneration except for specialized plates. Lower SP investment to get boost in HP with diminishing returns for larger plates.

Only worry about upgrading your suits when you have maxed out what they can possibly carry. Suits, while attractive, should only be upgraded once lower tiered ones have been maximized. This saves you ISK (game currency) waste while maximizing potential profit from matches.

Be glad to give any other advice if you message me in game.