CCP,

If you want this game to have a lot of people playing it past the first month of retail you have to set up some rank limited areas for new players to play. I've seen 6 people who I convinced to try the game in the last 3 weeks totally give up and say they will never play again. Their reason is that when they try to figure out how to play they can barely hurt the advanced/proto people (not that they realized just how many SP and good ISK gear those guys had and used) and basically do nothing but die making the game no fun for them.

I don't like to complain without offering a resolution to the problem so here it goes, make 4 seperate battle areas

Area1: 0 SP - 2 million SP
Area2: 2 million SP - 6 Million SP
Area3: 6 million SP - 10 million SP
Area4: NO RESTRICTIONS, ALL CAN PLAY


Now those values are just suggestions, a guideline/idea. They are not set in stone in my mind by anymeans.

How about this?
CCP adds a social skill named ex. "Risk taking". It would require from player to consciously allocate some SP to advance to next level. Advancement would of course be irreversible. The skill could have x0 SP multiplayer requiring 0 SP to advance.

New players start at 0. Max level is 5. The skill level would control how many damage a player can receive from and deal to others expressed by the formula: level x 0,2 x normal damage. It would control active SP gain along with WP and ISK from battle. At level 0 to 4 a player could take part in pubmatches only. At level 5 in pubs and unlocked all other types. Takes full risk and reward.

At level 0 new players would be just spectators. Any rounds fired by them or at them would be harmless. Would allow them use of free equipemnt (incl. vehicles). This way they could accustom themselves harmlessly with game environment. At level 5 full damage input/output. Along with ISK/WP/active SP. Would leave passive SP gain unaffected by this skill.

Additionaly The Matchmaker could take that skill's level into account when matching players for pub battle. It would be much educating for new players to see performance of more advanced ones so matches should be staged with players of differing skill but with modesty. The advanced players selected by The Matchmaker for a "teacher's" role could get extra ISK bonus with some information visible to all battle participants.

Source: https://forums.dust514.com/default.aspx?g=posts&m=730193#post730193

At lvl 0 you can't inflict or receive damage. No ISK gain to buy proto gear. Once you advance to lvl 5 there is no turning back to 0. Like other skills...

How about we make it like EVE missions: levels and standings.

In EVE, there are level 1-5 missions. Level 1's are easily accomplished by a starter frigate. Level 2's might be better done in a destroyer. Level 3's would take a cruiser or battlecruiser, level 4's take a battleship, and level 5's take a group of players.

You need to have standings worked up to do higher level missions. If you want to run level 2 missions for the Caldari Navy, you need to have run a bunch of level 1 missions for them first. A player who has a battleship and frequents level 4 missions could do a level 1 mission, but why the hell would they? Level 4 missions pay like 20 million ISK when you take salvage and a bonus and whatnot into account. Level 1 missions pay like 75 thousand ISK. A brand new player could not do a level 4, though, because they haven't grinded up the standings for it.

How do we apply this to DUST?
Make level 1-5 battles where level 1's pay like 100,000 ISK, and level 4-5's pay like 10 million (proto gear would have to rise in price steeply to accomplish this). Now, track their reputation. This isn't a rep with any specific faction, but more of how renowned they are. Gain 1 point for losses and 2 for wins. When a player hits 50 points, they can do level 2's. Now keep it going up like that.

This won't keep level 5's from joining level 1's and pubstomping, but they won't make jack for money in level 1's. It will, however, keep level 1's from joining games that are absolutely full of souped up proto players.

Just reiterating for people to see:
We request that CCP infuse a sense of matchmaking to the game that will include the following:
Some sort of separation whether it be 2 vets(6million SP +) per team with lower SP's following, making for even teams. Unlike current matchmaking as of May 1st, 2013; Where 3 squads of people with 4million+ are up against 16 people with under 2-3Million SP.