Vrain Matari
ZionTCD
Unclaimed.
519
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Posted - 2013.05.14 13:21:00 -
[1] - Quote
Some thoughts on how to sets up an academy that provides a good new player experience and prepares peeps for New Eden(Ranked by importance).
1) Don't restrict the types of matches new peeps can join. Allow them to join any match. Provide an appropriate warning, ofc. I propose 'You are about to enter a den of wolves the likes of which you have never seen. Have fun! ;)'.
Two main reasons for this.
Firstly, it allows peeps to test the waters and calibrate their expectations. This could have a big influence on how a player choses to build their character, or even what role, suit, vehicle they choose. Peeps could have a disheartening shock when they are forced out of their cozy noob world and realized they've misallocated their skillpoints. We might want to consider allowing a respec(maybe partial?) when peeps emerce from the academy womb - see point 3 below.
Secondly, it allows social mixing so that the class barrier between noobworld and New Eden is not quite so high. New peeps would have a better chance of making contact with corps, and I could imagine some even forming squads and rolling some regular matches. Would love to see that kind of behaviour come out of the academy. I think it's important to make sure that peeps all get force fed squad and comms tutorial loading screens(brief but thorough).
2) Stats reset upon emerging from the academy.
Good in many ways. It takes the pressure off peeps and allows them to explore roles and fittings they might otherwise avoid due to concerns over K/D.
It eliminates the temptation for lethal vets to roll a toon and emerge fron the academy with an obscene K/D bought at the expense of other players first experiences in New Eden.
It telegraphs to peeps that they are in a 'training academy' and are not playing the real game. Important, CCP, because you are going to have to deal with difficulties generated by misconceptions formed in the academy creches - console gamers have not seen anything like New Eden before and will assume their previous experience is valid here. The reset is a message to 'pause and take notice' and might be worth an in-game cutscene upon graduation.
3) Skillpoint reset upon emerging fron the academy. Or maybe an optional or partial reset.
Most importantly, it creates a safe environment for peeps to experiment creatively - i submit EVR as a case in point ;)
Maybe even allow optional respec at will or respec per week. Why not? Then The academy could do double duty a proving ground for loadout, new gear, squad combined arms tactics, etc.
4) Restrict gear by meta level. I propose whatever the meta level of an advanced weapon is(e.g. the GEK but not the Killswitch). Just enough to give peeps a feel for the cost/benefit of gear progeression.
The principle value of this is to teach the concept of meta level - with all the strange techie-speak stats we have in the game the meta level can be a powerful clarifying statistic for peeps.
Prevents bee-lining to proto weapons and encourages a bit more gear/fittings exploration.
Lastly, just a question: isk farming?
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