Introducing Exordium!

[CCP_Swift]

@Witaminer

Below is only my pure opinion but from what I understand from all those information provided already.

What worries me is that this may not actually help new players. It may just make them too soft for what EVE really is.

Because the real question is not: “will a new player survive the first week?” The real question is: “will a new player understand what kind of game they are actually playing?”

If someone spends a day there, or a week, or even a month, and gets used to that sterile environment, they may start to believe that this is what EVE is:

• no theft
• no suspect baiting
• no dirty tricks
• no social manipulation,
• no real pressure,
• no consequences coming from other players.

Then the moment they leave that space and enter normal New Eden, they may not experience it as “the next step”. They may experience it as hitting a wall.

And that is the core problem: in my opinion: nobody truly understands the nature of EVE until they actually see it and feel it.

You can write warnings. You can put up popups saying “you are leaving protected space”. You can explain that things work differently outside. But none of that is the same as the first real lesson:

• someone scams you
• someone shoots you
• someone steals from you
• someone manipulates you
• someone punishes your carelessness.

EVE is one of those games that cannot be taught fully in theory. Part of it has to be lived. So to me, Exordium may make the entry easier, but it may also delay the player’s collision with the truth of the game. And a delayed collision can be worse than an earlier one, because by then the player may already have built a false model of the world.

In short: A safe start does not teach EVE. It only teaches a safe start. EVE begins when the world stops being polite.

This was certainly something that people in the CSM flagged as well. However I do want to add that there is a policy for the existing starter systems and those surrounding them. Specifically,

Attempting to abuse a new players lack of knowledge of the game and its mechanic for your personal gain or simply for their harm is prohibited in these solar systems. This includes, but is not limited to;

• Tricking new players into situations where you or others may open fire on them freely
• Stealing or scamming ISK or assets from them
• Hindering a rookie’s progress in completing the Tutorial / NPE Arc

Stealing or scamming ISK or assets meant for Rookies is likewise covered by this policy within these systems.

It just so happens that this is enforced by GMs rather than the game itself. We have GMs active in these systems regularly messaging new players, and we get flagged whenever a new player experiences a certain “first” - suspect timer, ship loss (from either PvP or PvE), etc.