Introducing Exordium!

[Aiko_Danuja]

@Geo_Eclipse_Oksaras

Everyone that wants to recruit new players will find recruiting in Exordium useful, since it’s where all new players will pass through, no matter where they plan to go next.

So basically every new player can expect to get spammed endlessly by bots.

[Nisme]

@Geo_Eclipse_Oksaras

As one example that I’m allowed to talk about now: the shipcaster shortcuts from the empire constellations lead directly to the FW HQ HS systems (adjacent to the warzones)

Honestly the best implementation of the one-time shipcasters we could have expected.

[Dyver_Phycad]

Commendable effort but why are you doing that and not CCP? They listed the forum officially in the dev blog as info source and communication platform; they should post this info here.

[Geo_Eclipse_Oksaras]

it will cut down on those thinking they can use exordium as a shortcut

[Ashterothi]

BTW I have been doing a lot of searching this morning and find no mechanical difference between .9 and 1.0 systems. This change should not impact CONCORD response time, availability of belt rats, ability to Abyss or anchor things. All those things treated .9 and 1.0 as roughly the same (according to EVEUni and other places)

[Witaminer]

There are few, one of is for example:

• Security status of -2.0 or below means you’ll be attacked in █ 1.0 systems.

• Security status of -2.5 or below means you’ll be attacked in █ 0.9 systems.

For more - search Yourself.

[Artenso_Vestindal]

All questions were asked before (and it would be ideal to make another newsletter to answer them, not just on forums - if any even exist)

1. what about current career mission agents? Will they remain?
2. will exordium have one set of career agents or 4? Are they going to give a standing towards a faction? If so, how is going to be distingushed to which one?
3. will there be any limits for entry into the new system?
4. Yulai is the only entry point (meaning Amarr based players will have some 35-ish jumps to get in or out while Gallente have basically instant access) or is there going to be an entry point for each empire?

[Geo_Eclipse_Oksaras]

all those were answered above.

1. they are still going to be there for those who join before the expansion.
2. exordium will have all 12 agents just as they already do, and they will still give regular faction standing as the current 12.
3. No. Vets and rookies can come and go as they please. Rookies can leave on day one.
4. Yulai is the main point in or out. Shipcasters to each FW HS HQ will be available in each empire territory but those can only be used once per character.
5. All new players after the expansion will start in Manifest and be able to branch out from there. Unless someone lives or wants to haul goods to Exordium from amarr, it shouldn’t be an issue.

[CCP_Swift]

Hey all! Quite a few great comments and questions here. The largest that we’ve seen so far is for projection and if the area can be used as a shortcut.

The Exordium region has a one way entrance through the only entrance to it from Yulai, but there are 4 other exits in the form of one time use, one-way, shipcasters out of Exordium and into each of the military HQs for the respective factions.

In terms of filaments out, Exordium is essentially green-safety locked which means that travel filaments will not work.

Static wormholes from elsewhere will also not show up in Exordium, but the idea is to have wormholes within Exordium linking to one another so people trying out exploration for the first time will be able to experience.

Another great question was: what happens to the career agents in the current starter systems? Right now, nothing - they will stay there for now, and the rules surrounding those systems will stay as they are. This will eventually change in the future, but as we’re making the change we’re not in any rush to migrate everything over to Exordium.

For ganking in 0.9 vs 1.0 systems, since other 1.0 systems will be moved to 0.9 - the CONCORD response time difference between 0.9 and 1.0 is functionally negligible. But we’ll keep an eye on the data to see if there’s an appreciable uptick or affect in any way.

Will keep popping in here and on Discord/Reddit to answer questions as they pop up, and of course hearing your feedback and concerns are super valuable to us and a large part of the reason we’re talking about this as early as we are

[Geo_Eclipse_Oksaras]

@CCP_Swift

The Exordium region has a one way entrance through Yulai, but there are 4 other exits in the form of one time use, one-way, shipcasters out of Exordium and into each of the military HQs for the respective factions.

so wait, if a rookie left, and decided to come back, they can only do so 4 times?

[Gerard_Amatin]

@Geo_Eclipse_Oksaras

so wait, if a rookie left, and decided to come back, they can only do so 4 times?

They can always take the main two-way route out into Yulai, if I understand it correctly. Just not via the shipcaster.

[Geo_Eclipse_Oksaras]

well swifty above just said its one way in via Yulai
The blog said Mike or Kshal could work in exordium, so if its only one way in, i don’t see how they could.

[The_Voice]

Bad idea, eventually people will get to highsec and get the same experience just with a delay. What you should have put time and effort in was making the missions more engaging, less buggy and more rewarding. It’s what most new players start of with doing. Losing a ship is only bad if getting a new one is to expensive. I only got hooked to the game when I started playing in null after years of highsec for a month or two at the time. Because with the isk created there a loss didn’t feel to much and being able to purchase injector and skill a bit faster felt like progressing more.

And having an option to select which area to start could solve the other option you mentioned. It’s basically a non issue.

[Gerard_Amatin]

@Geo_Eclipse_Oksaras

well swifty above just said its one way in via Yulai

Ah yes, that would be problematic.

I assume that’s an error, and it is an entrance and exit. Because if not, then single-use shipcasters could indeed leave players stuck in Exordium.

[Geo_Eclipse_Oksaras]

thats why i was asking for clarification since fozzie said both can come and go anytime… that limits it if yulai is entrance only. @CCP_Swift are you sure?

[Anna_Dyneaux]

Presumably you will still be able to set your clone to your school station, which will be outside Exodium.

Changing that up is going to seriously tick off anyone who rolled Caldari in order to have a shortcut back to Jita always available.

[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.

[Mike_Azariah]

I am just sad you do not have the Bus flying overhead

m

[Zhix_Steelwall]

i disagree, u dont push children into the bitter world either. u educate them first before u push them down into the abyss xD in 99% cases anyway for modern world countries

[Witaminer]

@Gerard_Amatin

@Geo_Eclipse_Oksaras

well swifty above just said its one way in via Yulai

Ah yes, that would be problematic.

I assume that’s an error, and it is an entrance and exit. Because if not, then single-use shipcasters could indeed leave players stuck in Exordium.

Maybe not, depends how auto-destruct will work there with sending people home and where is their home. And of course how it will work in other way, auto-destruct in normal space and returning to home set in Exordium.