I’ve been trying to help new players and I think a simple implantable solution to player retention would be to offer an option to receive skill points or isk when turning in a mission. This can have diminishing returns and only be available to Omega clones. I think it would be fairly easy to implement and help new players get new stuff.
A ratio of 1,000,000 isk to 200 SP would make it so that only new players would want to do something like this and it would really help them get more out of the game when they first start out.
They get the option… end game all you care about is ISK. New players want to be able to fit and fly new things. It’s hard explaining to someone that they need to spend at least a month training core skills before they can get something new and the only way to get there faster is to spend RL money.
The skilling spree was a great addition. I think it can be expanded to mission running
I don’t know–the ISK you get from just doing the tutorials is enough to afford plenty of T1 ships.
If you go too heavy toward the SP, you might not have enough ISK to afford stuff you’re qualified to fly/fit anyway. Conversely, if you go too heavy toward the ISK, you’ll have money but won’t have the skills to fit/fly things you could otherwise afford.
Additionally, allowing new players access to much more expensive ships early is just begging to up the tragedy factor when they lose them. Frankly, I’m STILL flying my little Heron around because I make decent ISK and don’t want to lose something like an Astero quite yet. Risk averse, yeah yeah, blah blah blah, hahaha.
Players already can convert their ISK into SP by buying (alpha/small/large) injectors off the market. The more SP character has - the worse the conversion ratio.
@Ms_Steak Yes they can, if the decide to pay RL money for plex otherwise the current SP injectors are out of reach for anyone who has minimal skill points.
@Ramona_McCandless I’m not. They have the choice to spend the SP on what they want just like they would the ISK. I’m just saying if they had the option they might stay longer explore more and fall in love with something.
@Ramona_McCandless Yes, the skilling spree is fantastic. I take newbies around helping them get their kills in Null when they are unable. I want more people online and playing longer. The skilling spree is great and can be expanded upon without the vet’s being bitter
Tutorials that actually teach something, especially about fitting, about ship specialities, and about the value of use that can be got from the ships they can replace most easily.
A CCP/CONCORD sponsored and properly moderated Training Corps.
Voice acting.
A realistic depiction of the universe, not a fabrication of marketing, cgi video and easily ignored archaic meme phrases.
But above all reassurances that anything is possible as long as you can find the way yourself or with the help of friends.
EVE is NOT for everyone when you all understand this then new player retention is as it is. Some love first person shooters others love puzzles others like Adventure eve is a long term game.
Face it eve pvp is 2hrs setting up ship looking for opponent then 20sec of pvp followed by 30min local smack lol
Why worry about new player retention focus on the clients you have, new players will come if you build it right
Getting tired of all the tears about new player retention. I was new but did I whine nope its a friggin game learn it or find a new game geezus
As much as this seems to be rewarding, it would seem to force a new player into that activity alone.
That would be bad for the game as New Eden is a sandbox and not an RPG where a Pilot would feel there is one set path. Eve Online has many paths and skill points are traded between pilots to also add interaction.
I would strongly be against the grinding for skill point, the current log in undock and shoot between one and 10 ships a day should be enough to become the new carrot on the stick.
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Second part of that would be there is currently a method that a new pilot can turn LP into ISk via purchasing or saving standard ammo, then in lots of 5k can convert that ammo into faction ammo which sells for a lot more than if the new player was to just sell or salvage the 100 lot ammo looted while on such mission.
Your isk/SP ratio is 5000isk/SP, whereas @Ms_Steak‘s examples of alpha and small injectors are 1080isk/SP and 1600isk/SP. Not very favorable returns for the new player for your mission SP idea.
And even it were made more favorable, then CCP would eventually be accused of trying to set prices in the skill injector market.
It’s good intentions to try to come up with ideas for player retention. But when I started out in 2007, it took me two months just to fly and arm a cruiser, and I still didn’t have core skills maxed out. Now for new Omega player, it’s maybe a month to max out core skills. Even if this was reduced down to two weeks through SP events or such, it wouldn’t bug me at all personally (maybe others).
But then a valid question arises, if a player can barely handle such a shorter time to train, is that person going to stick around at all in the long run anyways? Maybe it’s not SP’s that’s really the problem in player retention, but maybe more to do with PvE and PvP content that has fallen behind the competition…
