So we have wandered away from skill point caps affecting retention (although IMO we covered that pretty well already) and are mostly talking about early player retention now.
It is possible for CCP/EVE to have “industry standard” retention numbers and still say “these numbers are bad”, BTW… because even if they are industry standard, who would look at 90% loss rates and say “Oh yeah that’s good!”. You’ve lost thousands of potential customers no matter how you slice it.
Darth S’s comment got me to remembering something though. Since such high numbers are lost between registration and first/second login, that seems an area to focus on.
Whatever else CCP is good/bad at, they do make some pretty good videos. They also have some amusing music videos. How about if, instead of a long boring download of the game, it downloads a fast little download manager, and that manager gives links to EVE videos/CCP music videos/little “Welcome to EVE” videos that the user could click on while both downloading and during that process where the game is installing/unpacking on the hard drive. Maybe also give some links to ‘getting started in EVE’ guides, or a chat location where you could chat with players/other downloaders.
I can’t recall which MMORPG I played, about 6-10 years ago, that did something like this. While the game downloaded, it ran a slide show and some tips and some info sheets on the character types and some stills of combat scenes.
The other thing would be to play some nice music, and maybe something like the corporation recruiting ads we used to have (before CCP went into the optometry business), during character creation. The character creator is actually pretty decent (although we pretty much never see our character again), but it could use some voiceovers, some tips, some ‘Click here for more information’ boxes or popups to make it a little more engaging.
It already does, at least 3 or 4 months ago when I last downloaded the game it did.
Yeah only problem is, many people don’t want to be bombarded with annoying popups when downloading something. If i have a big download going the last thing i want is it stopping me (with popups and slide shows) from doing other things while it does its thing.
Very few people will download a new game without first having googled it or spent time researching it on youtube etc.
If seems pretty clear - the first 2 days is when Eve loses most of it new recruits - That tells me the problems arise AFTER the game has been downloaded and played.
It is when a new player sees - Damn it’s going to take this long to do XXXX, then this long for YYYY. Wow, doing these low level missions really doesn’t pay enough rewards to even upgrade my ship. Ahhhh, I don’t think i want to play a game that expects me to be online for 20+ hours a day.
Then of course once you have created your first account and attempt to login as an Alpha to try it out - You get bombarded with “BUY ME” advertising before you can even get into space to see the game.
There is a lot CCP could do to improve player retention - Just like there is a lot they “could” do to address some of the REAL issues for those already playing.
But this is CCP and anyone who has been around their game for more than a few months knows - They just don’t have a clue.
Throwing mud pies at a wall of reddit based suggestions and going with the one the mud sticks to - ISN’T game development.
Sitting in the CCP bar at lunchtime having beers, IS NOT GAME DEVELOPMENT.
Having a CEO that just so obviously doesn’t have a clue about the game and literally caters to the loudest voice in the crowd - Is just really bad for player retention, whether it be old or new players.
CCP needs an overhaul - If it were a garden in my yard, I’d strip it bare, replant the better plants and get rid of the old, tired, non productive ones that hinder actual growth and replace then with something that will make my garden thrive.
Too funny - My “assumption” is - For many years CCP have made mistake after mistake in developing Eve all of which has got us where we are today.
NPE is no different - Sure it is better than it was 15 years ago when i started (there wasn’t one) but it is still really bad and severely lacking in crucial areas.
It’s really easy to sit in the cheap seat and criticise.
Especially when you don’t even have facts about how they go about their development process… which even with the bits they show us they clearly put far more work into it than you do into your rants.
Sure they’ve made mistakes though, who hasn’t.
Have you ever tried to listen to and understand what that voice is saying?
Boring monotone, speaks just that little bit too fast and if you don’t have 100% hearing is easy to misunderstand.
Try to go back because you are unsure of something that was said - Yeah right. Of course it can be done - IF you have someone with you who knows how…
Funnily enough, or as should be expected from CCP - At the end of the NPE it doesn’t even tell you how to find career agents, or if it did somewhere along the line I missed it.
NB; I gave up joining help channels, most are the worst place to try and get help.,.
Most companies learn from their mistakes - The whole game is now suffering due to CCP’s inability to do so.
You’d be surprised about what i have been told regarding their “development process” - Sad thing is, CCP has had some amazing developers over the years - Who constantly had the rug pulled out from under them by their superiors.
Maybe had Hilmar taken more of a hands on approach years ago and reigned in his “old school buddies” (lead Devs who’s only connection to Eve was their paycheck) things might not be as bad as they now are.
You are bitter and twisted and keep projecting.
CCP clearly learn from mistakes, they clearly fix things, just because they make new mistakes in a different place doesn’t mean they aren’t learning.
As for what you have been “told”… Source it or GTFO with your “I got told by someone who got told by someone who got told by an ex Dev” rumor mill stuff. (Which is incidentally against EULA/TOS to rumor monger like that)
I’m bitter yes, I’m bitter that CCP for years ignored all the warnings about their “vision” for the game.
I’m bitter now that they are making changes that have no rhyme or reason aside from punishing small/er groups in Sov Nul.
I’m bitter because one again CCP is not listening to anyone other than the minority on Reddit.
I’m bitter because on TiS groups like mine were referred to as “collateral damage” in the “Era of Chaos”.
As for who I got my information from - It was an EX employee of CCP, a very reliable source. But then i suppose you’d say the person was just bitter because they no longer worked there.,.
You’ve been around the game what, 7 or 8 years now - You live on the forums and you’ve never done anything but praise CCP for all the mistakes they’ve made, without ever having dealt with many of them and then call others who disagree out.
Yes i’m bitter, at all those who believe i’m not entitled to my opinion.
NB; If CCP don’t want people thinking they do their work in a bar at CCP, maybe they shouldn’t post pictures of themselves drinking and eating pizza, in the bar.,.
However, it serves a faceless owner better to have Aristocratic Bloc chums and churning Highsec slums without the messyness of people wanting to enjoy themselves inbetween.
I had little hope of getting out of hi/low before this. Now there is nothing except timmying orcas to destruction.
I suppose we have always played a niche game that only appealed to the few.
Making it even more niche by restricting who can and can’t play certain aspects of the “sandbox” was only natural.
It is a shame though, I thought i had a few more years of Eve left in me.
I have a very strong feeling that the winter releases (the big ones at least) are going to make the “Chaos Era” look like minor turbulence from a passing fly. I suspect that those large groups and all of HS are in for a real shake-up…of epic proportions.
