The Importance of Training
For a few hours this weekend, I had the fortunate opportunity to join a null-sec survival class coordinated by a main fleet captain of the Paxton Federation. In those few hours, I can honestly say I learned more about EVE than I’ve gained in the last two months of living in Providence.
Part of this is definitely credited to the abilities of the FC, who did do a great job divulging us rookies with the do’s and don’t you dare’s of 0.0 life. But, I’d say more of it had to do with the fact that I was actually getting some brand of clear instruction in a game that has none.
And, as such, it got me thinking:
Train your corp mates.
If there’s any one thing I would say is absolutely vital to the successful induction of a fresh capsuleer to New Eden, it is proper training from more experienced pilots. Without it, a new capsuleer might as well start practicing their diving form for the plunge off the learning cliff. There is simply no hope for solo survival in space.
Of course, even with the tutorials added in Apocrypha, plenty can be said about the hugely lacking “new player experience”. As with many things in EVE, however, the lack of clear instruction puts a unique twist on a game mechanic that is taken for granted in most games—the new player being spoon fed everything from controls to tactics at every turn.
EVE’s answer to this is, quite frankly, “figure it out for yourself”. It’s a philosophy that’s the heart and soul of the sandbox MMO, and while it’s perfect for most of the game, as far as new players are concerned, it’s a shot in the dark.
Before you start quoting HTFU and preaching “too bad so sad” for players that don’t have thirty hours of game time a week to become masters of the ‘verse, let me be clear: I am not advocating new players be spoon-fed every mechanic in the game. Not only do I find this unnecessary and somewhat antithetical to the philosophy of the game, but as much as CCP claims they’re working on the new player experience, I really don’t expect CCP to try to compete with the quality of training one can get from fellow players.
That’s the point, really. It’s not just up to new players to “figure it out”, but it’s even more up to veterans to offer this help. If you’re running your own corp and sometimes get wrapped up in tech II fleets for nights in a row, or are ratting to afford your next HAC, take a moment to remember how difficult your first few months/year of playing EVE was, and see if there’s someone around to help out.
Because, chances are, you probably have a new player in your corp that’s spinning a cruiser in their station right now, at a loss for what to do next, or who to ask.
And you can be damned sure that when I finally earn my stripes as a veteran capsuleer, my first order of business will be helping with recruitment. The trials of starting are too fresh in my mind not to.
