Monday, June 13, 2016

Training and Retaining

EVE's "learning cliff" is notorious. What's the best way for players--new or old--to gain a better understanding of EVE? For example, suppose you're Jane Yassavi, whose fail-fit Mackinaw was suicide ganked in highsec. How do you make sense of that attack?


The New Order to the rescue. Agent Aaaarrgg provided the miner with a detailed report about the emergent content she'd received from him. You see how useful that is? She got the who, what, where, why, when, and how. All in one EVEmail.


Jane's response was to give up and quit EVE.


A few minutes later, she sent me a quitmail, too. But in the meantime, Aaaarrgg was busy:


Aaaarrgg called Jane out on her nonsense with some realtalk. He linked a recent MinerBumping post, "But No One Ever Told Me About the Code"--an instant classic.


Contrary to popular assertion, there's nothing inherently wrong with people terminating their subscriptions to EVE Online. If people don't enjoy a game, of course they shouldn't feel obligated to keep playing it; they should find one they like. And if a carebear starts playing EVE solely due to mistaken assumptions about the kind of game it is, it's only natural that they should stop playing the game once those assumptions are corrected.


Nevertheless, the New Order is not in the business of chasing people away from EVE. In fact, we've done more than any other group--arguably including CCP--to retain players and attract non-players to the game. Thus, before a carebear leaves the game permanently, our Agents do their best to encourage them to find a way to enjoy the game. As Aaaarrgg did here, in a poetic EVEmail.


But Jane wasn't having any of it. She still felt like quitting the game.


Our Agents aren't known for giving up easily. If there was even the slightest possibility of retaining an EVE player, Aaaarrgg would go for it.


It seemed nothing could dissuade the miner from leaving EVE. She just couldn't see herself playing a game where she could be ganked. Aaaarrgg took a deep breath. One more try. He began to write a passionate defense of EVE, drawing upon the lessons he'd learned from his early days, when he, too, carried a mining laser:


Aaaarrgg was once a miner. Though the Code did not yet exist, he could still feel its influence, as ripples radiating backward through time.


With characteristic brevity, our Agent summarized the true nature of EVE, the value of its unique qualities, the threat posed by bot-aspirants, and highsec's desperate need for the Code.

Jane Yassavi did not reply.


But she didn't quit. In the next few days, she joined a corp, went out to nullsec, and engaged in PvP. Once again, an Agent of the New Order improved EVE's player retention rate while simultaneously creating content, reducing bot-aspirancy, and enhancing a carebear's enjoyment of the game. Not bad.

The Anti-Gankers, rebels, and carebear apologists will tell you that our Agents are bullies who drive people away from the game. The truth is, you'll never find a group of people more dedicated to EVE Online than the Agents of the New Order.

17 comments:

  1. "Nevertheless, the New Order is not in the business of chasing people away from EVE." What utter bullshit. People are leaving the game because of the NO and suicide ganking. That is why CCP hasn't been doing that great lately. Try again.

    With great thanks to the NO, another sub bites the dust.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. So... if the New Order is directly responsible for CCP's worsening financies, is CCP being stupid for letting this happen, or is it perhaps you for plucking nonsense out of your backside?

      Delete
    2. You could always buy more plex to help ccps finances crybaby anon.

      If someone gets mad and quits a game because they died then maybe eve is not right for them

      Delete
    3. If you QUIT how will you be able to tell the story to the grandkids?

      Delete
    4. so even though CCP itself launched an investigation and found practically no correlation between ganking and players leaving the game you still want to say the NO is chasing people away? Think you need a healthy does of facts to snack on.

      Delete
    5. @Merrizon

      You need to think more logically about this. While it is true that in the long run there is not much of a difference when it comes to sub numbers, There are a number of people who do in fact quit because of codes actions.

      Yes, they should find another game if they are going to cry about losing a spaceship, but you still have to admit that codes actions has in fact chased some people away.

      Delete
    6. It is not the place of one group of players to be concerned about the retention of another group of players. That would be like purposefully losing a game of chess so your opponent doesn't flip the board and walk away.

      Delete
  2. I have played EVE for roughly a year and a half. Mindnumbing mining is not what drew me into the game. Stories of pirates, murderous gankers, heists, and a dangerous environment is what drew me in. And no, I am not a ganker.

    If high-sec would be the "paradise" the carebears seem to dream of, CCP would struggle more than ever to retain new players. Imagine a world were you never have to be on your toes and be vigilant. Imagine a world were everyone can mindlessly mine spacerocks hour after hour after hour and repeat the same scripted mission ad nausem. Imagine the stagnation spreading across the entire game when new players will be terrified to venture out of high-sec due to being pampered and never have had to face risks head on. Imagine how mindnumbingly boring it would be. It would make Farmville seem like an exciting option.

    You carebears can cry all you want, but James 315 started a movement that has created more content for high-sec than anyone else.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It really is a story for the grandkids!

      Delete
    2. This comment deserve an upvote!

      Delete
  3. Well said Anon6:40. Well said indeed.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Jeezus another quitmail. You would think hisec would be deserted by now, with all the quitting and such.

    Anon 552 is an idiot.

    ReplyDelete
  5. That board is remarkably un-green...

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  6. Another glorious win for the code.

    Player retained - check
    Content created - check
    Introducing the MMO of an MMORPG to a Care Bear - check

    Mission accomplished

    ReplyDelete
  7. I'm playing chess mother f$&@er, while you are still playing checkers.

    ReplyDelete
  8. But where oh where is Ming?

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  9. Why you all are so angry and confused?
    I was just fooling around with quitmail. :)
    I was ganked before, so nothing new and unseen.
    Fly dangerous. o7

    P.S. I really like chess.
    Chess > EvE Online

    Regards
    Jane Yassavi.

    ReplyDelete

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