When we final checked in with Eve Online, gamers had been embroiled in an enormous area warfare with invading NPCs. We (I) fantasised about how the steadiness of energy amongst Eve’s eternally warring participant factions can be perpetually altered, a Game Of Thrones fashion outdoors risk forcing alliances whereas, maybe, encouraging betrayal. None of that basically occurred.
With the warfare amounting to little greater than a moist area squib, builders CCP have turned their consideration to newer gamers. As a part of a broader try to ease new pilots into the game, moderators will begin checking in with gamers once they lose a ship for the primary time – they usually would possibly even refund them. I do like my “counselling” with a facet of bribery.
The information comes from the newest Eve fanfest, which happened at a Finnish player’s house two weeks ago. Steven Messner attended for cheery RPS fanzine PC Gamer, reporting on CEO Hilmar Veigar Pétursson’s keynote speech the place he instructed area tiddlers that he had their again.
“Right now, Pétursson stated it’s frequent for brand spanking new gamers to die and, because of Eve’s summary depiction of fight and UI, don’t have any understanding of what led to their valuable ship going up in flames. Sometimes they’ll e mail buyer help (which can typically give them a ship as a present), however gamers are additionally simply as more likely to throw their fingers up in frustration and stop, like I did the primary few instances I began taking part in.
“But proper now CCP Games is constructing the instruments essential to alert its in-game moderators every time a brand new participant loses its first ship. That moderator can then message the participant and assist them perceive what went flawed and probably reimburse their ship. ‘We’re going to begin by doing it manually, so we are able to cowl all of the circumstances,’ Pétursson explains. ‘But once we’ve performed it manually [for awhile], we are able to begin to automate the method of grief counselling while you lose your ship for the primary time.’”
“Grief counselling” is perhaps headline-attracting overstatement, however I do like the thought. Yeah, we’re ‘just’ speaking about videogames, however I can see how shedding one thing you set dozens of hours into may very well be profoundly dispiriting. Especially while you don’t perceive why: somebody stepping in and explaining what I may have performed in a different way would possibly nicely make me really feel higher. Or it’d simply make me wish to throw issues at them.
CCP have been making life simpler for newer gamers for years, most notably with 2016’s Ascension update.
There’s no phrase on precisely when post-calamity verify ins will make it into the game, however CCP have already overhauled the automated steering system that ushers newer gamers into PVE actions, in addition to organising a scheme the place volunteers and in-game moderators greet new gamers and assist them get settled. It all sounds weirdly pleasant for a game I affiliate with continuous skulduggery, although different elements of Messner’s article have begun to dispel that.
“‘What happens a lot in Eve is that a veteran player kills you and if your reaction is a certain way — not just crying about it but asking why — usually what happens is that the veteran player gives you money to buy a new spaceship, and if you show that [you’re willing to learn], they’ll even invite you to [fly with them],’ Pétursson says”.
That “usually” is an enormous declare, which the cynical/practical would possibly level to as an try to color the game as extra palatable than it truly is. Who even wants counselling when you’ll be able to simply be a great sport and have your ship’s assassin take pity on you?
