Newcomers' learning curve

[LeBoiteux]

New AI  since last patch seems to become a problem for some newcomers.

 

Mr. Esterre Darby interestingly suggested to make adjustments to how the low-end AI works.

 

One could also focus on newcomers' learning curve as NA is a skill-based game.

 

Veteran players who played PvE didn't start learning NA with missions but in Sea Trails PvE Rooms where warbots stupidly sailed in a straight line. It made those newcomers learn how to aim/fire without having to care with sailing.

 

They could then PvP and thus add sailing skills to their aiming/firing skills.

 

Then those PvE players entered Open World several months later and could fight both unarmed bots and AI warships in OW (still no mission). If they felt not enough confident with warships, they could still learn with unarmed bots.

 

This is a totally different learning curve from right now.

Now newcomers may feel encouraged to start with missions to play faster, to grind faster...

But current low-end AI fights are much harder than in old Sea trails and requires much more skills !!! AI is smarter. Fortunately !!! 

 

Thus, current PvE  missions aren't the first thing to do in NA for a newcomer.

That's great for grinding or quickly setting up a fight against AI for relaxing or training.

But it needs a lot of skills from the start. They represents a steep learning curve.

 

One could ensure that newcomers know that NA combats require skills and that they ought to learn separately how to aim/fire and how to sail/tack in an instanced combat. 

 

Having to deal with too many new skills may lead to "cognitive overload" (stress toward learning) and thus reject the game : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_load 

 

First things a newcomer should do in NA 

- Attacking unarmed traders in the Open world

- Fighting against a friend or a tutor in Duel rooms. It is a way to play at one's pace, letting the other firing while sailing in a straight line, testing tactics, learning the basics without the stress of a "real" battle, see how cutters work (turn rate...), how to aim (...), have fun and fight against other players at no risk.

 

Additional tutorials/missions for newcomers against :

- unarmed traders sailing in a straight line (to develop basic aiming skill at different ranges and with different guns),

- AI warships sailing in a straight line as in Sea Trials (to develop aiming skill in the context of a naval combat while enduring damage),

- AI warships sailing with current AI but with disabled firing (to develop aiming and sailing skills against an highly-moving but harmless target)

 

Making adjustments to low-end AI (first ranks) could indeed also help.

[Coderre]

Totally agree with all points, this game can be very overwhelming for new players.

[Capt Hornblower]

this would be quite helpful. 2 battles and sunk twice