Low-Tier Pre-Built Ships to Retain Newbies

[Cosmo]

The prerequisites to outfit a ship and do cool activities is too complex and time-consuming. Consequently, too many new players quit after a few days, because the barrier to enjoy fun gameplay is too high.

The pre-built ships are a big improvement to quickly help newbies do enjoyable career paths. Simply buy a pre-built ship with all the necessary modules and you're ready to go mining, bounty hunting, Powerplay, exploration, combat, Thargoids. Pre-built on-foot builds should be sold too. This includes the correct weapons, suit, tools and consumables for specific on-foot careers.

Selling pre-built ships for ARX is fine with me, because players can do this (for free) by manually engineering ships. The complexity, grind and time requirements makes engineering an activity for veterans. However, low-tier, pre-built ships should also be available in-game for credits to help and retain new players.

 

[Markov Chaney]

Well articulated! It makes me realise these aren't new pre-built ships really. They are new signposts for intended gameloops and playstyles. Almost like a career mode in some ways.

 

[alexsys]

 

[Rebel Yell]

There should be G1-G3 pre-engineered ship modules, without experimentals, available in starports for in-game credits.

I.e. like it has been done for suits and leg stuff.

+bonus: G4 RAW materials available from mission rewards.

 

[tolm]

Even better would be some scripted career mission packs. The packs themselves could be sold for ARX, I guess … or just included with new purchases of the base game as an incentive for new players.

Eg.

You get offered the chance to become a miner. If you accept, they give you a Keelback pre-configured for laser mining and set you a series of missions to mine different materials for ice and rock rings and to sell them for a minimum price, with the mission giver taking a percentage. Some missions could have a time limit making balancing price vs distance important.

On success you’re rewarded with the equipment needed to outfit your Keelback for core mining and tasked with finding some Low Temp Diamonds with, again, a minimum price to get for them.

Maybe you’re warned that this high-value material is in demand with pirates so you might consider taking a shield or defensive weapons and then a scripted interdiction takes place where you can either fight or flee, with the enemy scaled to your experience / rank.

Success in that then rewards you with a larger mining ship and off you go into the galaxy knowing a bunch of stuff about where different mining materials are found, how to find the best prices whilst balancing that against time, jump range / fuel management, the benefits of fight vs flight when not in a combat ship and therefore outgunned.

Similar flows for trading, combat (ship based) and then also for on-foot stuff like exo-biology could provide good tutorial content whilst also giving new players a “leg up” by rewarding with ships, suits, equipment suitable for that career as they progress.