Request for Pilot's Federation License

[masCh]

Hi everyone.

First of all I must applaud FDev for all the recent patches that has improved the quality of life in the game.

Going from feedbacks from personal friends and some on the internet though, we notice that there are quite a lot of people who grew frustrated with ED within the first 20 hours. A lot of this is due to the open sandbox nature of the game where players are basically left hingeless in the open galaxy.

I would like to propose for FDev to rework the Tutorials. Instead of what it is, let us have an NPC instructor who is in his own ship (eg. Adder) who voices realistic instructions to the new pilot (the voice acting in the Generation ships for example are superb and should be taken as the standard quality for the pilot's instructor).

The instructor will teach, and demonstrate the procedures to launch a ship from a dock, explain the 3 maneuvers (roll, pitch and yaw) and lateral + vertical thrusters. The pilot would have to repeat all the steps to demonstrate understanding of these basic piloting concepts and most importantly learn how to dock.

The pilot should also be taught about hull and shields, how to drop cargo (important so that they don't get grieved out by pirates later on), how to deploy & retract hardpoints, cargo scooping and hyperjump. The pilots should also be instructed on how to drop out of a supercruise smoothly.

The pilot should also be taught the social aspects of ED - for example when interdicted, always look at the chat panel to see if the instigator has left a message for you to drop cargo or whether the instigator is completely silent (therefore you should try to wake away).

Every instruction / guide that the pilot can successfully repeat and demonstrate should result in an increase in points whereby once the pilot reaches a certain point threshold the pilot can qualify for a license test.

The Pilot's Federation License test would be somewhat similar to the goals in the current tutorials (without the combat training) but focusing on survival. i.e. how to escape & how to survive - if the pilot decides he could destroy the obstructing ships then even better for him perhaps he could even get bonus points in his test.

But what's important in the Pilot's Federation License test is to address all the current complaints by new players - griefing, docking, queueing for a landing pad, supercruising between stars, and interdictions due to cargo/missions. (Are there others I have missed?)

It would also be great if your starting credits can be a function of your successes in your license test. It could also be made into a story - when you pass your Pilot's Federation License test there could be some celebration at an outpost that you have to get to. You collect your license & credits, then an evil Viper drops by and kills every ship in sight and you have to escape. If you die, you spawn at LHS 3447 with no credit bonus.

This tutorial could also be used to emphasize the importance of not shooting at other Pilot's Federation members as it would incur penalties in the oncoming karma system, and stress the importance of respecting other Pilots Federation members and giving meaning to it.

And this entire package should be playable offline. Once you receive the Pilot's Federation License, only then will the buttons for Open Play, Private Group & Solo be available.

Do you agree or disagree with this?

 

[Robert Maynard]

Once you receive the Pilot's Federation License, only then will the buttons for Open Play, Private Group & Solo be available.

Do you agree or disagree with this?

Disagree - because of this sentence....

.... I don't like games where the game itself is locked behind a "test" of some kind.

 

[Lucius-Darcia]

Disagree - because of this sentence....

.... I don't like games where the game itself is locked behind a "test" of some kind.

Agreed, i was starting back in the time just without tutorial. Going in and learning by doing.
Not everyone likes that way but i am one of them and should i ever reset my commander, i don't want to be forced to make a stupid tutorial

 

[Mohrgan]

How tedious would that get for players with multiple accounts, or completing a Save Wipe?

FD have created a Mentoring service and the like. They are trying. A lock-out seems impractical, but the training does not.

 

[masCh]

Well I suppose you could complete the License Test without going through the training, or your account remembers if you have completed the license test.

.... I don't like games where the game itself is locked behind a "test" of some kind.

One could argue that the "test" is also the "game". At least more of a game than opening websites in browser out of the game and reading about yaw, pitch, roll, thrusters and docking from a site or from a YouTube video.

 

[CMDR MRMAURICE]

Jeez the OP is only trying to help new players. A simple "skip tutorial" would be enough for veteran players. I think its a good idea, but thats just my opinion

 

[h347h]

No thanks. That was the worst part of MWO.

Jeez the OP is only trying to help new players. A simple "skip tutorial" would be enough for veteran players. I think its a good idea, but thats just my opinion

Yeah but the current tutorials are fine and the manual covers most things. No need for this really. Tutorials should always be optional.

 

[VonBlade]

There are tutorials?

 

[Hellfire85]

I fully agree.

Descent Freespace and Freespace 2 had this kind of starting tutorial.

This would make people learn how to fly before venturing in open and then quitting because "the game is too hard".

Let's face it, a majority of newbies don't bother about the tutorials and go right into the game and then complain or rage-quit (eventually demand a refund) when facing the harsh reality that they don't know what they are doing.

 

[insanephoton]

It's horribly reminiscent of the Driving School section in the middle of GTA: San Andreas (some of that was really tough to do using mouse and keyboard). I'd rather have something like the Silent Hunter series tutorials where you started with a little extra rep for each of the tutorial missions you completed. Locking people out of content is not fun.

 

[CMDR MRMAURICE]

No thanks. That was the worst part of MWO.



Yeah but the current tutorials are fine and the manual covers most things. No need for this really. Tutorials should always be optional.

Well obviously not if one person is asking then Im pretty sure others feel the same. We've all been in a postition when getting friends to try it, that have no idea what they are doing. I call it babysitting because the tutorials just arent enough for some players. Having to explain simple things that we know as long term players are pretty simple, some just need a little more help. Yes turorials should be optional but they should have a little bit more than the current

 

[masCh]

Yeah but the current tutorials are fine and the manual covers most things. No need for this really. Tutorials should always be optional.

The idea is that it is intended to replace the manual. Intuitive and hands on versus learning the game from out-of-game sources.

Think of it as not locking out content, but as part of the game. Like you can't access station services without first being able to dock at the station - this is merely an exaggeration of that. Once you can successfully land, you'll be able to access the missions at the station. Once you qualify for your license, you get your own ship.

Or, here's an idea. You can still play the game without passing the license - that's right - Multicrew!

You won't be allowed to have your own ship until you qualify for your license.

 

[Mohrgan]

The idea is that it is intended to replace the manual. Intuitive and hands on versus learning the game from out-of-game sources.

Think of it as not locking out content, but as part of the game. Like you can't access station services without first being able to dock at the station - this is merely an exaggeration of that. Once you can successfully land, you'll be able to access the missions at the station. Once you qualify for your license, you get your own ship.

Or, here's an idea. You can still play the game without passing the license - that's right - Multicrew!

You won't be allowed to have your own ship until you qualify for your license.

I'm sorry. That doesn't seem appealing at all.

 

[starman]

Clearly some players never played Scott Adams text adventures. I'm assuming this is primarily for the console crowd. As a founder and early beta tester the Experience was brutal. In a way the current trend to dump info that should be discoverable in game take some of the joy of discovering it. The Progression from Harmless to Elite was a real achievement. CQC was meant to give a immediate PVP experience does anyone play that? This seems to have become very much a PVE with the predominant private PVE group attractive most of the active players.

There are plenty of you tube tutorials. This isn't a casual game or COD in space.

This flight sim looks very realistic

[video=youtube;su2pg029awQ]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=su2pg029awQ[/video]

 

[CMDR Cosmic Spacehead]

I'm against any forced tutorial.

They're really annoying if you prefer to learn by trial and error, like I do.

But, the rest of the idea is pretty good. Sounds remarkably like he SC tutorial though.

CMDR Cosmic Spacehead

 

[h347h]

I'm sorry. That doesn't seem appealing at all.

Yeah I cringe at the thought. Elite is straight forward as far as gameplay goes. And the current tutorials do a good job of teaching the less intuitive stuff.

Getting rid of the game manual sounds awful too. You can download and read it when you are not playing and are waiting around. Since you can get it on your phone you don't have to stop playing to use it either.

 

[GG7]

In my opinion, it is totally up to the player as to when they feel comfortable enough with their abilities to set out in the actual game. Be it in Open, Solo or a Private Group.

A lot of the complaining I was reading right after the PS4 launch were from players who had admittedly bypassed the Tutorials and jumped right into the game with basically ZERO experience. Not surprising that all of their various complaints and issues stemmed from the simple fact that they had NO IDEA what they were doing! lol!

I'm sorry... But I find it hard to have any sympathy for such a lazy approach to learning a game that everyone knows has a legendary learning curve. Especially compared to your typical console game.

 

[VonBlade]

The idea is that it is intended to replace the manual.

There is a manual?

 

[CMDR Cosmic Spacehead]

There is a manual?

I didn't know the Launcher had a manual button until, I believe, Robert Maynard pointed it out. Many many moons ago.

I still haven't read it. Or really done the tutorial.

I did one. Then broke it. So I don't think that counts. Lol

 

[starman]

The idea is that it is intended to replace the manual. Intuitive and hands on versus learning the game from out-of-game sources.

Think of it as not locking out content, but as part of the game. Like you can't access station services without first being able to dock at the station - this is merely an exaggeration of that. Once you can successfully land, you'll be able to access the missions at the station. Once you qualify for your license, you get your own ship.

Or, here's an idea. You can still play the game without passing the license - that's right - Multicrew!

You won't be allowed to have your own ship until you qualify for your license.

Or getting permits or ranks to fly corvette or gaining credits to buys condaas and corvettes. Or getting planetary landing modules etc.