Should starter systems require a permit?

[Snarfbuckle]

Why not just have random spawnpoints for new commanders all around known space.

Just pick random systems in the outlying 50-100 light years from the centre point of inhabited space as a starting point.

 

[Tiamat]

More starter points would help but new players are less likely to see other players which will not be encouraging. Any form of permit or lock can be exploited (e.g. wipe save and I am now a newbie that can get in yet I have enough experience to own the others). The high security idea is the only one that would really work, all starter areas should be crawling with very skilled SAVs. A multiplier to bounty hunting rewards in starter areas to draw human hunters there to protect newbies would also help.

 

[Bertrand Du Guesclin]

I know of 9 starter systems, likely to be at least a few more out there. I started in Aiabiko

The problem is 7 of those spawn points are barely used.

In gamma I originally spawned at LHS 1914, a quiet system 110 ly away from Sol, with lots of stations and outposts in it, in a nice cluster of sytems 10 ly apart from each other at the most. In my opinion a very good spawning area. I never saw any new player in any of these systems since the official release, and I don't know why. But I digress.

When I cleared my save when 1.3 was released, I spawned at LHS 3447. I cleared it again to see where else I could spawn, because I heard of this system before.
After 6 times in a row spawning in LHS 3447, I gave up trying, did one mission, killed 2 pirates, avoided 3 player interdictions in the process, took my free Eagle with a fuel scoop, and traveled 140 ly.

Even though there was several spawn points before, it doesn't seem to be random as I kept spawning in the same system. I can't think of any good, intelligent reason for this to happen. It should be random

 

[Julissa Silver]

I've helped four new players in the past four weeks and every single one of them started in the 'dreaded' LHS 3447 system. If there are other places for commanders to begin, it seems that they're being very under-utilised.

 

[LeetNoob]

I went back to Eravate this weekend for old times sake, the place is crazy, and established players in big ships is not the main threat from what I can see
I was in a fully loaded Python and on three separate occasions I was shot at by new players. Two sidewinders and an Eagle. Although I did see another Python with a high bounty in Kreimann but he left just after I arrived.

The problem with going vigilante to protect the new players is it's very easy for the griefers to avoid you, if they see something their own size they just jump out of log off. I agree the best solution is to have hyper reactive security forces, just make it really dangerous to attack unwanted ships in these systems.

And if you are a little board, sit in Ankermann dock for a while and watch the classic mistake new players make of forgetting to ask for docking permissions. I must have seen a dozen CMDR's get shot to bits.

 

[KaizoMK]

Increase the qty of spawn points.
There's no reason to have only 1, or 2 systems producing all CMDRs.

Absolutely. Although part of the issue is that the starting zones aren't that good for higher level players anyway.

What I would love is that you could pick a faction/PP to start near, and in that zone security is just bonkers....crazy response time, elite condas for days, etc etc. Higher level players wouldn't want to play in them much anyway, unless you're a griefer, in which case have fun dying.

Of course there would have to be fewer wanted ships to warrant the crazy police assistance.

....there's a whole lot to consider as far as starting zones, but it's a conversation we ought to have.

 

[CMDR DoubleSkulls]

I think just putting new CMDRs in a random station in an "explored" system would be better than the current set up.

 

[excalibus]

2 new-player spawn points is the issue. I don't see any reason why it couldn't be 20, instead. Problem solved.

Why not simply have it so new players spawn at ANY one of the major factions non anarchy systems in the entire civilised space bubble... this would make it so you would never know where any new player is going to begin... no need to limit it to just 2 or 20 or 100...