Cliffs and Hangers

Bold Pilot Log, Entry #31

Time and time again something pops up in EVE talk that has everybody perplexed: the 'learning cliff' of EVE. Yes, while other games have learning curves, EVE has a learning cliff. I don't really know the origins of this phrase but it aligns well to the natue of EVE. Today, we'll go on and dissect this one phenomena, and probably gain an understanding of what's behind this funny yet important phrase.

First off, what is a learning curve? It could well be represented by a graph, where one axis would be the knowledge of given game, while the other would be the time spent playing, so that the more you play, the more you know about the game. The steeper this curve is, the harder it is for a new player to learn the basics and start enjoying the game. However, in this regard, EVE is unique.

"The UI: just another player filter"

Some might argue that the EVE UI is logical and informative (I know I will in a short time), but let's face it - it is not your average game UI. The thing is, it is not a game UI at all. What you see when you log in is much more like a desktop of a specialised operating system, than a game UI. I don't know what others think, but if you look at it this way, it starts to make sense. There are a miriad of things to do in New Eden, would a conventional game interface serve the user well? Probably not. There are so many things you need to know at once.

The most game-like element is the ship HUD - which has to be all-at-a-glance, and it is. It may have a few shortcomings, but it generally speaking serves well. Then there is the character sheet, which in essence is nothing special - a sheet that displays categorized data on your character. But the other elements? Well, they are part of a toolset more likely. This is the reason why 'EVE feels like you're working with spreadsheets', because that is essentially what you do. There is only so much information graphical enhancements can convey without being overcrowded. Text and tables however, they are slower but much easier to keep clean. I bet this is the reason why the overview looks like the way it does, for example.

Looking more closely, I'd say that the first ledge of the learning cliff of EVE is the UI complexity. In essence, when a new player logs in, she is presented with the plethora of options at once. This results in something I call the Cockpit Syndrome. You get confused due to the sheer amount of information you are presented and you semi-conciously push away the source. This is not so much a learning challenge than one to overcome ones instinct and keep playing. Some (many) new players are lost this way. Is it a bad thing? I'm not really sure. I have already expressed my opinion on this.

Choices, choices, choices... and RTFM

So our intrepid new player succesfully overcame the Cockpit Syndrome and starts fiddling witht he game. She tries out a variety of things through the tutorials, settling in one or two professions, loosely defined by the skills she keeps in the queue... Wait what? Yeah, there are thousands of skills, from the obvious Rapid Firing to the not-so-intuitive Frequency Modulation. Once she successfully climbed up on the UI ledge, the first lesson our newbie learns is to always read and read and read - because there are a lot of things to know, and reading is the easy way of learning it. The hard way often involves ships blowing up and/or wallets emptying.

This part is really the worst ledge of the learning cliff. It looks as if you are almost there - then it moves away. Not everybody likes this. Most people, in fact, don't enjoy learning for knowing's sake. Yes, you read it right, and you should now think a bit about it.

Still, this aspect is the best part of being a newbie. There is always something cool you didn't know, something to explore and be amused at. Many bitter old veterans crave this feeling of 'shiny everywhere', but of course, nostalgia's never going to be the same. Still, the choices you make as a newbie will affect the entire EVe career - not in the traditional, class-gear-skill sense, like other RPGs, but more likely in an emotional sense. I, for example still enjoy missioning (thogh of course get bored of it after a few missions) and the reason is simple - we did them together and had much fun as newbies in our corp.

Regardless, if you want to enjoy the game you'll likely be wnring to concentrate on something, especially because skill training is the key of unlocking the awesome features EVE offers. But what to train, for example, if you want to fly a Raven battleship? Surprise, surprise, it has all the certificates in the Show Info window. How do you know that? Because you read, read, and read about the things you are interested in. What? You don't want to read? You'll have to learn to want to read because if you jump into that Raven without the relevant certificates, you'll most likely lose your ship, learning the hard way that you skills are inadequate. So, there goes simple, jump-in-do-it activities for you.

Complexity for... complexitys sake?

To those brave people treading the learning cliff of EVE, how many times did you wonder, shouldn't this be simpler? Shouldn't this be a one click activity? Well, you may be right. Given the sheer volume of content EVE provides, it is not hard to meet suboptimal choices and implementations. On top of that, there are things that are just too complicated... Or are they?

The key word is entertainment - since EVE Online ultimately is a game and the goal is to entertain you. The how is what is constrainted only by the player herself. Are you entertained by the fact that you have to learn a whole lot of things to have a good understanding? I know I am, even if some of those things seem illogical at first. Usually when you know more about them, you'll see why is it that way.

Complexity is not a bad thing. It drives your mind to face a challenge, and gives you the satisfaction of understanding. Never in other games feel you so good about knowing than in EVE's darkest corners. It is a game from another era, the era of thinker-gamers, when computer games were the privilege of educated people. The basic paradigms of EVE build on the the intelligence of the user, and I for one would hate to see the learning cliff entirely lost. Maybe have a few ladders to the most important ledges, but still.

There is owever a phenomenon that must be separated from the 'cliffs'. That some things are complex is a good thing. But there are a lot of little things - in the UI, the process of how activities work, that cause frustration by being too complex, even tedious. I'll dub these the 'hangers'. Those things that make you want to kill ('hang') yourself. So, if you are a vocal and caring player, you should stop complaining about entertaining complexity (even if its something you don't like - others still might) and start pointing out the hangers. They'll probably get around to solve them.

 Sessym out.