In order to help with player retention, I have several suggestions to improve the mentoring system, which currently I feel is inadequate.
Increase mentoring limit Increase the limit to t2 or even t3. Only once the recruit gets to that level can a mentor really help, by explaining the function of certain modules and giving tactical tips. Before, all the mentor can do is tell his recruit to shoot at the circle and maybe explain certain key bindings.
More specific rewards At the moment there are three GS rewards, which are very good, but they are not enough. There needs to be more specific rewards, for example getting the recruit to:
complete a certain PVE mission
capture X amount of beacons
kill X amount of people
use a certain ship type in battle
get a certain amount of efficiency in a battle
Invasion specific rewards if the limit is inceased to t2
Qualifications Allow the recruit to pass a test at the end of the training, the result of which which will then be shown on his pilot profile and ease his recruitment into a corp. Maybe even bar all players from flying in t5 until they have passed this test! (anyone with basic skills should be able to do it in no time and this will prevent people with premium ships and no game experience from flying in t5)
Incentive for the recruit Increased synergy gain just for the recruit, so that he will progress faster with a mentor. Tell this to him when he first plays Star Conflict, for example in the tutorial. For the moment I have not seen anyone asking for a mentor in English chat, whereas I have seen many people offering to be mentors…
Application for mentoring Make a list of available mentors, a bit like the corp application list, where new people can ask for a mentor, and see for example the number of hours he has spent in-game (which should be a reasonable measure of his experience). Make a tick box on the pilot profile to opt out of mentoring. Only people who have reached t3 and have maybe 100 hours in-game can offer their services as mentor.
No effect on stats Flying with a recruit in a squad should not affect the statistics of the mentor especially the large drop in skill rating he will get from playing in t1. (Mapoko suggested this on another thread)
Game punishes squad play, rather than promotes it, putting the mentor and the recruit against higher skilled team, just because - queue.
Let’s say mentor starts with 8-9000 rating. Every T2 or even T3 game he plays he loses rating. Even if he plants 3 out of 3 bombs, have 20 kills, no deaths he will lose about 500 rating per game until he is down to 4000 or something.
Game punishes squad play, rather than promotes it, putting the mentor and the recruit against higher skilled team, just because - queue.
Let’s say mentor starts with 8-9000 rating. Every T2 or even T3 game he plays he loses rating. Even if he plants 3 out of 3 bombs, have 20 kills, noz deaths he will lose about 500 rating per game until he is down to 4000 or something.
I fully agree with your second point. For the first, with a recruit you will usually be in a two man squad, and this is not really punished by the game. If anything, chances are you will have a huge advantage, unless there is another mentor/recruit squad on the other side, with both mentors being of similar skill level.
There really ought to be a way to take multiple recruits into a custom match where they are all on one side along with the mentor, and there are bots as the enemy team.
That way they can be taught basic gameplay tactics in a controlled environment before being thrown in with the wolves.
There really ought to be a way to take multiple recruits into a custom match where they are all on one side along with the mentor, and there are bots as the enemy team.
That way they can be taught basic gameplay tactics in a controlled environment before being thrown in with the wolves.
That would be interesting. A kind of training arena then? Although what you’re describing kinda sounds like PVE…
The bots would simulate a player minded team. They would stick together.
You send off a recruit and the recruit and the others see what happens when someone overextends.
You simulate a high level bot that overextends. Show the recruits what happens when a recruit goes 1v1 against the bot and what happens when all recruits focus fire the bot.
Simulate an above average bot team against your recruits. They use what they have learned so far to deal with the bot team.
addendum to the mentoring limit: mentoring the way you describe would be self-limiting (i like that), if a mentoring period gives the player additional synergy income over time and has a set of “teaching classes” to be fulfilled in the lower tiers.
however, it should also end after a certain time so it can’t be abused. anyone who has completed all T1-T3 ships anyway, would not benefit from mentoring anymore, while mentoring is clearly something, some people would even need if they have previously tier rushed to T5 but still T1-T3’s around to actually be mentored once.
in total, i question the mentoring system as is; it’s nice if you introduce a friend to the game, but it’s too limited for people who play the game on their own first, and only start to search for a mentor later.
also if i invite a friend to play, and start telling him things like: use this code for referal. please add me to your mentor list. etc. it feels like i want to take advantage of him in a pyramid scheme, and would backfire a lot morally, if the player starts to ask questions about progression…
the rewards should be an incentive to invest time into this as a veteran player; but the goal should be to have some “mentoring” done, making the student aware of the gameplay; atm it feels more like an achievement to unlock “somehow”.
Qualifications Allow the recruit to pass a test at the end of the training, the result of which which will then be shown on his pilot profile and ease his recruitment into a corp. Maybe even bar all players from flying in t5 until they have passed this test! (anyone with basic skills should be able to do it in no time and this will prevent people with premium ships and no game experience from flying in t5.