How to frustrate new players: Final Exam!

[Genevieve Malfleurs]

On 6/14/2019 at 6:16 PM, Wraith said:

That's the first thing you learn about the game: 

The AI is stupid. It's stupid enough it has to cheat. But the easiest way to win is to cheese it. Rinse and repeat.

But if you're a new player without access to the cheese it's bound to be endless frustration.  The huge irony is that all of this was meant to be a fast track past the Brig, which was found to be a sticking point for many new players, and they would abandon the game before then.  Now they get into a frigate and still abandon the game because they're still terrible against both AI and players, since all they know how to do is pass the exams using a script, and they still get wrecked, frustrated, and quit.

If people don´t value the brigs we got in game they propably aren´t the peer group. Those who love to play this great sailing game will stay. Whatever happens! I hope

[Tom Farseer]

Guys.... It is called final exam and not "final tutorial". It is supposed to be hard for new players. Repeat: It is not a tutorial.
And by the way, it can be done without rage boarding tactics. It just takes a little longer that way.

After a little training most newbies should be able to manage the endurance exam, which already grants them a nice level increase and a set of repairs that will last them weeks on the ships they can crew. The game was always a bit grindy. It is less so with the exam features. The only change that is needed is to advertise the exam not as a necessity for every starting player but as a way for skilled individuals to get around some of the grind. People who cannot manage it yet should just stick with 6th rates and get a bit more practice until they want to try it again.

[Potemkin]

Telling brand new players to demast/board the ai probably isnt the best idea either. It may seem trivial to the people who have been playing for years but for a brand new player it probably causes more problems.

[Tom Farseer]

Rage boarding AI also teaches you absolutely nothing useful for PvP encounters. Practicing demasting at least teaches you a skill that is often used and can be very decisive and in order to get it done in the final exams you need to learn how to avoid damage successfully. And yes, you can still bounce complete broadsides in the final exam. The margin of error on your angles is just very small. All in all I'd say the final exam is a great benchmark for new players to test themselves against every now and then. (Hence SNOW making passing it a prerequisite for membership)

[Baptiste Gallouédec]

Don't know if that's me but i think the final exam is much easier now than when we had to do it in a Cerberus.

If the difficulty level is a problem for new players, maybe it simply could be renamed as "capitaine de frégate exam" (yes i play for France ^^) and specified that it allow to jump directly to that rank but you can get there by simply proving yourself in unrated vessels..

[Angus MacDuff]

21 minutes ago, Baptiste Gallouédec said:

Don't know if that's me but i think the final exam is much easier now than when we had to do it in a Cerberus.

I feel like it was more difficult.  My long range gun battle with the 2nd Cerb caused far more damage on me in the Surprise than it did when I did it in a Cerb.  The bots seem to hit much harder now.

[RKY]

I find it pretty easy, but it is definitely not for a totally new player. Although it is not a necessity for new players to jump ranks.

They are better off in cutter learning and practicing against AI.

Maybe the final exam should be something a lot easier, and the reward only some reals, repairs, 6-7th rate (privateer, rattlesnake, rattlesnake heavy or yacht) and doubloons to get started in the game. this way new players get something they would otherwise struggle to get. (same for endurance exam)

And the current final exam could be some sort of talented character exam you can do without doing all the tutorials. this would make tutorials useful for beginners and save our time for relatively experienced players.

But hey, it is what it is currently, deal with it!

Edited June 17, 2019 by RKY

[Sir Texas Sir]

On 6/16/2019 at 2:23 AM, Clifford Scott Wilson said:

Im a noob and im struggling with the exams. Its the short time limits on the early exams that are making it so tough. Im usually winning the battle, but run out of time.

They aren't meant for noobs, they are meant to allow expierence players to skip through the ranks faster.  It's poorly stated that though.  Oh and those timers are a pain they should be at least 20-30 seconds.  I found issues with them and I"m a vet.   

On 6/17/2019 at 5:06 AM, Angus MacDuff said:

I feel like it was more difficult.  My long range gun battle with the 2nd Cerb caused far more damage on me in the Surprise than it did when I did it in a Cerb.  The bots seem to hit much harder now.

They bugged up AI and there states, something like the pen better and such.  My issue is that they should be balanced towards a Oak/Oak ship and not some elite maxed out ship.  It's poor design when you have to bring in a tank out ship to fight them in OW and not use Oak/Oak what the devs constantly say is the middle ground.  If so than the AI should be balanced against that.  We have to many Vets bitching about how easy Ai is and they buff them, but they forget about the new players and casuals.  Elite ships/fleets should be the buffed up version for vets to fight.

[Kanugane]

For me, it took a bit longer than 20 minutes. But I simply demasted both ships, recked them from behind and thats about that. 

[Hethwill, the Red Duke]

Battle length is 90 minutes.

Is there a need to do it in 15 minutes or 20 ? Or 30 ?

Use your 90 minutes well, repair, etc and you will be fine killing them 1 by 1.

[PhilipAce]

Took me 50 mins after more than 12 tries. Tried demast but it just took me too long. It’s very difficult to bring down their mast. I’m just not good at that. So I do it the hard way. Kite them to separate them out a little and took 1 down. Spent the next 15 mins running away to repair than proceed to kill the 2nd. 

 

Yes, it’s tough as hell. 

[Zlatkowar]

It's not really about battle lengths, or the method used, it's about a feeling the game induces. That's what happens when you buff the NPCs to make it feel harder. Same cheap way to increase difficulty as Diablo's rifts, or most MMO's normal/epic/whatever modes or normal/elite npc's. It's not harder because the AI uses smarter tactics, it's just harder because it has better stats.

This has been debated over and over again, and in the end admin has made his choice and has released it as is. No surprise some people would come and complain about it. It was expected.