What is keeping novices in novice?

[Arturo Sanchez]

Nothing?

Don't you think you might wanna do something about that?

[Kamoba]

Perhaps write a well written suggestion to feedback@musegames.com 
Although I can confirm the last time I spoke to Matthew about this, he confirmed the current system is being looked at, and changes are going to be implemented.
One of those changes was possibly that Novice players stay novice until level X and only get given the option to join an advanced match if they get left waiting for X amount of seconds.
End of match they return to Novice status.

This would give match maker the time to set up novice lobbies and stop players turning off novice just because they don't want to be novice.

So it is being worked on.

[Hoja Lateralus]

Ability to play with people who also don't know the game yet, with a view of playing a match and not being stomped by veterans? Opportunity to learn the game in a moderately slow pace?

That was good enough of a reason for me, at least.

Also, I'm not sure what are you implying either:
a) You want Devs to create something to keep novice people in novice
b) You want Devs to delete whole novice thing completely

I assume it's option a, but I might be wrong.

[Steve CZ]

From what I can remember from my novice time: As a gunner or engy, nothing would keep me in novice matches, because the only thing I wanted was a capable captain. Without that, the game is pretty much unplayable. For this reason I don't understand why someone would go out of novice matches to play under a novice pilot -_- .
On the other hand, when I wanted to try piloting, novice matches were the place to go. Hell, I would like to get back there one day. Just ram the rocks not judged by your AI crew ^^

[Squidslinger Gilder]

Novice matches were always an un-needed feature set upon us because of novices complaining about stacking or veteran matches that were too harsh for them. Also vets complaining about novices ruining matches. However, there was never anything which forced them to play only novice so there would always be crossover.

The lockouts that novices endure till they reach level should be enough to get them accustomed to gameplay. Doing away with the match system and just making a lockout system would be plenty. All 3 classes would require it tho. Not just pilot. For gunner, restrict them to only the most usable rounds. No loch. Engineer, standard + extinguish. Put chem and buff on lock.

[ZnC]

The lockouts that novices endure till they reach level should be enough to get them accustomed to gameplay. Doing away with the match system and just making a lockout system would be plenty. All 3 classes would require it tho. Not just pilot. For gunner, restrict them to only the most usable rounds. No loch. Engineer, standard + extinguish. Put chem and buff on lock.

This is an interesting idea, maybe allow vet pilots to force and lock recommended load-outs to novices instead of locking tools. I also think the pilot class should be locked for novices; new players should always start learning from a crew's perspective.
However, like many team games, imposing rules often doesn't solve the fundamental issues - veterans' willingness to teach, and novices' willingness to listen.

[sparklerfish]

Put chem and buff on lock.

Put buff on lock.

PUT BUFF ON LOCK

I'm cool with novices learning how to chem spray -- either you have an extinguisher and your ship goes down in flames, or you suck at chem and your ship goes down in flames -- either way you die, but one way you're learning how to be effective.

But the buffs, SERIOUSLY, please oh my god.  Learn the basic fundamentals of engineering before trying to balance buffing with it.  And while we're at it, let's get rid of the lower-level buffing achievements so you don't get a scrub sitting there while the hull goes down, buffing the flare gun because "but I have an achiiiieeeevement"

[Squidslinger Gilder]

Nah chem takes instruction. Same with buffing. That only comes with either veteran training or use over time. Both should be locked for beginners and only appliable if the captain recommends the loadout to them.

[Kamoba]

I'd like to mention the other day I had a level 4 buff engineer (by his own choice because I was expecting to loose the match and was not worried by what my pubs took into game.)
Buffed engines, buffed hull, he asked on voice chat "How long does it last if I don't finish the buff?" Me: "Until component is destroyed or match assuming we don't die...."

He pre-buffed once we killed enemy fish!
Everything buffed and pre-buffed!

Whole low level.crew and we accumulated 4 kills, 2 deaths and a lost round....

Couldn't have explained how damn good they were...
They unfortunately hit a different time zone to me so I rarely see them...

My point is, not every new player is unable to cope with everything...

(However it is a minority which learn -that- fast..)

(not likely a Smurf account, he still.had a range finder)

[Mean Machine]

There is not much of purpose for "novice mode", if all players can play advanced matches immediately anyway, indeed.
Maybe put -75% experienced gain penalty for novice players playing advanced matches and also lock some tools like few people above suggested.

EDIT: Oh and raise novice level to 15.

[Lanliss]

ZanE, I am afraid I disagree on blocking novices from playing pilot. I think it is important for them to learn all classes before they get to advanced games. I do however believe that they should be trapped in novice until they have reached a certain level, either by rank or by certain achievments. I think one of the best solutions would be to stop them from going to advanced games at all, unless they are invited to it. This would keep them in novice matches, where they can learn, as well as increase the number of novice matches, because all of these novices in advanced matches will be back to novice. The good players that learn unreasonably fast can then teach the less robotic players.

[MidnightWonko]

I am very much opposed to the concept of funlocking (where you have to unlock the fun part of the game).  To that end, it is my opinion that the only thing that should keep a novice restricted to a novice match is fear.  If they're not afraid of better players kicking the #@%* out of them, then I think they should be allowed to join higher-level matches.  After all, how are they supposed to learn about buffing, fire prevention, effective ammo types, engie parkour, etc if they never see it in action?

If locking absolutely must be in place, I would recommend locking higher-level matches until merely level 5 or so, and locking novice matches after level 10.  I would also recommend that the locking only consider the highest level class for higher-level locking.  The novice "promotion" lockout might be a bit trickier, as a player might consider ceasing leveling at 9 to stay in novice matches; I would imagine that this could be prevented by using a combination of questions: "does this player have a level 5+ class," and "is the sum of this player's class levels 10+?"  If the answer to both questions is yes, he gets locked out of novice matches. This crap is too complicated.  I think a simple "sum of levels" or "sum of experience" would be the best means of locking players into/out of novice matches, but for GOD'S SAKE, don't make it take too long to unlock!

[Kamoba]

I am very much opposed to the concept of funlocking (where you have to unlock the fun part of the game).  To that end, it is my opinion that the only thing that should keep a novice restricted to a novice match is fear.  If they're not afraid of better players kicking the #@%* out of them, then I think they should be allowed to join higher-level matches.  After all, how are they supposed to learn about buffing, fire prevention, effective ammo types, engie parkour, etc if they never see it in action?

Most new players come into the game after watching a JackSepticEye Youtube video...
They see headless chickens run around explosions and Jack shouting down a mic about how fun it is...

Good advertisement from a companies perspective, but the product is unfortunately mis-sold because people play the game how they see it, get their butts kicked and wonder why dear old Jack didn't warn them.

[Caprontos]

I think two changes could help the issue some..

Make novice last X matches. This removes any level issue..(At this point I personally wish they would just remove the level system entirely.. as its distracting)..

Make it so you can't opt out of novice mode unless you finish the tutorials (For MM searches).. This way there is at lest some chance they will know that mallet is repair and spanner is rebuild.. and maybe some other basic things that sometimes people don't know even after several matches..

I don't think we need a hard lock on it, where they can't leave due to community size.. friends.. etc Its good they can find a game in normal lobbies if needed.


--
Another probably unpopular option is to leave novice as is.. but add an advanced lobby option where only players above X will be put in to it by mm.. But I doubt that could be a thing.. And like novice if not enough people are on you get moved back to a normal lobby...

[Hoja Lateralus]

I recommend you watching youtube videos of people who played around 20 matches and make a "review" of a game in which they wait for a lobby for over 10 minutes, then leave mid match (because pilot left), they buff the whole ship instead of repairing it etc. etc.

Novice may stay as it is if level cap will be raised to lvl10 (preferably lvl15)

If it would be match cap I'd say 50 matches (preferably 100).