I agree with the OP in some respects. I have always argued that Disco is not a newb friendly experience. Firstly, they need to learn the server rules. Then once they have a slim grasp of those, they discover that each house has its own laws too. Then they need to learn inter-house politics and things such as trade restrictions etc. They also have to learn the restrictions of ship and equipment types pertaining to ID's and IFF etc. There's also the official factions and their RP which needs to be accommodated and often differs greatly from what the newby thought he learned already. Also let's throw in all the server commands and other miscellaneous know-how into the mix. Then, just when they think they have a core understanding, they are shown that a lot of those rules and regulations amount to nothing if you have to RP to justify something that conflicts them!
As far as I am concerned, RP is where the mod falls on its butt. The rules are required, I dont like some of them, but without law, there is chaos. However, when RP gets thrown into the equation, with a whole server of people thinking theirs is better and that everyone should accommodate theirs even though they won't do the same to others, then things get silly, childlike often. It's no wonder some newbies think "screw this! I learned all this stuff for nothing because everyone is doing what they like and saying its RP". This problem can only be solved by the players though and their attitude to others. It's not a dev issue.
We used to have some very different rules. Especially those concerning capships, faction equipment etc. They were changed, though I say they were relaxed, because they were being ignored and I feel the admin team just gave up trying to enforce them (it did seem impossible). Things were better then in my opinion, less confusing. If you didn't have a certain ID, you couldn't fly this or use that. None of this nonsensical "power penalty" that allows freelance pilots to roam about in Order gunships etc. It seems to me that with the change of the rules, things somehow paradoxically became more confusing and more relaxed at the same time. Leaving us with some very confuzzled new players and some very strange gameplay and dubious characters.
Don't get me wrong, I love Disco, I keep coming back to it again and again. However one thing that should be obvious to anyone is this: players leave games, they find other things to hold their attention or they just generally get bored or lose interest. Those players have to be replaced with new ones if a game isn't to die. If you make the game too confusing or the learning curve too steep, you are going to discourage some new players. The server numbers certainly seem to have dropped from what they used to be. We often had to queue to get on, and that was when the server took more connections than it does now. To attract and keep new players, you have to dazzle them initially, not befuddle them. Disco certainly dazzles, but it isnt too long before the befuddlement sets in for many. What's the answer? I have no idea.
