I haven't read every post in this thread so I apologise if it's already been mentioned, but I think a really simple step in the right direction (though far from the only one) would be to bring back new player ships spawning with the old discovery rules cargo item, as well as the history and.. I forget what the third one was.
I doubt every new player delves into the forums before trying out the game and if they see it in their cargo hold, they might just take a glance and be a little bit informed about what discovery is and what's expected. Mind you this isn't meant to be a suggestion to fix every problem imaginable, simply a step in the right direction.
[03.07.2024] LNS-Beast***: we can do this every day but you have to buy bigger stronger ships...and i'll help you