This morning I was scanning my inbox and found a note from LATHAM, one of our Community Managers. He pointed me towards a thread in the Barracks in which some players were discussing the challenges of recruiting their friends into the game. A couple of the issues included the requirement for a credit card when signing up for a free trial and the difficulty new players have in learning how to play the game.  On the heels of my recent article on recruitment, I thought a reply was in order.

Travix wrote, "So every now and then I try to get various different online buddies to give WWII Online a try, and here are the current reasons that of the 15+ people I talked to recently, none of them will be trying WWIIOL. Free trial requires a credit card. <<< By FAR the biggest complaint. No easy way to learn the game. <<< I understand we have a training system coming soon(tm) so this one will go away. Confusing keymap system. <<< I've heard this one only once (by a guy who at least installed teh game and played offline), and to be honest I'm only putting this one here to be complete. The system is really pretty damn easy now in my opinion. Lack of "Instant Action" button (ie planetside) <<< this one i've actually heard a few times before... New people, after learning at least, want to press a button and be put in a large battle. They don't care what city or if its attack/defend. They just want some action. I don't know if this is a good idea or not, simply just relaying this info. Also, this was something that was actually asked directly to me, and also by a guy who tried it way back in the day. (eff him, I still loved having to ride in the back of a truck to get somewhere)."

We recognize that there are barriers for both casual gamers as well as those experienced in first-person shooters and simulations to becoming involved in WWII Online gameplay. To that end there are several features in development and scheduled for release in 2008 which try to reduce or eliminate those barriers.

The new training features such as scripted tutorials for basic and advanced play, UI tooltips and combat training zone (newbie battle(s)) should go some ways towards addressing the learning curve for new players. We're banking on it.

The new no-joystick keymapper default scheme should allow the most casual of players a chance to drive a truck or tank around and even flop around in an aircraft without the need for a HOTAS setup.

A new 'Battles' tab slated for release post 1.29 will provide a way for new or players looking for quick action to fight a fight. Of course this may be the 3rd attempt at an 'Instant Action' feature but we keep trying!

As for the credit card requirement, I'm afraid that numbers bear out that our conversion rate from trials is significantly higher when it is in place that when it is not. Free trials are a numbers game and the credit card requirement will stay for the most part. From time to time we drop it for special promotions. Watch the website for news.