I think the real current issue IS the tutorials.

I had to walk a friend through them. He said if he had done it alone, he wouldn't have a clue how to play the game afterwards. Said it jumped from baby steps in the 1st tutorial (which doesn't show you where to go to buy buildings) to a full game in the 2nd without really explaining much.

If Early Access is about getting more people to play test the game, then the tutorial should be a large focus. I've seen too many reviews where people couldn't get a handle on the game and left it sitting uninstalled in their steam library. This is one of the main reasons I've been working on the wiki... we need some way to ensure new players don't get lost and give up. 

Quoting InSyncOTC,

reply 3

When a friend asked me what it takes to start playing MP, I honestly told him to wait until he can beat the AI on Executive level 100% of the time. That's just the way the game is. Tutorials won't cut it. I am hopeful they'll get better, but they only can teach you how to use the UI and basic game mechanics. They can't teach you strategy. For strategy new players must be forced to watch at least 50hrs of Zultar's/Cubit's/Pb's/Soren's videos and have a test in the end.    

Haha, that is a good point. I watched a lot of videos before even deciding to buy the game (and grinded skirmishes before trying MP). Perhaps simply a disclaimer that beating the AI on Executive is a good sign you're ready for MP?  Because we need warm bodies, but I have to agree that it isn't fun for anyone to stomp a new player.

A lot of the time new players don't communicate and aren't looking for advice. I think the times are rare when you can actually help someone enjoy the game and play it better. I think the game is too sophisticated for a lot of the new players and I don't think that is a mistake of the game if it is true. Though Zultar's tutorial series (when he finishes them) may be a great help when the game leads the new players to them because it makes most new player's inherent laziness a smaller obstacle on the road to enjoying the game by actually starting to win and beginning to really understand OTC tactics and general strategies. (As you don't need to put in a whole lot of effort to watch an enjoyable and informative Zultar tutorial.)

I suppose that in general a new format could be introduced that simplifies the game and makes it easier to easily begin to understand the complexities of the game is good. Anything that makes it easier to be lazy will retain new players better. Just look at WoWs steady learning curve. There aren't huge hoops to jump through, or cliffs to climb all the while you get strung along into slightly increasing complexities, which can at the apex become very complex but still allow you to do fun things that still feel like they matter enough if you don't want to put in that much effort into learning the game. As long as you at least find some low level of enjoyment you never have any big overarching reason to give up on the game.

Disclaimer: please don't make the game dumber. Please make for doodads we can hang on the sides of our HQs. Maybe a co-op campaign against increasingly tougher AIs, and gnomes, and goblins, and pandas.