Your first catch now comes with directions
We looked at who comes back to Skydex after their first day. Of the accounts created in the last month, the ones that caught something on day one came back on another day about 31 % of the time. The ones that caught nothing came back 13 % of the time. Only about one new player in eight caught anything on their first day.
That doesn't prove the first catch is the reason people return. Somebody who catches a plane on day one may simply be more curious to begin with. But catching is the heart of the game, and most new players never reach it, so we're starting there.
A guide in the sky
If you have never caught anything, a small pill appears under the top bar about 25 seconds into your flight. It tells you what's closest, an aircraft or a ship, how far away it is, and which way to turn, with an arrow that follows your heading. Then it tells you what to press: hold the zoom key and press P on a keyboard, or tap Zoom and then Spot on a phone.
Once you zoom in, the pill follows the ritual. While the lock ring builds it says to keep the target in the crosshair, and when the lock is green it tells you to shoot.
If nothing is within catching range, it points at the nearest contact further away so you know where to fly. If the sky around you is empty, it offers a button that takes you to a busy port: Hamburg, Rotterdam, Copenhagen or Istanbul, whichever is closest. Ships are always there, and over Hamburg our own receivers hear the traffic.
The guide disappears for good after your first catch. You can also close it with the ✕, and it stops after three sessions either way. If you already have a collection, you will never see it.
Missions for your first day
Daily missions are usually random: one for spotters, one for pilots, one wildcard. On the day you create your account you get a fixed set instead. Catch anything, catch an aircraft and catch a ship. Each closed mission pays feathers as usual. From the next day on, the normal random draw takes over.
A held catch, one more time
If you fly without an account and try to catch something, we hold that catch for five minutes and add it to your collection as soon as you sign in. Until now that offer appeared once, right after the catch. If you closed it, there was no way back. Now the pause screen shows "Your catch is waiting" with a sign-in button for as long as the catch is still held.
What's next
The next step is a reason to come back on day two: a short daily summary of what flew over your home city. That one needs email, and we're setting it up now.