Here is a scenario that I have come up with to explain the current situation a bit better. This scenario is fictional, I have made it up, however is based off of what I have commonly seen in today's "gaming families."
Adam and Brad are brothers. They enjoy playing video games together, Adam just got a new PC for xmas, and Brad plays on his mother's laptop. Adam sees this game, Perpetuum Online, and it has a free trial and offers an "in game item" to pay for his subscription, which means mom doesn't need to get charged on her credit card. So, he hits the insall link, and goes to watch TV while it downloads.
Brad walks over, and he see what his big brother Adam is doing, getting a new game. He threatens to tell mom, until Adam tells him it's free. So now Brad is interested too, and so they set up the laptop, and hit install.
After about an hour of installations, and patches, they are both ready to roaring to go. They look through all the character specializations, and Adam tries to explain to Brad what he understands. Adam see the missile stuff though, and he choooses Truhold-Marskon. Brad though, he sees the "Lazors, cool" factor, and he chooses Asintec. They both create their avatars, and are raring to go.
Now, one is spawned in outside Asintec Alpha on Doaden, and the other on Truhold-Markson Alpha on New Virginia. They ask some questions in the help channel, and begin figuring out movement. They then figure out to start the tutorial. Uh oh, Brad's robot has just gone "BOOM" and they both laugh histerically. Brad sees no big deal, I get a free one, and goes to try again. BOOM, now it's personal. Third time, and the same result. Adam, being older, had a much easier time figuring out the first few minutes of the game, and so has decided to wait a bit on his stuff, to go and help his brother out.
He asks around more, and figures out the Teleport system, He opens the map, and figures ou the route he has to take. So, off he sets to TMA. So he's skittering down the road in his Arkhe Mark 2, and he gets to his first gate. He jumps through to the other side, thinks to himself, that was easy, and looks at the map again. He sees now he's gotta travel over to Belicha. While he's traveling, he notices he goes a little faster on the highways, then the rought terrain, so he decides to stick to the terrain.
Already, just figuring out the movement, the traveling, teleporters, and highways, Adam has probably spent close to 2 hours playing the game.
Brad is getting bored, so he tells his brother he's gonna go do something else, and tell him when he's ready. So Brad goes to watch tv, and Adam continues his journey to Asintec.
He gets to Shinjalar, no problem, he gets to Daoden, almost done, he finally (if he hasn't gotten lost or taken the wrong option at the teleporters too often, which we all have done let alone new players) has spent a good 3, maybe 4 hours. If he would have gotten run into by the Red mobs in Shinjalar, game over, he'd more then likely call it quits right then. Most young men are "stubborn" enough, that I think Adam would have eventually made it to Asintec, however now it's time for dinner, and then he's got to do his homework. Both Adam and Brad go to bed their first night not really doing anything in the game, all because it was too difficult for them to grouip up and play together.
Now, I've ready the forums, I know the posts, and things were changed to this becuase the "vets" wanted to be rid of the triangle. You NEVER do that, appease the vets at the expense of new players. A game grows based upon player retention. The veteran has already drunk the kool-aid, or is addicted to his new version of crack. You put stuff in to make the "new player experience" as enjoyable as possible, so that new player sticks around to become the opinionated vet.
So, please, I beg you, for the game and all new players you are going to get with Steam, re-connect the Alpha-1 starting zones. You don't have to do them the same, so we get the "triangle." That's not necessary. Please however, do this for the new player who wants to play with his friends, and not by himself.