Safe, now I know you (and probably a lot of other folks that read these forums) were and still are a big fan of the X-Wing series of games.  A very popular set of games, particularly X-Wing vs Tie Fighter and X-Wing Alliance since they featured online play.

Over the years thousands of people enjoyed these games and enjoyed pitting themselves against others online and yet they were amazingly difficult to learn. Almost every button on the keyboard had a function and you had to fly with a stick. They had a huge learning curve, yet people stuck with it. Even today many of those fans want to see another sequel to the series.

Whats my point? A game does NOT have to be intuitive and easy to be enjoyed, learnt and played.

Just because I have some game time in doesn't mean I look down on everyone. Just a few But if someone asks questions I'll help. I'll admit, I've had a go at people in game before for doing something, but as soon as they say "Sorry, I'm new and I didn't know" I'll more than happily begin coaching them, and you know what, they quickly learn and become an effective memer of the team. I've had teams of 'noob's who once they begin learning what each item does, how to squad up and unlock things and how a particular map works, they start working as a team. They go from losing round after round to winning. Yet even while they have been losing they are spamming the screen with "OMG THIS ROCKS!" "this mod is awesome!" "omg this looks amazing!".

My last point after all this is don't assume people are dumb and need big red signs sticking everywhere. We don't need to make this pink and fluffy so little five year olds can come along and play. If you really do think people need all this hand holding then get the SP up and running so people can practice in their own time. I bet adding this function would massively increase our player base too.

Bite my shiny metal Tie Fighter!