Just started myself. I tried Sindome years ago and was in a similar boat. I'm older now, and while I wouldn't want to lose a character (I'm always going to be a bit of a mechanical nut, it drives me personally crazy to not know how the crunch operates.) Not knowing is also one of the reasons I enjoy a game.
To explain: normal games, PS4 etc, entertain me up until the point that I have fully understood their underlying systems. Unless the story is good, in which case I'll hear out the story before I toss it. For example, I've finished a handful of games of the I shit you not hundreds of PS4 games I've played. All of which had a good story. Graphics etc ultimately do not matter, if I understand the crunch 100% I quit, its dull, the illusion is broken. It took me YEARS of gaming to realize that's why I was bored, and came back to Sindome.
I'll still eventually figure all that shit out. I'm OCD about it, it will happen. I'll find a mentor in game, I'll potentially lose a toon, ad rinse until I know what I'm doing. The reason I came back to Sindome is the same reason I like RP, the story. I used to RP on a site that had mechanical functions and dice similar to a tabletop, and used dice and so on in a very limited capacity to resolve conflict and the rest was just RP. It died, it also had no overarching theme or a playerbase anywhere near this size. Sindome has the bits and pieces I'm looking for and now I see that.
Cyberpunk is also my all time favorite setting, so that helps.
I do still have some feedback about the (grain of salt here, character has been in game for less than 20 hours, so very green) immy process. I grasp the FOIC mantra, and the rule against OOC communication outside the established channels/rules. Its simple really, you trickle feed important information about the systems to the newbs, especially for ones like me that eat that shit up. Even if its just to make my character fit the image I had in my head, as soon as I know how shit works, I'm going to use it.
Having *Bob tell me OOCly on a discord all the in's and out's of combat and who to fight and who not to is gonna rob me of potentially hundreds of hours of enjoyment, a little bit sadistic enjoyment, but enjoyment nonetheless. Part of the progress and feeling of accomplishment is figuring that shit out. Now, lets take the switch side to that, the way Sindome (to my first impression) is supposed to work:
My character meets some chummer in a bar after struggling to figure out exactly what to do, I complain a bit IC and she tells me I do need to find someone who knows more about being a bit of a brawler to help me figure out what to do. My character has a couple skills, I relay them ICly and it's suggested that even though I use could em, I should avoid packing heat even if I somehow find myself with the ability to get a gun. She also asks for me to please not mug her.
This tells me a lot about what I could do, not necessarily how to do it. This also suggests that someone who's also been a brawler or knows how to grapple etc could help me learn ICly how that shit works. Yeah its gonna take time, but fuck thats the point innit?
I was also told about a loan shark and clones, but haven't decided exactly how my character would respond. Take the loan for the added security of having a clone, or chance it? Not sure yet.
Anyway, thanks for reading this block of text. It'll probably suck if my character gets ghosted permanently, I'd hate to have to redo all that shit right away, but she's got enough survival sense not to flip people off in a new city that she's got exactly zero clout or resources in, at least not where they'll see it.
On the flip side of all this, I can see where a newb would get turned off to the whole experience. I've been trying to wrack my head (because I find the whole thing so cool and would like to see it grow even more) of what exactly, from a fresh perspective, could help and I came up with these points:
1) Finding out in character does not mean that no one is going to explain to you how things work. It means they will do it in a manner that makes literary sense. If they're a thief, they'll probably explain to you (I have no idea how this works, by the by haven't found out myself) what sort of tactics you'll need, whether your bulking muscles will make a bit of difference or perhaps your grace might be more helpful, and so on. They might even state things in a way that helps a particularly dense player understand what their character now ICly knows. The same way OOC should not affect your characters behavior, your OOC knowledge should not be a detriment to your IC actions. (This is what I think is frustrating to new players, from a person who personally eats up the crunch as much as he enjoys the RP I like to know, its maddening)
2. Utilizing the RP Systems. I haven't tried this myself yet, (I haven't been in game much, spent most of my time doing history and nakeds and all that in immigration) This thing is different than a MUSH, its got mechanics, the best of which from a new perspective are completely independent of character stats and money. By which I mean, I could leave resume's for NPCs, I can go around looking for work, even from people who don't really even want to give my character the time of day. Yeah I might get robbed, but what really do I have to lose, I'm already wearing some free shit and am broke, and if my RPing is decent it probably won't be a shit show unless I act like a prick that needs a boot up my ass.
Point 1 is the real sticker. I can see people feeling limited in what there character can do because despite say, having a Journeychum rank in Martial Arts, an in character skill, they couldn't fight their way out of a paper bag because they just don't OOCly know any commands besides attack and kill. (I don't, and I only list them here because its listed directly in the help)
My solution would possibly be pretty complicated (I've never programmed a mu* all my experience is with php, databases and pentesting) but some kind of system that examined a character after their history is approved for skills past a certain point that gives them a BASIC rundown of how those skills work, at least in more detail than are default. Then at least, the IC will not be limited by the OOC knowledge of the game, which is a reverse issue to meta gaming.
I'm having a blast, thanks for reading my book.