well when I pass new players starting as antipirates I just ask 'are you new' and if they are give them a mil. When I have the cash to spare. Nothing more than that, want them to work for it.
First day for me in disco was the hardest I had to play.
Second day, I managed to get in Rheinland and get a falcon alone. I just helped a cash transfert (/givecash didn't exist at this time) and he did let me 5M for the help. I was so happy I bought a transport, then after trading, I finally ended with a adv.train and .... here I started getting fun as corsair with a new character.
Since then, I often leave few millions to new players but introducing them to the RP !
Things such as "make 3 runs to Cadiz and get 5M" with the same 5M that comes from the other traders coming my way:D
Giving people absurdly large amounts of money for no real RP reason isnt really gonna help them.. Maybe they'll get better guns but whats the point in that when they'll just start shooting first target they see.. It happened few times, once only after several mins. I've heard it on system chat..
I've gave dozen times mil or two to new players on my smuggler transport but not oorp. I make them understand who gave them money and why. Not that I want anything from them but maybe putting some info on your faction, see if they're willing to join or to just learn something on Sirius politics or good trade route..
Also, giving them simple tasks just for RP, like get me something or 'who's the new bartender on Montezuma' will improve RP in general, maybe not much but it can be a good start for new players, to see whats out there, who fights for what and to see how its played without just pew pew..
Not that those few mils matters, but after all, money came from your character in-game, so it would be better to play it out that way..
Some generous soul randomly gave me 5 million the other day, I don't know why they did it because they logged off before I could blink a second time, let alone thank them. A few months ago somebody told me I had won the lottery, sent me 85 million and before logging off they told me they were quitting the game. Money is better spent than buried I suppose.
I've never gotten a handout from anyone, but in my opinion I'm glad that I didnt. I can hold my head high and say that I have been able to amass over 1billion credits worth of assets, originating from the humple beginnings of a starflea and 8500 credits.
That to me is worth more than a 100 credits let alone a few million.
I mined silver in Colorado until I could buy a rhino, then I started trading the engine components - beryllium run, and along the way I kept getting killed by NPCs and losing my cargo so some guy felt sorry for me and gave me 750K. Then I bought a camara, but before I could use it a over level cruiser came and killed me (I was insulting Rheindland... Talking about him marrying it, when he was going on and on about purifying it.), and immediately apologized, and gave me 5 million. Then I bought a Gull, and kept on trading 'til I could buy an Albatross, then a train, then a Border worlds transport, then a Bretonian train, which I sold and then bought a Zoner Whale... And here I am!