AcesHigh is unique as it really doesn't follow the 4 stages of a mainstream game;
Stage 1 Learn, where the player spends an hour learning how to play the game, this is the trickiest part to make fun and to entertain the player while learning because of the pressure he/she is under to succeed and not fail this early point, to not make it feel like work.
The 2nd, Play, where the player has learned to play the game, gathering experience and starting to feel comfortable but not under repeat pressure of failure/dying.
3rd stage, Challenge, where the player starts to challenge him/herself bumping up the difficulty to be challenged, but baring in mind people like to succeed.
The 4th and final is Surprise, where the player is surprised by something new the game presents later down the line.
In AcesHigh you are immediately surprised by the challenge of how you learn to play.
The future is fixing this immediate issue, the rest of this thread is just roadkill