Hi,
Quote:
Originally Posted by BlackHawk
Mentoring is a great thing MA did. The fact that disciples get a gift too is great. But this system can be and will be abused. People will farm it by making new accounts - now that is so easy. To graduate in mining, and even in hunting will take only few days and few peds. It is just too easy to exploit this system |
It is exploited already, just like the old system. Quite some ppl are actively "collecting" newbies yet, and that doesn't mean that 2nd accounts are used in this necessarily - just "kidnap 'em nOObs" at the sweating grounds, or in the forums ...
Quote:
Originally Posted by BlackHawk
In my opinion, disciples should have an easy time graduating, and getting their gift. However, a mentor should only get its gift only when a disciple will reach naturally 280 ped TT (around 6000 skill points) in any skill, [...]
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Kidding? 6K in one skill? Most mentors would never get a gift. Mine would have to wait for quite some year more, even if she had accepted me the day when I came, close to 6 years before ...
Quote:
Originally Posted by BlackHawk
[...] and that should be reduced if the disciple ever chips out from that skill.
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"Your TT pocket knife ME has been removed from your hand, because the disciple that earned it for you years ago has chipped out. Try strangling this mob instead, maybe?"
Quote:
Originally Posted by BlackHawk
If a disciple decides to kick its mentor after the disciple graduates, the most TT skill that disciple generated should be transferred to a buffer, and the mentor should be able to claim its gift whenever that buffer reaches 500 ped TT (from all the other disciples one may have).
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Surreal. And not leading to any benefit, because it would encourage the "nOOb farming" even more. With the only difference that now only the meanest of all them "nOOb farmers" would ever get their ME pocket knife.
Make a Soc for a few middle class players that you sponsor a bit, in exchange they do the mentoring for you for your hordes of disciples ...
Quote:
Originally Posted by BlackHawk
Also, a sum of TT in more skills can be used, since many people go multiple professions. A fair system can be made.
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This is the only point I agree here. The current system that encourages the raising of a single skill is hand-tailored for rifle-only hunters and miners-only. Crafters, Melee people, Pistoleers any other professions are at a disadvantage because they cannot concentrate on a single skill this much. And mentors are more or less forced to teach their disciples to become such one-trick-ponies now, else they'd wait much longer for their gift.
Quote:
Originally Posted by BlackHawk
Such a change will prevent people from exploiting the system. I would also make mentoring gifts and mentoring skills more meaningful.
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I'm sure you wrote your thread in the best intentions, but I cannot help but to see little benefit in your proposals.
Let's have a look at the problem:
- What would be the benefit of the mentoring system at all?
I can see 2 main points:
- The disciple should be encouraged to stay for a while, maybe even to deposit. Thus a nice gift for it when graduating, this "gift for the disciple too" is a great improvement IMHO.
- Seasoned people should be encouraged to guide and teach the new players, this way making it a bit more comfortable for them.
Summary: Retention. New players should stay, not leave frustrated after 1 or 2 weeks. This is the reason for the mentoring system at all, and it's a good one.
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- So now we can decide how long the disciple-hood should be.
4 weeks? We have to consider that some people will throw in a $100 note, ready to burn it to get their gift while others will be reluctant to deposit any money as long as they haven't got a clear view of the game. And there will be people able to play 12/7 while others may be restricted to 4/2 (family people and weekend warriors).
We see, time is not measure. But a single skill isn't, too. So a sum of skills?
Hey, we have such beast already, it named "attributes"!
Ignore the ones got from missions, and set the goal to [any number]. Rise your attributes for a sum of [any number], and graduate!
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- Now to another problem:
A nOOb needs care. Care them well, and they will prosper. Ignore them, and they will leave.
So how could a mentor that has collected 20 nOObs care them well? Imagine you're a nOOb, have a question to your mentor as soon as he will come on line, you'll have to draw a number and wait in the line ...
Madness. Mentorship should be restricted to at most 2 - 3 disciples at a time.
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- The gift, still a problem:
Murphy rules, so you as passionate pistoleer will inevitably receive a club ME.
This is no fun.
Why not create ME toys in every category, ranging from tier 1-5 according to their usefulness?
Why not give "Mentorship tokens" (not tradable) to the mentor when a disciple graduates?
Why not have a "Mentorship NPC" at every planet where you can trade them?
1 token for 1 tier, you chose if you want a laser carbine, a plasma pistol, a FAP or an attack chip.
Just a few ideas, quickly written down, will need a lot of refinement for sure. But I think such an approach would make more sense.
I doubt that it would be beneficial making mentoring too easy, or too hard. It has to be balanced. To reach the goal, and to avoid abuse, it has to be carefully implemented, and to be carefully watched.
But it should be assured that any capable player could be a successful mentor, and it should be assured that at least a sufficient percentage of the new players would be able to finish a discipleship. IMHO.
Have a good time, no harm meant!