Mentoring. Should it be Task based or Skill based?

[Ragnor]

There has been a lot of threads about good/ bad mentors/ disciples/ collectors and so on. I have seen a fair few of my disciples graduated, yet the skill gain was so low it does not reflect the help I gave. Ofc, like so many others I have also recruited disciples, used my time to help and advise them a lot and then never seen them again or have been dumped when they have recruited another mentor. I guess this will always happen to a degree, but I wondered whether the graduation system would be better if it was switched from being skills based to task based.

Say, for example, 9 tasks the mentor and disciples have to complete together in a team led by the mentor (either just them or with helpers in team?)

Here are some suggestions as to what these tasks could be.

Task 1. Get seven (or other number) TP's on Eudoria.

Task 2. Get seven (or other number) TP's on Amertha.
(anticipating suggestions I don't think getting all would work as a new player may have already got one or two TP's in first day then decided they needed a mentor)

Task 3. Take the Disciple to a place of interest
(the places would have a button each had to click whilst there)

Task 4. Each gather 500 bottles of sweat whilst teamed.
(This would teach them how to do this and start making ped)

Task 5. Gather 20ped of loot on a team hunt
(This would teach the disciple hunting)
(See below, an agreement to continue could be made here.)

Task 6. The disciple needs to successfully drop 20 survey bombs, 10 prosepcting and mine the resources
(This task could perhaps be completed done either in a team with the mentor or solo)

Task 7. The disciple needs to successfully manufacture 100 basic filters.
(This task could perhaps be completed either in a team with the mentor or solo)

Task 8. The disciple, with or without the mentor, has to get to 500 rifle or handgun skill.

Task 9. Do a 23 ped Robot beacon mission. Mentor has to keep disciple alive and can bring along a team to help with this. Disciple graduates, after which he gets a round of applause similar to when you get a hof or new rank gain, rather than graduating in silence as I did after completing discipleship when I expected a big fanfare hehe.
With each task completed, the mentor should always receive an immediate mentoring skill gain, thus providing incentive and encouragement for the mentor to continue to help the new player who is learning the basic skills and professions in game.

The skill gain the mentor gets should increase %wise with the difficulty of each task. That way, if a disciple leaves the game, the mentor does not feel frustrated that their time (and possibly ped) has been completed wasted on trying to help a new player and this has not been reflected in their skills or mentoring rank.

In addition, it would introduce a new player to the universe and perhaps help retention issues, hook them into the game if you like. Of course, there may be the possibility the mentor and disciple did not get on well, in which case either could boot the other perhaps during the first four tasks, and before commencement of the 5th task both asked if they want to continue the mentor/disciple relationship, which after both of them have clicked yes neither of them can boot the other, unless one of them becomes inactive, say for 60 days.

A possible incentive to encourage each to complete the process, would be that both the mentor and disciple received a gift. The mentor a mentoring gift, the disciple unique graduation gifts. When receiving their gift, the mentor and disciple could both choose which category of gift they wanted and be given choices of armour part, weapon, fap, mining gear or even unique mentor/disciple graduation clothing.
The figures and tasks I have used are of course speculative, but I wonder whether it would be a better system. As it is, I really do not want to take on any more disciples as the skill level I have in mentoring does not reflect the actual help I have given new players and I know I am not the only one. I realise it would take a lot of time, programming and thought for MA to implement this in game, but it is something I feel would enrich the game on many levels and perhaps address many of the current issues with mentoring. If it became task based Mentoring would then also become an actual profession on EU

I have sent these thoughts to MA as a suggestion.

[dry_martini]

Thats a fantastic idea, it would stop disciple farmers

[DevronIa]

Very nice idea . Furthurmore it'll make some "quest" to the new player which make him stay a little longuer
+rep

[xedin]

Greate idea!

+REP

However I think even 23 beacon mission is too hard for new player. May be final step should be some how easier.

[Executioner]

Some good ideas there +rep

[SnowMantis]

Very good ideas!

To add on your ideas around graduation, perhaps Step #10 is a graduation via the event system. Graduation events would be free with a minimum participation of some number of avatars.
This is simply promoting the social aspect of EU, which tends to integral for avatar development.

[turk1077]

It's an interesting idea, but I'm not sure that you should be required to do all three of hunting, mining and crafting. When I joined I had no desire to do anything other than hunt. I would not have been happy if I had to mine and craft just to gradute. I only recently started taking along bombs while hunting and do drop them occassionally. I have never crafted and have no plans to.

[Ionar]

I like the concept of this idea!

I'd like to see the tasks devided into different levels where you have to compleate a sertain number of tasks from each level, but not all of them. Each level would then contaion tasks related to each of the basic proffesions. That way you can specialice in one proffesion if you like or just pick a litle of each.

EDIT - turk1077 beat me to it

[kpward]

...the only thing I was thinking is that Task Based smells too much like Quests.

MA is against introducing a Quest type of system. Maybe they will change their mind someday....


darri

[Ionar]

Isn't beacons very much a "quest type system"?