Info: Why I will never offer mentorship again.

[Wollongong]

When I graduated, I decided I'd do something back for the community, and take on some disciples.

I decided on taking on maximum of 2-3 disciples, as this would be the maximum I felt I could give the attention required.

First few discovered this free game isn't free at all. Fair enough.

Some got to 70% before they quit.

Some kicked me as soon as someone came by offering them stuff.

It is these gifts/bribes that have done it for me.

I offer something far more valuable than the tt pistol and some guns... I have offered my time and effort. Yet, what do I get in return? Nothing. Often not even a thank you for the time spent doing tp-runs.

It is this attitude from newbies that really kills all motivation to do anyone at all anymore. The rotten apples spoiled the whole basket, indeed.

I hope some newbies will read this, and realize that

Your mentor is investing time and effort in you. This deserves your appreciation. Don't be ungratefull, but be kind to the one helping you. Don't be selfish, like so many others are.

[Kimmi]

Originally Posted by Wollongong

When I graduated, I decided I'd do something back for the community, and take on some disciples.

I decided on taking on maximum of 2-3 disciples, as this would be the maximum I felt I could give the attention required.

First few discovered this free game isn't free at all. Fair enough.

Some got to 70% before they quit.

Some kicked me as soon as someone came by offering them stuff.

It is these gifts/bribes that have done it for me.

I offer something far more valuable than the tt pistol and some guns... I have offered my time and effort. Yet, what do I get in return? Nothing. Often not even a thank you for the time spent doing tp-runs.

It is this attitude from newbies that really kills all motivation to do anyone at all anymore. The rotten apples spoiled the whole basket, indeed.

I hope some newbies will read this, and realize that

Your mentor is investing time and effort in you. This deserves your appreciation. Don't be ungratefull, but be kind to the one helping you. Don't be selfish, like so many others are.

A real mentor is someone that dont help people to get the gifts, but to help newcommers get a good basic of knowledge of the game and its challanges.

For me, it sounds like your only after the gifts.

[Wollongong]

Originally Posted by Kimmi

A real mentor is someone that dont help people to get the gifts, but to help newcommers get a good basic of knowledge of the game and its challanges.

For me, it sounds like your only after the gifts.

Yes, absolutely... those 2 or 3 ped guns are really the reason I spent so much time on people...

But I can see why you'd make a reply like that.

Nah, it would've been nice to actually see someone graduate, instead of turning out to have been a waste of time.

[xentric]

It's the luck of the draw. I've only had one disciple and he graduated within a couple of weeks.

When my mentor took me on I actually felt an obligation to graduate, even if I decided not to continue in EU. My disciple (from things he said) felt the same way.

I know this doesn't help you, but it shows that it can happen differently

[Immortal]

Go through auction orders, and look up all ME items. Count how many of each been sold in auction. Total that number. Now compare to number of active avatars in EU (gained from entropiatracker, ~3000).

Now compare that to number of registered accounts.

What is num_accounts/num_ME_items_sold? What is num_accounts/num_active_players?

A number between those figures is the amount of the disciples you could expect to take on for one to graduate. Any above that and you would be considered fortunate to have found a good disciple.

[Alice]

ah, i know those "bad" disciples
the worst experiences i ever had happened with disciples asking for a mentor in PA (just the matter that they know what a mentor is, and that something like mentors exists should make you suspicious already, remember, we speak about newbies, who shouldn't know THAT much)

well, maybe i should start the easiest example
once a newbie aproached me, opening a private chat (!), asking for a mentor (!) and if i could take him on a tp run (!!!!), and made a team (funny team rules, it was back in the days when equal existed, means, all team members got a share, even if the didn't shoot at all, and therefore had no cost to kill anything, but still got some loot; lets say, advanced begging even without the need the ask)
and wanted me to kill the mobs on the way ofc
well, i guess she didn't expect how well i can avoid mobs, didn't shoot once, and didn't use my sword, so not loot at all to share
so, pretty disappointing for her we arrived in billys without any loot at all, and finally the question i waited for the whole time came:"Will i get some free stuff?", "No, ofc not", and i was kicked

this is a pretty great example for disciples i call "mentor hoppers"
they go to PA, take a mentor, ask for gifts, and if they get it, they kick the mentor and search the next fool, if they don't get a gift, they do the same

next example, with a funny (for me) ending
i had a disciple once, who asked if i could mentor the brother
ofc i said, we met in phoenix, and as soon he had me as mentor, he wanted a tp run to twin (see any pattern?)
as soon we arrived he kicked me, well, i could stop here, but to the funny ending i told him something like "with this attidude you will quit in 2 weeks")
exactly 14 days later i pmd his brother, asking how my ex disciple was
well, he was killed in pvp3 and lost his stuff and quitted (would be happy if i could predict the lottery numbers that way)

third and second worst one
asked in PA too for mentorship
well, tp run to atlas haven around 1 hour 20 min, then i went hunting, since she wanted to sweat
when i reached my hunting ground i got a pm from her, she was stuck at the nice outpost south of argus, so i left everthing, rescued her (overall about 1 hour 30 min, to argus, to her, back with her)
went hunting again, and got kicked
i pmd her and asked her why
answer was a bit surprising, she (quote) "found a mentor who is kind" to her

fourth and worst one
i once had a disciple i brought to phoenix
he told me his profession will be "beggar" and justified it because some religious groups do kinda the same
well, i tried to convince him rather to sweat, and he started to insulting me with something like "all germans are Na..."

especially example 3 made me rather furious that day
i still become a bit angry again when i think back

i have to say, i didn't have any like that lately, maybe just luck
and those were the worst examples as well for bad ones

of course, i have like 8 ppl around 70-96% whom i haven't seen for months
unlikely they gonna grad i guess
and just one actually told me he plays another game now, the others i don't have any idea about


generally, i would understand if you come to me say like "Alice, this game is nothing for me, i gonna quit"
alright, can't say much against it
ofc it sucks if that would be a higher % person close to graduation, but i would understand it
also from the sweater point of view "Alice, sweating sucks, I don't want to deposit either, i gonna quit"
accepted and understandable

but the simple vanishing into thin air I don't like

the fun thing
from all the disciples i had, and that were 270 or so i guess
(btw 51 graduaters, actually a quite good rate from what i hear)

just _4_ persons had the balls to actually tell me they would quit
1 of those even coming back (!) and graduating (!!)

[MIXALHS]

ok i understand you but you have to patient with this proffesion...
i have the same promblems as you and the worst is one of my disciples left the game at 92%!!!!!!!others ask me to give them money...others want for me to be online all day!!!but i never give them things/gifts only when graduate!!!
i think that if you have as a goal to up your skills in mentoring and help ppl you have to continue!!!!!
gl!!!!

[SparkyJordan]

Ugh all these selfish newbies are giving the rest of us noobs a bad name. These irritating wannabe players treat everyone like NPCs -- there to simply serve their needs. I've only been playing 3 days and I've already encountered many of them. They run around the sweating fields, come back and ask for healing from whoever happens to be standing around, then run off again without another word. The problem is they're so focused on "making money" they forget they are surrounded by real people, and when they find out how hard it is, they get mad.

As a newcomer fresh off the boat myself, I'd like to pipe up and say there are still some honorable players who actually respect people. The game is definitely a lot harder than I had hoped, but the human factor is definitely more interesting than I had expected. You give respect, you get respect. More people need to remember that.

Hey how did I end up on this soap box? Can I TT it? All right, time to get my poor ass back to the sweating fields.

[Johned]

I had a few bad experiences over a year ago with the "mentor hoppers", a scammer, and one that seemed to think a just of the ship OJ knew more than me when I explained how hard it was to get to the rig.

I decided I would not mentor officialy again after the last one I had tried to scam me. And no I did not fall for it, I was just so dissapointed in the whole process.

Even so, I spend time in the NAZ,PA by the TP, and swamp helping when I can. I have helped many newcommers and let them add me to their friend list with the understanding they can ask me anything at any time. Most of the time they do not last long, but there are a few that I have seen for a long time.

Two months ago I thought I may try it again. I had the normal will you be my mentor question, spent 20 minutes talking about EU, them, time zones, expectations. All seemed well, took them as a disciple, ran 3 TP's and came back the next day to be kicked. Why? They found someone that gave them a gun and ammo.

I have soc mates that do well with disciples, in fact we have several great members in or society that were disciples of other members. I just don't have it in my to spend the time in the official mentor/disciple system.

I have a high appreciation for those that do it and stick with it through all the BS.

Zar

[Nihilist]

the best i ever offer is friendship these days. - ; )

offering mentorship is just trouble.