Stalemate

I think this is the first time one of my predictions / hopes turned out correct.

Happy Birthday Kultie!



*Note to self: 1- Do not Google "tongue cake" ever again. 2- Order more brain bleach.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Happy Birthday you guys!

HijackThis isn't doing it's thing here for you?

No hurry on that FAQ - whenever it's available please link to it and I'll add it to the channel's MOTD. Whenever it's ready. Hehehehe.

As for structure... gotta be upfront here, the channel is pretty much it.

I've been in P.E.R.C. as a senior rep., Superolympics Committee, founded and managed a 30+ SG coalition on Protector for years. Trust me when I say that I *do* think we should keep this as simple as possible, and as open as possible, in light of this past experience.

We're an anarcho-syndicalist commune. We take it in turns to be a sort of executive officer for the week but all the decisions of that officer have to be ratified at a special bi-weekly meeting by a simple majority in the case of purely internal affairs but by a two thirds majority in the case of...

... wait, no. That's not us.

There is no structure to speak of beyond neophytes and mentors.

Mentors can be as involved, or as detached as their schedule allows. they have free reign in their partnerships with neophytes. The only requirement is joining the N P C channel. If they fill in the registration form ot officialize their status, they are promoted to OP in the channel and could also act as their server coordinator.

Coordinators hold any loot donations collected for events promoting the project, one fore each side on each server preferrably, and in cases involving serious grievances between mentor and neophyte could step in as mediators. They hold no special authority more so than any other mentor otherwise.

I seriously doubt we'll ever need that last role ever to be used, to be honest, but we originally thought it would be a good idea to implement it now, just in case.

I'd help out tonight, but plans have been made...

I would suggest you take up kid's offer though, as he led both the MoITF and MoKTF for which I got the badges.

On the first try.

On the same night.

Kid knows his tactics.

Being personally involved in 3 of the things you mention here makes me hope efforts are not wasted. I was also a little disappointed to read the line "I see people complaining and I see few stepping up and doing things to better the community. WTH happened to us?" at first, knowing how many projects some of us are worked hard to maintain and promote, past and present.

But then I realized that it may simply have been a different way to word what I've also noticed happening in 6+ years of playing and running server events: Players expect or "want" more than they can (or are willing to) "give".

This is just my perspective on the majority wanting to "log in, be entertained, log out" versus a minority wanting to invest themselves into supporting projects they believe in. It's an observation, not an accusation.

No group is better than the other, it's just the way things are. Some derive satisfaction from seeing ingame organized projects flourish. Most prefer to have a selection of activities they can choose from without any real involvement in their management.

To each his own.

I've seen once motivated, enthusiastic people lose interest almost overnight in server-wide projects simply because there was no one to support their efforts. The ROI just isn't there for most ideas that are launched. When the time you invest in something doesn't pay off somehow, it becomes really hard to justify throwing more of yourself into it.

The Praesidium mega SG coalition, The Herolympics on Protector (originally launched by the Defenders of the Night, to be honest, and then taken up by the Praesidium), PVP server events, New Player Welcoming Night, etc. The list of good ideas that fizzled out of the public eye goes on.

On that note, I'm giving a quick nod of approval to Rasta (oldest member of PERC on Protector), Sooner / Ice_9 (Praesidium), and DJKyo / bamaWolfie (New Player Welcoming Night) to recognize their relatively thankless efforts in at least trying to make things work despite some harsh conditions. There are more who could be singled out, but these examples were closer to me personally.

Here's an example of what I'm saying: My latest idea for a server (now cross-server) event was the Mentor Project. Days, weeks were spent talking it out with Protectorites. Points were made, counterpoints followed. It was great seeing the idea pick up interest. The players were designing it as they thought it would work best.

And then it launched.

...and only a fraction of the people who had discussed / critiqued it got personally involved.

This is not a complaint - the volunteers we do have are doing an awesome job so far. But already I can see that this will grow and thrive faster on other servers than here where it was dreamed up (/salute to Badstorm, wherever she is, for the initial concept). Those who did not participate as volunteers after spending time discussing the pros and cons must have had their reasons.

That's just the way things are on Protector. But knowing this, it's no surprise that individuals willing to jump through the hoops are a rare breed. Or masochists. I'm still not sure about this one.


As for the Jello Shooters channel I've always thought of it as the original Protector channel. I wasn't aware that it had problems being defined as such but then I haven't been in there for months now.

When I spearheaded the relaunch of Protector Vigilance it wasn't to become a competition for JS. It was because there was a gap that needed to be filled in the category of a server-wide channel that was more family-friendly (read: loosely moderated). It was never an either / or thing. Protector Vigilance is a channel that the server population needed, and the numbers gained in the short time it's been relaunched support that.

Not surprisingly, even this was frowned upon by some.



Boricua, that was Storm Angyl (Heather Hoffman). Her brother, from whom we had obtained permission to run this in her honor), contacted me again a few months ago since he recalled what we had done and was getting back into the game.

I'm touched people remember the event, and the community spirit that fueled it.


PS -
Make this happen, seriously. Do it.

My memory is hazy on this one, but wasn't that an actual bug that was later fixed?

I've seen Sally on dry land, in the middle of the Croatoa forest bordering the water. Screenshot was taken and a custom comic cover:

Welcome New Players!


Originally from Protector, the New Player Council was created with the intent of making your exploration of the game an easier one by offering assistance directly in game. We do this by using a global channel, and also by offering direct partnerships with knowledgeable volunteers through the Mentor Project.


If you are an more experienced player looking to share your time with new players (neophytes), feel free to fill in the Mentor application form here, or through the external website of the Mentor Project: http://citymentorproject.mmopost.com (it is on the Join page).



Detailed information about the Mentor Project can be found below:


TL;DR version:

1. Join / be invited to the N P C global channel
2. Join in a partnership with a Mentor (optional)
3. Join a N P C SGs / VGs (optional)
4. For Neophytes: Graduate and move onto becoming a Mentor (optional)

General Guidelines:

1. 3 roles defined: Coordinators, Mentors, and Neophytes.
2. No official committee or leadership for this project. All Mentors and Coordinators have the same "weight" within the Mentor Project, although Coordinators could assist in resolving issues between Mentors and Neophytes.
3. A global channel is used to help coordinate things, and provide another layer to the support network. All Mentors will be OP in this channel, named "N P C" (note the spaces). This is the only mandatory criteria in participating in this project, regardless of role.
4. Optional mentoring partnerships between more experienced player (Mentor) and less experienced player (Neophyte) exist. They are:
   1. Not enforced, but open - Either party can opt to leave at any time if it doesn't work out for whatever reasons. Mentors will have 100% control over how they can assist the newbie in their care, including what time is spent doing so.
   2. The mentor has no duty towards the newbie except to act as guide. As such, he/she could answer questions, help the Neophyte find a supergroup or start one, team up if schedules permit, etc. The Neophyte will be made to understand that the Mentor is not responsible for his/her enjoyment of the game, nor will there be any expectations of PLing, loot, etc.
   3. Mentors will be free to cover areas of CoH gaming they want with the neophytes, in private, using their judgement about the pertinence to neophyte's game style. This should cover questions re: farming and powerlevelling. To avoid un-needed discussions in the global channel we should keep these talks private. We don't want to impose our own likes / dislikes to them, yet they should be free to learn (or at least find out about) about all aspects of the game.
5. Graduation ceremonies could occur every 3-4 months for Neophytes. They can then become a Mentor if they like, or move on to other activities.
6. SG will be available later on for experimentation on base building / SG management. Within any SGs created for/by neophytes, the tier 1 role would be that of the Coordinator. Tier 2 reserved for Mentors / graduated Neophytes. All other ranks used for neophytes. Tier names will probably fluctuate due to experimentation. This will be applied to any VGs as well. Coalitions with established SGs / VGs will be considered.

Latest news (09/2010): Given that the Mentor Project caters specifically to a demographic that Paragon Wiki can also assist, we are converging our efforts and the Mentor Project will now offer maintenance and support for Paragon Wiki’s Players Guide to the Cities.

We take this opportunity to thank each and every single player who volunteers his (or her) time to improve someone else’s enjoyment of City of Heroes, City of Villains and Going Rogue. Our gaming community is a much more friendly place with your efforts, and for that we are all very grateful.