Stalemate
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Posts
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Joined
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I'm liking 3N more and more.
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I wish these boards had a voting feature sometimes...
Anyhow, as for rewarding the mentors, I see some issues above and beyond those already outlined by Wolfie here above, mostly to the tune of "who pays up?"
I could also offer my services to vets for signature graphics, banners, logos, comic book covers, etc. But let's face it, I won't have the time for it. It's even worse that I was the one who asked the question initially.
Also, even if Rasta graciously offered, it's going to eventually turn into a situation where those who are usually generous keep giving to... those who could be labelled less so? How are the donors recognized as benefactors then?
I'm all for organizing special "mentor-only" informal events for badges, TFs and the like. But I worry that proposing inf or any other ingame tangibles could probably set some precedents we'd rather not have to deal with later on.
And to conclude... if mentors are getting some reward or other, will we not then expect a certain amount of performance or efficiency on their part? Perhaps even stifling the idea of this being an open, unenforced and unsupervised role.
Excellent topic to bring up now in the planning stages.
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An excellent point, and one that I've sent out feelers re: coalitions already.
I think the idea of the new players being enabled to go out and build / manage their own SGs (as a group or even individualy) could draw in even more people. More on this soon.
One of the things we "old timers" do on a daily basis is share our CoH experience with others in the different chat channels we frequent - from the large global ones to team chat. We do it freely, most times without realizing we're doing it.
This project is an extension of this naturally occuring social interaction. It's simply a way to let the new players know how / where to reach us. Protector's players are, IMHO, the most helpful I've encountered. The Mentor Project is a way to facilitate this while publicly recognizing that characteristic.
And honestly, the people I've mentored on Protector have very rarely been an intrusion in my own gaming time and have consistently upped my enjoyment factor. I assist when I can, politely decline when I can't, and point them to other sources when available (more knowledgeable player, websites like Paragon Wiki, player guides, etc.).
Thanks for the feedback so far.
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Quote:Originally Posted by JJ_Knight
...The only problem I've ever had with premade systems from the likes of Dell or Hp is that if something goes wrong with it after the warranty expires, it's not always easy to repair.
Good point, one that is easily overlooked.
In the case of my (older model) XPS the parts are all pretty much serviceable / upgradeable. Even the motherboard. I added another couple of HDs right away to get a stripeset going for the OS and progs, with the default drive now serving as backup OS and storage for the multimedia streamed through TVersity to the XBox360 in the living room.
...I got carried away off topic again.
On some other models (HP for example), you can't even replace the power supply with a third party option. I've even seen models where you had to get graphic cards from the manufacturer directly since hey had to be built to fit the innards of the smaller case perfectly. -
Quote:That's almost exactly my story!Originally Posted by Ura Hero
I second Stalemates XPS suggestion. I broke down and bought a pre-assembled computer last year after many years of building my own and my Dell XPS has been a solid machine. It can handle pretty much anything that I play with ease.
Got me a XPS720 (silver and red) and love it. If I'm not miskaken this was the rig they used last year at HeroCon. -
Quote:Dell Studio XPS 8000/9000 machines could be a good starting point.Originally Posted by Dr. Overdose
For $1k you can really build a beast of a machine. You say you are limiteing it to local stores.. does online fit into that. cause you will almost certainly find your best deal online
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I was hoping for at least some PVPEC tie-ins at some point, but yeah - it's harder to get that rolling on this server.
There have been no amusing acronym suggestions yet for the restart.
You know, like Server Welcoming and Training (S.W.A.T.) Committee, or Neophyte Neighborhood Network (3N). -
Quote:Originally Posted by DJKyo
Definitely post it in Player Events, and for something this...hmmm...unprecedented, maybe see if you can get it on the updater as well?
I'll also volunteer KJSR.net to advertise it and if I were you I'd contact other City of internet radio stations, as I'm sure they'd love to be involved!
Thanks Kyo.
Once we're all done working this out (at least enough to get it started) we can start promoting.
I hadn't considered the updater or other internet radios... doing so could propel the idea cross-server. I'll have to think about that idea and then perhaps hand off the idea to the P.E.R.C. for better promoting / coordinating if it is deemed viable.
*waits for more P.E.R.C. rep comments.
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Quote:More on this is coming, hopefully, as I got an interesting PM about a very similar proposal, which I then duct taped rocket engines to, lit the fuse, and sat back to watch the result.Originally Posted by Blaine
I really like this idea. Its gives us veterans a "project" to work with and pass some knowledge. Do you think you would do this in an SG setting?
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Quote:Originally Posted by Rastafari_Man
Ok, I get the basic idea of what your proposing here, but let me ask this.
Obviously this will take time from the mentors, so aside from a sense of good will, what other incentives might there be for Mentors? I'm not suggesting folks are greedy, but I am implying it. (myself included).
How do Newbies get a mentor? Can they choose from a list? Is the next mentor in line paired up with the next newbie to sign up?
all good questions, and that's what we're discussing right here and now actually.
Did you have any ideas in mind for incentives and/or pairings?
The funds will dwindle eventually and there are (as of yet) no plans to draw in more in the near future. Not only that, but most vets don't really care for inf, or at least not in the amounts we can propose, as they could probably get the same amount with much lespersonal inolvement.
Personally, I would mentor a new player (as I have in the past and am currently doing again) for the sheer fun of seeing their regular "OMG THAT'S SO AWESOME!!11" reactions, but I don't expect for a minute that all other mentors will see it like that.
Perhaps a trial period would be a good idea for pairings - let the players get to know each other and see if they're compatible or not - before the actual mentorship starts. -
I'd like to add this to the MOTD in Protector Vigilance at least 1 day ahead of time.
Is this always scheduled at the same time on Tuesday evenings? -
How familiar are you with hardware, and perhaps "rolling your own" PC?
That could help steer the discussion.
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^bump^
...since the weekend is over. -
Player Auction worked really, really well for accumulating funds for the New Player Welcoming Night when I ran it.
As a matter of fact, most of the funds transferred over by bamawolfie to me were left from that one single night many months ago (unsure about exact date).
Weird timing too, I was talking to Troy Hickman just yesterday and he mentioned still owing someone something from that auction...
I'm going back to getting influence now, just on the off chance this is happening.
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Quote:Originally Posted by Stalemate
...Let me know what you think worked, and what you think had less impact....
...But I am asking for your suggestions for a new name for this unique project which we introduced to the CoH gaming community....
^Bump^
Keeping the main points for the thread alive. -
Good stuff.
If you do run another, let me know a little ahead of time
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Something that could test primarily a player's knowledge of the game, or got the opposite end and have it based on skill alone.
I also like kid's idea of accumulating points spread out thru a few smaller events. Gives everyone a better chance to win than if it was only one type of competition.
I'd avoid costume contests entirely for this, since already happening daily, but that's me.
- Trivia contest (centering around the Clockworks?). Whenever trivia contests occurred in the past I noticed that contestants and spectators really got into it.
- PvP action. Harder to handle, but could be popular if players feel they have a chance (no grouping of l33t killers with IO'd out builds and 3 month vets who just realized IOs existed, for example).
- Bio or Fiction Contest.
- Hide and Seek / Scavenger Hunt. I think Sooner got a winner there.
- Seek and Destroy. A given enemy type is given out and points given to the first one to find and defeat one. More complex since requires a ref to be teamed with each player. This is actually an event I'm thinking of for the Mentor Project.
I'd avoid costume contests entirely for this, since already happening daily, but that's me. Or... spin it differently by making use of powers mandatory to check out customizations.
Of course, I'll volunteer for any help you need running this great contest. I would especially like to get some trivia questions out to you if you're interested.
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Quote:Very original!Originally Posted by Archiviste
Why not simply "New Players Welcoming Committee" ?
... I kid, I kid.
There would be no official committee though, not in the usual sense, since anyone participating would have equal weight in matters of decision making. It would be more like a coop or loosely knit syndicate.
Newbie Syndicate... Newbie Coop... New Player Coop (NPC)...
Btw, newbie is a perfectly acceptable term here.
It's Friday, the creative side of my brain left Wednesday morning so I'm not all that inspired.
Quote:Originally Posted by Archiviste
SPEAK LOUDER, SONNY, I CAN'T HEAR YA !
Seriously; I know Protector Vigilance is your baby, but like I've noticed during our last PERC event, a non-dedicated global channel means that messages get lost in the "noise" sometimes. For some events, broadcasting on Vigil (or even JS, I'm not discriminating...) might be a good idea. For some other events, where communication between participants is a MUST, a dedicated channel is needed. Said channel can be created ad-hoc and discarded afterwards, of course...
Absolutely agree.
As a matter of fact, at lunchtime today I updated the PV's MOTD to mention the Monster Mash event / chan being held Sunday night. Promoting every server event I see (not covered by PVPEC er P.E.R.C.) in there whenever I can get time to announce it. The MOTD feature should serve some sort of purpose, dagnabbit.
PV can't be sen as a replacement for dedicated channels, but more of a "Protector News Feed". You're quite right about the local activity casting a shadow on any meaningful event communications. And it is nowhere near finished in terms of player coverage.
In this particular case (the NPWN chan), it 1) was useful only in certain conditions where participation was limited, useless for zone or server-wide events and 2) would have to be renamed anyhow once that's settled.
Furthermore 3) if any New Player Whatsit event requires communications that are that time sensitive, Teamspeak will probably be the norm, or a temp global chan if some volunteers are hardcore luddites.
I think there were 4-5 people who were still present in that one. -
I went ahead and changed the PV channel's MOTD at lunchtime to announce this.
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In the words of the immortal Monty Python, "spam, spam, spam, spam, spam, and spam."
I found the fastest and most effective way to get a message out to the highest number of players was to use the Broadcast and Request channels during peak times and announce it.
Multiple announcements in various city zones, at different times, perhaps even from multiple volunteers, and we get maximum coverage.
..in theory.
That, and keep suggesting the Protector Vigilance to new players as a way to keep abreast of what's happening on the server.
Of course, the boards will always have the info first. Here in Protector section as well as Player Events. -
Thanks again to our PERC reps for handling and supervising this event.
My son loved participating and wasn't aware that it was running 2 conscutive days until I told him last night. I let him use the main account and he won a recipe along with some inf so he was quite happy about that.
As one who's "been there, done that", I'm quite aware of the demands such a thing can put on your time. These multi-day ordeals can be quite demanding.
I'm sure Protector appreciates your efforts during these events but what they may not realize is that often, our PERC reps are called to officiate on other servers as well for the sake of impartiality and expediency. That involvement often doesn't get noticed despite its frequency.
Thanks guys, simply for caring enough to handle these roles.
Also, I thought the Story Telling contest was very original. Seeing how many players here write fiction perhaps we can look forward to more like this. I was slightly surprised to see that this didn't get more participants.
I know my own contribution* wasn't exactly a "story" since having occured in Real Life but I thought I'd jump in with it anoyhow. Splitting my prize between the other participants was based on that reason, and my son jumping up and down on his seat next to me saying "gimme gimme". I hope no one took offense at that decision.
*I'm not kidding here. My own mother can attest to what I shared. ...OK, getting the shivers again.
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You know, I realize now that for the costume contest I shouldn't even have been participating when I learned it was being combined.
My bad.
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Given that I've wanted to get involved in a server activity that was more direct in impact and required less of my time and attention, I think this fits the bill perfectly.
With Going Rogue coming in next year, I expect we'll see an influx of new or returning players so positioning this project ahead of time and working out the kinks is only beneficial.
So here are some ideas I'd like critiqued concerning a new player mentoring project, and hopefully this can turn into some sort of brainstorming session.
- No official committee or leadership roles would be needed (I think). I will act as coordinator / promotor only.
- Mentoring promoted as possible option to counter veteran player apathy.
- Other incentives to become mentor?
- Propose mentoring contracts between more experienced player and less experienced player that are:
- Limited in duration, unless mentor decides otherwise.
- 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.
- The mentor has no duty towards the newbie except to act as guide. As such, he/she could answer questions, help the newbie find a supergroup or start one, team up if schedules permit, etc. The (initiate / proselyte / newbie?) will be made to understand that the mentor is not responsible for his/her enjoyment of the game.
- The newbie will not expect undue assistance from the mentor. He/She will be expected to make a "best effort" when teaming with the mentor (no leeching) and not to expect gifts from the mentor (which would be at mentor's discretion)
- Neither mentor nor newbie will expect that the other be available at all times and will respect the other's need for personal time and other commitments.
- Set up a GuildPortal website to keep track of happenings, offer newbies a prolonged method of assistance after / in conjunction with mentoring, plan events, share ideas, discuss issues, etc.?
- Stay in close contact with our server's P.E.R.C. and PVPEC reps, if only to let them know how things are working out in their areas of interest. This is the type of thing they're here for. Keeping them in the loop is just common sense.
Please feel free to expand, argue against, etc.
Exchanging ideas in this thread does not imply that you want to volunteer as mentor and you will not be contacted for this. -
Good morning Protectorites,
When bamawolfie passed on the mantle of the New Player Welcoming Night to me, I got to thinking.
I know, some will say that already, at that very point, danger was imminent.
Nevertheless, here are some changes occuring with this project:
I will be concentrating effort on past event ideas that had a positive turnout. For this, I'm going to need some feedback from past NPWN event organizers who are still active. Let me know what you think worked, and what you think had less impact.
The objective of the NPWN was always to assist new players in getting acclimatized to the game. This will not change and in fact, will become the main guide to any future activities.
If I recall correctly, it was Badstorm who once proposed the idea of "adopt-a-newb" after a NPWN recap. I'll be starting a new thread for this particular aspect at a later time. But it fits perfectly with the spirit of the original creator's vision, and I want to build on this premise. It's something our entire community can proudly support.
To reflect this renewed direction, the New Player Welcoming Night will have to change it's name to something more fitting. No longer will this be an occasional one night stand kind of deal, but a more involved mentoring program.
I'm not recruiting volunteers just yet.
But I am asking for your suggestions for a new name for this unique project which we introduced to the CoH gaming community.
Launch away.
Note: The currently used NPWN global channel will be discarded also, as I remove everyone from it progressively. Protector Vigilance will be used instead if ever there is need for that type of communication. Teamspeak server access will remain available for volunteers. -
I wasn't keeping track of the winners myself, busy as I was flexing, but the event had a great turnout I thought.
Healing Phoenix, Rasta and Arch combined the PERC costume contest with the Teamsters one, so lots of participants showed up.
Was a blast.