The purpose of this thread is to share ideas on how to encourage altruistic play.
There has been alot of talk and some threads about helping newbie players and sharing items and quests, to make TMW a positive fun place and to encourage good play. Conversely, there has also been discussion about greedy play (especially in higher level players) by both beginning and mid level players.
I personally have witnessed outstanding examples of both types of play.
What suggestions do you have?
How can we encourage generous&helpful play instead of greed?
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How can we encourage generous&helpful play instead of greed?
Last edited by chuchu on 23 Jun 2009, 05:11, edited 1 time in total.
Re: How can we encourage generous&helpful play instead of greed?
To start the ball rolling, here is one idea to kick around:
Rewards are a good way to encourage a positive response. Benign self -interest is another form of altruism.
We can foster a new class of helper players who work towards getting some sort of a merit badge. This could even turn into a merit quest. When lower level players enthusiastically appreciate the generous help from more seasoned players (probably a 30+ level differential between the 2 players) they can give a positive recommendation to an NPC about the seasoned player.
After 10 positive experience reports the NPC would give the helper player a merit badge to display, encouraging continued helpful play. [There could be some xp reward, or this could help to level up in earth magic (similar to the use of lifestones to heal other players), etc.] Perhaps a hat with a smiley face, or something easily recognizable by new players.For instance, I have had players ask me why I was being so helpful or generous to them. They never had positive experiences with higher level players before. That negative expectation would change when younger players see some smileys offering to help.
Rewards are a good way to encourage a positive response. Benign self -interest is another form of altruism.
We can foster a new class of helper players who work towards getting some sort of a merit badge. This could even turn into a merit quest. When lower level players enthusiastically appreciate the generous help from more seasoned players (probably a 30+ level differential between the 2 players) they can give a positive recommendation to an NPC about the seasoned player.
After 10 positive experience reports the NPC would give the helper player a merit badge to display, encouraging continued helpful play. [There could be some xp reward, or this could help to level up in earth magic (similar to the use of lifestones to heal other players), etc.] Perhaps a hat with a smiley face, or something easily recognizable by new players.For instance, I have had players ask me why I was being so helpful or generous to them. They never had positive experiences with higher level players before. That negative expectation would change when younger players see some smileys offering to help.
Re: How can we encourage generous&helpful play instead of greed?
Someone could just create a new character and continuously compliment their main character to the NPC for unearned merit.
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Re: How can we encourage generous&helpful play instead of greed?
Look, I almost always help noobs when they ask for help, but I think giving prizes (good ones) to helpers would bring all kinds of problems.
1. High lvl players will probably start running around chasing new players and flooding them with instructions they didn't ask for, spoiling every bit of surprise the game has to offer.
2. How can you stop me from creating 30 new accounts and use them to vote for my main character? I can use my friends' computers, an Internet caffe, campus computers, computers at work etc. I bet you anything that the new badge would be owned mostly by cheaters and fakers.
3. TMW will *not* become a better space if you fill it with mock kindness and switch the flavors of greed.
4. If you do things out of kindness, making people grateful, making new friends, getting smiles and a real deserved "thank you" should be enough reward. A real generous person shouldn't expect more. If you feel you deserve something for helping, you are not generous. You can't have them both. Accept your weakness and ask for money or stuff from people you help. Most of them ask what can they do to repay you, don't they?
5. The world (real or virtual) doesn't just get better. There will always be generous, greedy, kind, good, evil, nice, wicked etc people. A new hat, some XP, some GP or something like it will never change that.
1. High lvl players will probably start running around chasing new players and flooding them with instructions they didn't ask for, spoiling every bit of surprise the game has to offer.
2. How can you stop me from creating 30 new accounts and use them to vote for my main character? I can use my friends' computers, an Internet caffe, campus computers, computers at work etc. I bet you anything that the new badge would be owned mostly by cheaters and fakers.
3. TMW will *not* become a better space if you fill it with mock kindness and switch the flavors of greed.
4. If you do things out of kindness, making people grateful, making new friends, getting smiles and a real deserved "thank you" should be enough reward. A real generous person shouldn't expect more. If you feel you deserve something for helping, you are not generous. You can't have them both. Accept your weakness and ask for money or stuff from people you help. Most of them ask what can they do to repay you, don't they?
5. The world (real or virtual) doesn't just get better. There will always be generous, greedy, kind, good, evil, nice, wicked etc people. A new hat, some XP, some GP or something like it will never change that.
Re: How can we encourage generous&helpful play instead of greed?
I appreciate your thoughts. You make very good points.
Imho, sometimes players simply don't think about newbies as they are rushing to level up. Once they start helping and interacting more with newbies I hope some will get into doing it more often. The point isn't about cheating. Let the cheats have their stuff. The important thing is that along the way some more players grow and learn to share and help.
I'd like to know if you have any other suggestions. Here is one resource: Holy Mana Clan has a newbie helper suggestion page at http://holymana.freeforums.org/newbie-h ... 27-15.html
Imho, sometimes players simply don't think about newbies as they are rushing to level up. Once they start helping and interacting more with newbies I hope some will get into doing it more often. The point isn't about cheating. Let the cheats have their stuff. The important thing is that along the way some more players grow and learn to share and help.
I'd like to know if you have any other suggestions. Here is one resource: Holy Mana Clan has a newbie helper suggestion page at http://holymana.freeforums.org/newbie-h ... 27-15.html
Re: How can we encourage generous&helpful play instead of greed?
Here's my suggestion. Help people that ask for help. When they ask how to repay you (and they almost always do) tell them that helping is for free and they need to help other people too. And they will. I met some very nice high lvl players in this game, and when a noob asks for help, I will always remember that I got my first short sword for free and that a very nice person has had the patience to spend more than an hour answering all my noob questions. And it works. I never refuse to lend a helping hand.
About the "Mr. Nice Guy" badge/hat it really is a bad idea. One day when I was about lvl 30, some scammer tricked me into selling 2 fluffy hats for a mouboo figurine. Told me I would *really* need it later in the game. When I'll see the badge/hat on that player (and I will probably see it because he'll probably scam someone to get it), that hat/badge will become worthless for me. It IS worthless if all the bad guys wear it too (and, as I said, they definitely will). As a matter of fact, that badge/hat will attract new players that need help. New players, thinking "oh good, a helper" will do most everything a helper in an "uniform" will ask them to do: "Give me all your ashes, iron ores and herb leaves, I want to show you something. By the way, you don't happen to have a 4 leaf clover do you? You can trust me, I'm a helper..."
About the "Mr. Nice Guy" badge/hat it really is a bad idea. One day when I was about lvl 30, some scammer tricked me into selling 2 fluffy hats for a mouboo figurine. Told me I would *really* need it later in the game. When I'll see the badge/hat on that player (and I will probably see it because he'll probably scam someone to get it), that hat/badge will become worthless for me. It IS worthless if all the bad guys wear it too (and, as I said, they definitely will). As a matter of fact, that badge/hat will attract new players that need help. New players, thinking "oh good, a helper" will do most everything a helper in an "uniform" will ask them to do: "Give me all your ashes, iron ores and herb leaves, I want to show you something. By the way, you don't happen to have a 4 leaf clover do you? You can trust me, I'm a helper..."
Re: How can we encourage generous&helpful play instead of greed?
"The bad people will get them" is an invalid reason for anything. There shouldn't be any new things in the game because crappy people will get them. No new and cool monsters or animations because sucky players will get them too. You see my point.
That being said, it should be rare. Perhaps with a few other user's commendations a DM could shadow a prospective helper. Another option- a karma system could be introduced.
Frankly, I've never given anything to anyone that was going to help me "if". I always did my best to even the "debt" after they did me the favor. I've never asked a newbie for anything before i gave them shorts, boots, dagger, pinky antennae, etc. Though often-times they'll give me drop items that i can in-turn pass on to other users. I would be suspicious if a higher level character needed something from me because generally it's far easier to get things at higher levels.
Alternatively, people who are helpful could learn each other's names and recommend them. Helped users could be encouraged not only to help the noobs when they become one of the "haves," but to spread the word to other needy noobs.
That being said, it should be rare. Perhaps with a few other user's commendations a DM could shadow a prospective helper. Another option- a karma system could be introduced.
Frankly, I've never given anything to anyone that was going to help me "if". I always did my best to even the "debt" after they did me the favor. I've never asked a newbie for anything before i gave them shorts, boots, dagger, pinky antennae, etc. Though often-times they'll give me drop items that i can in-turn pass on to other users. I would be suspicious if a higher level character needed something from me because generally it's far easier to get things at higher levels.
Alternatively, people who are helpful could learn each other's names and recommend them. Helped users could be encouraged not only to help the noobs when they become one of the "haves," but to spread the word to other needy noobs.