270 replies to this topic

[Kyle Polulak]

Hey all,

I wanted to take the opportunity to raise a suggestions thread for a Mentorship system based around the game. I have often found that, since we are a team-based game: The guidance of a veteran player has frequently provided more of a direct benefit to new players than other systems, such as our tutorials and training grounds.

Try to keep in mind that some ideas may be easier to accomplish than others.
The more an idea may require of an engineer, designer, artist or other developers to accomplish and put into action, the more time it may invariably take to accomplish.

As such, any ideas which are readily achieved through tools already at our disposal such as the forums, account manager, and in-game with the present features would be equally if not more valuable here!

The first thing I can think of is dropping some bonus premium time to some of those who have stood as paragons of mentorship thus far in the New Player Help forum. Koniving and Redshift2k5 are the first on my list, feel free to nominate others for me to review.

[Sirius Drake]

A good start would be a list of all active Clans/Mercs/Guards/etc.
If we get that the Clans/Mercs/andsoon could then voice if they are willing to train real "noobs".

Edit:
Hey your last sentence was different 30 seconds ago :-p

So, then....no. Please do not drop premtime by a System that is so indifferent like "i feel they were helpful so i will drop premtime on them."
If you gift away premtime do it transparent please.

Edit2:

Plus i have a load of helpful people in CGBI.
They are helping a lot of new players in the intern CGBI forum.
They are not that active here.
Dose that make them less usefull to new players?
Why shouldnt they get premtime?

Edit3:

Or what about all the people that do twitch?
That do videos where they explain Fittings and Game mechanics?
Will they get premtime?

I am sure i can come up with more examples but i guess that will deliver my point ^^

Edited by Sirius Drake, 13 October 2014 - 01:38 AM.

[Excalabur50]

The easiest I think would be as I said in another post about this is new players have maybe and Icon above them visible to their teammates only for X amount of time whilst a new player that veteran players can easily spot and maybe try and take under their wing player willing of course and this might afford a quick and easy method of helping them out.
Also less trolling/abuse in game chat and forums to try and give new people a fair go.

[Sirius Drake]

Nikolai Lubkiewicz, on 13 October 2014 - 01:37 AM, said:

It's a fair concern to raise. In this case, the NPH forums have the most exposure to the most new players who would actively be looking for help on our official forums. In that regard, I feel more than confident boosting those two particular players along based solely on the number of players I can be entirely assured have been helped, and probably the countless others who have read their responses. I'd probably refrain from relying on something that requires checking up on third-party forums and sites and aim more at tools we can readily use, such as our own forums. Further down the line if it proves desirable and effective, more in-game tools could well be a possibility.

Don't get me wrong please.
I am all for rewarding people that promote the Game and that help new players.
I just want to point out that there are different ways to help people and promote the Game.
And i have the feeling that the System you are thinking about at the Moment might cause a negative reaction. It seems intransparent to me.
I do NOT doubt the guys you mentioned deserve something for the work they have done.
Plus, for the moment i admit i can not come up with a better idea.
But i will think about it.

Edit:
Got one: is there a way to link Accounts together and Monitor the time they played as a team?

Edited by Sirius Drake, 13 October 2014 - 01:49 AM.

[Scurry]

This game really needs a repository of information that is not available in-game.

For example: Ghost heat multiplier, heat ceiling, hitbox locations (seriously, it's kinda ridiculous that we have to find this out ourselves), ammo consumption order, crit mechanics, Gauss rifle mechanics, Ultra-AC5 jamming, minimum range, Lock-on mechanics.

A set of videos explaining the basics of the game would help massively as well, perhaps linked through the launcher.

Also, you know those tips that appear while the match is loading? It would be nice to have them consolidated and displayed in a single location.

In the long term, it would be nice to see some tools to better enable mentors to train newbies. For example, allowing a 'mentor' account a minimum number of days old to begin private matches with a limited number of designated 'apprentice' accounts a few days old, so that one can actually teach new players without premium time. Sort of like being able to enter Testing Grounds as a group.

[Sirius Drake]

Yeah the 2 people Premium need for private matches is a problem when it comes to mentoring.
Maybe remove it at all.
I can not see the need for it at all to be honest.

[Grub]

Awarding those who use the forums here on mwomercs as classrooms is as commendable as the act of teaching itself. However, acknowledging those who teach philosophies and theories and NOT those who teach their execution in practice and in-game will no doubt get a negative reaction from many of your players.

If you're going to thank mentors of any kind with prizes and rewards, then at least be consistent, and include teachers of all kinds.

I agree with Drake. Find a way to link up profiles in-game. One mentor, one mentee, in order to prevent abuse. Give extra credit for either of them staying in-match if or when their 'mech is destroyed to spectate and to offer/receive help or tips. Now, whether this credit comes in the form of extra XP, C-Bills, Premium Time, or what have you, I don't think we as players have much say in that. I'm not sure what y'all had in mind, but as long as is comparable to the perks those teaching in the forums are getting, I think we can all agree that it would be fair.

I also like Excalibur's idea. Give each of the linked players an icon above their mentor/mentee's mech. Sort of like a "follow this guy." That should get the teamwork ball rolling. All that would take is a different colored arrow.

[NextGame]

in game wiki. If you aren't going to document certain mechanics properly for players let the players do it, but it is best presented in game some way (in game browser window) in order to have the greatest accessibility/visibility/immediacy for new players.

ability to form a mentorship group that does the following:

• Group size limit is 2
  
• Group leader is the mentor
  
• UI mechanic to prevent mentorship group leader from inviting ineligible players to the group.
  
• Group trainee must have played fewer than x games
  
• Group disbands when trainee reaches x games
  
• Group drops in Rambo queue, with the matchmakers preference to put as many mentored groups as possible in one game.
  
• Trainee runs a duplicate of the mentor's mech, (including unlocks/excluding consumables)
  
• Mentor gets mentor badge cockpit item for mentoring a player for the full x games
  
• Trainee gets a certificate of competence hanging item upon completing their x matches, with an optional 10% mc/cbills off the mech variant they learned the most in (offer expires after 24hours)

Edited by NextGame, 13 October 2014 - 04:27 AM.

[Sirius Drake]

NextGame, on 13 October 2014 - 04:22 AM, said:

in game wiki. If you aren't going to document certain mechanics properly for players let the players do it, but it is best presented in game some way (in game browser window) in order to have the greatest accessibility/visibility/immediacy for new players.

ability to form a mentorship group that does the following:

• Group size limit is 2
  
• Group leader is the mentor
  
• Group trainee must have played fewer than x games
  
• Group disbands when trainee reaches x games
  
• Group drops in Rambo queue, with the matchmakers preference to put as many mentored groups as possible in one game.
  
• Trainee runs a duplicate of the mentor's mech, (including unlocks/excluding consumables)
  
• Mentor gets random cockpit item/camo/colour for mentoring a player for the full x games
  
• Trainee gets a certificate of competence hanging item upon completing their x matches, with an optional 10% mc/cbills off the mech variant they learned the most in (offer expires after 24hours)

That is sound.
Though i would extend it to a lance. Thats the way most of the training is done in my expirience.

Edit:
And you could still say if the Account mentored x people then he will get y days premtime.
To keep people mentoring. Because there would come the day where a dedicated mentor would have all items/camo.

Edited by Sirius Drake, 13 October 2014 - 04:31 AM.

[Karl Streiger]

NextGame, on 13 October 2014 - 04:22 AM, said:

in game wiki. If you aren't going to document certain mechanics properly for players let the players do it, but it is best presented in game some way (in game browser window) in order to have the greatest accessibility/visibility/immediacy for new players.

ability to form a mentorship group that does the following:

• Group size limit is 2
  
• Group leader is the mentor
  
• Group trainee must have played fewer than x games
  
• Group disbands when trainee reaches x games
  
• Group drops in Rambo queue, with the matchmakers preference to put as many mentored groups as possible in one game.
  
• Trainee runs a duplicate of the mentor's mech, (including unlocks/excluding consumables)
  
• Mentor gets random cockpit item/camo/colour for mentoring a player for the full x games
  
• Trainee gets a certificate of competence hanging item upon completing their x matches, with an optional 10% mc/cbills off the mech variant they learned the most in (offer expires after 24hours)

Had the same idea to form a 2 men premade team.

I didn't have mentored new players since closed beta. I think its more complicated this time. You have much more Mechs, more equipment, more targets and more maps. Maybe 25 cadett games are not enough.

In CB - mentor was also important in the MechLab. Help those young guys to find the Mech that fit their playstyle - help them for crit optimizing and more - although that could be solved by forum warriors.

Sirius Drake, on 13 October 2014 - 04:26 AM, said:

That is sound.
Though i would extend it to a lance. Thats the way most of the training is done in my expirience.

A lance should have at least 2-3 cadets.

But of course people will try to abuse this system - "creating fake accounts" and "farm" with a friend, that get the status of a mentor - may ruin the status of a mentor before the system is working.

I strongly suggest - that maybe "Mentors" have registered themselves. Next they should enter the names of the "rookies" they guide.
This will help to make the system more transparent, abuse could be tracked faster (maybe)

Edited by Karl Streiger, 13 October 2014 - 04:33 AM.

[Sirius Drake]

Well yes but that would be a hell of work for a little premtime.
I doubt the Level of abuse would ne high.

[Karl Streiger]

Sirius Drake, on 13 October 2014 - 04:33 AM, said:

Well yes but that would be a hell of work for a little premtime.
I doubt the Level of abuse would ne high.

Drop - suicide - Drop suicide....enough trial mechs.... 25 games could be played in an hour.
Yep - but its like cheaters, hacker, team killers, afk, suicide farmers - you don't need much guys - one or two are enough - to ruin everything.
AFK farming is not worth the afford and stilll people do it and we still have complains

Edited by Karl Streiger, 13 October 2014 - 04:37 AM.

[NextGame]

Sirius Drake, on 13 October 2014 - 04:26 AM, said:

Edit:
And you could still say if the Account mentored x people then he will get y days premtime.
To keep people mentoring. Because there would come the day where a dedicated mentor would have all items/camo.

I thought about how to reward the mentor, and edited my post to be a set cockpit item, because I'm not sure how PGI would feel about a wide open door to getting everything cosmetic for free.

Maybe something better could happen though, like the mentor gets a screen at the end of the training cycle where they get to pick from premium time/a colour/a cockpit item/a camo, and the items on offer are static, getting changed on a month per month basis, with the premium time being the fallback for the player who has everything else that's on offer?

Edited by NextGame, 13 October 2014 - 04:39 AM.

[Belorion]

I like the way this is headed, but it sounds like a system that is potentially abused. Merc corp mates could make new dummy accounts to give perks to mentors.

Just a thought.

[Sirius Drake]

NextGame, on 13 October 2014 - 04:38 AM, said:

I thought about how to reward the mentor, and edited my post to be a set cockpit item, because I'm not sure how PGI would feel about a wide open door to getting everything cosmetic for free.

Maybe something better could happen though, like the mentor gets a screen at the end of the training cycle where they get to pick from premium time/a colour/a cockpit item/a camo, and the items on offer are static, getting changed on a month per month basis, with the premium time being the fallback for the player who has everything else that's on offer?

Interessting Solution. I am all for it.

[NextGame]

Karl Streiger, on 13 October 2014 - 04:29 AM, said:

Had the same idea to form a 2 men premade team.

I didn't have mentored new players since closed beta. I think its more complicated this time. You have much more Mechs, more equipment, more targets and more maps. Maybe 25 cadett games are not enough.

In CB - mentor was also important in the MechLab. Help those young guys to find the Mech that fit their playstyle - help them for crit optimizing and more - although that could be solved by forum warriors.

I'm not sure what the right number of games is. 25 feels too short to show someone brand new the full range of things they need to take into account, but the higher the number the less rewarding it becomes, which would lead to it being a failed system.

I suspect that in practice it would end up staying at 25 games and people would have to find a way to fit in the necessities.

[Sirius Drake]

Karl Streiger, on 13 October 2014 - 04:37 AM, said:

Drop - suicide - Drop suicide....enough trial mechs.... 25 games could be played in an hour.
Yep - but its like cheaters, hacker, team killers, afk, suicide farmers - you don't need much guys - one or two are enough - to ruin everything.
AFK farming is not worth the afford and stilll people do it and we still have complains

Ok how about this:
It HAS to be a Lance.
And you don't get your reward After the first trained Lance as a Mentor but after x trained lances.
If a Lance suicides constantly PGI can sort them out quite easy. I guess ^^.

[Belorion]

Sirius Drake, on 13 October 2014 - 04:43 AM, said:

Ok how about this:
It HAS to be a Lance.
And you don't get your reward After the first trained Lance as a Mentor but after x trained lances.
If a Lance suicides constantly PGI can sort them out quite easy. I guess ^^.

It could still be abused by people constantly creating new accounts.

[Sirius Drake]

Belorion, on 13 October 2014 - 04:50 AM, said:

It could still be abused by people constantly creating new accounts.

Every System can be abused. But you would have to creat 4 accounts per Lance and that multiple times.
And you would need people to play them.
I should have mentioned that they have to drop as Lance to make it count as mentoring.

[Colby Boucher]

How about the mentor gets colors from a cannon unit within their faction? We would see more lore-related paintjobs, and that way they can't just abuse the system and get every camo / color. I don't think we need people to become mentors by trade, we just need most of the experienced players to mentor someone.