Poll: In-Game Advocates

[TheHaunt]

How do you feel about the posting and concept at http://community.istaria.com/forum/s...ad.php?t=15140

[Blue Hasia]

Against it, players should not have special power over other players, it will off balance the world even more.

[Bulgrim StoneCleaver]

Listen to your former Moderator!!! This is such a HUGE mistake. Alienating more players is not a good idea.

[Altar]

Agree totaly............................................ ..........................................

[Blue Hasia]

Ooops miss read Bulgrims comment


Blah blah blah must make post 50 charaters long blah blah blah

[Bulgrim StoneCleaver]

No Blue, you didn't treat me different - except giving me a great sig which I still wish I had a shrunken version of for these forums (maybe without Dravatar I would have a chance).

But its different, you Dravatar and others didn't seek out being a mod - you were I asked I'm guessing. You didn't make mod packs and stuff to gain anything over anyone else - you did it to give joy and special things to EVERYONE.

This sort of program will attract some (not all) who want it for the wrong reason. They aren't going out and asking individuals to be a part of this program - they are saying, "Sell yourself to me!! Tell me what I want to hear; be a cool dude and I'll give you access to the storyline, events, etc!!!" Its just not going to be good for the game in the long run.

If you have 50 people on for an event and 1 guy decides he's gonna play favorites for 5 others - its gonna blow up in all our faces eventually.

[Landowyn]

This is a stupendously stupid idea, and one that will surely ruin this game.

[Rammi]

well that's the great thing about communities... everyone is entitled to differing opinions, and mine differs greatly from yours in that I feel that this idea can work, and will enhance the game, certainly not "ruin" it.

[Dremora]

I'm against it.

Like so many others have said, there are ALREADY in-game advocates who do what they love to do, not for the title or anything of the sort, but simply because they like to.

[Kwinn]

Well, nothing else has worked. That's why the game is on its 3rd owner? Something has to change. Maybe this will start change the right direction. Who knows really? Some think its a bad idea, some like it, others are on the fence. No-one knows if it will happen or how it will work out. It surely can't hurt the game anymore than it's been hurt since day one :/

[Kulamata]

Well, the idea has been caveated enough that perhaps it could be implemented with appropriate safeguards and oversight.

[Vlisson]

if they only ASSIST in Events than im for it

if they can START/CREATE their own events then im against

the best way would be if they hire some guys, give them money...

[GM_DarkEnigmaa]

Hi all,

Excellent start on the poll TheHaunt, you beat me to it. I was going to start one this morning .

[Screech]

the best way would be if they hire some guys, give them money...

I do agree, but I'm really sick of all the paranoia.

What makes people think those volunteers are going to run around unchecked? What makes people think EI isn't capable of enforcing some rules on them? Limiting their powers?

Those volunteers shouldn't - mustn't - be using their play character as the "vehicle" of doing the Advocate bits. They shouldn't be on the same server as their play server, so as not to be able to have favorites.
Everything they do needs to be documented and logged. Any event should be approved beforehand. That ensures that the rules are followed, as well as it fitting into the world.
As for 'rewarding' those volunteers... that needs guidelines too. If they get to play for free - you think that will bother me?
Not bloody likely, since there are PLENTY of .mil addresses that play for free as well. What makes THOSE so different from those people who volunteer their time to enrich the time others have in game?
The European Military accounts are NOT free, only the US ones. (Or used to be, I have no idea if they still are)
Isn't it up to EI whether they choose to reward time volunteered, or not? And would it really be so terrible if they do reward it?

Since there are no Advocates yet - we don't really know if they will fit in, or not. And if not, then I'm sure EI will review it. They don't want to lose subscribers over it, after all.
However, I don't think it's such a bad thing that they give a thought to keeping things interesting for us, by whichever means they have to achieve it.
Are you honestly saying that if an Advocate ran an event while you're on - you'd not be interested to break up the monotony?
I would prefer an event run by *anyone* to scratching my head as to what I want to do today.

But then... I've been on the other side of the fence. Don't think for one second that those Advocates won't have the most thankless job in the universe.

Sure, more paid staff would be nice, but if I have to choose between someone who has never played the game being paid for running events and solving tickets, to someone who has and IS playing doing it unpaid... Well. My money would be on the player/volunteer knowing more about the game, quests, classes, races, schools - than someone who just walked in from the street.

And if you want to know what "Paid" Customer Service who doesn't know SQUAT is like... Go play Everquest. They got rid of the old school guides and all petitions are handled in a call center in India, by people who have no idea what they are talking about.
There's only a handful of actual, knowledgable, GM's left - and they HATE having to fix the India screwups. I talked to my former server GM a while back and he said they had far less work when the guides did the petitions - because they were either solved before they ever got them, or they had done all the legwork for them to speed up resolving it. Now they have to do their own legwork and it takes 4 times as long to get stuff fixed.

Yes, there were bad apples. There were plenty of bad apple GM's as well. Just because someone is paid to do it, doesn't stop them abusing the system if they are inclined to abuse the system.
It'll take a lot of monitoring, watching, checking... but it could well be to all our benefit if the WM's get some understudies who can help them resolve issues quicker, run pre-approved events, provide help to players... and so take the heat off the WM's a bit so they can get on with what they are paid to do.
I very much doubt those Advocates will have the same powers as a WM, that they will be able to affect the world like a WM can. I *highly* doubt it.

[Kelsaka]

Honestly? I don't know.

I've never been in a game with player advocates/guides/whatever you want to call them so I don't have that experience on which to base a decision. I can understand the arguments against it but I'd rather see it in action, or at least have more information about what they will and will not be able to do with this power, before I condemm it myself.

[Screech]

I'd rather see it in action, or at least have more information about what they will and will not be able to do with this power, before I condemm it myself.

Kelsaka - I applaud you.
Most people seem to be more willing to reject a new idea outright, without even trying it first. Especially if it comes from EI at the moment.
I'm for trying this out first. If it doesn't work - fine. Then get rid of it again, we can all raise a holy stink over it then, when it's been proved not working.
From what I saw in the initial post the Advocates are answerable to the GM's and the Management. There won't be any "free reign" from what I read there. They are to assist the GM's, not replace them. Sheesh.

[AA0]

This idea was rejected long ago with TG, this has nothing to do with EI.

[C`gan]

I'm all for it, to allow EI to have more player input into what we all do and don't like about the game.

Bad part is, I can't submit an app because I'm not a multi-racial, multi-class, multi-level 100 with good knowledge of the game. I'm a builder.

[Justa Mirage]

Make me a god! make me a god!!!! me me me me me!!! I wanna be omnipotent!!

(NOT!)

From one point I can see how it "might" be a good thing.... but as I have stated before... Power corrupts depending on what an advocate's powers are limited to.

it would ease the playing community if EI were to let us know exactly how MUCH control they have when assigning "powers" over to players.

What would an advocate do? Here are things they could do ... but why?

1: free people from areas they got geographically stuck in... (just recall and go back)

2: Get the player unstuck from a quest that they were bugged in.

3: Remove people that are blatently cursing in open chat or being obnoxious

4: ???? heck I don't know...

[Frith-Rae]

Well, nothing else has worked. That's why the game is on its 3rd owner? Something has to change. Maybe this will start change the right direction. Who knows really? Some think its a bad idea, some like it, others are on the fence. No-one knows if it will happen or how it will work out. It surely can't hurt the game anymore than it's been hurt since day one :/

In no other game that I know of has volunteer assistants with any power really worked for one, Kwinn. It leads to abuse and favoritism. Even in EI's own Savage Eden. And if they aren't stopping that conduct there, they won't stop it here.

And how can it hurt more? DANG RIGHT IT CAN!! How can you even say that? The game is alive right now. If this idea went sour, and favoritism or abuse started happening with no actions being taken - that means more bad word of mouth, more cancelled accounts. A game can only take so many before its flushed.

Sorry, that comment just struck me as ludicrious. The game can hurt more - it can be closed entirely.