Suggestion: Revoke Mentorship Status

[Vyrerus]

When the requirements for mentors were changed it then reset their 'burger king crown' but wasn't exactly hard to complete the newer requirements. Changing or raising them again wont solve the issue.
Neither will having a report function or negative-feedback feature since it would be abused and not every sprout can be taught.
And with the suggestion earlier of having a renewal requirement such as running mentor roulette - again its not hard to do this. From my experience at least mentor roulette is no different to any other trial/dungeon/guildhest roulette as alot of the 'sprouts' are actually just alts.
A positive-feedback feature though could be something to add. Similar to the player commendations, players could tick a mentor as being helpful. Maybe 1000 'ticks' gets you a title or glamorable-crown.

One thing I want to note here though is that just having mentor status doesnt mean it should stop being fun for us. I was guilted this morning for trying to buy a personal housing plot just because i was a mentor and therefore i should be leaving it for a sprout? Thats just not cool bro.

The idea behind a constant renewal process would be that Mentors have to opt in to keep being a mentor. There are plenty of "mentors" who ignore mentor roulette entirely, as there's no requirement to do it at all. It's not a perfect idea, but it is easy to implement, and it would make many mentor icons disappear, because of most "mentors" having no desire to do that roulette.

A mentor comm system would be kind of cool, but the fact that comms can be withheld or given for any reason has the idea fall short. Guide people to success? Well, they didn't feel like they needed it, so no mentor comm for you. Guide people to success? Well, you're not a hot cat girl in a bikini, so no mentor comm for you. Guide people to success? Well, everyone perceived the other mentor in the group as having done more for the actual success of the fight, so they gave their mentor comms to them instead, in spite of them actually being inactive for half the fight.

It'd likely cause more drama than its worth, with mentors flocking to tell people about how they did everything right, and told everyone the hows and whys of handling the mechanics. Only for them to not get any mentor ticks, again and again and again.

Plus this would leave anyone after the crown to spam the easiest content you could get mentor ticks in, just to get them. Things like guildhests. Bam, grind a thousand guildhests, ope, there's your "helpful" mentor title.

[MsQi]

I have nothing against mentors in general. They are just other players. Some are decent, some are jerks, like everyone else.

[RajNish]

I don't understand why a mentoring system is needed at all. People can help each other without a crown. And it's still better to make a world chat.

[Vahlnir]

I don't understand why a mentoring system is needed at all. People can help each other without a crown. And it's still better to make a world chat.

Right, but just as normal players can choose to help others when they can and/or are able, Mentors pretty much exist to do that. The system's intent was to mark Mentors for new players to come to for advice. Sadly, this system has backfired spectacularly since its introduction into this game. Being a mentor is supposed to mean something. Right now, it...doesn't mean a whole lot. I do what I can, but the damage is already done.

[RajNish]

Right, but just as normal players can choose to help others when they can and/or are able, Mentors pretty much exist to do that. The system's intent was to mark Mentors for new players to come to for advice. Sadly, this system has backfired spectacularly since its introduction into this game. Being a mentor is supposed to mean something. Right now, it...doesn't mean a whole lot. I do what I can, but the damage is already done.

I've seen more bad mentors than good ones, unfortunately. I believe and know that there are good mentors, but at the moment the system has outlived its usefulness. If a special icon is needed, then it should not be associated with superiority, because so many people achieve mentor status for the crown. Personally, I don't associate the crown with help, but a watering can, a book or glasses would be better. Even though I have the opportunity to be a mentor, I don't use this status because I don't want to be associated with fake superiority or some bad and rude players. However, I like to help people and I do it when I see the need.

[Vickii]

Patch has been quite horrible for our novice network.

You can barely get in it and these min/maxer raiders who got mentor purely for the title are not only taking spots but treating it like wow trade chat.

Also seeing things like mentors banning novices from NN for accidentally putting a macro in there and things. These are mentors who aren’t usually in our NN and

They really need to overhaul the system, there should be no mentor roulette to strive for and trade mentor should be much harder to achieve just as minimum changes.

Replacing the crown with a watering can or something, removing all the titles and achievements and making it seem something only people who genuinely want to help would do would make NN a much better place.

[Nabril]

It never ceases to amaze me how far people will go to shame a mentor for any reason at all.

My thoughts exactly!

[Nabril]

The idea behind a constant renewal process would be that Mentors have to opt in to keep being a mentor. There are plenty of "mentors" who ignore mentor roulette entirely, as there's no requirement to do it at all. It's not a perfect idea, but it is easy to implement, and it would make many mentor icons disappear, because of most "mentors" having no desire to do that roulette.

A mentor comm system would be kind of cool, but the fact that comms can be withheld or given for any reason has the idea fall short. Guide people to success? Well, they didn't feel like they needed it, so no mentor comm for you. Guide people to success? Well, you're not a hot cat girl in a bikini, so no mentor comm for you. Guide people to success? Well, everyone perceived the other mentor in the group as having done more for the actual success of the fight, so they gave their mentor comms to them instead, in spite of them actually being inactive for half the fight.

It'd likely cause more drama than its worth, with mentors flocking to tell people about how they did everything right, and told everyone the hows and whys of handling the mechanics. Only for them to not get any mentor ticks, again and again and again.

Plus this would leave anyone after the crown to spam the easiest content you could get mentor ticks in, just to get them. Things like guildhests. Bam, grind a thousand guildhests, ope, there's your "helpful" mentor title.

And why shouldn't mentors ignore roulette? Just look at this thread. It's full of reasons to ignore the roulette system.

[Jojoya]

And why shouldn't mentors ignore roulette? Just look at this thread. It's full of reasons to ignore the roulette system.

So at what point do mentors do anything akin to mentoring?

That's part of the problem with the system. Outside of "being an exemplar of player etiquette" (which some mentors most definitely are not), SE doesn't list clear expectations for what mentors should do as mentors. You don't have to be a mentor to be helpful to others so what is supposed to separate out mentors from other players?

[Vahlnir]

So at what point do mentors do anything akin to mentoring?

That's part of the problem with the system. Outside of "being an exemplar of player etiquette" (which some mentors most definitely are not), SE doesn't list clear expectations for what mentors should do as mentors. You don't have to be a mentor to be helpful to others so what is supposed to separate out mentors from other players?

We'd offer advice and tips more freely...if more people were more accepting of critique. Even being constructive and civil sets people off. I know this from experience. It is also why I don't usually speak up unless someone asks for help. Like I said earlier in the thread...it's a two way street. This issue isn't just Mentors. It is also the people taking everything as a personal attack, or those who see the crown and basically flip us the bird. And yet, if asked for advice, a certain amount of us would still do our best to help. Not everyone, obviously, but I would wager a fair number. People can be jerks. That means Mentors aren't immune to this. It's tiring seeing people associate being a jerk with being a Mentor. They do NOT always go hand in hand. They are people, therefore imperfect. If people want some good mentoring they need to let us do what we signed up for instead of dragging us through the mud because of the sins of some, provided we aren't jerks about it. And, like literally everyone else in the entire world, some can be.


...Rant over. lol