Novice Network needs to be opt-in only in light of the recent population surge.

[KageTokage]

I guess they must've changed something at some point, because it placed me in Novice Network by default when I initially I got mentor status back in HW then left it on auto-join afterward.

That said, I still feel like if the auto-join wasn't a thing there'd be a lot less issues with crowding since even at prime time I usually see only maybe a dozen different mentors actually involved in conversation out of the 100, and I have a hard time imagining that there's that many people who join just to watch the discussions but not actually take part in them.

[SturmChurro]

Wait.. people would actually want to join Novice Network?

[KageTokage]

Wait.. people would actually want to join Novice Network?

Contrary to popular belief, it's not terrible on every server and it's usually just specific people who make it that way.

[SturmChurro]

Contrary to popular belief, it's not terrible on every server and it's usually just specific people who make it that way.

Players who are making the NN an unwelcome place aren't mentors are they? If so, I think something needs to be done about the system of mentorship, and perhaps even the closure of NN if there are mentors of all things who are making NNs unwelcome to new players, and nothing currently can or is being done about it.

This threads request seems to be on the right track, but I think more needs to be done.

[KageTokage]

It doesn't seem terribly reasonable to close the whole NN simply because of a couple bad apples.

I think the bigger problem is that they can just keep coming back after they get kicked by other mentors and continue to be a nuisance while skirting the lines of the ToS.

Perhaps making the Novice Network kicks more punishing, but requiring the input of multiple players to go through might help...?

[Jin-]

Any proof on that we just get it for the (ugly) crown icon or is this again one of those reddit fallacies.

Never ever in 7+ years I've heard anyone becoming a mentor for the icon. I don't use it personally.

Wait.. people would actually want to join Novice Network?

Very nice on Light / Odin and Chaos / Omega.
Different Internet culture

[Hix]

From this I gathered that getting out of mentor chat is too hard for mentors, which basically just reaffirms the reputation of the burger king crown

[Jeeqbit]

A few people answer at a time because the rest of them are busy with content, AFK, or a good enough answer was provided already.

5 crafting/gathering
5 AFK
26 in a dungeon, 2 in queue, 6 in a party, 1 in a cut scene
2 RP
20 online

[KageTokage]

Once you click the "Leave" button at the bottom left corner of the NN menu, the game does not put you back in it, even if you teleport to a new area or log out and back in.

Novice Network is already opt-in. There are just a ton of players who qualify for mentor status.

I'm aware that it's "opt out" already, but the issue is that a lot of people don't even realize they're taking up space in Novice Network after initially gaining mentor status unless someone personally tells them about it.

[Jeeqbit]

I'm aware that it's "opt out" already, but the issue is that a lot of people don't even realize they're taking up space in Novice Network after initially gaining mentor status unless someone personally tells them about it.

Of course they know they are taking up space in it, because they see the chatter. It's opt-in because you have to click the button to join it at first and you seem to be the only one who has experienced it being opt-out. Perhaps you accepted Returner status at some point and it put you in?