I removed mentor status today.

[Tsumdere]

I want to say it's opt-out for mentors and opt-in for sprouts. As you can decline the invite. If irc when a person 1st gains their mentor status and there's room in the chat they get instantly tossed into it.

Mentor and sprout are opt-in. I have never been in the NN for the years I've been a mentor. Recently I got mentor on another character and wasn't put in NN.

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My biggest issue is that it's hard for sprouts to find mentors that well... mentor. Vice versa. I would love to find people to mentor without joining NN which as I hear from my friends is largely a global chatroom and not someplace to teach. And preferably without cold approaching people in the overworld who may or may not be alts/aggressive to suggestion.

Another game I played had a mentor system where it paired you with a random newbie who opted into mentorship, and you had a private chat with just you two. You got reward bonuses for playing with them and a little sticker on your profile when they graduated and they rated you well. The newbie could report the mentor for inactivity or abuse (and leave to find a new one), and if you got multiple strikes of newbies leaving you for these reasons you got your mentor status stripped permanently. You could only get it back with an appeal.

I really liked it, and I raised several newbies and made friends with some of them. It's more personal.

[Jeeqbit]

I would love to find people to mentor without joining NN which as I hear from my friends is largely a global chatroom and not someplace to teach.

The novice network is where you will find people to mentor. I used to think like you because everyone would say it wasn't a good place, but once I joined I discovered new players and returners ask questions all the time and when I chat in there, I'm teaching people about the game all the time.

[Tsumdere]

The novice network is where you will find people to mentor. I used to think like you because everyone would say it wasn't a good place, but once I joined I discovered new players and returners ask questions all the time and when I chat in there, I'm teaching people about the game all the time.

I would be more inclined to use NN on any other server.

Edit: To be clear, it's more that my server has been a closed server for years - since I started playing in HW. It only opened up briefly in early EW and was closed again. There is such a miniscule pool of genuine new players it's hard to make it worth it, and I cannot even guarantee that sprouts will be online when I am. I haven't seen anyone with a sprout next to their name that isn't an alt from Balmung in years. That's why my friends left and why I would prefer a NN alternative.

[Sindele]

It's a chatroom and a place for advice. That's by design.

One on one mentorship can be more personal, but random matching especially has no place in MMOs for a million and one reasons. The only place I've ever seen it work on a consistent basis was an RPI MUD... and that was still an opt-in arrangement and more often only done to check boxes on guild requirements or funnel bonuses to friends. The 'village to raise a child' approach is vastly superior for (usually) ensuring (relatively) accurate advice and assistance regardless of playtime availability.

[Tsumdere]

It's a chatroom and a place for advice. That's by design.

One on one mentorship can be more personal, but random matching especially has no place in MMOs for a million and one reasons. The only place I've ever seen it work on a consistent basis was an RPI MUD... and that was still an opt-in arrangement and more often only done to check boxes on guild requirements or funnel bonuses to friends. The 'village to raise a child' approach is vastly superior for (usually) ensuring (relatively) accurate advice and assistance regardless of playtime availability.

It doesn't have to be one-on-one. Just relaying a positive system (in a non-RPI MUD game so ydy) and expressing desire to not have to rely on a global chat room. I do not use global chat rooms. I do not want to know about peoples' feet or anime waifus. I simply wish it was just easier for sprouts to find mentors and vice versa especially since the overworld is vacant and many sprouts may not even be in the NN. Maybe even a very clear explanation to sprouts what the crown symbol means would suffice. I feel like most of them don't know what it means.

There have been many, many, many and frequent complaints about NN since it's inception, so I don't think it's a crazy thing to ask for an additional avenue to engage.

[Myrany]

When I first tried this game way back during ARR (I think it was) I was so completely baffled by the game. Couldn't figure out where to go for my quest. Totally lost. It was suggested I find a mentor. I spent a day asking everyone I could find if they were a mentor. When I finally found someone who claimed to be a mentor. They took me out in the middle of nowhere (supposedly for a quest) and left me in a zone what above my level 2 self. I quit the game.

Years later I was sick of the game I had been playing and tried ffxiv again. Managed to revive my old trial but made a new character on a different server. This time the game made sense and I enjoyed it. Several months in I did get brought into NN and it was a cesspit. I avoid NN like the plague and just help newbies as I find them.

[NekoMataMata]

I haven't worn the crown in a long time, and haven't joined the NN in months.

I don't care much about the crown. I do feel pressured to wear it sometimes to fit in because literally everyone else who has it wears theirs, but the NN bothers me more. It's just so cliquey. Sprouts that want actual help or answers can't get it because the server's usual clique is too busy chatting over them.

[Jeeqbit]

To be clear, it's more that my server has been a closed server for years - since I started playing in HW. It only opened up briefly in early EW and was closed again.

I'm aware. I used to be on Balmung for most of the years I played this game. I was in its Novice Network for a really long time. It wasn't the best novice network, but it was far, far from the worst and helped sprouts and returners regularly still. Mostly returners, but they still count because they are returning to the game and have forgot things.

Unrelated, but the closed nature of the server was extremely problematic because fresh players are vital to have new statics to join and Balmung was just kinda stuck with all its old, established players and FCs.

[LianaThorne]

It doesn't have to be one-on-one. Just relaying a positive system (in a non-RPI MUD game so ydy) and expressing desire to not have to rely on a global chat room. I do not use global chat rooms. I do not want to know about peoples' feet or anime waifus. I simply wish it was just easier for sprouts to find mentors and vice versa especially since the overworld is vacant and many sprouts may not even be in the NN. Maybe even a very clear explanation to sprouts what the crown symbol means would suffice. I feel like most of them don't know what it means.

There have been many, many, many and frequent complaints about NN since it's inception, so I don't think it's a crazy thing to ask for an additional avenue to engage.

This thing exists, you can bring up a search of every mentor available in NN and direct message them when you join NN. You can also Player Search your area in general and find them that way. I've personally been approached a few times by new players to get added to it via that search ability.

If we can't even get reliable service when dealing with harassment and other issues, I wouldn't hold your breath for them to fix anything going on in NN.

[Aneshda]

My alt is based on twin and I spent a long time on it. The nn there is fun and a nice place. I'm not sure where ur getting this from

Yes, that's right, it's so great on Twintania. That's why so many old Mentors are gone.
And so many new Mentors there, who are Trolling in the Network.
A bunch of Mentors and Sprouts talks about the MSQ in the NN and spoiler the Story for all others.
Another Group is ERPing there with disgusting Licking stuff and a lot Sprouts are using the Network for their Real Live problems.
So many Sprouts begging for someone to register for a certain Dungeon, Trial, or Raid in the Duty Finder because the waiting time is far too long.
Sprouts spam Macros in the Network and even if you say something several times, nothing happens.
But if a Sprout writes a 0 in the chat then instant kick because he is spamming the chat and besides that, that Sprout is always a dirty Bot.
It goes so far that Sprouts spams the Chat with "Ohh he is back again" after 30 Minutes or "Can a Mentor Kick?" It is like a bunch of Sprouts Mobbing another Sprout.
Is this behavior for you normal or even nice?