Quote Originally Posted by Jojoya View Post
It's vague about what is meant by "positive impression". .
I think it should remain vague. No matter what people are told to com people for, people are still going to give them out for whatever reason they want. In some cases it will be because they didn't read the blurb about them. In other cases it will be because they don't care.

Sure some people will do as they are told, but changing the instruction is just going to give those people the false impression that their own lack of coms is in some way indicative of poor play, when it could be because no one likes their name and glamour.

The com system is just fine. What is broken is the Mentor system. It's the presentation of Mentor's as knowledgeable and experienced which should change. Some mentors know their stuff. Some mentors want to be helpful, a small number just want prestige, and some want to help but really don't know all that much or play any better then others.

As long as players are told that a symbol by someone's name indicates they know their stuff, its going to cause problems. Every time a player fails a mechanic, stands in bad, or plays their role in a way that is different to how some one else plays it, the person with the icon is going to attract more attention and judgment then some one without the icon. The expectations created by the icon generate jealousy, resentment and negativity.

What we need to do is stop calling mentors and start calling them helpers. We also need to stop describing them as examples to emulate, and start describing them as 'people choosing to wear an icon to let people know they would like to help and answer questions.' Finally we need to remove restrictions on who can ware said icon. If its not exclusive then there will be no reason to believe that people are wearing it to satisfy their vanity.

The Commendation System is fine as is. Its the presentation of the mentor system that needs adjustment.