The problem with the mentor system

[MomomiMomi]

Mentors are worthless, regular players who want to help can do so and have no need for this little "special club" and chat channel that they can moderate. They aren't "elite". A mentor can do whatever they want, and never lose that status - I was told as much by the mentors in the Novice Network itself through whispers. I probably still have the screenshots.

They were never meant to be elite. They're just players who are making it known that they are willing to help others. That's it. The mentor system gives regular players who want to help greater tools with which to do so. It's working as intended.

[SturmChurro]

They were never meant to be elite. They're just players who are making it known that they are willing to help others. That's it. The mentor system gives regular players who want to help greater tools with which to do so. It's working as intended.

No, they weren't but that is the mindset they have adopted. On paper the mentor system is good, but without heavy moderation by SE the system is worthless. It is a glorified chat channel, a waste of time, popularity contest. Worthless in practice.

[MomomiMomi]

No, they weren't but that is the mindset they have adopted. On paper the mentor system is good, but without heavy moderation by SE the system is worthless. It is a glorified chat channel, a waste of time, popularity contest. Worthless in practice.

I have personally helped hundreds of new players with the novice network. That's only counting me, not anyone else. That's far from worthless.

[SturmChurro]

I have personally helped hundreds of new players with the novice network. That's only counting me, not anyone else. That's far from worthless.

Did you need the Novice Network, or the mentor system in it's current state to help these players. Or did it just make it easier? If you want to help you can help without the status symbol. I have helped quite a few people myself, and I didn't need that crown next to my name. Nor did I need to have the sense of power of kicking players, and then threatening them in PM's either. "Oh, but I hide my crown" then the crown isn't needed, right (since this thread is actually based on the status symbol)?

I would have helped maybe 3 people in all these years if it wasn't for the novice network. Compared to hundreds. If you want to call that "just made it easier," go ahead. But I would consider that a necessary tool to accomplish what I did.

Again, was the novice network needed in it's current state, or could a general new player channel have worked just as well? Or a multitude of many other alternatives that others in the community have suggested.

[MomomiMomi]

Did you need the Novice Network, or the mentor system in it's current state to help these players. Or did it just make it easier?

I would have helped maybe 3 people in all these years if it wasn't for the novice network. Compared to hundreds. If you want to call that "just made it easier," go ahead. But I would consider that a necessary tool to accomplish what I did.

[MomomiMomi]

Again, was the novice network needed in it's current state, or could a general new player channel have worked just as well? Or a multitude of many other alternatives that others in the community have suggested.

I don't see the difference other than that we wouldn't have moderation, which would result in the chat being overrun by bots, rendering it useless.

[Snowdove]

I don't see the difference other than that we wouldn't have moderation, which would result in the chat being overrun by bots, rendering it useless.

Just do what WoW does: Enough reports and the player gets silenced.


But FF14 desperately needs a chat channel where someone can ask questions. NN doesn't work because it's invite only (unless you're a returnee) and a lot of new players (I am one of them) never got invited to it.


A world chat is the best resource that I can see that would fill this need.

[HeulGDarian]

No im not talking about you. The well known troll was titansomething who had had lots of troll threads for a long time and also went and accused the counter examples as mentor propaganda. I have never seen a mentor thinking themselves elite ive only seen People calling mentor useless if they make any error on how they play their job. Novice network was always Just a chat were People can ask questions but for some reason People think that it should only be used as that despite the fact that 300 peeps on the same chat Will obviously talk to each other. This doesnt undermine the fact that People can answer questions. As i said everyone keeps saying whatever they want about mentor without backing it up yet when a mentor comes to defend themselves he must provide proof? For what for the 10 peeps that found a rotten Apple? If you want to actually provide an argument then you need to show more than here nn sucks and 10 mentor were toxic this isnt proof. Proof would be to find and publish info to make a statistic of the percentange of mentor that are toxic then its up to yoshi p to see if its high enough to reqcuire a rework or removal

[SturmChurro]

No im not talking about you. The well known troll was titansomething who had had lots of troll threads for a long time and also went and accused the counter examples as mentor propaganda. I have never seen a mentor thinking themselves elite ive only seen People calling mentor useless if they make any error on how they play their job. Novice network was always Just a chat were People can ask questions but for some reason People think that it should only be used as that despite the fact that 300 peeps on the same chat Will obviously talk to each other. This doesnt undermine the fact that People can answer questions. As i said everyone keeps saying whatever they want about mentor without backing it up yet when a mentor comes to defend themselves he must provide proof? For what for the 10 peeps that found a rotten Apple? If you want to actually provide an argument then you need to show more than here nn sucks and 10 mentor were toxic this isnt proof. Proof would be to find and publish info to make a statistic of the percentange of mentor that are toxic then its up to yoshi p to see if its high enough to reqcuire a rework or removal

OH! The user who will not be named (by me at least) those posts seem to have entirely disappeared.. spooky.

We can agree to disagree. Look, I think the idea behind the mentor system is good, I just don't think it is executed well enough, and would require a great deal of oversight by SE to live up to what is should be. I would prefer reforms, but those would also require SE oversight (and resources). I just think the best alternative is removing it entirely in that case.