State of the game

[Saefinn]

If anything, people who are serious about being a mentor should get the title and try to be on the network. When "good mentors" give up and don't want to be associated with the mentor system, that just leaves the "bad mentors" in the system and further perpetuate the downhill turn of the system.

I suppose it doesn't help that the requirement included 1,500 comms. If you're somebody who mainly queues pre-made or semi-premade then it takes a while to get 1,500 comms. If you're like me and are actually spread across more than one character, I have enough comms...just not on a single character. I would consider contributing to NN otherwise. I feel like the mentor system could also be done better, because I don't think the system is fit for purpose. As much as a community people can combat the crappy attitudes towards new players in the novice network, I think a smarter mentor system would be more effective.

Just have "recommend for mentorship" as an option at the each of every instance with no incentives like a challenge log for people to grant it to somebody. Whilst not perfect, it clearly communicates that this is just there if you think somebody was helpful. Make a certain number of recommendations a requirement to mentorship. Avoid any kind of glory status with the title, it's purely there to show people that you are to help and to give advice and offer the novice network to them. People who have the right attitude in wanting to help newbies don't need an incentive scheme to do it. If an incentive/reward were needed, maybe once you're a mentor your "recommendation for mentorship" could be upgraded to "helpful mentor". And they could lead to rewards.

These would be more meaningful and make clear their intended purpose, so a leafer is less likely to give "helpful mentor" if you've been a jerk and been completely unproductive.

If they then wanted to, tie the current mentor system to some glory thing instead. This then fills that niche and clogs up the mentor system less.

It's not a perfect system still and will have its flaws, but I think would be more representative and effective than what we have now because it shifts incentives and is more transparent.