Thought on Karma

[skeetdaddle]

I just thought I'd post this to see what people thought of the idea. How about reversing the karma thing, so that you start out with tons of karma, and then LOSE it for bad RPing, instead of GAINING it for good RPing. (Though it might be neat to still be able to earn a few points for extremely good RPing to be able to play some of the more uber races/professions).

Sometimes I feel frustrated with the current system, 'cause though I try hard to be a good RPer, I feel like I'm never being watched and that you get karma for playing political chars in houses, not wandering warriors.

[Mr.Camel]

Karma is only partially about how good you RP. It represents how much the staff trusts you. If you keep playing regular wandering warriors splendidly, you probably will get karma someday, but not as fast as you would if 'tested' with a more... sensitive role.

On the suggestion, the staff can hardly trust new players with characters that can have a very bad affect on others' experiances if played inappropriately, IMO.

[John]

I just thought I'd post this to see what people thought of the idea. How about reversing the karma thing, so that you start out with tons of karma, and then LOSE it for bad RPing, instead of GAINING it for good RPing.

Because the newbie magickers will reign supreme and the staff will have to spend even more time demoting newbies who want stay beyond a week down to a reasonable Karma level.

that you get karma for playing political chars in houses

Not true. I've found my Karma increase rarely co-incides with being in a clan.

not wandering warriors.

What are you doing as a wandering warrior? Emoting lots? Thinking lots? Doing interesting stuff? None of those are required to be a good roleplayer, but if your doing none of those (and chances are your interaction with players is minimal) then the staff have no reason to watch you.

[Larrath]

Keeping in touch with the Unclanned staff members via email may help your character get more noticed, and you'll probably also want to turn your Review flag on.  (Just remember to turn it off if and when your character is having hawt seks).

It is always possible to send in a special application in order to try a karma (or differently special) role.  I think you already realize the damage an influx of muls, psionicists and defilers can do to the game, so I won't touch on that point.

It takes time.  Be patient, and if you really think you're being overlooked for karma, you can always email the MUD account and just ask.
As with every Arm-related email, don't forget to mention your Account name somewhere in there.

[Angela Christine]

Sometimes I feel frustrated with the current system, 'cause though I try hard to be a good RPer, I feel like I'm never being watched and that you get karma for playing political chars in houses, not wandering warriors.

Don't despair.  I've played plenty of loners, and a few clannies.  I have a few Karma, and as far as I can recall I got all of them while playing independants.  However, it did almost a year to get that first bit of Karma.


AC

[SRB]

Karma is of no importance to me.

Do what you love in this game friend. Play the roles that inspire you with endless ideas and scenes to further your enjoyment of ArmageddonMUD. Karma classes and guilds can and are fun, but the mundane guilds and races will always be my favorite for the simple fact that they can become anything they want.

My point: Don't let it bring you down. You have the potential to be as great a player as anyone else here. Flesh out your strengths, work on your weaknesses, and in time you will have what you seek.

Hope that helps.

[Koala]

Karma classes and guilds can and are fun, but the mundane guilds and races will always be my favorite for the simple fact that they can become anything they want.

I completely agree with this.. Also playing a karma character is much more difficult then playing just a regular warrior and most of the time I have much more fun if I am not playing a karma character.. But you know, playing a karma character is always interesting and demanding (sometimes you feel lonely though)..

[moab]

Karma also helps make certain races / classes a bit rarer - helping with game balance.

And you can always special app that psi or sorc or water-cleric you want.

[Armaddict]

Buddy, I've been here for almost seven years and only have 3 karma.  I'm more frustrated with what I can and can't play without special apping than you are

[Cenghiz]

I'm about to lose one point I believe, and I don't know what to do.

[SRB]

I'm about to lose one point I believe, and I don't know what to do.

Don't fret. If you made a bad decision and the staff has lost trust in you, earn it back. Never let one bad mistake or slip-up hold you back.

If you need help or have questions, email your clan immortal or mud@ginka.armageddon.org and plead your case. I am sure the staff will make note of your concerns.

[moab]

SRB is totally right.

Once I lost a point because I was being an idiot with my gladiator character (back when we could log in with this special, second character)...after maybe year, maybe less, I earned it back somehow.

It's all good.  If you want karma, as for a review or just be patient.  When you loose it, do the same.

Certainly, if you do loose a point, look over your style of play and see where it may be lacking.

I know, without a doubt, I was totally wrong and deserved the lost point.

[killa]

i think is sorta idea dont want alot of muls going around kicking ass but i think if u been playing a while it would be nice to have some.

for example

for lvl 1 karma player must play at leas 1 year or gain it by imms choice.

2nd lvl imms choice
etc

[Cuusardo]

Most IMMs already have a system by which they give karma.

Giving simply for length of time on the mud is not always a good idea, because that does not determine how good and trustworth a player is.

[JollyGreenGiant]

Not having any karma to start with channels you into roles where you have the opportunity to learn about the way the world of Zalanthas works.  It's a good thing.  I don't expect first-time players to know how to roleplay a magicker or mul - and that's assuming that said player has bothered to read the documentation and knows that they should be roleplaying those a certain way.  Karma helps keep Zalanthas consistent.

[Anonymous]

I find that Karma is a relative thing. I have a good amount of it and I have only played one role that has required it. When I played that role, I had to special app the Character cause.. I didn't have enough Karma.

If you have a good PC concept and the staff thinks that you can handle the role, go ahead and special app it. The staff are not a bunch of scrupulous beasts that pour over your account notes and waggle fingers all the time.

Also bare in mind that this comes from a girl that has a note on her account from Sanvean saying, "Getting a quick approval only to go and loot your last PC's dead body is about the twinkiest thing you could possibly do."  But that was a long time ago when I had no Karma to strip away.

They are forgiving, those Imms. . I find that if you prove you are capable of not twinking a role, they will let you play it. Also keep in mind that when you do loose Karma or get account notes that you feel are unjust,  you can also state your case to the mud. (ALWAYS CC THE MUD) One Imm is not the know all be all of this game.

I had an Imm get upset with me once over something and I didn't even know I did anything wrong.  What that person called a major breach of trust and a "karma stripping" offense, I didn't even know was an issue. I just thought I was being helpful.

As for the base question here. Allowing Newbies access to all classes would reek havoc on the game. Some roles and combinations are just too powerful to leave in the hands of inexperienced players.. I also think you would get a very unbalanced amount of Sorcerers, Elementalists,  rogue Hg's and some impossible D-elfs.

Also, by forcing new players to play only in certain roles, they are almost forced to play within the confines of the RP community and thus developer a stronger understanding of things besides killing beasties. Social etiquette, political structure of the cities.. ect..

And one more thing. I also prefer an awarding system of playing than a demotivational one. I don't see how we would keeping new players if we took away another one of their play options every time they mess up.  It's like setting them up to fail. It would also suck up a lot of staff time having to watch all the new "Potentially Dangerous" players.


This is just my opinion though.

[sarahjc]

The above Kank was me.. I hope I don't have too many gramatical errors.

Bah! I hate not ebing able to edit my posts!

[Tamarin]

The above Kank was me.. I hope I don't have too many gramatical errors.

You're worried about your grammar?

i think is sorta idea dont want alot of muls going around kicking ass but i think if u been playing a while it would be nice to have some.

:shock:

[Intrepid]

They are forgiving, those Imms.

The imms are extremely forgiving.  I'm probably one of the few
players whose character was transed out of an ic scene to be
chewed out by Sanvean and Nessalin both about my attitude
problem exhibited in a nasty objective message before having
my character deleted on the spot.  I was also banned from the
game as well.  That said, I have a moderate amount of karma
today.  They don't have to like you to trust you not to abuse a
role, basically.  Of course, that doesn't mean you should be mean
to them like I was.

As for things outside your karma cap, the only time I've been
told no about a special app was a polite suggestion by Sanvean
that I should give a test drive to some of the things I already
could play, since I hadn't taken said opportunity ever at that
point; I had either special apped everything or played an entry
level pc type.  Give it a try.  If there's a cap on the type of pc,
they'll let you know.  If the app needs work, they'll give you
suggestions.  They're not unreasonable at all when it comes
to applications.

[skeetdaddle]

Okay, so I've seen a lot of people worried that if my idea on karma were put into play that there'd be nothing but magicker muls and rouge halflings wandering about. Well the staff would still have an opportunity to shoot down a new app, wouldn't they? If there already were 10 or so muls in play, the staff could respond to a new app. for a mul with a "sorry we've got too many already. Try something else". So again, I'd like to present the initial idea with this in mind.

[John]

The problem isn't too many muls around (although that would be a problem), it is too many poorly played muls around. Newbies don't like being told no. So not giving them the option is better then giving them the option. Taking away Karma to complete newbies would be perceived as punishment and when they got the Karma back it would be perceived as they got what should have been theirs from the get go. With the current system Karma is seen as a reward.

[Dreamcatcher]

I have been playing almost 7 months, Im not bored yet, everytime a character dies I try to make a new one with totally different skills, I would jus kie to know how much karma I do have..

[Lazloth]

While not the best measure, you may be able to deduce from what is available at chargen.
http://www.zalanthas.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=831

[sjanimal]

skeetdaddle,

I like the idea bud.  It might not be viable for reasons that other folks have brought up....but I like the idea.  Keep the ideas coming.