Longer time to get a Mentor

Limri

This is all my opinion, I simply hope some people will agree with me and help to make the change happen.

Basically, everything I'm going to cover in this discussion will be as the title says. Making the time limit you have to get a mentor... longer.

Obviously I have reasons to back this up. When I first joined Achaea, I had no idea what a mentor was, much less that I had a time limit to get one. I was informed by my House shortly after joining and running through some 'help scrolls'... but not everyone will have a house to tell them this.  Not only that, but mentors are apparently permanent. They cannot be changed, or so I was told by one of the help scrolls. Perhaps that is a house rule, or maybe it's actually true throughout the game... I do not know. What I do know is that one can't choose who they want as their mentor in 50 hours when there are 10 mentors to choose from and they have that long to get to know them.... while leveling up, reading help scrolls, exploring, completing your tasks, and learning the game in general. Not only that, but the mentors might not be online at the same time as you, so those hours are being spent away from the time limit without making any progress toward picking a mentor. See what I'm saying? 50 hours isn't enough time to check out all of your options and make a choice that will be irreversible. It took me 3 days and 10 hours before I could finally pick a mentor that I knew I would be able to follow, only to find out that I had a 50 hour limit and can't have her as my mentor at all. 

More reasonable options (in my opinion) :

• 1 ~ 2 weeks, total. Not hours online, but a timer that ticks down from the day you log in. 
  
• 95 Hours of online game-time. 
  
• No time limit at all.
• Level 50 and 300 hours of play time (the requirements to be a mentor yourself). - Sena

I hope some people can agree with me on the matter. I would really love to get a second chance for a proper mentor, but that 50 hour limit doesn't allow for that. I think it's a bit ridiculous that I can't have a mentor simply because I actually worked toward picking one that I would be compatible with, as well as one that teaches what I am interested in learning.

Iocun

I agree that the time in which you can gain a mentor should be extended.

Anaidiana

+1

Sena

I would extend it to level 50 and 300 hours of play time (the requirements to be a mentor yourself).

Limri

Bump~

9 people already! Thanks for the support guys! If you can, get others to come in and comment, hopefully bring this to attention.

Nizaris

I vote for @Sena's suggestion.

Amunet

A newcomer actually -can- change mentors, provided they have played under fifty hours. They must first RENOUNCE MENTOR, and then, if they have played less than fifty hours, go find a different one. Mentors can also RENOUNCE PROTEGE. You are never stuck with a mentor (or a student) that you dislike.

I agree with the original post about the time limit. Now that Houses are being forced to the back of the bus in the organisational hierarchy, more newcomers are showing up for House membership later on with mentors who aren't able to offer anything relevant to their chosen path - IRL friends mentored to get the credit bonus, for instance, or those awful people (you know who you are - some of you read the forums - and you ought to be ashamed of yourselves) who will mentor newcomers for sexual purposes. It would be better to allow newbies more time to find themselves mentors who will truly be able to help them in the long run.

That having been said, I think the level requirement for mentoring ought to be boosted to seventy or so, and the play time requirement for mentoring should be at least a hundred hours longer. I also think that the revocation of one's mentoring privileges ought to be a more common punishment. People who haven't the sense to behave themselves probably haven't the sense to be conscientiously or competently helping a newbie.

Eld

Amunet said:

A newcomer actually -can- change mentors, provided they have played under fifty hours. They must first RENOUNCE MENTOR, and then, if they have played less than fifty hours, go find a different one. Mentors can also RENOUNCE PROTEGE. You are never stuck with a mentor (or a student) that you dislike.

If the bolded is true, HELP MENTORS should be changed to reflect it. It's always been my understanding that you cannot choose a new official mentor, even if you renounce your first and still meet the requirements to choose one. Hence, from HELP MENTORS:

"AGREE with care, since you may never have another mentor, even if you end up getting rid of this one."

Kyrra

I never even knew what mentors were when I first started, and then I was past being able to choose one at all.

I would definitely encourage increasing the time limits for choosing.

Sylvance

Eld said:

Amunet said:

A newcomer actually -can- change mentors, provided they have played under fifty hours. They must first RENOUNCE MENTOR, and then, if they have played less than fifty hours, go find a different one. Mentors can also RENOUNCE PROTEGE. You are never stuck with a mentor (or a student) that you dislike.

If the bolded is true, HELP MENTORS should be changed to reflect it. It's always been my understanding that you cannot choose a new official mentor, even if you renounce your first and still meet the requirements to choose one. Hence, from HELP MENTORS:

"AGREE with care, since you may never have another mentor, even if you end up getting rid of this one."

QFT.

Limri

Final Bump~!

If anyone of you can get somebody who hasn't seen this topic to see it, please do! I'll leave you all alone now and let this topic grow on its own. Thanks for the support, everyone!

Iocun

Heh, I don't think any bumping or further support is needed. Just give Cardan some time to come by! I doubt one or two people more or less saying "I like it" will have a profound effect on his decision.

Limri

Amunet said:

That having been said, I think the level requirement for mentoring ought to be boosted to seventy or so, and the play time requirement for mentoring should be at least a hundred hours longer. I also think that the revocation of one's mentoring privileges ought to be a more common punishment. People who haven't the sense to behave themselves probably haven't the sense to be conscientiously or competently helping a newbie.

I don't agree with making the requirements to be a mentor higher. With level 50 and 300 hours, it's perfectly reasonable. Especially for people who actually want to be mentors, like the mentor I wish to be my mentor. She is not level 70 yet, I don't believe, but she has probably played more than 300 hours, if not close to that. She just recently became a proper mentor, as well. I don't think it would be fair to knock out those who actually worked for the mentor status based on level. The hours, on the other hand, are not altogether a bad idea... but why add more? What is your reasoning behind that? The only way I see it as a bonus is that the mentors get more experience in the game that they can then more effectively pass on to their pupils... but 300 hours is enough for that, isn't it? I would think it is.

@Iocun :

Sorry >.<  I am not experienced with this forum.

Yue

HELP MENTORS is wrong. I changed mentors.

It should be allowed. They should adjust the scroll and allow people to change mentors. It's a difficult, long-term choice with far-reaching implications. 

For example, I chose Antidas as my mentor because he represented everything I was told a Naga should be - he was an exemplary Mhaldorian warrior and Naga assassin. Two days later he joined new-Shallam...

this actually worked out, because I was interested in defecting my self, but if I hadn't been, I would have been SOL where mentor is concerned. Kind of hard to get the hunting bonus with a mentor who is the #1 enemy of your House and City.  

Sena

Amunet said:

That having been said, I think the level requirement for mentoring ought to be boosted to seventy or so, and the play time requirement for mentoring should be at least a hundred hours longer.

Rather than just raising the level and time requirements (which still don't guarantee that someone is ready to be a mentor, or even has any clue what they're doing), I'd like to see some sort of test or challenge that you have to pass before you're able to take on proteges.

Xli

Sena said:

Amunet said:

That having been said, I think the level requirement for mentoring ought to be boosted to seventy or so, and the play time requirement for mentoring should be at least a hundred hours longer.

Rather than just raising the level and time requirements (which still don't guarantee that someone is ready to be a mentor, or even has any clue what they're doing), I'd like to see some sort of test or challenge that you have to pass before you're able to take on proteges.

The problem I see with that is that it either has to be administered by a real person, which leads to questions on the suitability and availability of testers for potential mentors, or it has to be automated, which means the responses could be scripted, thereby making it even easier for non-suitable people to become mentors...

Oceana

I have disliked the mentor limit for a long time now, not because of credits, but because of the rp implications. People will mentor unofficially and the bond can be strong, but I have seen quite a few disappointed novices, who either went beyond the limit, or where the mentor left the house quickly after accepting a protege. For them, an unofficial mentor just doesn't feel the same. 

I would like to see the possibility to get or switch a mentor until the embracing of the class. This is a milestone as is, and once you get there, your needs for a mentor are a lot less.

Taraus

+1 to this idea.

Silas

I like Sena's idea. Extend the time that you may take a mentor up to the time you actually become a mentor.

Bronislav

Approval.

Sarapis

Going to make sure this gets taken care of. We're definitely going to extend the time to take a mentor, and let people switch mentors once as well. I'm thinking we may even let people switch after that, but there'd be no credit benefit to the mentor past the first switch - RP only.

Kyrra

Sarapis said:

Going to make sure this gets taken care of. We're definitely going to extend the time to take a mentor, and let people switch mentors once as well. I'm thinking we may even let people switch after that, but there'd be no credit benefit to the mentor past the first switch - RP only.

Can I choose a mentor at 307 years old because I've never had one and I want to check off that novice task? Please?

Sarapis

Well, I think what we'll do is just let you change/choose mentor at will, but after your first change, there will be no practical impact, just RP. 

Oceana

What about the walkto, the 20 lessons per set and the hunting bonus? Would they still exist for a switched mentor? (Are we to interpret practical impact = credits? )

Sarapis

Correct on the practical impact.

Sylvance

Oceana said:

What about the walkto, the 20 lessons per set and the hunting bonus? Would they still exist for a switched mentor? (Are we to interpret practical impact = credits? )

What hunting bonus?

Katzchen

Oooh... I could finally cross off that darn task!

ETA: Maybe make it so you can only change it once a year? Otherwise you're going to get people just switching it to whoever they're currently hunting with.

Eld

Sylvance said:

Oceana said:

What about the walkto, the 20 lessons per set and the hunting bonus? Would they still exist for a switched mentor? (Are we to interpret practical impact = credits? )

What hunting bonus?

There's an experience boost for hunting with your mentor (for both of you).

Sylvance

Eld said:

Sylvance said:

Oceana said:

What about the walkto, the 20 lessons per set and the hunting bonus? Would they still exist for a switched mentor? (Are we to interpret practical impact = credits? )

What hunting bonus?

There's an experience boost for hunting with your mentor (for both of you).

Enough of a boost to make it worthwhile (mechanically), or just better than current group bashing?

Jonners

Best dead thread revival ever.

Eld

Sylvance said:

Eld said:

Sylvance said:

Oceana said:

What about the walkto, the 20 lessons per set and the hunting bonus? Would they still exist for a switched mentor? (Are we to interpret practical impact = credits? )

What hunting bonus?

There's an experience boost for hunting with your mentor (for both of you).

Enough of a boost to make it worthwhile (mechanically), or just better than current group bashing?

Enough that I found hunting with my mentor when we were both in the 80s seemed worthwhile. Not sure on the exact magnitude.