Badges!

Catnip virus badge.


because ... reasons.

the difficulty with badges in this context is that community involvement badges basically invite competition and cliqueness

Like badges on Steam work well because you earn them independently of others (from my limited Steam experience)

Here they're not automated (or at least that's the impression I'm getting) and for a lot of ideas for badges, you would need to "beat out" other people

I'm not sure how to make the badge system encourage "constructiveness" instead of competition

That's why I say keep it simple. If someone does something good, excellent give him one, otherwise let's leave the system alone.

This is my personal take on it.

Meanwhile I will take this opportunity to encourage people to write some new crafting guides. The ones on wikia are ancient and most synths are far from the most convenient for your money/time. I dunno about others, but personally I'd love to have some new craft guides around.

you all take the fun out of something that shouldn't be serious

I've thought about rewriting the THF guide, but I'm not sure I'll have time to for a little bit. An Alchemy guide would be pretty simple though.

you sound so busy, it might cost you an arm and a leg



:v

Ill admit i havnt update my woodworking or smithing guide in years. But with all the changes from 2008 crafting to know... How can one update it? All kits and 10 lvl under now... ugh. Could have a 3 step guide...

I haven't played in a couple years and have missed out on all the crafting changes, so the first thing I'd do if I resubscribed tomorrow would be to check out a guide like that, even if it is really simple. Especially if it's really simple, actually, because I despise crafting.

That said, the bigger problem is wondering why I'd re-sub. Badges seem neat, but is the community large enough for it to matter?

I was asked if I'd do something as a one-off for a contest. It was just as easy for me to write it in a generic fashion that would allow for other things, so this thread's real purpose is to answer the question, "What are the other things we can do with this?"

It's possible that the answer is "Not much, really", which is fine. But if there's uses, especially things that encourage community involvement, I'd be derelict in my duties if I didn't try to find and implement them.

what about editing guides after OP quitted?

trivia game participants will get one as well?

I think this is an interesting idea but, as touched-on before, the badges in general should probably be a positive thing that encourages individual participation in the site's (or at least forum's) core-activities, and not so much a competitive thing where the badges become something to fight over (unless there is a Fighting Badge! Oh wait.) :p

To me this would include things like (as mentioned) useful guides and information, but also things like supporting the community "feel" of this place. The only problem with this is it is still somewhat arbitrary, and not an automated system to award badges, and someone "in-charge" still makes a final decision (and thus ends up with potential calls of "favouritism".) But if the badges are just for fun things and clearly inconsequential-but-fun, then the impact of that is lessened no?

So just to brainstorm further ideas maybe things like...

* LOL pics participation badge (maybe based on overall contributions/frequency and not necessarily based on number of "likes" on posts LOL)

* Posted-in-Post-Your-Pics-thread badge (Tigerwoods still can only get this once, though!)

* Fan art badge (or even MSPC badge..."I contributed to MSPC and all I got was this stinkin' badge" badge!) :p

* News-and-updates contributor badge (for those who take the time to share the newest/important updates that come around, but not necessarily for those that just create threads to link to their latest favourite gripe thread from the OF lol...kind of a fine-line/subjective assessment there)

* Bug-reporter badge (LOL as if you had enough bugs to fix no?) :p

* In the Name of Science Badge (for posting *interesting* scientific news that we all seem to like and improves everyone's day...perhaps have a dedicated 'Science!' sub-forum just to make it easier to award a badge. I dare say even Guy Turns Dead Cat Into Helicopter might qualify as such a thread...maybe!) :p

I tried to make a dedicated thread and people hated the idea.. :(

I really enjoy Dab's fan art.... can we at least lie and tell him he will get badges so he will make more?

also his badge should be one of his drg pics

Sadly when it comes to that type of news, people (okay, maybe I mean "Garuda.Chanti" when I say 'people') ^_- like to create individual threads on the subject(s) instead of pushing them into an Undead huge-macro-thread. :/

It's a psychological thing, or maybe it's a "you-can't-tell-me-what-to-do" type thing, much like participation in the "Random FFXI Question" thread (but maybe replace "Bismarck.Vize" instead of Chanti, there.) :p

*hugs Chanti* *hugs Vize* :p

what about bars / badges / titles based on post count or other site participation?

Virus the badge, brilliant!

mouseover text needs to be NO, YOU SHUT UP

I'm down as long as there is some kind of P&R badge(s).

LIKE HITLER DID TO JEWS IN THE HOLOCAUST!?

/P&R's IT!

why was there a need to have badges?

So yeah, not a need, but something I did while doing other things, and thought it could have potential.

If people are encouraged to contribute to the community in some way because of the incentive of badges then it can only be a good thing.

I know some other forums display a badge based on post count and a tally of likes given and likes received.

I don't see anything really positive coming from this...

I am a strong supporter of the art badges, cause FFXI art is never enough!

The Godwin Badge!

To you post count is more positive than actual contribution to the community?

Says the chick with a combined post count of over 50K...