zaubberer
Level: Master Delver

Rank Points: 251
Registered: 03-29-2005
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in the last few weeks i heard sometimes that people were out of mod points. this isn't such a bad thing to cry about, i know!

but how would be this:

all players with a rank higher than "Roachling" should earn some mod points each month. this should be staged addicted to their rank and their activity in the forum. also could be a difference built in for those who got more rank points in the past month. this would surely effect some impulses to write more messages and also not only to post stupid messages.

a nice forum feature imho!

any further suggestions? or some comments why this can't be included?

zaubberer

Ezlo
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 1214
Registered: 01-08-2006
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If this would be implemented, I'd say it should be given to those Master Delvers, people who have got to 100 rank points. 30 just seems to low.

Banjooie
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 1645
Registered: 12-12-2004
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Actually, an income of mod points seems kinda reasonable, so that the moderators don't have to be responsible for rejuvenating the 'economy'.

TripleM
Level: Smitemaster
Rank Points: 1373
Registered: 02-05-2003
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I think this is a reasonable idea, actually. Especially if, as you say, it depends on how active the user is as well, because I'm sure there are plenty of long-term lurkers who should have just as much say in modding posts up as other people..

Mattcrampy
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 2388
Registered: 05-29-2003
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Part of the beauty of the system is that if you have mod points, you've reached a certain standard of contributing in the forum community. I wouldn't want to circumvent that because it's what seperates this system from most other karma systems.

That said, it'd be nice if, say, competition winners got mod points to match their rank points. All of the competition winners have been top-notch people, so the values having mod points represents would still be intact. Plus it's no extra work.

Unless that's already being done. I'm not sure.

____________________________
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Banjooie
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 1645
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Matt; Thus why there'd be a rank point minimum to get this mod point income: if you have, oh, 100 or 500 or 1000 or /whatever/, you've generally proven that you're an okay person who does not stick pencils up your nose, and not up other people's noses either. (Unless they're into that sort of thing, I guess, and you get permission.)

zaubberer
Level: Master Delver

Rank Points: 251
Registered: 03-29-2005
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Banjooie wrote:
Matt; Thus why there'd be a rank point minimum to get this mod point income: if you have, oh, 100 or 500 or 1000 or /whatever/, you've generally proven that you're an okay person who does not stick pencils up your nose, and not up other people's noses either. (Unless they're into that sort of thing, I guess, and you get permission.)

this were my thoughts too. but i think that it also would be possible to start the income of mod points with less than 100 or more points. it would be a appeal to grow up un the ranking system i think. so also people with a few rank points faster would be an active part of the community. and if they would do crappy things with their points they wold be fast modded back down. so the system could be self regulated. also possible to make a trial period to check out if it will work...

i would like to know what the admins are thinking about.

zaubberer

Schik
Level: Legendary Smitemaster

Rank Points: 5383
Registered: 02-04-2003
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zaubberer wrote:
i would like to know what the admins are thinking about.

I'm currently thinking about a big bowl of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream.

Mmmmmmm.

____________________________
The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way it treats its animals.
--Mahatma Gandhi

Briareos
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 3516
Registered: 08-07-2005
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How about an annual mod point interest rate? 4% or so sounds great...

np: RJD2 - Take the Picture Off (Deadringer)

____________________________
"I'm not anti-anything, I'm anti-everything, it fits better." - Sole
R.I.P. Robert Feldhoff (1962-2009)

Elfstone
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 1285
Registered: 03-01-2006
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For what it's worth, Zauberer, I think it is a good idea that relativly new people like myself who have very few points could get a few more every so often. I have recently been much involved in a thread on the General board, where many kind members have tried to help me with a technical problem related to downloading JtRH and uploading scores.

I gave 2 individuals, who had been particularly helpful, mod points (the first time I've done that) but I discovered that to give one, I lose two and I only had 8 to start with apparently (not 18 which puzzles me a bit). Anyway the point of this ramble is that I would very much like to have given mod points to everyone who so kindly helped, or tried to, in that thread.

Under the current system there is no saying how long it might be before I get more points to distribute in that kind of situation. I'm not particularly witty and I am not knowledgable enough about DROD, or computers in general (unless anyone wants to know about using 'Sibelius'?) to earn them in helping others.

Elfstone (feeling impoverished )

Edit: I modded up your first post, so down to 2

____________________________
Winner of: Novice Architect Excellence 2006.
FAPCA - Technical Design Excellence in Layout and Aesthetics

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[Last edited by Elfstone at 06-28-2006 07:52 PM]

Maurog
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 1501
Registered: 09-16-2004
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Sorry to be the devil's advocate here, but I'm against this idea. Look, the system works, right? Good posts get modded up, bad posts get modded down, and there are still excess points floating around. Why, look at the bar - it's at 40+ points, which doesn't feel like a mod points shortage to me at all.

If you feel a constant low of points (and we all do sometimes), be more active on the forums, or use the mod points more sparingly. And don't worry, if it was such an awesome post, someone else will probably mod it up.

Don't fix what ain't broken, is all that I'm saying.

____________________________
Slay the living! Raise the dead!
Paint the sky in crimson red!

zaubberer
Level: Master Delver

Rank Points: 251
Registered: 03-29-2005
IP: Logged

Maurog wrote:
[...]
Don't fix what ain't broken, is all that I'm saying.

at first i must say that i didn't wrote this posting to earn masses of modpoints.
well, i'm lucky every time i get modded up, because i see that the other players got helped with my postings or like the ideas. the fact that you never should change a working system is right at all. but i think there a great exeption: if you can make the system better you should think about the change! as well too: i have not to judge about the worth of my idea! so i look forward to the finish of Schik's chocolate bowl and i am really anxious to see what he will think after this! may be that it will be a nice thinkin' about some money or a new car *grin*

P.S.: and if i only started a little diskussion were others participate it will be okay.

zaubberer


P.P.S: typos? take 'em away as a gift!

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[Last edited by zaubberer at 06-29-2006 09:07 AM]

Mattcrampy
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 2388
Registered: 05-29-2003
IP: Logged

Banjooie wrote:
Matt; Thus why there'd be a rank point minimum to get this mod point income: if you have, oh, 100 or 500 or 1000 or /whatever/, you've generally proven that you're an okay person who does not stick pencils up your nose, and not up other people's noses either. (Unless they're into that sort of thing, I guess, and you get permission.)

Which means there's incentive to game the system? Part of the reason the rank point system has worked as well as it has is because it's not tied to anything concrete. It probably wouldn't stand up to someone dedicated to game the system, and the only way to consistently game it is to, uh, be a valuable member of the community.

I'd hesitate to give higher ranks anything, because that simply gives people an incentive to get those ranks instead of just hangin' out and being part of the community.

I much prefer just dumping a whole bunch of rank points on someone deserving. The admins get some sort of control on the system, and rank points get stirred around. Everybody wins!

____________________________
What do you call an elephant at the North Pole?

Jason
Level: Smitemaster
Rank Points: 1076
Registered: 05-05-2006
IP: Logged

I think the bar should give out more points.

____________________________
Play my holds?

Elfstone
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 1285
Registered: 03-01-2006
IP: Logged

Maurog wrote:
Why, look at the bar - it's at 40+ points, which doesn't feel like a mod points shortage to me at all.

What is this "bar"? Is it connected to that enigmatic thread in General - The Riddle of the Bar - which cannot be read? I did a 'search', but the 14 pages it produced gave me not a hint as to what ithe Bar is, or what the riddle is.

(Sorry if this is considered off-topic a bit.)

Elfstone

____________________________
Winner of: Novice Architect Excellence 2006.
FAPCA - Technical Design Excellence in Layout and Aesthetics

Briareos
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 3516
Registered: 08-07-2005
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Elfstone wrote:
What is this "bar"? Is it connected to that enigmatic thread in General - The Riddle of the Bar - which cannot be read?

Yep, it's the yellow progress bar at the top of the forum's main page, which

np: RJD2 - Ghostwriter (Deadringer)

____________________________
"I'm not anti-anything, I'm anti-everything, it fits better." - Sole
R.I.P. Robert Feldhoff (1962-2009)

Elfstone
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 1285
Registered: 03-01-2006
IP: Logged

Briareos wrote:
Yep, it's the yellow progress bar at the top of the forum's main page, which

Click here to view the secret text

×can be clicked on

Click here to view the secret text

×once every time the main page is loaded

Click here to view the secret text

×for a lot of different results.

Click here to view the secret text

×Just give it a try...

Click here to view the secret text

×(No, I'm not kidding...)

Thanks Briareos!

Elfstone.

____________________________
Winner of: Novice Architect Excellence 2006.
FAPCA - Technical Design Excellence in Layout and Aesthetics

Alneyan
Level: Smitemaster
Rank Points: 622
Registered: 07-06-2004
IP: Logged

Elfstone wrote:
For what it's worth, Zauberer, I think it is a good idea that relativly new people like myself who have very few points could get a few more every so often.

I know I like to give mod points to people posting for *help* on Hints & Solutions, pretty much for that reason: many requests for help come from players without much past on the boards, so they could use a few mod points here and there (a somewhat detailed question and a "thank you" is all it takes to get a point or two). Of course, I haven't spent much time on Hints & Solutions of late, but that would be a different problem (namely that I'm still playing catch up).

Regarding your other query, new users start with 10 rank points but no mod points (chiefly to avoid modding up yourself with other dummy accounts). That, and the two aren't quite related, since you can sometimes gain rank points without mod points (as in contests), and rank points can be taken back from you (unlike mod points)... and there's always the Bar that gives a different amount of rank and mod points.


I have to agree with the "no automatic mod point gain" side here. The users most likely to benefit from mod points are the disenfranchised masses, not the aristocracy and the nouveaux riches of the place. We of the upper classes are much more likely to have mod points galore (I'm down to 97 mod points myself, and I'm having trouble spending them faster than I gain them), and do not need to strengthen our hold on power. I almost dare not speak about the outrageous privileges of the ruling class, which boasts of millions of mod points created seemingly out of nowhere. Truly, the royalty has little knowledge of sensible policies, or else they are cunningly trying to break down our nascent power by triggering a massive inflation that would significantly cut down on our profits.

Digressing aside, if a problem of mod points scarcity is felt to exist (I have no idea about that part myself), I think a better solution would be to encourage spending rather than increase the amount of points in the system. There might be a chance to gain a rank point for yourself after having modded up someone, or something to that effect.

Elfstone
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 1285
Registered: 03-01-2006
IP: Logged

Alneyan wrote:
Regarding your other query, new users start with 10 rank points but no mod points (chiefly to avoid modding up yourself with other dummy accounts). That, and the two aren't quite related, since you can sometimes gain rank points without mod points (as in contests), and rank points can be taken back from you (unlike mod points)...

Many thanks for clarifying that Alneyan.

and there's always the Bar that gives a different amount of rank and mod points.

I'm still a bit vague about the 'Bar'. - How does it give points? (I'm suddenly wondering if I'm not allowed to ask much about the Bar; it seems to be shrouded in mystery for the uninitiated like myself.)

Digressing aside, if a problem of mod points scarcity is felt to exist (I have no idea about that part myself), I think a better solution would be to encourage spending rather than increase the amount of points in the system. There might be a chance to gain a rank point for yourself after having modded up someone, or something to that effect.

I think that last idea is worth exploring; probably not one mod point for every one given, because that would discourage a discerning attitude in diistributing them, but perhaps for every four or five given one could be returned?

Elfstone.

____________________________
Winner of: Novice Architect Excellence 2006.
FAPCA - Technical Design Excellence in Layout and Aesthetics

Briareos
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 3516
Registered: 08-07-2005
IP: Logged

Elfstone wrote:
I'm still a bit vague about the 'Bar'. - How does it give points?

Well, don't ask me about the exact mechanics, but you get points from the Bar when the dialog says you got points from the Bar - which happens a bit more infrequently than the other results, but it does happen...

(I'm suddenly wondering if I'm not allowed to ask much about the Bar; it seems to be shrouded in mystery for the uninitiated like myself.)

Nah... the Bar itself isn't the Riddle of the Bar(TM), which is what all the mystery is about...

____________________________
"I'm not anti-anything, I'm anti-everything, it fits better." - Sole
R.I.P. Robert Feldhoff (1962-2009)

Tuttle
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 1545
Registered: 02-22-2003
IP: Logged

Elfstone wrote:
I'm still a bit vague about the 'Bar'. - How does it give points? (I'm suddenly wondering if I'm not allowed to ask much about the Bar; it seems to be shrouded in mystery for the uninitiated like myself.)

The bar has its very own thread over here. Might take a while to read through, but it should clear things up a fair bit.

Stephen4Louise
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 548
Registered: 04-06-2005
IP: Logged

File: nice bar.jpg (7.8 KB)
Downloaded 256 times.
License: Public Domain

Briareos wrote:
Well, don't ask me about the exact mechanics, but you get points from the Bar when the dialog says you got points from the Bar - which happens a bit more infrequently than the other results, but it does happen...

like this...

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[Last edited by Stephen4Louise at 06-30-2006 02:38 PM]

Elfstone
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 1285
Registered: 03-01-2006
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Tuttle wrote:
The bar has its very own thread over here. Might take a while to read through, but it should clear things up a fair bit.

Thanks Tuttle. Your're right; it will take a while - there's 42 pages of it!

I read the final page, which made little sense, and then the first 7 pages. I'll get back to the rest of it later.

Elfstone.

____________________________
Winner of: Novice Architect Excellence 2006.
FAPCA - Technical Design Excellence in Layout and Aesthetics

Elfstone
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 1285
Registered: 03-01-2006
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Stephen4Louise wrote:

Briareos wrote:
Well, don't ask me about the exact mechanics, but you get points from the Bar when the dialog says you got points from the Bar - which happens a bit more infrequently than the other results, but it does happen...

like this...

-hey!!!! all I got was a tar baby squeezed out ( as if I didn't see enough of those things in the game) and an orb?

Exactly what to do with either hasn't yet dawned on me; perhaps that's the Riddle.

Elfstone.

____________________________
Winner of: Novice Architect Excellence 2006.
FAPCA - Technical Design Excellence in Layout and Aesthetics

Beef Row
Level: Smiter
Rank Points: 471
Registered: 12-28-2005
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Elfstone wrote:
-hey!!!! all I got was a tar baby squeezed out ( as if I didn't see enough of those things in the game) and an orb?

Exactly what to do with either hasn't yet dawned on me; perhaps that's the Riddle.

Well, the orb is tied to it. Look in your profile and you'll find you have a 'bar goodies' tab now...


____________________________
"Now I will repeatedly apply the happy-face rule"

Elfstone
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 1285
Registered: 03-01-2006
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Beef Row wrote:
Well, the orb is tied to it. Look in your profile and you'll find you have a 'bar goodies' tab now...

The orb is there, but the tar baby isn't . . . ?

Elfstone.

____________________________
Winner of: Novice Architect Excellence 2006.
FAPCA - Technical Design Excellence in Layout and Aesthetics

Alneyan
Level: Smitemaster
Rank Points: 622
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Tar babies popping up from the bar don't count. The only tar baby goodie is the one stuck in the mud, like the others ("You reach down and find / * 1 Tar Baby").

Don't worry, it'll take a while until you get all the goodies, but you should still click every once in a while. There are few delvers without the whole set of goodies now, so it shouldn't take too long for you, as there isn't much competition left. That was different back in the olden days, where a myriad of players would claw their way to the precious goodie, selling their nephew into indenture service if they had to! I remember when...

Okay, so I stood aside the crowd and picked up the goodies once the place got quieter. What can I say? I'm a craven at heart, and that doesn't make good stories.

Elfstone
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 1285
Registered: 03-01-2006
IP: Logged

Alneyan wrote:
Tar babies popping up from the bar don't count. The only tar baby goodie is the one stuck in the mud, like the others ("You reach down and find / * 1 Tar Baby").

Don't worry, it'll take a while until you get all the goodies, but you should still click every once in a while.

OK, I'll keep clicking I like mysteries - baffling, intriguing, bewildering, teasing, infuriating, compelling, frustrating, and thoroughly addictive.

Elf(clicking madly)stone.

____________________________
Winner of: Novice Architect Excellence 2006.
FAPCA - Technical Design Excellence in Layout and Aesthetics

Alneyan
Level: Smitemaster
Rank Points: 622
Registered: 07-06-2004
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Well, don't mistake me: you should only click every hour or so at most, since goodies aren't "refreshed" in less than a few hours. Clicking every minute for a couple hours like some of us did doesn't work all too well to get goodies.

Of course, there are always the occasional rank/mod points, and we should start the run to 200,000 before long... maybe it has begun already. I'm clicking away like my life depends on it!

Syntax
Level: Smitemaster
Rank Points: 1218
Registered: 05-12-2005
IP: Logged

I'm pretty certain the bar no longer gives out rank/mod points... I have all 10 goodies, but have never seen such a message. The myth surrounding this kind of message must be associated with the tales of yore, probably hacked up by those same fishermen who claimed to catch the 230lb seabass.