Approved guilds?

[Knallgrim]

Of course an approved guild should get benefits, but they should also have duties, and both benefits and duties should make sense and add to the game.


In-game I belong to a guild of miners and crafters. Allow me to dream up some benefits and duties for us should we ever get an approved status, something that falls in line with game-lore and our own guild-history...

First we add a 'high quality furnace'. This furnace will be a bit different from other furnaces. It will work better than the publicly available furnaces in most ways(less slag, better quality, more XP and PP etc) but access will be restricted by the controlling guild. It will also need maintainance to give its unique benefits. To the controlling guild it will provide income and power but also demand constant attention.

If this is too much benefits for one guild there could always be a high quality furnace in each town, controlled by different guilds.

[Xillix Queen of Fools]

Another reasonable suggestion.

And thanks to prolix for playing his forum character well

[Tuxide]

Approved guilds would become property of the Settings department and a tool for them to use, just like NPCs. Settings would reserve the right to advise and force changes in the guild, as well as edit its history.

Would that imply that guild leaders would have to sign the NDA?  This is probably the only part I disagree with because this is only one way to achieve the desired result here.

[Ralleyon]

I like the idea of approved guilds. As a matter of fact it would provide great motivation for roleplaying guilds and it would change (hopefully for the better) Yliakum life.

After reading about this whole deal, there's not much I could add, but UtM & Dajoji's ideas vote ++

[Ceraline]

To my knowledge there is already a clandestine guild with it's own secret hideaway, and other features set up by the game's mechanics. It has also been set up with it's own books and quests so presumably this is already effectively a settings approved guild?

My concern is UtM's suggestion... "Approved guilds would become property of the Settings department and a tool for them to use" - Would this not present the opportunity, for example, for said guild to be able to gain advantage over or subvert other guilds to their own cause - whether their players like it or not? Or is this part of the purpose.... 

Ceraline looks nervously over her shoulder

[Zan]

Are you sure you have a guild in mind and not a religion, which coincidentally has also been the basis for a player guild? The priviledges you mention fit a religion and any who belong to that religion, including but not limited to a single guild.

[SerqFeht]

I don't think there should be any real benefits, but I would definitely like to see guilds mentioned by NPC's in some dialouges. That would be pretty neat! 

[Xillix Queen of Fools]

Utm is overstating a bit. I would say more that guilds would subject aspects of their organization and nomenclature to meet settings' expectations for consistency. Also the guilds approved would play out some roles in events and the like to make the settings more manifest in the world.

An example would be settings writing sermons and having players use them and characters learn them so they become more dynamic on the lips of living people in real time.

Again the point here would be to give approved guilds in game benefits for meeting development/settings goals and the rules for this are tbd.

[Dihenis]

I like this idea a lot. I think some of the rewards should be to be put in settings somewhere, because this would reward the roleplaying guilds that sometimes have trouble keeping up with more powerleveing guilds

[saladasalad]

I love the idea.

Favouritism shouldn't be an issue if there is a transparent approval process, the only reason a guild who applied wouldn't get accepted is if that guilds background is incompatible with  settings. I say, go for it XilliX xD

[Mythryndel]

I haven't read all of the posts here, but in general, i disagree with the idea of giving a "approved" status to some guilds and giving them in-game benefits.

I agree with the concept of giving benefits in-game to guilds based on stats of some kind. Guild houses can be bought, etc. The idea that some subjective criteria is used to bestow in-game benefits is, in my opinion, going to cause more problems than it solves. What happens if a guild gets "approved" and then does a complete 180? Will the guild simply lose their "approval" or will you also remove their contribution to the in-game world as well? This is a huge can of worms that is going to have significant unintended consequences.

Just my 2 Trias...

[MustangMR]

With everything that still needs to be done on the game, I find it hard to believe this is even being considered.  A month or so ago a poll was run to find out how to keep new players because the feeling was that there is already too much of an elitist attitude here, and now you want to promote that feeling?  Seems counterproductive to this lost soul.

Looks like the decision has already made to do this, though, since you just want to find out "how" to do it.  Gratz to the favored few.

[Rayken]

@MustangMR: This is not elitism.  I don't think new players will be frightened off by some guilds having Settings' Approval.  Why would anyone be offended by this?  Please try and understand that we are attempting to have the Role Play environment by having things that players can control actually effect the world.

@Mythryndel: What problems can this cause?  Sure people might whine if they don't get approved, but that's not a big deal.  If an approved guild does a 180, then yes, their approved status should be revoked.  Contribution to the IG world as well?  Personally I would say we leave it the same, and just stop updating the NPCs on their actions until they get it together.

[Dajoji]

Nothing has been decided yet and something like this requires good ideas in order to work so that's the purpose of this thread. Many players feel that their contributions cannot have an impact in the game and in order for that to happen they have to apply for any of the PS teams. But this initiative allows regular players to actually make a difference by creating guilds that are outstanding in their approach to the settings and that can make a better community with their RP. It is not something that, if done, would be based on whether the people in charge are friends with the applicants or not. The idea is to see if something like this is viable in a transparent and effective way. If you see a potential problem, stating it along with your assessment of its severity helps. That way we can see if there's a way around those problems.

[Farren Kutter]

I agree with the concept of giving benefits in-game to guilds based on stats of some kind. Guild houses can be bought, etc. The idea that some subjective criteria is used to bestow in-game benefits is, in my opinion, going to cause more problems than it solves. What happens if a guild gets "approved" and then does a complete 180? Will the guild simply lose their "approval" or will you also remove their contribution to the in-game world as well?

Firstly, 'stats' are a somewhat OOC way of deciding such benefits, which is entirely against the point of approved guilds. Approved guilds reward those guilds who roleplay, and whose guild's history and such are within settings boundaries, such as not having some past that includes some non-existant creature. I'm not sure how guilds suchs as the Royal House of Purrty would fare in this, as their guilds are from places outside Yliakum, but as it has been said before, there ARE other places than Yliakum. Dermoria for example, is one such land. So a land called Printh could indeed exist.

Anyways, back on the real topic. These benefits to people will not only enhance the roleplay, but also make OTHERS strive to have a more settings-compatible and roleplaying guild. Planeshift does not make it a rule that you must roleplay, but it is highly encouraged and roleplayers have a lot of support. If people need to be bribed to RP, so be it, at least they will try it and then maybe they'll like it.


As for my ideas on how to make it work? Well simply, we set up some sort of 'committee' of a few devs/GMs and make this part of their main duties. They set up a thread in the guild forums and have an application form for guilds to fill out. They fill it out, post it, and then the 'committee' would check it for such things as 'history/background' and their 'goals' to see if they are compatible with and totally inside the settings. I know Xilly will hate me for it, but then each form would have to go through Xillix for final approval. Only ones which the 'committee' approved would go to Xillix, and Xillix would recheck. This could prevent favoritism, as Xillix will not show such a quality. I happen to have known Xillix in planeshift before he was a top-notch Settings leader, and I'd say we were.... I dunno bout friends, but certainly friendly. And Xillix wouldn't do more for me than he would for any non-noobs. Of course, only non-noobs because, death to noobs.... right. Anyways, Xilly'd be to busy to pick favorites And even if he did he'd be the type to pick favorites BECAUSE they're in settings.

Benefits would of course include the NPCs knowing the guild (possibly members?) perhaps some special access to places unavailable to the public (winch >.>) And possibly specially placed guild houses (in ideal places for the guild). Many other things could be also added as well, but I am not going to state every single idea I have. Would take years to finish posting