Donation points

This is a system I saw in other games.

People are rewarded this donation points in exchange for their help in helping the game. The points can then be changed in various packages for resources / bonuses.

Activities that would help players earn donation points :

1. Becoming a guide. A guide is a mod for the FAQ/New player questions. His job is to answer asap to any question asked in an exhaustive mode. Who asked the question must mark who gave the answer he needed and that guide gets noted ..... when the guide accumulates x good references he is awarded a donation point.
   
2. Writing a strategy guide. The guide is sent to admin or a person[s] who has the job to read the guide and grade his usefulness/utility. Depending on that a number of donation points are awarded.
   
3. Pointing out bugs, catching cheaters, etc.
   
4. Can be linked with random events which can be race related or not.
   
5. Given as awards for different things (a bit like achivements). A system can be created to award donation points to alliances as a reward for a quest.
   

Donation points can also be bought with $, of course with limits like there are when buying SS.

Now exchanging donation points can be fun :

• UUs / ATs / kuwal
  
• protection
  
• new buildings
  
• ability to change race without penalties or with less penalties
  
• race related bonuses (for 48h Hualu gain every turn 0.1% interest on what they have saved in the bank; extra 5-10% discount for Kyora / Miraya / Daning for the next covert / defense / attack level; etc)
  
• a hundred more ideas
  

The effect would be that players will be a bit more involved, more willing to help others, new players will be able to get answers quick so fewer of them will abandon the game in the first days since account creation, admin will make a few extra bucks .... not bad overall in my opinion.

i dont know what others think, but i would do theese things for free

Not to be ....insert word .... but sgw for example doesn't have a decent strategy guide and I know many people who intended to do one. And it's been around for quite some time.

There are alot of answers in the main forum ..... but a small % has an account .... and some answers are hard to find .... an official strategy guide is something else. Plus, each author has his own way of grouping the information ..... you can argue that there is a help section and many usefull info in updates section .... but some may find a different way of arranging this info more appealing.

rflash wrote:but some may find a different way of arranging this info more appealing.

I'll play devils advocate on this one

just like the saying goes "opinions are like certain openings at the back of your body (you know which), everyone has one"
so are there many different ways how people like having the info arranged.

So far I haven't figured out a good information structure that would be appealing to any newcomer, if someone can draw one (or several) up which they consider would be newbie friendly and whatnot I could put myself to work to write it out.

(structure means a picture of what type of info is presented on what location, how it is linked to other sections of the guide, etc. It does NOT include the actual information about how to play the game)

My problem is, and i've been told this several times over, I assume people are smarter or more perceptive than they really are.
Really not trying to be condescending but I can really say from experience that that's how it is.

Admin wrote:My problem is, and i've been told this several times over, I assume people are smarter or more perceptive than they really are.
Really not trying to be condescending but I can really say from experience that that's how it is.

I wasn't referring to the site layout .... but about it .... donation points could be given for doing graphic work for the game, designing a new skin for example, some new pictures, medals, etc.

I was referring to the fact that in a strategy guide the focus is on something specific ..... if someone writes a guide about maximizing and protecting income for example, he will be more interested in farmers/workers/miners, administrative efficiency, UP ... not in how many points of damage a 100 mil strike does on a 80 mil defense ... so the information pertinent to the main subject is concentrated so it should be easier to grasp / understand.

Donation points will be an incentive for people to do a better job.

hmm thx you just gave me an idea on the guide

anyways about the donation points, although I see merit in the idea and will consider how to implement something like that, I disagree with some of these jobs giving people any sort of benefit.

Something like helping newbies shouldn't be on the list, that's just decent behavior helping people out, no matter how repetitive it ends up.
Catching cheaters , or in some cases finding bugs (but not all), would defo deserve to be on the list though as sometimes it can involve good deal of work.

People shouldn't do something just because they know they will receive some sort of reward.

these should be done voluntarily, and shouldnt really be rewrded as such, however if you do do they get backdated .

any guides/faq that are not general ie how to train units etc, can become very biased and iv always felt internal alliance guides either written or over msn are a lot better.

Well ..... it's a BIG difference between payed work and voluntary work .... it's true the veterans should help the new players, but this isn't always happening.

Exactly what actions will gain donation points it's clearly debatable ..... for now there aren't enough players to justify this .... but if there are 500 players at any moment online, then it's a completly different matter .... I just want to see your opinion about the idea itself ... so far I'm happy with the feedback