For those who don't know already, I was on holiday for a while, rendering me unable to use the forums. Naturally, time away from the computer gave me time to think about things; and I came up with an interesting idea.

Enter:

THE ESCAPIST FORUM CREDIT SYSTEM!

My idea is that the Escapist could further and improve its gaming roots by introducing a credit system - basically an 'Escapist Currency', if you will. People can obtain credits by doing specific things (for example, obtaining badges, not getting banned/probation'd in a particular amount of time/posts, impressing staff members, or even getting some given to you by other users), of which can be used at a 'Vendor Page' to buy cool-looking badges or titles (this might be an issue - maybe only for people who have Gone Gonzo?).

Now, I'm sure that a lot of us veterans are getting bored of 'Gone Gonzo' underneath our name - I'm a little sick of it myself. Possibly, you could even 'downgrade' your name to make yourself a Pulitzer Laureate or Anonymous Source by buying said title with your Credits.

The other aim of Credits is to promote good writing, more polite attitudes and new ideas - something that would be helpful, especially on a forum.

The only issues I have with the idea (and thus - why I am making this thread) is that it is not complete yet. We need to work out something that will give everyone an equal chance (within reason) to recieve these Credits, as newcomers will be at a disadvantage and Badge Whores will be severely advantaged conversely.

I would like to ask if you have any ideas, opinions or helpful advice in regards to this system that I am proposing. If so, please share them here, and we can work together to make The Escapist more awesome than it already is.

CHANGES + INCLUSIONS

Removal of Automated Credit - Earning - People can cheat the system, and it's just a reason for a seedier element to enter these forums.
Removal of Credit-Sharing - Obviously, people can cheat the system, such as creating multiple accounts.
An 'Epic' button - using the same functions as the 'Report' button (it takes two to go through), this button sends a message to Staff/Mods, who can see the post and decide for themselves whether they should obtain credits.

Oh, Custom Titles and a 'Thumbs Up/Down' button will not be incorporated. Just FYI.

this will introduce credit whores...not good

First of all, Welcome Back.

I don't really like it sorry.
There's already quite a gap of elitism prevelent regarding newcomers.
I like that you're thinking of ways of adding more motivation, interest and dynamics to the forum.

I just think that it encourages useless posting and would negetively impact the overall quality of the forums. There's enough badge and postcount epeen already for me.

Dkozza:
this will introduce credit whores...not good

I was thinking more along the lines of people having to genuinely earn them. For example, doing something original, or posing ideas, concepts or general awesomeness.

There is a way to eliminate credit-whores, I just haven't thought of it yet.

I don't think that would work. It would STILL bring in credit whores who will be posting bullshit threads just to get more credit.

I think badges are fine. They are more than you get anywhere else.

to do something like that you might have to introduce a post rating system, I.E. thumbs up thumbs down, along with the report button or something to that effect, and then we just get a whole bunch of people who abuse the system. It's a good concept, especially if you could make your own title, I've had a good idea for mine and I'd really like to make one.

black lincon:
to do something like that you might have to introduce a post rating system, I.E. thumbs up thumbs down, along with the report button or something to that effect, and then we just get a whole bunch of people who abuse the system. It's a good concept, especially if you could make your own title, I've had a good idea for mine and I'd really like to make one.

Custom titles may be taking it a little too far. I think we should have preset ones that we can buy.

As for everything else you said, post rating is WAY too far. Maybe I should can the 'users giving other users credits' idea and merely keep it to the staff/mods to decide who gets what.

Lord Krunk:

black lincon:
to do something like that you might have to introduce a post rating system, I.E. thumbs up thumbs down, along with the report button or something to that effect, and then we just get a whole bunch of people who abuse the system. It's a good concept, especially if you could make your own title, I've had a good idea for mine and I'd really like to make one.

Custom titles may be taking it a little too far. I think we should have preset ones that we can buy.

QFT. I love the Escapists, but left to their own devices I could see a handful of highly unappropriate titles.

I like the idea as well as the intentions (I'm al for making the internet more civil). Although (as you said) it is still a work in progress and I forsee a very long Beta proces. I vote YAY!

Hmmm. Credits may not be the way to go, but I surely feel we need some new "rank" names.

What if every 1000 posts after Gonzo you earned one name-change to the name of your choosing? This way, every year or half-year depending on your posting habits, you could re-choose your handle. With of course, mod oversight that they get final say on what's an allowed "rank/handle".

Khell_Sennet:
Hmmm. Credits may not be the way to go, but I surely feel we need some new "rank" names.

What if every 1000 posts after Gonzo you earned one name-change to the name of your choosing? This way, every year or half-year depending on your posting habits, you could re-choose your handle. With of course, mod oversight that they get final say on what's an allowed "rank/handle".

A great idea you have there, if not directly helpful to my idea.

What if the name is changed depending on what forum you post on the most?

Khell_Sennet:
Hmmm. Credits may not be the way to go, but I surely feel we need some new "rank" names.

What if every 1000 posts after Gonzo you earned one name-change to the name of your choosing? This way, every year or half-year depending on your posting habits, you could re-choose your handle. With of course, mod oversight that they get final say on what's an allowed "rank/handle".

And some sort of assurance that the "half-year" is enforced. I know I haven't been around that long but it's really been annoying me that people are signing up in December and getting 1000+ posts now that we're in Jan. But I am a bit elitist and can probably be discounted.

There's something like that on FPSBanana. It makes me sad to look at.

Anarchemitis:
There's something like that on FPSBanana. It makes me sad to look at.

What's FPSBanana?

Are you going to say 'precisely'?

Anyway, I just know there's a way to make this work. Somehow.

Lord Krunk:

Dkozza:
this will introduce credit whores...not good

I was thinking more along the lines of people having to genuinely earn them. For example, doing something original, or posing ideas, concepts or general awesomeness.

There is a way to eliminate credit-whores, I just haven't thought of it yet.

The credits are given out by people?

You should seriously put this on the suggestions thread, or at least bring this idea to the attention or Virgil or one of the other tech guys so they might help you out with some of the kinks, I actually like this Idea and I think it would be cool to see it applied to the site.

Khell_Sennet:
Hmmm. Credits may not be the way to go, but I surely feel we need some new "rank" names.

What if every 1000 posts after Gonzo you earned one name-change to the name of your choosing? This way, every year or half-year depending on your posting habits, you could re-choose your handle. With of course, mod oversight that they get final say on what's an allowed "rank/handle".

I agree. Maybe we need a petition for more posting ranks?

I doesn't sit right with me. If you made it automated, then people would find a way to exploit it. If it's community operated, we get lynch mobs and gangs, resulting in horrible unbalance. If it's staff controlled, then they're bound to miss deserving people, and it'd create a state of overwork (Nil and Wil have better things to do than dole out credits, I'm sure.)

I can't see it working properly. Great idea, but it wouldn't stop post spammers and pointless threads. As was recently demonstrated by the thread necromancer.

EDIT: Maybe the option to go back to old titles. I'm not looking forward to Gonzo. I want to stay a Laureate.

I think that there are easier ways to bring new dynamics into rewarding forum junkies than installing a system that puts emphasis on currency. I agree that credit whores would be an issue. How about just an addition to the badge system that sets up a teeter-totter effect? Like say for example if you post more exclusively on any one forum section, you get a reward that reflects that and at the same time you get downgraded based on the section you visit the least? I dunno. More I think about it the more my brain swells. Not sure anything should change, really.

Knight Templar:

Lord Krunk:

Dkozza:
this will introduce credit whores...not good

I was thinking more along the lines of people having to genuinely earn them. For example, doing something original, or posing ideas, concepts or general awesomeness.

There is a way to eliminate credit-whores, I just haven't thought of it yet.

The credits are given out by people?

That's the plan.

Novajam:
I doesn't sit right with me. If you made it automated, then people would find a way to exploit it. If it's community operated, we get lynch mobs and gangs, resulting in horrible unbalance. If it's staff controlled, then they're bound to miss deserving people, and it'd create a state of overwork (Nil and Wil have better things to do than dole out credits, I'm sure.)

I can't see it working properly. Great idea, but it wouldn't stop post spammers and pointless threads. As was recently demonstrated by the thread necromancer.

I never wanted an automated system; but you might be right there in the fact that staff members might feel a little bit overworked. Maybe there should be a system like the 'Report' button, with the same 'It takes two to go through' mechanism incorporated. Therefore, staff/mods can check it out and decide for themselves.

EDIT:

Novajam:
EDIT: Maybe the option to go back to old titles. I'm not looking forward to Gonzo. I want to stay a Laureate.

Same here, really.

Bottom line is, we need something to look forward to past Gonzo, but we don't want it to be something so great that people crapflood for postcount, nor something which can be used for penis hat* like the XBox achievement system.

* For those not in the know, Xbox achievements make people think they are special simply because they achieved something another person didn't, or that they pad their score because they think it actually matters to anyone other than themselves, either way they act like real dick heads. Thus, XBox achievements are accumulated for the purpose of penis hat, the intent to have the biggest dick on their heads compared to all other dickheads around them.

I used to be on a forum where you were allowed to edit your title once you got past a certain post rank, but that was on a pretty small forum so there would definitely have to be some sort of time limit set as well.

Not 100% sold on any more achievements or credits, I've seen similar on other forums before and they end up (directly or indirectly) completely soulless, and I couldn't stand it if that happened here.

If it does come to pass for some reason I keep thinking of having a special moderator for any extra badges etc., like the "banker" in Monopoly (have no idea why I have that analogy). Basically one or two people who cannot moderate in the usual sense, but have sole responsibility for whatever this new credit system is. Perhaps they could also "vet" the name changes requested by entitled users.

I dearly hope that any "credits" (sorry for the quote overuse) will not be purchasable with real money - that sort of thing does my head in, it's pure cash cow and means any kid can get anything depending on how much they pester their parents.

I still am in favour of the old Facepunch smartness points idea.

The only place I have ever seen this work well is http://www.boardgamegeek.com

This being because board games are still too nerdy. On a video game site, though, it would end in flames and apocalypse. Nice thought, but no.

Of course, if the site ONLY gave out demerits...

Changes made to the OP.

Please see for details.

This is a forum, not an massively multiplayer online roleplaying game.
I believe that if you wish to obtain "Credits" on a forum, in order to distinguish "Good" and "Bad" users (And/or "Escapist Nerds/Non-Escapist Nerds") you should rather spend your time doing something productive in "Real Life".

If you need to be able to feel better than others, by obtaining this fictional currency, feel free; It's like xbox-achievements, gamer points: Who the fuck cares?

If you want to waste your time earning these credits, feel free, you got more credits on a forum than me, hooray for you.

I loved this simmilar system on some smaller forums i used to be a part of, my favorite parts of that system were the lotteries, scratch-card-like systems, the bank and the richest people list... Of which i was top :p

Yeah, I can see it working, and looking at it I like the idea, not really interested in most of the stuff, but changing my title or maybe getting some cool stuff for my account could be cool.

Lord Krunk:

Anarchemitis:
There's something like that on FPSBanana. It makes me sad to look at.

What's FPSBanana?

Are you going to say 'precisely'?

Anyway, I just know there's a way to make this work. Somehow.

It's a customization community. You can post on the Forums, or submit Maps, Sprays, Sounds, Mods, etc. for FPS games. You get credits for submissions or comments on other people's work that gets appreciated. You can then use these credits to bling out your profile page, or receive entitlement to act like a prick.

I don't think this is such a good idea.
Extra stuff like this, or indeed badges, just cause behaviour specific to obtaining it, sometimes that's a good thing, I'm all for things like the Matrix badges if it'll keep people in check, but there will always be abusers of these types of systems. And it will end up disrupting the forum, not to mention it will give people something to lord over others, which from experience I can truthfully say has not worked well for the community of Xbox live (No matter how far gone they might have already been beforehand, acheivements and Gamerscore made things worse)

Sounds cool, I for one am definitely bored of having just "Gone Gonzo" under my name and would like to see a change in that. All the issues you mentioned would have to work out and the Escapist may have to take on a few more mods to help stem the flow of people using the "epic" button by way of multiple accounts.
Or maybe we should just implement a karma system for fun

A good idea, in theory, but I think I would prefer a more traditional "karma" system.

We're not XBL, we're not Gaia Online, and I don't see why we should try to be either...