Start new players at a lower Tenacity
There are known to be a few holes left in the Tenacity system. I've found one, and this thread discusses a possible solution to it. Comments on this suggestion are requested.
Problem: Users with little or no experience are entering games intended for experienced users, then resigning or being dropped. This unbalances the game for the remaining players. I know that this has happened with Team games (see http://planets.nu/#/sector/185114 for an example - 5 players dropped in a 12-player game), and I expect it has caused problems with other games.
Possible solution: Instead of starting new players with 100% Tenacity, they should be started with a lower value (possibly 60%). Upon receiving the first End Game badge (Survivor), the player will receive a Tenacity bonus (40% for a starting point of 60%), up to a maximum of 100%. This bonus will occur before the bonus for being a replacement player.
Reasoning: A new player hasn't demonstrated that they have any tenacity, so their starting Tenacity score should be less than perfect. After they have completed a game, they should receive a Tenacity score that reflects their completion.
While the above will still give inflated Tenacity scores for new players, it will be a significant improvement from the current state.
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Whisperer commented
> A new player hasn't demonstrated that they have any tenacity so perhaps they should start on 0, and then earn it as they go
That would greatly restrict a new player for at least 2 years, and have an impact for almost three years, which would probably drive many new players away. My goal was to have a minimum impact on a new player, so that new player retention isn't effected, but to keep players who haven't finished games out of the games that require more dedication, until the new player has demonstrated that they have that dedication.
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Mekusi commented
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Mekusi commented
A new player hasn't demonstrated that they have any tenacity so perhaps they should start on 0, and then earn it as they go
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Chanain commented
This makes sense. And, again, the 'alternate account' phenomenon is a problem that emerges here as well: When a new player gets penalized for dropping games by losing tenacity, it's not much of a penalty when they can easily create a new account again at 100% tenacity.
The corollary of this is that, imo, tenacity shouldn't move over time toward 100%, but rather toward its original base level - I'd probably say 50% makes the most sense, but the specific figure is unimportant - and that there should be other bonuses that are easier to obtain than at present.
So I see this a little differently than Whisperer. I take Whisperer as suggesting a system that's more-or-less identical to the status quo, but that merely imposes the equivalent of a 40-point tenacity penalty (though I take his point about it not being 'penalizing') until completion of a game. I see the potential for a system that's more dynamic, where you start at a neutral level of tenacity, but you earn bonuses every time you finish a game, or fight to the bitter end, so that you can earn your way into games for those who have consistently shown themselves to be reliable players, instead of expecting every player to be at 100 (or maybe a little higher) unless they have a recent history of resigning/dropping.
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Anonymous commented
Nah, still too much tenacity too fast! Start them at 40%, with a 20% bonus for finishing a game. This means they must complete three games to get to 100% tenacity!
Or you could give them 30% bonus for finishing, then only two finishes needed to 100%
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Whisperer commented
Just to clarify a point made in the thread. This is not a punishment. This is changing Tenacity from an entitlement (something it should never have been) to something that's earned (what it should have been from the beginning).
The described implementation will have no impact on a new player, and a slight impact on the advancement of a second player.
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Whisperer commented
Discussion thread for this suggestion - http://planets.nu/#/activity/2749215