Okay, I'm just wondering, what point is there to having ArmorPoints(pun intended)? I mean...it encourages people to spam, right? The merit system causes several people to start whining for merits, it creates unnecessary extra work for the mods, and all you get for it is a new icon on your profile and a couple new armatars. So, here's my question: Is it worth it? I was wondering why the site doesn't just take the whole idea of AP and toss it in the wastebucket. Here are some of the cons and pros I've managed to come up with for different ways to get merits.
1. Rating a game Positive: The idea is that people will be encouraged to give their opinion of a game. Negative: As it is the quickest and easiest way to get AP and it can't be counted as spam no matter what, I think that this could be abused as a way to get quick and easy AP, without having put any thought into it or even played the game in question.
2. Commenting on a Game Pros: It has been prophesied that someday, somewhere in the world, sometime in the future of Armorgames, someone will actually be smart enough, mature enough, and well-intentioned enough, to actually write a thoughtful comment using the commenting on a game system, intended to help the developer, and with no thought of a merit. However, until the prophesied Commenter of Justice arrives, we must deal with the cons... Negative: Obviously, it is a reward for spam, spam, and yet more spam! No one actually uses the comments system to comment on a game with an intelligent, well-thought out review, without their goal being to get a merit! Therefore, the comments are so clogged up with spam, that we can't even find a useful review(reviewer's intentions notwithstanding).
3. Forum Posts Positive: Obviously, rewarding people for forum posts is an alright idea, since most people spam it out in the game comments, being that they are worth more AP. However, people still use FPs as a way to get more APs, and the people who only care about actual, meaningful discussion in the forums, could care less about the points. Negative: Well, rewarding someone with AP for posting at all is possibly a good idea, but there's always the threat of spam looming around the corner, and I've gotten the impression that the mods are slightly more lenient around here. If there's one 5-7 word post, it's ignored. If there's multiple spam posts in one thread, the thread is locked. There's not really any punishment for it. Ever.
4. Game Designing Positive: This is an amazing idea. To reward someone for getting a game passed through is a good idea, and if you raise the bar for game standards, I think it's plausible that this could be the only way to get AP. Game designing is difficult and time consuming nearly all the time...so there's almost no way it can be abused. Negative: Error. File Game-designing-negative, not found.
5.Merits Positive: For those people who take the time to write out well-thought out reviews with the intention of helping the game designer improve the game, it is an excellent idea to reward them. Negative: Whining, and mods having to dig through garbage to find gold. Nuff said.
In my personal opinion, there are a few options which can be done to improve the AP system: A) Make it so that all thoughtful comments get a merit, regardless of which section they're in, however if you whine about the "merit" you're not getting, then you will be punished by losing all the merits you already have, and if you don't have a merit, then you can't get one for a certain amount of time. B) Make it so that only designing a game can get you AP, and raise the bar for games submitted. C) Remove the system in its entirety. D) Make your own option. This is just a thought I had, and there was a fatal combination going on; I was a nerd, I had an idea, and I was bored out of my mind. This is the finished product. So, this is just a few suggestions and reasons, everybody else, you're welcome to share your own and your thoughts on my ideas. Tally Ho!(and no, I have absolutely no clue what that means. I know it has something to do with hunting...I think).
I use my good old beginning armatar. Because I am cool like that.
AP is just there for the heck of it. It is sort of a system to tell who is active, who has been around for a while. Mostly there just for unlocking more armatars. To give people a reason to stick around and such. Exceptions are myriad for all aforementioned cases.
And those that abuse it are abused...err, acted upon accordingly...in return.
@ Devoidless - What do you think of the ideas being thrown around on this thread? Do you think extending the time between comments would help reduce the amount of "fghfghj" comments on games?
I use my good old beginning armatar. Because I am cool like that.
The first armatars are teh coolest anyways.
AP is just there for the heck of it. It is sort of a system to tell who is active, who has been around for a while. Mostly there just for unlocking more armatars. To give people a reason to stick around and such. Exceptions are myriad for all aforementioned cases.
Some also see it more like a respect kinda deal. If you see a Duke with 3000 posts and he's telling you what to do and how to do things, you'll believe him more than a Knight with a couple hundred, especially if his post goes more into detail. Admins also look for AP and activity in a moderator. How marvelous; the rank shows it all!
You could always get a job at Fox News with that ability.
