Alternative karma system

[ProperPants]

 

I already know that nobody will go for this, so if you don't have any contributions to make, please just don't comment and let the thread die. If you support my idea or at least the concept, or have a suggestion to improve it, I encourage you to speak.

 

Any number values used are placeholders. I am just using them to represent when one value should be greater or less than another (e.g. Apples = 20 while oranges = 10 means that, even if the numbers aren't good, apples > oranges. It doesn't even necessarily mean apples = 2 x oranges).

 

There have been many complaints about the current karma system before. Maybe someone suggested what I'm about to say in the past, but I haven't seen anyone say this since I joined, so I'll say it now. I propose an alternative karma system, that relies on positive votes and negative votes. Instead of every crew member having one karma to give one time per round, everyone would get infinite (or if not infinite, then 20) points that could be distributed however the individuals chooses (or perhaps 15 positive points and 5 negative points). For anyone receiving these points, getting a certain number of positive points in one round (15, for example) would result in a gain of one karma, while getting a certain number of negative points (30, for example) would result in the loss of one karma. Points required to lose a karma would have to be far more than that needed to gain a karma to prevent the spam of negative points. The reason I want negative points at all is to punish players who truly deserve it (although I can see that this may be abused, so I understand if the negative points aspect gets no support).

 

This idea might honestly change nothing in the long run, but I imagine it as more reasonable alternative to the current system. My idea is intended to remove the mindset of "I can only reward one person because I only have one karma." I'd like it to be so that players can distribute multiple rewards to others for multiple reasons (did their job well, had a fun personality, etc.), while maintaining the idea that karma should not be common.

 

[SkyPing]

 

Remove the negative karma system all together and see where it ends up.

 

One reason that people seem to forget, but I always appreciate. Controversial characters (A prime example would be Clinton the Racist). Although they don't generally end up being likable by everyone in the round, they make rounds more INTERESTING when pulled off correctly, while at the same time not truly ruining anyone elses experience. It's rare enough to see successful and genuinely good, for lack of a better word, "Legal Self-Antags", and adding a punishment system of ANY kind will run them dry.

 

There are of course, several other reasons why a negative karma system would be terrible, but that REALLY isn't the point of this thread. I feel like this post will get MUCH more credibility if there wasn't a system for taking away karma that they EARNED because of someone elses opinion of them. Fuck, I know that I PERSONALLY would never trust myself with that kind of power.

 

[NTSAM]

I really don't think we should have a negative system. The needed amount of votes should be high at all or many people will only be earning one karma every 1.5 years.

[SkyPing]

 

The needed amount of votes should be high at all or many people will only be earning one karma every 1.5 years.

 

...It just occurred to me that this is might actually end up slowing DOWN the karma system.

 

If I'm reading this right, this means that a person can only get ONE karma per round. As opposed to a possible 2 or 3 or 5 if you were exceptionally impressive.

 

Unless I'm misinterpreting this? Cause around this point, I'm not sure what's being accomplished here.

 

[Munks]

 

Its rare that you're going to find more than one person who has genuinely done something worth being given karma and not just because they're your friend or they look cute or did their basic job or whatever.

 

And no, this "vote karma" does not ever need to be a thing. If someone has done something worth being given karma to even one person -- whether going above and beyond the call of duty in game, or good instances of roleplay -- they deserve to get the karma. End of. You dont need 20 witnesses in the area to also agree to give their karma, not only because you're hardly ever going to have a single action witnessed by so many people, but because hardly anyone even remembers the system exists half the time. Not to mention the griefing potential.

 

As for negative karma... the absolute last thing para needs is even more enforcement towards hugboxing. This server has an insane enough problem with circlejerking as it is. Mob mentality is huge here, as is metafriending. Certain cliques would have way too much sway over peoples' karma, just because you crossed one of their friends. Not only that, but people here can be petty. I've seen nonantagonist heads of staff tell an AI to its face that they're leaving it to die during an evacuation, because said AI called them an idiot earlier in the shift. The very notion that the average player should be able to PENALIZE people like this, locking them out of the arguably more interesting jobs and races, because they happened to anger you or impede you or just not follow your lead in some form, is awful. It is not a responsibility that players here could handle. Maybe if our quality standards were higher, but they aren't.

 

[Arthur_Dayne]

nah