Academy

[JinxedHatesYou]

Greetings.

I am here to suggest the idea of Academy for novice players.

As I mentioned in this thread - https://gunsoficarus.com/community/forum/index.php/topic,4841.0.html, it is a common that some clans in MMO's establish a branch for sole purpose of educating and training the recruits before they have a chance to get a transfer in main branch.

However, instead of suggesting our clans to do it, I have something else in mind.
Taking in account our current situation with peak players, I suggest to implent one and sole Academy, instead of straining the efforts between current clans.

The purpose of Academy is to recruit new players interested in learning the game, while not bounding them to Academy by obligations or additional rules.
Therefore, a player will be able to receive a training while being at liberty to choose the clan he wants to join in the future.

What will be required:
1) At least 4 instructors for the first time
2) Developing educational programmes (to prevent instructors from repeating each other and ensure that all aspects of the game are covered in the course of training)
3) Developing qualification test
4) Assistance of community and developers.

It is as simple as this at current point.
I would gladly participate in founding the Academy, but it is very far away from one-man's job.
Community Members and Ambassadors, my vision is that Academy will improve the Community as whole as well as enhance the experience for both veteran players and novices, while making a job of Community Ambassadors a little bit easer.
I hope to see the days when words "Academy Graduate" and "Academy Instructor" will be said with pride, but to achieve it I will require your help.

For the purpose of making the better game - unite!


Currently, it is just a plotting stage.
While in my vision it sounds like a perfect idea, it may be seen not so perfect by some players.
Do not hesitate and speak up about your suspicions, there is no such thing as lack of critique.

If we, the Community, decide that this will work - we may proceed further and search for future Instructors.

[Spud Nick]

Teaching new players that want to learn more about the game is a great idea. We have had groups like this in the past but they have all died out. Perhaps the teachers got burned out or perhaps there was not enough interest. Ether way, with a little organization and help from our friends I'm sure we can start up another group.

[SirNotlag]

Well if you ever get this going let me know Id be glad to instruct.

how would you set it up though to nab new players? Would it be a clan that just sends out invites to all lvl1's or something?

[Dutch Vanya]

Teaching new players that want to learn more about the game is a great idea. We have had groups like this in the past but they have all died out. Perhaps the teachers got burned out or perhaps there was not enough interest. Ether way, with a little organization and help from our friends I'm sure we can start up another group.

I think the main problem was actually the lack of new players with a desire to learn through this format.

[SirNotlag]

how bout teaching by doing if you get enough people you can fill a custom match with all student ships with an instructor on every ship. couple minutes to teach all the basics then type in all chat "Ready", then its just a regular match with mostly new players so they can see all the game mechanics in action.

Do this acouple times with multiple ships and the new guys should be good to go.

[JinxedHatesYou]

This is not exactly what I have in mind and I do believe that Academy being a clan will aid it in it's task.
Let me ellaborate.

First of all, clan bring the feeling of unity and order, which is essential in a process. More than that, in perfect situation it is expected that any student will be able to just ask question in clan chat and receive a detailed answer from fellow students or instructors.
Clan dedicated to training purposes is usually taken more seriously than some dude with yellow name yelling "Come join the practice match" as well.

Second of all, I do not want just to teach them. I want to set a certain standart, recognised and respected in community.
All and every player will be able to join the Academy and receive training, if he is willing to, but to actually graduate from Academy it will take a certain knowledge of your respective field (engineering, piloting, gunnery).
I am not talking about basic training here, providing the knowledge that "mortair should shoot when armor is down". I am talking about training like "Gatling gun deals shattering damage, which is devistating to components and armor, while mortair is dealing the explosive damage which is good only for hull when it's armor is down."

It is my vision that some day in the future  there will be a long list of Academy Graduates posted on forums.
A list of people who are guaranteed to know almost everything about the game. And clan leaders of various kinds will browse this list from time to time when they feel the need for new recruits.


Regarding the recruitment process.
I see it happening in AJSA-like way for a first time. Where some guy like Church Shepard barges in game, announces who he represents and why and then offers to join this organisation.
In ideal world, if we actually manage to set the standart I was talking about above, the Academy will be recognised by Community up to the point when clan leaders send their new recruits to us, in order to receive the training before joing them.
As well as (in ideal world yet again) it is expected that players will seek their way to join the Academy, since it should help them in future with joining another clan.

[Zincathion]

As be mentioned, I find that th' biggest problem wit' this 'ere idea be that new players think this 'ere be jus' CoD on an balloon. Which, thankfully, it be nothin' o' th' sort.  I have met a few novices, n' trained 'em. Now they be darn jolly pilots n' crew. Saddly though, most don't want t' take th' time t' learn th' game. They want t' hop in n' go. That be sayin', I'd be willin' t' lend ye me ship in this 'ere. We be swabbin' 'em jim lads into shape right clipper.

[Hoja Lateralus]

First what we can do is make the community-made guides (quasi)official. For instance when somebody asks me why you shouldn't put charged into a gatling I say him that it's just not effective and he can find out why in Wundalz's "Muse in Arms" guide.

Also I thought that maybe we should create a Teacher status for player - something between regular player and a CA - he could join low lvl matches but only as spectator and he could teach the youngsters.

I think the Academy is great but utopian idea.

[JinxedHatesYou]

Agreed, idea is utopian indeed at this current state.

Currently, I fail to see the negative sides of it or any serious problems with it, but the probability that some players are willing to just hop in game and shoot stuff.
This is a reason why this discussion was brought here, instead of founding the Academy right away.

However, I disagree with you on part regarding the guides.
We have a whole section on forum dedicated to it and yet it appears to be not quite effective.
Besides, human interaction is a key in education. Information is much better perceived from the teacher of flesh and blood rather than from a wall of text.

[macmacnick]

There are players with the 'teacher' permissions, who are not CAs.

[Mod Josie]

Also I thought that maybe we should create a Teacher status for player - something between regular player and a CA - he could join low lvl matches but only as spectator and he could teach the youngsters.

There are players with the 'teacher' permissions, who are not CAs.

Indeed, macmac, there are!
There was a teaching initiative not dissimilar to the one you are now proposing. Sadly the movement got a little lost a few months ago and now the events that used to be held aren't really happening. Nowadays the teachers sort of ad lib their way into lobbies to try and help. I've been guilty of doing this myself from time to time.

I would definitely suggest that it would be a good idea to try and rekindle this movement, especially considering all of the new things set to be arriving in the game in the not too distant future!

[Hoja Lateralus]

There are players with the 'teacher' permissions, who are not CAs.

Well I didn't know that I'd really like to know how it works and how someone can become a teacher.

However, I disagree with you on part regarding the guides.
We have a whole section on forum dedicated to it and yet it appears to be not quite effective.
Besides, human interaction is a key in education. Information is much better perceived from the teacher of flesh and blood rather than from a wall of text.

Yes, but I actually try to make some guides official and into the game as tutorials. I think the three we need most at the moment are "UI Tutorial" , "Game Modes Tutorial" and "Ammo tutorial".

[JinxedHatesYou]

Indeed, macmac, there are!
There was a teaching initiative not dissimilar to the one you are now proposing. Sadly the movement got a little lost a few months ago and now the events that used to be held aren't really happening.

Can I see the threads, logs, screenshots or any other historical data on this organisation?
One who ignores the history is doomed to re-live it. And this is not quite an intention.

What were the reasons of them being "little lost", which events they hosted and who led the initiative?

[Sprayer]

http://steamcommunity.com/groups/GOIO_Training

This group is/was for trainers and rookies to organize training events. We were loosely coming together twice or thrice a week hosting training matches, as stated earlier, us teachers have permission to join and create novice lobbies so that was helpful in that. During peak times, that is after each sale, those matches were quite well frequented. However, many teachers retired from Guns of Icarus and we failed to recruit new ones. Besides, it seemed like less and less rookies were interested in training matches as both the number of participants as well as the overall number of novice lobbies decreased overall, not just in between sales.

[Mr-Griffo]

I like the idea jinxed. In fact I think it should be more than just a clan and have a button like wanted that takes them to "flight school" (or whatever the name would be) where they can see when lessons and demonstrations are next due to take place. A brief outlining of what the lesson entails and perhaps an incentive such as successful completion of a lesson could earn you points toward a badge or small cosmetic reward.

The main difference with having it found by the student, they are already in a correct state of mind to learn. If instead they are already trying to play a game and someone is saying "hey that loadout doesn't work etc etc", even if it's done with politeness it will get the newbies back up. I know this is not always true just a common occurrence.

It really would require some dedicated people to teach. Dedicated friendly good teachers and public speakers with very importantly good timekeeping. Its no good saying there will be a lesson at X O'clock on Xday If the teacher doesn't show or is late.