Positive Player Goals

[maxfromsweden]

At the start of the shift (a handful) people get random goals that are positive and helpful. They get another player as a target and has to do something nice to them. The nice thing is defined in the goal.

Could be an Opt in system if people think it would be annoying. Could also be expanded into role specific goals.

 

Why it's good for the game?

It creates happiness. When successfully executed as intended, someone will be happy and they will hopefully have a cool memory.

It creates interaction. The randomness in assigning the target player leads to interaction between people who may not otherwise interact. This is also a net positive. You may meet someone really cool this way! Also has a chance to break up meta gangs.

 

But people can already do this! They don't need to be told what to do!

That's true. Some people will come up with this stuff by themselves. But a lot of other people won't. Some people will have trouble coming up with unique ideas for this. Sometimes, it's just nice to be told what to do so you don't have to think about it. If someone doesn't do their goal, there is no problem with that.

 

Well what if people don't do it? 

Then we are where we are right now. If someone chooses not to engage with the system, it's not harming the round in any way. 

 

Problems with it?

Probably impossible to code to check for succesful achievment of the goal. So no greentext. However, getting on the scoreboard isn't the goal here. It's to make someone happy. The journey itself is the goal here, not the destination.

Someone needs to code it obviously.

 

Example goals:

• Make X look like a hero
• Surprise X with a personal gift
• Make sure X gets a medal/promotion
• Make a unique drink for X
• Build a shrine to player X
• Make sure X is featured in the newspaper
• Make sure X gets their favorite food
• Make sure sees their rival/enemy/frenemy embarrassed
• Get X their favorite book/item
• Give X the best compliment.
• Get X to partake in a scientific experiment.
• Show X a special part of the station.
• Make a special joke for X.
• Make sure X has the best shift ever

[Frank]

Ok so I will be a little harsh here and tell you how I feel about this. Friendly gestures become pointless when someone has to tell you to do them. Being nice and respectful to other people should be common sense. I dont think recieving a task about "make x feel like they are in Sweden" is going to make anyone want to do that.

While its a wholesome idea, I think its still bad. But then again, I'm one of those people who hate being told what to do. 

[Carthusia]

I like the idea, though not quite in this form.

More for departmental objectives, like say: as the chef cook X meals, serve X meals, prepare a dinner for  command etc

[Zedahktur]

3 hours ago, BlackDog said:

I like the idea, though not quite in this form.

More for departmental objectives, like say: as the chef cook X meals, serve X meals, prepare a dinner for  command etc

Can't wait for the impossible "Don't blow up scichem" goal for science.

[BottomQuark]

The idea is nice.
But as it was said:
 

18 hours ago, Frank said:

Friendly gestures become pointless when someone has to tell you to do them

I thin what @BlackDogproposes has more sense.

You can give engineer objective "reconstruct bar to look nicer if bartender allows it", but not "Make <bartender name> feel rich by making his surrondings fancy". Technically means the same, but it's not really. First one is more detailed and says that if bartented allows it.

 

 

21 hours ago, maxfromsweden said:

Probably impossible to code to check for succesful achievment of the goal.

Yeah that's a problem. People love greentext and we know it. Without greentext only few will care about such objectives. Is is that bad? I don't think so.

 

This list:

21 hours ago, maxfromsweden said:

Example goals:

• Make X look like a hero
• Surprise X with a personal gift
• Make sure X gets a medal/promotion
• Make a unique drink for X
• Build a shrine to player X
• Make sure X is featured in the newspaper
• Make sure X gets their favorite food
• Make sure sees their rival/enemy/frenemy embarrassed
• Get X their favorite book/item
• Give X the best compliment.
• Get X to partake in a scientific experiment.
• Show X a special part of the station.
• Make a special joke for X.
• Make sure X has the best shift ever

Is too vague. Making feel someone like a hero can mean a lot, and doesn't really give someone an idea how to achive it. I personally would be confused with what to do. Objectives for players have to be plain and simple to grasp, like "Create teleportation pads between bridge and head office". You see it and you know exactly how to do it. That is not meant to offend anyone but people are easily confused with vague objectives. The more complicated objective, the less people will actually know what to do with them, ESPECIALLY the new people.

I'm not gonna go through the whole list, but most of these points would give you a task that is quite hard to complete and already requires some creativity. The problem is you should not force people to be creative, but convince them to.

Also consider other players. Not everyone wants someone to interact with them. If someone got a /quest/ "Bring Machinist of the Milky Way their favorite drink" that would be nice, but then if someone got the task "Make sure Machinist of the Milky Way has the best shift ever" I would feel a little bit awkward if someone was just following me and try to forcefully make things well for me. ((Kinda bad example, but I hope you get my point)).

 

TL;DR - Please don't force people to be kind. It has to come from the people themselves to have any meaning. Objectives for people are fun and they can be directed to help somone or improve someone's workplace/mood, and that's what we could do. But not the straight up "Be nice to this person".

[maxfromsweden]

Thanks for the responses everyone! I've taken some time to respond to everyone.

On 4/9/2022 at 4:26 PM, Frank said:

Ok so I will be a little harsh here and tell you how I feel about this. Friendly gestures become pointless when someone has to tell you to do them. Being nice and respectful to other people should be common sense. I dont think recieving a task about "make x feel like they are in Sweden" is going to make anyone want to do that.

While its a wholesome idea, I think its still bad. But then again, I'm one of those people who hate being told what to do. 

Thanks for your input! Hopefully I can explain my reasoning a bit more clearer.

This is a sentiment that is repeated in several posts and I find it interesting. I don't understand how you're forced to perform this goal. There is zero consequence if you choose not to pursue it. Hence, you're not forced.

On the other hand, if this goal is presented to you and you choose to pursue it, you have chosen to be kind. I do understand hating the sentiment of being told what to do. But just like traitor objectives, no one is forcing you to do them.

On 4/9/2022 at 7:36 PM, BlackDog said:

I like the idea, though not quite in this form.

More for departmental objectives, like say: as the chef cook X meals, serve X meals, prepare a dinner for  command etc

Thank you for your input. I would love departmental objectives.

Compared to departmental objectives this feature would be way easier to code and implement. You can take the goals as written, write the code that the goal is displayed for (X numbers) of players per round, and thats it. Departmental objectives would require more coding work (sorting each player by their department) and (figuring out the actual goals which are department specific). This suggestion is a step towards department goals, and qutite a small one.

On 4/10/2022 at 11:14 AM, BottomQuark said:

Yeah that's a problem. People love greentext and we know it. Without greentext only few will care about such objectives. Is is that bad? I don't think so.

Thanks for your well thought out post!

This is not the topic for it, but I do think greentext feature is detrimental to actual roleplaying as it stands now. Considering the amount of creativity people display in this game for no other reward than "I wanted to build/create/rp it" that is lost after the round, I do think there is space for goals without greentexting. If you wanted to make the feature more complicated, you could add a "Goal completed feature" that would poll the target player asking them if the other player completed the goal. But again, it would be extra work for what I would consider be a needless scoreboard.

On 4/10/2022 at 11:14 AM, BottomQuark said:

Is too vague. Making feel someone like a hero can mean a lot, and doesn't really give someone an idea how to achive it. I personally would be confused with what to do. Objectives for players have to be plain and simple to grasp, like "Create teleportation pads between bridge and head office". You see it and you know exactly how to do it. That is not meant to offend anyone but people are easily confused with vague objectives. The more complicated objective, the less people will actually know what to do with them, ESPECIALLY the new people.

I do agree that the goals could be better. Like all suggestions, this is a first draft. I would argue that a goal such as "Make sure X gets their favorite food" would be an easier objective to accomplish for a new player than most traitor objectives. But some of the written goals can be re-phrased for clarity and more intersting interactions.

On 4/10/2022 at 11:14 AM, BottomQuark said:

I'm not gonna go through the whole list, but most of these points would give you a task that is quite hard to complete and already requires some creativity. The problem is you should not force people to be creative, but convince them to.

Yes, some of them would be hard to complete. Some of them are maybe even impossible. As I responded to @Frank, there is no force at all. Just like traitor objectives, you're offered a suggested goal. If you choose to pursue it, great. If not, no problem.

On 4/10/2022 at 11:14 AM, BottomQuark said:

Also consider other players. Not everyone wants someone to interact with them. If someone got a /quest/ "Bring Machinist of the Milky Way their favorite drink" that would be nice, but then if someone got the task "Make sure Machinist of the Milky Way has the best shift ever" I would feel a little bit awkward if someone was just following me and try to forcefully make things well for me. ((Kinda bad example, but I hope you get my point)).

I do get your point. Some may not be in the mood and if you are actively annoying them, you're most likely not fulfilling your objective. In your specific example I would personally just ask that character  "Hey, what would make this shift the best ever for you?" they may say "You leaving me the hell alone." - Mission accomplished. Or they may offer a constructive path. Or they may not respond at all.

As I wrote in the OP "The journey itself is the goal here, not the destination."

 

[BottomQuark]

On 4/12/2022 at 5:38 PM, maxfromsweden said:

This is not the topic for it, but I do think greentext feature is detrimental to actual roleplaying as it stands now.

I actually more or less agree. The reality is that we cannot delete the green text, at least not now.

On 4/12/2022 at 5:38 PM, maxfromsweden said:

On 4/10/2022 at 11:14 AM, BottomQuark said:

I'm not gonna go through the whole list, but most of these points would give you a task that is quite hard to complete and already requires some creativity. The problem is you should not force people to be creative, but convince them to.

Yes, some of them would be hard to complete. Some of them are maybe even impossible. As I responded to @Frank, there is no force at all. Just like traitor objectives, you're offered a suggested goal. If you choose to pursue it, great. If not, no problem.

Alright I can agree that it's not forcing people to be nice. I disagree with the statement about traitor objective being only a suggestion, but that's another topic.
 

I think to go on with this topic, we would need to propose better tasks, and figure out if the tasks should be more of a "department tasks" rather than general positive one.
I would propose just making department tasks, that are focused on improving someone else's work efficiency/surroundings/etc.

So more or less (examples for things that cannot be green-texted):
1. Medbay
- Provide miners with emergency synthflesh automenders
2. Security (no idea really what tasks they would get)
- Patrol <department>.
3. Engineering
- Renovate <area> if allowed by the <area worker> (So for example - renovate bar if bartender allows, renovate medbay if CMO allows, etc.)
4. Science
- Upgrade <department> equipment with better components from RnD.
5. Cargo
- Provide a personal cat to whoever requires one.

All of this would need to be approved by heads, maintainers, etc. so things like that should be figured out if you're planning on pursuing the idea further.

[Trekkie27]

I like this idea. Although I think that the problem still could be the "you dont get a greentext" - if just one person will take their objective serious, this could be a change of spirit for the people involved. With change of spirit I mean that the whole "winning-loosing" mentality could be toned down a little. ,

When are you a winner? When you're having fun! And I think this idea could make people have fun AND boost up the RP on the server a bit.

Codewise and that, I cant talk about at all, since im stupid in that aspect. But I generally think its a good ide and could make peoples RP experiences better. I dont see the harm it could cause.