Improving Creative- My take. (Scroll to "The Details" for quick info)
A central foundation of the Meepcraft Economy is the ability to create towns, and an important part of this town-making process is the use of architectural knowledge to create something that appeals to the public. Doing so attracts more people to one's town, and helps the economy as a whole, as more expensive/ larger quantities of materials creates demand. The problem? Over time, demand is lost, as a dwindling or just barely surfacing population makes housing impossible to be profitable, and those big, demand-inducing projects (the malls, big town spawns, etc) stand already built. Further adding to the problem is the general lack of incentive and skills to effectively create nice looking builds. This can be seen in towns A/B , where the economy of the past few months ran almost solely off the (boring) diamond-mining industry.
With the Introduction of Towns G, these issues have disappeared, and demand is high whilst supply of good building materials is low, helping to create an ample environment for both old and new aspiring architects. However, these good times are bound to run out sometime, and in these coming months a new strategy must be imposed to help combat these problems. I sincerely think my idea can help alleviate some of the issues mentioned above, and in itself add a new level of complexity that is bound to be a fun challenge for all! So enough of these formalities, here it is.
The Details
(This idea is not 100% original, as many creative servers use it; however, Meepcraft can definitely put it's own spin on the idea, with the added focus of using it to complement Meepcraft's towny nature)
Before going into greater detail on each subject, here is a short bulleted list of the would-be changes.
- A new staff rank, perhaps called "Inspector", comprising Meepcraft's best and brightest architects, who will judge a player's creation and deem it worthy or unworthy of a rank-up.
- A new ranking system (I like the idea of a C, CC, B, BB, A, AA, AAA system) that groups people according to their skill.
- A system that gives players larger plots the higher their rank.
- Creative Coins, a new currency that the "inspectors" would give out, which can be converted to Meebles. This system would help eliminate possible toxicity if an inspector went bad and gave out lot's of Meebles.
- Possible (Meepcraft) rank perks which could include larger / more plots (not sure if this compromises the EULA).
- Creative Events that would include prizes such as Creative Coins or a rank-up (ie. a Quick Build Challenge)
Staff Rank:
Included in the new system would be a staff rank that would act as a judge. These people must have the proven ability to build (and in more than one style), along with the enthusiasm and respect needed to be a helpful asset to aspiring architects. However, they must also have a spine, and be able to say no, even when it's obvious a person really tried. The "Inspectors" would judge things according to aesthetics, landscaping, theme, and perhaps functionality. The Inspectors would have access to a number of Creative-only commands, like /rank up [name] (I think there is a plug-in for this). Furthermore, Inspectors should be given the ability to place on all plots (after asking for permission first) to assist players with a few tips. They would also be in charge of giving out the "Creative Coins" which would come in set intervals to prevent toxicity. Inspectors would be summoned in 1 of 3 ways: either /modreq , a new similar /insreq , or through Global. Finally, Inspectors should heavily encourage good builds to be remade in towny, perhaps with a sign or item that shows other players they really like it.
Ranking System
Players would be given the opportunity to participate in a new, fun ranking system, where their skills would be put up to test. The rankings would group all new-comers to creative in the single C rank (or whatever the ranking system would be), and from there they must create upwards of 7 builds to reach the coveted AAA rank. Furthermore, an interesting possibility would be that the AAA rank can only be achieved if the project is re-made in towny. Obviously, with each subsequent rank upgrade the stakes would be set higher, with the AAA rank achieving Master-level build requirements. Under this system I think it fair to allow players to queue up until about rank B or BB (with both players getting a yay or ney), and after that require people to work on their projects alone. Players would only be allowed 1 rank-up per interval of time (ie. Hour, 6 hours, a day, etc: whatever Admins want)
Larger / More Plots
Self-explanatory, however it is my recommendation that plots sizes start at 50-75 blocks; every letter change (ie. CC->B) would grant an additional 25-50 blocks, whilst every single letter to double/triple letter (ie. C->CC) should get 1 extra plot in their level. Players should be allowed to keep their previous plots.
Creative Coins
A currency system exclusive to creative, with either a /warp or a place at spawn to exchange to Meebles. Another possibility is that the coins could be exchanged directly by Admins, similar to how Klutch is exchanging A/B Meebles -> G. The system would help draw more people into the creative landscape, whilst helping to eliminate possible inspector toxicity if one went rogue and decided to give out endless Meebles. The coins could also be used to purchase things such as barrier blocks.
Meepcraft Rank Perks
Not quite sure what could be given except more/larger plots, and if that breaks EULA. I'm sure we can brainstorm, however!
Creative Events
Events which would be hosted by Inspectors, possibly at a place called /warp cEvent , where there could be many plots that get cleared after the event. People would be allowed to claim these plots, but only during event time. Event prizes could include Creative Coins or direct Meebles, rank-ups, or items. This too would help draw people into the creative landscape and help create a fun, competitive atmosphere.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- We're helping people learn new skills, and opening new doors to different interests. This may help improve player-retention.
- It would provide a medium of certification for architects and builds themselves. Firstly, your creative rank in general would provide an indication of how good an architect is (which, by the way, should be accessible for all to see with a command). Architects with AAA rank would be chosen over BB, thus providing some competition between players, and helping service-buyers have a clear picture of who they are hiring. Secondly, the sign or item placed on the plots of towny-worthy builds by Inspectors would greatly help advertising new houses or shops, and perhaps create a sort of culture that expects nicer pre-builts and town spawns and the such.
- This new project would inspire people to learn to build bigger, better, and more functionally. Bigger and better generally coincide with more materials, and more expensive, hard-to-get materials, which creates demand and thus helps the economy.
- From personal experience, I can generally say that the more nice towns there are, the more people are inspired to also make nice towns of their own. For me, Dreamcraft comes to mind. After seeing Dreamcraft I knew I had to work harder, and as a result I can honestly say I've honed my skills quite a lot in that style of building. If you too have ever felt that way (and I'm assuming you have), then I think it's fair to say that if more nice towns / builds are created, more people will be inspired to do that as well, thus creating a domino effect that in the end helps the economy.
-Finally, it's adding something that is bound to be fun, especially with the possible additions of /pwarp cEvent , the potential for money generation through Creative Coins, and the many other possibilities that can arise from it!
Cons
- May make Creative too competitive and unfavorable to those who just simply want to build. However, there's nothing stopping them from building and simply not ranking up.
-Substantially increasing the number of plots per person to a maximum of 7-12 could lag the server.
- This would be a large overhaul, which takes time and careful planning, and depending on the paths taken, some tech work. I completely understand if this idea is thrown the to wayside to make room for more important issues.
Please Make Sure to answer the Poll and to comment in detail your opinion on my idea! :)
(Ps. I searched the "Accepted" and "On-Trello" threads, as well as (parts) of the denied and currently waiting ideas. I could not find any similar threads, however if there are, I am sincerely sorry! Know 1) I came up with this idea myself, even if someone else came up with it first and 2) I did not wish to waste anyone's time! Have an awesome day!:))
