Support Code - Changes

[Kinaed]

After the Monarch Quest finished, I've seen a marked drop-off in the use of the support code. In part, I think it is because people don't see the value of supporting one another anymore. Also, because names are hidden, people getting support cannot act on the information therein, thereby further making the system negligible. That was never intended to be the case. the support code was always intended to affect people's behavior.

To keep the system viable, I'm going to make who is supporting and subverting visible. If subverters wouldn't let someone know they're subverting the other party, then they'll have to undermine them in a different manner than through this system. If we come up with a viable alternative, such as skills for players to spy on the social ties of various players, then we may go anonymous again, but I think that's a poor choice for the time being.

The purpose of this note is to provide a bit of advanced notice so that players who do not wish to show off their subversions have an opportunity to change them as well as offer players the opportunity to comment before I put this change into effect.

[RabbleRouser]

I thought the intention when support was made invisible was to create a support/covert option and not have it all visible or all invisible, but to allow the option for folks to be sneaky and require RPA to track them down if they wish, and that should go both for positive and negative support.

[Kinaed]

That was an intention, yes, but I think that it may have been a poor choice.

Regardless, the system is hampered without visibility (as mentioned above) and I'm not sure that I'm sold on people being able to anonymously subvert/support a player as being of a real benefit or game driver, especially not above the system simply not being used for having no bearing on anything. Visibly, it has bearing.

Following on this, we may set up skills to make one's support/subvert anonymous at a later date/time.

[Geras]

I'd suspect that the lack of use has more to do with few benefits for it at the moment. Once support matters use will go up. Which is why it was used during the quest.