Topic

Badge Nerf

So I'm not a big fan of complaining on the forums. Up until now, I haven't really done it; out of what I thought was a matter of principle. Although really, I think it's because so far, TS hasn't made any change to the game I really disliked. Indeed, I've reviewed the game on three occasions, and each time, found the game and its changes overwhelmingly positive. But a change presented today is one that I'll finally have to break my silence over.

From the Glitch Change Log (found at https://twitter.com/glitchlog/statuses/230918577685925888):
"We've changed to a new system for achievement tracking. As a side-effect. badges will show up a little later than they used to. Relaaaxing!"

For a lot of people, this isn't an issue. For quite a few others, in fact for the players who show the most dedication to the game, this isn't relaxing at all. It's nothing short of panic-inducing. Up until recently, I've never really been one to grind badges. However, for whatever reason, I've decided to get into badge grinding lately. And there's nothing more satisfying than finally receiving your 10009th snail, and the corresponding achievement. As intelligent beings, we glitchen enjoy the natural relationship between cause and effect (as an example of how stressful things can be when this gets out of whack, ever tried gardening with lag?). It's what allows us to intelligently manage a given situation.

Aside from the logical, scientific reasoning why this change is disruptive, there's also the practical reason. Those who grind badges are possibly the most efficiency-focused people in the game, wondering "how can I accomplish this goal in the fastest time possible, and using the least materials?" However, not knowing exactly when to stop throwing resources into a badge can be an issue. When grinding some achievements, one must harvest an unusably large number of a given item (I've finished both my house and my tower, and all the furniture I'll need for the forseeable future, and still have about 7000 snails left over). Therefore, we're not going after these items for the sake of possessing the item itself. We're going after a separate goal, and usually have no interest in getting much more than the exact required number of items to get [insert badge here]. As a recent example, the Supafly Flycatcher badge. Not only was this one quite the chore, fireflies aren't the most useful item in the game. So I now have a hoard of fireflies that I'll most likely never need. But not a moment of my time was wasted. I got exactly what I was looking for. No more. No less.

As another example, this one involving credits (as usually credits are the issue that hits closest to home), Licensed Teleporter (Whoa Class). This was a badge I grinded (ground?) several months ago, before I was into badge grinding in general. Obviously, I used imbued scripts to two adjacent streets in the same region, to eliminate cooldowns and minimize loading times (granted, Cebarkul and Oktyabrya probably weren't the best street choices; if you were there when I did this one, I apologize for the flood of enter/leave messages I left in the process). Regardless, I burned through imbued scripts (which cost two credits each to make) rather quickly. I was on a rather bad connection when I did this, so maybe I just spent a few credits per minute, but had I been on my usual connection, I would've eaten through them much faster. Once I reached my 503rd teleport with follower, I then proceeded to immediately cease using the scripts, as they could then be saved for some other use (in this case, I gave the remaining scripts to the person who helped with the badge). Had badges been nerfed at this point, I would've wasted quite a few credits after having already accomplished my purpose.

My last point was by no means intended to trivialize the wastefulness of grinding past the required amounts for badges that don't involve credits. Quite the contrary. I don't enjoy being wasteful when grinding any badge, and enjoy being promptly informed as to when my work is complete (also, the wastefulness issue aside, the OCD in me likes to know the exact moment when I've finished a badge; a time off by a few seconds is still an incorrect time).

In conclusion, Tiny Speck, I implore you to restore the sacred bond of cause and effect that Glitch-kind has learned to depend on since we were first imagined by the Giants.

-- Signed,
The Badgers of Ur

Posted 4 months ago by Jus​tin Subscriber! | Permalink

Replies

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  • Sad sad :(

    -Another Badger of Ur.
    Posted 4 months ago by Palindrome Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Thanks for the explanation, Myles! That helps a lot -- it's so much easier to take changes to comfortable systems when we know why they're necessary. ^^
    Posted 4 months ago by Tathak Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Oh, thanks so much, Myles!! I like the quick tweets, but I LOVE the full explanations on changes. You've obviously been working very hard the last six months to get this "batch delay" down to 30s or LESS. (Awfully nice of you to let stoot keep his job after such a faux pas.)

    @Brib Annie -- The Rock's looks do certainly make a lot more sense now. It's a wonder he gets any reading done when he has to watch us all the time.
    Posted 4 months ago by kastlin Subscriber! | Permalink
  • But Stoot works so, so very hard! ;)

    Thank you for the explaination, Myles!. I love seeing how things work behind-the-scenes. Makes me (almost) miss my days of adminning a MUD.

    ...no it doesn't. But it's still cool!
    Posted 4 months ago by Aliera Subscriber! | Permalink
  • From what I've seen and read from Justin, he usually has a very positive and upbeat commentary about Glitch, so when he complains about something, I have no doubts that he is "complaining" for the good of the game.

    Those who chose to jump on him, especially certain low-level new players, would be better served to read some of the articles he's written to get a better understanding of where he's coming from before commenting.

    Thanks to Myles for the clarifications.
    Posted 4 months ago by Mablem Tiipot Subscriber! | Permalink
  • You are all welcome.
    Posted 4 months ago by Myles! Subscriber! | Permalink
  • +1 Rufus
    Posted 4 months ago by Muncey Mango Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Now we need an Eloquence of Myles! achievement for staff members who take the time to explain things to testers so clearly and completely.
    Posted 4 months ago by glum pudding Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Tribeca -- I know what you mean. At this point in my Glitch career, I'm incapable of not jumping....

    Myles! -- posts like this are why I'm here.

    --Me
    Posted 4 months ago by SchWM Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I don't mind. This doesn't affect how much fun I have in Glitch, and if it means more efficient gameplay then I don't mind.
    Posted 4 months ago by La Mariposa Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I appreciate both the explanation & the attitude, Myles. Please, though, consider how you tweet this sort of change. Putting a "happy face" on something that most people are likely to perceive as a downgrade (until it becomes virtually unnoticeable) just isn't helpful.

    Tell us about the change, tell us why, and give us a chance to on our best behavior about any minor gripes we may have!
    Posted 4 months ago by Pascale Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Myles, what other badges are "outside of the system?" Are teleporting and GoC badges outside? I'd think that GoC wins are infrequent enough (a minimum of 60 seconds apart) and teleports (except for imbued) will be 3 min apart.
    Posted 4 months ago by Miri Tazapin Subscriber! | Permalink
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