Topic

Idler - a character class / job / quest

success as an Idler would be based on idling. not doing anything, or at least not doing anything 'productive'.

quests could involve remaining logged in but not doing anything for long periods of time. skill points could be gathered for idling in idle friendly locations.

certain quests could involve true idling, doing absolutely nothing for hours on end - but long term success should not be hindered by walking around, talking and socializing. indeed, that could be part of the criteria for success.

a character who plays for a year, makes many friends, enjoys the game but does not advance past level 1 could be considered an "elite idler".

material wealth despite unproductiveness could also be a measure of success. players who do next to nothing, yet possess lavish homes, expensive items and many currants could also be considered elite idlers, with a secondary expertise in "mooching".

mooching could actually be a skill on the idler's skill tree. when given an item for the first time, an item the idler/moocher had no hand in producing, the person donating the item would gain XP. the moocher would gain nothing [except the item and maybe idler skill points].

one important item for an idler would be something called a 'boob tube'. possessing a boob tube, or another similar item, would cause the idler's XP to slowly depreciate, allowing them to compensate for mistakenly gained XP, and keep their XP as close to zero as possible.

idlers should have their own patron giant.

Posted 3 years ago by striatic Subscriber! | Permalink

Replies

  • It would be kind of amazing if, after leaving the game for a few weeks or months, you come back having conquered this! Hah - but, I don't know that there should be as many benefits like a patron giant for something that discourages gameplay. Perhaps a patron sloth?
    Posted 3 years ago by lauraglu Subscriber! | Permalink
  • well, doesn't discourage gameplay... the idea is that you'd advance through the idler skill tree by logging in and 'being present' .. talking to people .. walking around .. everything but *playing*.

    i think there could be some chill out quests where satisfying the quest would be something like "don't log in for a week! then log back in to complete the quest." or "go stand absolutely still beside the transporter stone in flipside, doing nothing and saying nothing for an hour to complete the quest."

    but i think in general the purpose in game of the idler wouldn't be to "not do anything" so much as "don't do anything *productive*" : ]
    Posted 3 years ago by striatic Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Perhaps more 'Philosopher' than idler?
    Posted 3 years ago by MetaGrrrl Subscriber! | Permalink
  • no .. just idler.

    philosophy strictly optional : ]
    Posted 3 years ago by striatic Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Bumping this, as I was thinking today about how many hours I logged during the test last weekend. I gave myself permission to play whenever I could since all weekend tests are rare, but I was kind of fried by it, especially Saturday night. I swear my dopamine receptors were smoking, and of course, another post-long-test byproduct is a compulsive brain dump into the forum that lasts for days after the test.

    So what if Glitch were a game that gently suggested that a player who is logged in and active for very long stretches stop playing for a while? A total Glitch cooldown, as it were.

    I know most people are going to hate this idea. And I am not suggesting players get booted off, or nagged. But I like the idea of a game that reminds you that there is still some real sunshine and delicious food to eat and cats to look at beyond the computer screen.
    Posted 2 years ago by Nanookie Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I like the Idler idea. Or, conversely, your player earns awards for how long you're offline, like those who abandon the game for a long time. It would be fun to come back and see a whole slew of silly awards for how long you neglected the game. Or to have "friends" who abandon the game...you'd still see updates about their "achievements" in being away. It would goad me into teasing them, perhaps bringing them back to the game.

    I like the idea of telling Glitch the hours you'd prefer to not play, so that skill earning and gameplay are slowed down and therefore easier to leave. If I want to sleep, I'd like to trade slower-time for my character and skill learning that I could trade in later, when I'm actively playing. I'd take an 8-hour slo-mo break if I could do a 2- to 4-hour fast-forward kick later.
    Posted 2 years ago by tiff Subscriber! | Permalink
  • That is a hilarious idea. :D Love it. I like how it turns away from everyone having the same goal in the game to something more lifelike- some of us want to climb Everest, some of us want to sit on the couch and watch tv.

    "So what if Glitch were a game that gently suggested that a player who is logged in and active for very long stretches stop playing for a while? A total Glitch cooldown, as it were."

    Doesn't it do that when you're 'pooped'? It told me to go chat in the forums for a bit while waiting for my character to regenerate. I like that idea, too. I think I only played Glitch like crazy this weekend because I knew it would close on Sunday night, but I am no stranger to addiction.

    Back when I didn't know anything about what Glitch was going to be I would have suggested tying it with real-life achievements. As in, your next Quest is to go out and take a picture and write a blog post about it. ;) Actually I would totally dig a game that brings real world in with online world in that way- kind of like Epic Win on the iPhone, or the sadly defunct Noticings on Flickr. Not sure if this is anywhere near the Glitch path, though.
    Posted 2 years ago by Cefeida Subscriber! | Permalink
  • +1
    Posted 2 years ago by Sasson Subscriber! | Permalink
  • The idler class could become so popular that everyone will do it! Glitch wouldn't even need a server!! Players would just sign up and log out!!!! EEEEEEE!!!
    Posted 2 years ago by Tingly Claus Subscriber! | Permalink
  • The Idler class will be the only that is pay to play.
    Posted 2 years ago by Nanookie Subscriber! | Permalink