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Staff Topic

The First Feat!!!

You know the legend of Groddlocritus right? The great philosopher who discovered Imagination in the first place? Then you certainly know of his legendary meditation which lasted 11,113 minutes. It was a Feat which echo'd through history, right to the present moment. If we Glitches can united to re-create this week during the next six game days (the new "game week!") then ... something cool will happen.

UPDATE (one hour later): We've fixed the bug which prevented the correct display of your own contribution. Everyone's previous meditation counted towards advancing the overall goal (yay!) but until a few minutes ago the individual contributions were not correctly recorded.

So, take heart from your anonymous gift to your fellow players — the advancement of towards the goal of re-creating an ancient feat is a wonderful thing! — and take heart also from the fact that your individual contributions will now be recorded properly.

Posted 97 days ago by stoot barfield Subscriber! | Permalink

Replies

  • sgjo: I don't think it was dumb! Don't worry :)
    Posted 97 days ago by stoot barfield Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Merrylegs: if the Feat fails, there will be another chance to complete it with a different Feat … more like a delay than a permanent loss of content.
    Posted 97 days ago by stoot barfield Subscriber! | Permalink
  • and God said "This one was a test of the Feat broadcasting system. Went smooth. Expect more in the future. Oh, and that new stuff this feat unlocked? Well, let me say this: it is, in my most Holy and all-knowing opinion, the most fun real-time collaborative play thing we've added to the game so far. Sooooo good."

    I HOPE and WONDER if it will be the "collaborative step-sequencer" Stoot mentions here.

    Other guesses???
    Posted 97 days ago by The Cat Face Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I meditated till i hit zen yesterday. as in real life days. then i came in and missed the feat(on home page). 
    GAHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    (And i still can't play the game, more than 3 reloads already!!!)
    Posted 97 days ago by Kristabel Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Hm, should the meditation also have counted towards the meditation badges?  The feat was cool, but I thought I would pick up some of the Ace of Om--etc. badges along the way, and I didn't receive any of them.  Bug, maybe?
    Posted 97 days ago by Polytropic Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I spend a lot of time in game and have never been so excited and then so crushed to find out I missed something that I had no opportunity of taking part in due to my time zone. 

    I do hope there will be varying times/lengths in the future like you said and that there will be no badges/trophies as a result of participating but rather other rewards (iMG) for being on at the right time.

    I have missed so many things which have been out of my control due to my time zone (Aus), but I love being an active and contributing member of Glitch society and so have pulled many a one nighter. I have to be honest in saying my little faded heart is a bit more on the grey scale today:(
    Posted 97 days ago by Cleops Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Um - i meditated for at least 30 mins and still no recognition when others who did less got counted... 
    Posted 97 days ago by Chester Todd Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Oo...ss, stoot...I accidentally substituted your name for Myles!! (my brain seems to be running 20 pages behind, today 8^D)
    Posted 97 days ago by sgjo Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Polytropic: meditation should count towards badges whether or not there is a Feat going (the same goes for other activities; Feats will not replace normal functionality, unless that is obvious/explicit). So, there could be a bug, or it could be that you haven't quite made it to the badge yet.

    Cleops: Feats (and other events) will be available for different lengths of time and will start at different times of day. In this casem it was important for us to start it while we were awake so that we could make sure things were working.

    No matter what, some people will miss some events — it's the nature of something being limited in time, and if this one had started in prime-time for Australia, it's likely that people in the EU or North America would have missed it. And, regardless of where in the world they live, still others would have missed it because they were working or travelling or sick, etc. It still seems better (to us) to have events rather than keep everything static and even.
    Posted 97 days ago by stoot barfield Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Chester Todd: there was an update posted shortly after this thread went up — scroll up and you can read it (short version: some early contributions, while advancing the overall goal, were not recorded to the credit of the individual contributors; this was later fixed). 
    Posted 97 days ago by stoot barfield Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Are feats going to happen on a weekly basis from now on?
    Posted 97 days ago by Hellyeah Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I'm exhausted from all this meditation.
    Posted 97 days ago by Csophae Subscriber! | Permalink
  • aww, I had to go to bed before the update, so i guess my individual meditation wasn't credited. That probably only matters if there's a little prize for individual participation
    Posted 97 days ago by xLIFEx Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Yikes, that's not fair... I contributed several minutes of meditations before I went to work, only to find out they didn't count when I got home, and it was too late to get in on it? Ouch.
    Posted 97 days ago by The Docta Subscriber! | Permalink
  • don't worry, you still contributed to the wonder of Groddlocritus!
    Posted 97 days ago by shhexy corin Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I still do not show as contributing and I was meditating when there was less than 200 minutes on the goal.
    Posted 97 days ago by LtlBoyBlue Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Wooo, and my contribution totally has been recorded, even if it's rather tiny. I don't get how the people at the top did it for so long. Isn't one person's maximum daily meditation the same as the next person's? And you could multiply that by 6 if the feat lasted for the full 6 days, though I assume it was compleded quicker...
    Posted 97 days ago by xLIFEx Subscriber! | Permalink
  • After you max out on energy gained from meditation, you can switch to focused mood meditation which has no limit.
    Posted 97 days ago by MaryLiLamb Subscriber! | Permalink
  • You can also radiate once you've hit zen, too.
    Posted 97 days ago by Aliera Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I'm wondering whether it might be better to keep participation records for future Feats to a 'yes/no' rather than a 'how much' with leaderboards...
    Posted 97 days ago by katlazam Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Mood meditation has no limit? I'll never drink AGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIN! *Heaves up crab juice dispenser and smashes it through the window*
    Posted 97 days ago by xLIFEx Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Thank you for the new feats. I like the idea very much. However, I am not particularly fond of the leader boards. They seem to foster a spirit of competition as opposed to cooperation and can devalue the effort put in by those who aren't at the top of the boards. Perhaps a better method might be to have levels of achievements - that are clearly defined in advance - with rewards based on the contribution put forth. This never makes ONE person a leader, but also recognizes those who put forth the most effort. 

    One more thing, I understand this was test and probably simplified for that reason. However, I really hope that if feats are going to unlock new content and such that they are bigger, more challenging, and just "feel" more epic in the future. Meditating is something I imagine most of us do anyway (at least since the most awesome change), so simply getting credit for doing it didn't feel...I don't know...different? rewarding? At least it didn't to me.
    Posted 97 days ago by Faux Paws Subscriber! | Permalink
  • The unfortunate part for me was that most of my meditation happened during the glitch where personal time wasn't being recorded, and once it was I had to make the choice between glitch or spending time with my husband {albeit playing another MMO}. Still, this was fun. I do wish for events like this there weren't best participation awards, perhaps just a general "i participated" award {sort of what katlazam said} - and yes I am aware that someone who did a lot would complain about someone who did one thing getting the same reward, but tell me honestly you wouldn't still work your tail off to accomplish the goal? Sometimes people just can't do more than they do. At least the over all project gets us a goal reward of a sort, and I am glad for that.
    Posted 97 days ago by Pixieyelsraek Subscriber! | Permalink
  • The leaderboard does sort of...give me the temptation to play Glitch for 24 hours straight :P
    Posted 97 days ago by xLIFEx Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I agree with Ghemma that the leaderboards seem to be a call for competition rather than cooperation. Not terribly fond of them, either. Feats are a super cool concept, though! Color me intrigued. I only have MA1 unlocked, though, and I was too late to actually contribute (even if the page says I contributed, it was only to the surplus minutes), so I can't say there was much in this one for me. Maybe future ones...
    Posted 97 days ago by Makai Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Aww i missed this because of my timezone. Sounds quite exciting though. Looking forward to either some that are started during my daylight hours or some that are designed to last 24-48 hours default world hours.
    Posted 97 days ago by DramaticHamster Subscriber! | Permalink
  • xLIFEx: I GOT FOUR HOURS OF SLEEP LAST NIGHT.
    Posted 96 days ago by Csophae Subscriber! | Permalink
  • You guys know that it still counts right?  You may have missed the "main event", but Stoot said that this time (maybe not in the future though) meditation still counts and the leaderboards are still shifting.

    I assume that means that even if you weren't originally on the leaderboard, you can still make it in there.  :)
    Posted 96 days ago by Serra Subscriber! | Permalink
  • shhhhhhhhh
    Posted 96 days ago by Csophae Subscriber! | Permalink
  • "I can see a lot of fun with this.  Perhaps a strange story that describes a few different actions a Glitch could take with a progress bar that doesn't tell us what it is measuring.  Feats that involve finding special items hidden throughout the world and bringing them somewhere.  Feats connected to something like the smuggler missions.  Or maybe mini-games that drive the progress bar like, oh who knows, jumping over barrels or jumping from moving platforms with points for how far you get or how long you last.  Feats with multiple possible endings that could serve as a vote that includes everyone, perhaps a favor race between all 11 giants with content or bonuses or items inspired by the winning giant."

    (Orig. Saucelah)

     I agree with all of this!  Especially measuring an action but not telling us what it is :)
    Posted 96 days ago by ennuienta Subscriber! | Permalink
  • +1 Saucelah
    Posted 96 days ago by Muncey Mango Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Hmm, I don't have the Harmony Hound (101 meditation minutes) badge...That's interesting...
    i.imgur.com/HSfWH.png

    Edit: I'm told the problem of badges not updating was submitted and is being worked on.
    Posted 96 days ago by Csophae Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I have to disagree with Ghemma. The game already has leaderboards, and it worked the same way for old street projects. Look at the page for Langden Abbey, it shows pictures of the three people who put the most work into unlocking that particular street. It's not meant to be competition, it's meant to be recognition.
    Posted 96 days ago by Rev. Desdemona Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I don't mind the competition aspect of it. I think a little competition is good. Maybe have a mixed system, where to hit certain levels/rank you just need to meet a predefined goal regardless of other peoples achievements or the number of other people who also hit that rank with some ranks a challenge to reach for the goal oriented. And then also have the top performers ranked for those who enjoy the competition.
    Posted 96 days ago by Mithax Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I agree with Ghemma, I dislike leader boards. I play the game to relax, not compete, too much like the real world. It was nice to see a group gather together on a street again and accomplish a goal, like on the old street projects.
    Posted 96 days ago by Suzy Spring Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Not to be that guy Suzy but why should a leaderboard interfere in any way with the way YOU play the game? If you dont want to compete, then dont compete
    Posted 96 days ago by Jindujun Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Don't look at like person A meditated better than person B, but more like person A invested more time than person B, and let them be recognized. I could personally care less about the leader boards, but it was cool to see where I stood among other players, It's not like there are any benefits from being #1.
    Posted 96 days ago by Muncey Mango Subscriber! | Permalink
  • The top 5 meditators right now have all been at #1, so we've had a chance to try to catch up to each other and then take a screencap as Legend. And it's been SO MUCH FUN.
    Posted 96 days ago by Csophae Subscriber! | Permalink
  • The competitive aspect of the Feat leaderboard only encourages grinding, and I know that TS has, at least in the past, indicated that they were interested in identifying and changing aspects of the game that encourage grinding over genuine fun gameplay. 

    The nine people at the top of the boards have currently totaled almost 28 hours of meditation since the Feat was released. Is this really the kind of play that TS wanted to see as a result of this feature? I would be surprised if that were the case. 

    Yes, there are and have been leaderboards in the game before, but there is also a history of removal of leaderboards, such as xp/img. And the street projects were incredibly unfun to many players for a long time due to their competitive element before the projects were removed. 

    I know this might feel fun to some but I'm not convinced this is necessarily the case. I used to find it fun to make sure I was always speed-learning. Then they removed the visual cue of the rock quickly flipping through his book. I missed this at first but soon realized that it wasn't actually me having fun but rather that I had been compulsively driven by the framework provided by the game to endlessly grind for favor to spend, and it was ultimately a relief to be freed of this constraint. 

    Now I'm not trying to speak for those board-leaders, who probably are having fun (as confirmed by Csophae!) and I understand that I can ignore this part of the gameplay if I don't find it fun. But I do think that for the community as a whole, more fun would be had on balance with a more cooperative design for Feats, and I think there have been some good suggestions made so far for how this might be done. 
    Posted 96 days ago by katlazam Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Katlazam: At least regarding the feats, the devs have mentioned they most likely won't function like this one again. Once the feat has been accomplished, the top contributors board will stop counting further contributions. Which is fair and how it should be, I agree. :)
    Posted 96 days ago by Csophae Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I think this is something that Neopets did right.  Laugh if you want, but in their glory days (which is a long time ago, yes I know) they knew how to do huge projects involving thousands of players, and some of them lasted for months of real-time.  They looked a lot like Glitch feats/street projects, and often had the same purpose of opening up in-game content "in character".  They required things like scavenger hunts, codebreaking, minigames, and sometimes just repetitive clicking (which I'm not dissing, I love that shit).

    Neopets plots dealt with leaderboards the way that Ghemma and others are recommending in this thread  -- they had various "levels" of participation that were predefined, so anyone who contributed more than x amount got a gold trophy, the next step down was a silver trophy, and all the way down to medals and certificates and even booby prizes.  There was no limit to the number of gold trophies that were given out, so it was just a matter of how much a given player wanted to commit/contribute. I would really love to see that sort of thing happen with these Feats, which have a lot of potential but clearly aren't quite there yet.

    If I sound like I'm obsessing, it's because I LOVED these huge, worldwide, playerbase-wide projects, and if that stuff were folded more into the experience here then I would be the happiest Glitch there is.
    Posted 96 days ago by Pale Queen Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Yeah, I saw that and considered it in deciding how I felt about the leaderboards, but ultimately I don't really think it changes much. In fact I think it would be a more interesting experiment to see, if this personal incentive was removed, how it might change how progress was made by the community in completing a Feat. Even though we didn't know that there would be a leaderboard yesterday, I think a lot of people suspected there might be, which in part contributed to how much more quickly the Feat was completed than the devs expected.
    Posted 96 days ago by katlazam Subscriber! | Permalink
  • not at all. People meditated for the good of the game. You can tell by the fun everyone had in cerabekul. i do agree that perhaps leader bords should be removed but idk 
    Posted 96 days ago by Frowning Flounder Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Don't count out that so many people are really hungry for new stuff to do in the game. Look at how quickly anything new gets jumped upon. I would bet that was more a motivator for most folks than getting onto a leaderboard.
    Posted 96 days ago by Flowerry Pott Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Thanks for all the feedback and suggestions, everyone. There are some very good ideas in here! We're planning at least one more test run (probably a multi-Feat Epic) before we go into the regular cycle of Feats, so we'll continue experimenting as we go.

    About 30 minutes before this first one ended we decided to switch to it so that people could keep contributing even after the goal was reached (this took some quick engineering, testing and hot-deploying). In retrospect though, it was not a great idea to do that because it had the side effect of the Leaderboard continuing to change. So, that is unlikely to ever be the case with future feats :)

    While I think that we're very likely to have "a permanent archive page for each Feat which lists some of the contributors and not others, and selects at least some contributors to show based on the magnitude of their contribution to completing the Feat" because that makes the new calendar interesting to browse (holiday info will be added too!), I like the approach Pale Queen describes from NeoPets (in many ways ahead of their time!).
    Posted 96 days ago by stoot barfield Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Ah, neopets... before they sold out to Viacom...
    Posted 96 days ago by Pixieyelsraek Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Whilst world events and feats are all good fun, clicking on a focus ball to get on a leaderboard for 24 hours is not. The original concept of being able to gather/source something in an hours play should still work for this, even to get a foothold on a tier of accomplishment.
    As an afterthought, maybe to split the board between meditation/ radiators/ levitation/ mood/ energy would have been better so we could pick one and there be a broader spread of feet on tiers.
    Posted 96 days ago by Vogon Blarg Subscriber! | Permalink
  • "NeoPets — in some ways they were way ahead of their time."
                                                                                 - Stewart Butterfield
    Posted 96 days ago by Muncey Mango Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I used to love Neopets but oh how you have fallen. Ie: dang you Nickelodeon.
    Posted 96 days ago by koolaroo Subscriber! | Permalink
  • OK.  Here's what *I* want.  

    1. An additional 'fling' verb on guano. 
    2. A feat that involves poo flinging.    This would so be a perfect way to celebrate the end of Beta. 
    Posted 96 days ago by WalruZ Subscriber! | Permalink