Mentor program redux: who are interested?

[Annele]

I love how everyone just ignores the council member and just keeps on talking.

[Opsinis]

I love how everyone just ignores the council member and just keeps on talking.

Agreed. Is it me or are a bunch of people all working on the same thing? But not in coordination?
I suggest: http://elementscommunity.org/forum/index.php/topic,44832.0.html

[ddevans96]

bripod and I are already working on this; for quite a while, in fact. When it goes public, you will be surprised (in a good way, I hope)
In the mean time, if you are interested in helping out, contact bripod.

What he said.

[bripod]

I guess I should chime in here since this topic keeps popping up...

Yes, there are a few of us working to revamp this project. Yes it will take some time. Yes it is moving slower than we want and yes, we could use some help.

Ok, first off, I have scoured through the old Mentor Program files and identified the issues that ultimately caused its demise. The major issue was that there were WAY too many apprentices for the amount of mentors and the strain became too much for some and time became an issue for others.

What I have proposed (and others agreed on) is a system that can sustain itself and put less of a strain on persons wishing to either enroll in the program or mentor in the program.

The first section of this program will consist of a video series that will explain mechanics of the game and also the online community. We believe that this information will be sufficient to appease the curiosity of many persons and also allow them not only to proceed at their own pace but also to cross ref any topic with ease whenever they so desire.

Our first goal is to produce the videos concerning the online community, chat and online tools available to any player involved in the game. By getting them to the community first, we feel that many more questions can be answered simply by having access to the forum and the knowledge to find the information they desire.

Each topic will be discussed in its own video and in great detail (but not too overboard) and will cover all the areas to help alleviate post being brought up over and over each time a new batch of players comes through, posts in the wrong section, veteran players having to answer the same old questions or to guide a new player how to post a deck image etc.

The second set of videos will concentrate more on the mechanics of the game itself. Explanations of AI Levels, HB's FG's Arena, Arena Decks, Oracle, Bazaar, etc. While this series will not go too indepth with advanced topics like Strategies, Synergies, Deck building and the like, it will cover everything a new player might have on the basics of the game.

The third section of the program is where the personal one-on-one time will come in. Anyone wishing more instruction on the more advanced topics can enroll in a course that will be structured by guidelines that we are drawing up. What we hope to accomplish is the dissemination of information in an unbiased, factual and open manner that will educate the new player but allow them to form their own style of play and advancement through the game and not walk away from the program with the feeling that Mentor X ruined their experience because Mentor X told then that Water sux and they should sell all the Water cards they Upped to build a mono Gravity AI0 grinder... We want to give the new player and opportunity to grow while not pushing them into any direction what-so-ever.

So, with that said, what I would like to do is to firstly ask for Volunteers who are willing to help with the video portion of this project. I have always thought that it would be best if this were a Community Project as I feel that would show the level of commitment we all have towards this game.

If you'd like to volunteer for the video project please consider the following:
-You need to be able to record your screen in HD (1280x720)
-Utilize HD video editing software to Narrate and produce vids
-Follow a 'loose' script
-Upload vids to YouTube or transfer vids to others to upload.

As there are quite a few vids to be made, this will take some time. So please have patience with us as we would like to make this something the community can be proud of.

Any one wanting to volunteer for the Mentoring stage of the Program please give us some time to complete the course guidelines and finalize that section of the project. In the meantime, please take this time to learn all you can about this game!

Feel free to drop me a line to Volunteer with a subject line of "Video Volunteer" to be added to the list and be given your assignment. Please allow me a day or three as I do have a full-time job and many other responsibilities.

Thank you for taking the time to read this far if you did, and for volunteering if that's the case also...

peace,
bripod

[Absol]

I see. A project like this has been made, though not publicly.

My take (if any): mentor paired with apprentices (maybe 3 at most, if private, or changing mentor if public) which then teaches whatever the apprentices want to learn. It could be a certain deck strategy, deck building, or grinding. Any mentor will also have a special skill (in my case, it's creative usage of cards, for example. Chapuz doing OTK and furball SoFrepi is another example.) which can be used.
About scheduling, either whenever the mentor is online or via PM. Or we can have a schedule list for everyone who wants to sign up.

This requires:
The mentor having a special skill, aside from gaming experience itself
The apprentice understanding basic mechanics
The mentor having much free time (private lesson) or many mentor online every now and then (public lesson)
The apprentice having both motivation and courage (to waste money trying on new decks)

I don't intend on using video, since my system requires basic understanding of the game. My program is like "how can i improve in this game", which requires you already know how to play.

But for now, let's just see how bripod's program turn out. I'll be willing to help, but not on video making (small bandwidth for me)