Minimum level for joining guild

[Eeyore]

Ok, so guild recruitment via the forums doesn't work terribly well, we all know this. Most people join the game and go straight to G1 or help and almost as soon as they say anything they are spammed with guild requests, many probably think "oh nice" and sign up there and then.
They don't ever find the forums or if they do it's weeks later, it's just not human nature to read the forums before playing the game. Even if pointed to forums when asking about guilds by a mod or more experienced player they still don't go....

This makes recruitment via the official route extremely difficult, I have one member from the post on here, other guilds I've spoken to have done little or no better. This leaves us with the unfortunate choice of not getting any new people or pretty much breaking the same rule the spammers are.

You often see some unfortunate noob asking something in help, then the next day complete with guild tag (one of several that are well known on northisle but I'm not naming and shaming, however ask youself "guild xxx #6?" what's that about?) asking something in help and g1 and when questioned as to why they don't ask in their new guild, they respond "there's nobody there to help....."

The only easy fix I can think of is a minimum level to join a guild, this at least gives new people time to find out how it all works before they get spammed with requests and they can take their time to do it right, which of course is what the official method is supposed to achieve but sadly it seems mostly doesn't. And I don't mean level 5, say 20 or even 30, there is no massive benefit early on to guilds, and many people start this game and give up around then as it's not a fast paced game and they discover it's not for them so it's better for guilds too.

Anyone got any other ideas?

[Dorotheus]

The new guild quest mechanic which is currently on test is a kick in the face for the vampire guilds.

[FishSmell]

Yes, I think that level 20 should be the lowest level one is allowed to join a guild. In our guild it's the opposite: we have it in our guild info that we only recruit through the forum but our leader still gets spammed by random join requests and they don't even send a mail with it, we can't tell who they are, what level they are, if they even understand English, and we then end up kicking them a few weeks later after never having seen them active while we don't have free space for potential new guild members who might stay in the game.

[SnowBlizz]

The other day I saw someone in the help channel asking why their Tavern doesn't produce any stone. They had a guild tag, but barely any grasp of the basics of the game. And clearly not getting much support for the game. That's basically everything that's wrong with the current system right there.
It is frustrating for those of us who help people only to see them "poached" by guilds who you never see anywhere doing anything. Just becasue one doens't spam every poor newbie in chat. Maybe they end up somewhere and get help, one can only hope. But it also means it totally undermines the premsie of how guilds should be operating and the motivation to be a supportive and helpful member of the community.

[Bluesavanah]

I advocated a minimum level in some other thread ages ago. The trouble with guilds recruiting in settlers are multiple.

1. bad guilds pounce on anyone and everyone that speaks in a global channel
2. the forum for recruiting policy doesn't work, probably 99% of players are in guilds by the time they find the forum.
3. the guild shield doesn't really work, people soon get bored of clicking buttons backwards and forwards trying to get info.

Somehow incorporating looking at the recruitment section of the forum into the tutorial and setting a minimum level might work, but honestly I think it's a bit late to be doing it. Once active members really matter the bad guilds will up their game and will be spamming invites even more than they do now.

As examples my Northisle character accepted one of these random invites out of curiosity when I started it a good while ago from a fairly infamous at the time guild, on that day they had sent 42 invites. This character actually applied to a infamous Sandycove guild when I first started and stayed there a few months they regularly sent out 30-40 invites per day, everyday for the entire time I was there.

[Durin_d]

The new guild quest system will stop the mass invites as every guild member that doesn't complete their quest in 24h lowers the reward that those guild members that complete it will get.

[Mortallicus]

The main problem with Advertising our Guilds is not whether people find the forum or look in their shield but the fact that the majority of us do not know how to market ourselves well. The viewing figures are good. How many guilds do not think about their names and tags and the impact on membership and do not add anything about themselves to the shield.

Also there is not a lot to differentiate between us. We need more help from BB some lists of items that Guilds can choose from to help make their guild a little different. Buildings (decorational is fine). A special buff not tradeable. Cups and awards, etc.

I also think that there should be a raise in the level to join a guild. Maybe at the end of the tutorial quests. Or when you get the Trade Office at least.

Also Guilds bad mouthing and constantly moaning about other guilds is a very bad image to give for your own. Back in the olden days of 2011/12/13 Guilds did not know whether alliances would be important in this game. So a few set up xyz1, 2 etc. Some have gone and others have continued. Whatever is thought of them they have the membership , many stay with them. So just ignore the guild's you do not like. Or join them to find out whether what you believe is true.

[Bluesavanah]

The new guild quest system will stop the mass invites as every guild member that doesn't complete their quest in 24h lowers the reward that those guild members that complete it will get.

under the old system a guild quest is allocated at level 10 or above, I'm going to take a guess and say under level 10 won't count in the score so nothing will change.

[Eeyore]

The main problem with Advertising our Guilds is not whether people find the forum or look in their shield but the fact that the majority of us do not know how to market ourselves well. The viewing figures are good. How many guilds do not think about their names and tags and the impact on membership and do not add anything about themselves to the shield.

Also there is not a lot to differentiate between us. We need more help from BB some lists of items that Guilds can choose from to help make their guild a little different. Buildings (decorational is fine). A special buff not tradeable. Cups and awards, etc.

I also think that there should be a raise in the level to join a guild. Maybe at the end of the tutorial quests. Or when you get the Trade Office at least.

Also Guilds bad mouthing and constantly moaning about other guilds is a very bad image to give for your own. Back in the olden days of 2011/12/13 Guilds did not know whether alliances would be important in this game. So a few set up xyz1, 2 etc. Some have gone and others have continued. Whatever is thought of them they have the membership , many stay with them. So just ignore the guild's you do not like. Or join them to find out whether what you believe is true.

All of this may well be true, however, if they don't even see your advertising before a vampire guild (nice term), sucks them up (to continue the theme), the point is moot.
Besides, check ours it has a nice artwork by a guildie and everything, we are trying to advertise nicely.

[Mortallicus]

All of this may well be true, however, if they don't even see your advertising before a vampire guild (nice term), sucks them up (to continue the theme), the point is moot.

Well just how many poor new players are there? To make such a broad assumption you must know how many and who are the 'vampire' guilds. So many make these remarks and usually about the 'wrong' guilds. Personally, I would rather accept , ignore and work around then make a mistake and sabotage a guild because i saw a new player 'today' turn into a player with their tag in 10 minutes.

Many new are higher levels on other servers. Most are adults and intelligent but sadly and insultingly assumed not. Also while they are saying in Global that they are only level 5 they are hitting that apply to a guild button. But hey blame the guild that accepts them in public, insult them and the new player. (By the way for those that do not know when the Apply Button is hit the Guild Leader has no idea what level you are until you are in the Guild. We have had levels 1 to 50 apply this way).

They can be better off in a guild if they participate with the other members. The vast majority of guilds are very good it is a small minority that perhaps are not.

The new Guild Quest system i hope will liven all the guilds up. It is not the Guilds fault that up to now there are benefits in having higher numbers in the guild. But I believe having too many non actives far from motivates a guild and actually causes active members to leave.

We have never sent an unsolicited Guild invite. Some of our members have received them though. When they report it I write to the guild concerned politely.Also if it happens more than once i advise our member to report the person for harassment. I will never ever call those guilds names. That is school kid tactics . If you give a guild a bad label then it can take them years to get rid of it and why should up to 100 people who get along and play nicely together suffer for the sins of an old leader. Though i am sure all keep up with all that guild's news and movements within it before you insult them.

I will support an increase in level as i have said before but for vastly different reasons from some who post.

I have said enough about this on other similar threads over the last few months so will say no more.