The Ashes Agency (LFG Alternative)

Before everyone goes trashing the title, this is not something I'm suggesting be in the game but something I'm considering creating when the game launches. Unless somehow the game makes it unnecessary. I'm just posting this to see if it would be well received and is worth the effort.

The Ashes Agency (Working Title)
The Ashes Agency is a non-guild organization created with intention creating a network of players who as a service organize cooperative play for a much larger group of players. This is not a network of alliances but more of talent agency. Players within the agency will have access to spreadsheets of both players who are both free agent and have been signed on to a particular agent.

How it works
Agents will have lists of players they know and a list of players they represent. When a player reaches out to an agent, the agent will then look at the rosters of other agents and based upon a number of recorded factors such as schedule, level, skill level, social skills and other factors and work with other agents to help the player form a group based upon the players needs. While not all agents may be doing it for in game currency, most agents will expect a small finders fee that will be split between the agents.

Agents
Agents will be given liberty to do business without much oversight. Agents will know other agents as well as the players they work with so reputation will be key. Agents will be known not only for how they conduct themselves but also for the players they promote. Likewise they will have an understanding about which agents they do and do not want to deal with.

Guilds
Agents will work with guilds to place players in empty raid and group slots and also find raid and group slots for players that do not have a slot with their guild. Agents will be able wholesale represent guilds and work with guilds enable higher guild activity while ensuring that other guilds don't use this as an opportunity recruit players out from under them.

Specialties
There will be room for specialization within the agency. To name a few things, there will be agents for endgame raid content who will record where a player is in his progression counting what boss fights he knows, what gear he has, what gear he needs, what role he plays, how good everyone thinks he is and whether he is fit to mentor or lead a group. Agents can also specialize in non-endgame PvE where they schedule a run hours or days in advance so the player won't need to spend an hour waiting or someone to show up. Agents can specialize in reaching out to a large large network of crafters to organize the creation of player made items. There will also be room for specialization in various PvP categories Caravan Guard, bounty hunting, organized pvp events, battlegrounds and arenas.

Room for adjustment
I'm planning to launch this organization with game so as everyone levels we can go low key and work out the kinks before people dive headfirst in to the more involved activates. I'm sure the way things work are going to change as feedback is given and as we learn how the game works. As an administrator of this group, I'm going to be working off of tips (In game currency) of what I'm hoping are going to be the very well lined pockets of other agents so it is going to be my intention make sure this is something that is worth getting in to and staying in.

What do you think?
So if I do this, is it something people see themselves getting involved with? Do you like the idea or does everyone think it would a pain in the butt that would never be worth dealing with? Please let me know in the comments.

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Comments

daveywavey

I wouldn't use it myself, but if you think there's a market, then go for it.

Noaani

Jesmotguin wrote: »

To name a few things, there will be agents for endgame raid content who will record where a player is in his progression counting what boss fights he knows

I agree with Davey above that it isn't something I would use, but go for it if you see a space for it.

The quoted portion is the one aspect I see being potentially problematic.

In most games, there isn't a single way to kill raid content, and most guilds end up developing their own method that works for them. Often times, moving to a different guild that is killing the same encounters that your old guild was killing requires you to re-learn all those encounters for the way your new guild takes them on.

Obviously, WoW is a major exception to this, with almost every guild taking on each encounter in an almost identical manner. This is, however, an exception rather than a rule in my experience.

I'm just saying this so that if you do indeed go ahead with your idea here, you can spend some time considering this point.

Wandering Mist

I too wouldn't use this and honestly the amount of time and effort required to set it up doesn't seem worth it to me. A lot of this kind of thing will be done organically by the players themselves. If I'm a raid leader chances are I will already know all the other good raiders on my server already, so why do I need to pay an agent to do it?

Jesmotguin

Good feedback so far not in the direction I was hoping.

Fair points. Two things. This would not be something people or guilds would have to be exclusive to. Just another resource they could use. It doesn't necessarily have to be a one off either. The person to person aspect would allow for adaptation so hopefully arrangements could be made based upon need. So someone could fill a slot of a single night or the agent could find someone for a more long-term basis. The hope is that since the network exists, such arrangements could be made.

Vhaeyne

Sounds like a LFG discord with a ton of extra steps. Not something I think I would use.

Since you want some constructive feedback I will try:

Maybe you could make some sort of OOG website that updates faster than people manually using spreadsheets. That might be some way to gain an advantage over Discord for this type of thing.

Another potential problem is that you are give a handful of people the power to say who is and is not a good player. In a world where open PvP exists. Assuming the best case scenario where your idea takes off. These "Agents" of your could become a protected class of people who do not get ganked out of fear of not ever getting in a pug group again.

Agents would have to be anonymous to both each other and the players in order to curve potential shenanigans from happening.

Perhaps a better system would be a OOG tool where people up/down vote each other, and only get one vote per person. I personally hate systems like this, but it might be a step up from putting power in the hands of your "Agents". Especially if no one know who up/down voted who.

I think you should look at using a Website and a database over spreadsheets if you are serious about figuring something useful out. You need to be asking yourself at all times: "What can this do that basic in-game tools or Discord can't do?", and "How could people exploit this if it was popular?"

Lastly what you are proposing is more complex than people are willing to deal with. You are going to have to come up with a way to make it so easy that people want to use it.

daveywavey

Vhaeyne wrote: »

Another potential problem is that you are give a handful of people the power to say who is and is not a good player. In a world where open PvP exists. Assuming the best case scenario where your idea takes off. These "Agents" of your could become a protected class of people who do not get ganked out of fear of not ever getting in a pug group again.

Agents would have to be anonymous to both each other and the players in order to curve potential shenanigans from happening.

Would increase the in-game politics, though, right? Maybe one agent is getting their players stolen by another, and wants to take them down a peg? Could get NASTY!

Jesmotguin

Okay. you guys convinced me. I still like the idea. But there is no way I could ever sell this.

maouw

I wonder if you could turn this idea into a service that takes some of the burden off Guild Leaders specifically?
Coz I know a lot of Guild Leaders burn out with the admin required just to get one Raid together.

Noaani

maouw wrote: »

I wonder if you could turn this idea into a service that takes some of the burden off Guild Leaders specifically?
Coz I know a lot of Guild Leaders burn out with the admin required just to get one Raid together.

In my opinion, if you are having trouble getting your guild to raid, you probably shouldn't be trying to get your guild to raid.

In my guild, I have people ready and waiting to go 20 minutes before the start of the raid. Forming the raid is simply a case of using an invite macro and heading out.

Voidwalkers

I'm picturing a ton of management overheads. Since traveling time will be a thing in Ashes, there's a limit on how far ppl are willing to go and join groups. Therefore you'll need to organize players geographically, and these agents (or players themselves) need to keep this information up to date.

I'd probably just use the notice board or taverns in my node. Or run/use a LFG discord for my neighborhood.

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