Promotion Guidelines

Note:  These are just ideas for how promotions in the future should
       be handled.  Please do not think that I am telling you how to
       do your job, or even think that I am telling you to follow
       these guidelines.  They are just things to consider when next
       'promoting' someone.

If we continue by the current system and try to be backwards compatible,
levels should be given in increments of 5 or 10.  The first levels
should be 30 & 40, and preferably each for completing an area
[to expand the game] or for some other task that makes an impact
upon playability.

I think promotions should be considered every time someone completes
some task related to the game [i.e. finishing an area, writing new
code for the lib, adding a holiday item to the game, writing a guild],
and it has been approved to go in the game.

Now for levels 40+, I think you should ask yourself these questions
before you promote someone.

1] Will this addition make the game better/more fun for players?
2] Will this addition make the game more accessible?
3] Does this addition provide a new challenge, or a new outlook
   or twist on something that would make the game more interesting?
4] Does this addition solve any current problems or repair
   any flaws in the current mud structure?
5] Will the addition result in future "gains" for the mud?
6] What has the wizard done since his/her last promotion?

Fun - 
  This is what the game is all about, and i'm pretty sure
this is why we played the game as players.  Because we thought it was
fun.  Will the game become more exciting or interesting as a 
result of the addition?  Will it make the player say, "Oh, that's
really cool."?  Will it stimulate the imagination?  Would you enjoy
playing in or using the code that the coder has written?  Or, a
more fair question is, do you think that it will be interesting to see?
An example of something fun in the game to me is Snow's Elemental
Test, because it was fun to build up and get ready for, and
the fight was exciting.

Accessibility -
  We have a stagnant player pool, so this is more of a concern now.
Does it make the mud run smoother or become more appealing?  Will
it bring players to the game, and help keep them here?  
A good example of this for me, was Maledicta's help files that 
he wrote.  I am sure we can remember how confusing the old help 
file system was, and not only are they more organized now, but also 
contain more information.  Or it could be Softly's newbie school
that helps point out key concepts and ideas [as well as cmds
and instructions to play] for the game.

New Challenge/Outlook -
  How original is this idea?  Or barring that, what does it add
or twist from the original concept?   For example,
Each area that each wizard codes is different, and therefore 
should not be seen as "just an area".  What is different 
about this area that makes it unique enough for players to visit?

Fix/Repair -
  What does this addition fix or repair in the current
mud's structure? This goes along with player accessibility, but
could also entail from a wizard standpoint as well.  Feldegast
mv'ing the key autoloads to /bin was a great idea, not only
to reduce all the memory heavy autoloads, but also to organize
the key cmds of the mud out of individual wizard directories.
And it had a further impact on new players, who were unfamiliar
with the fact they needed to seek out a beatfixer, for example,
just to reset their heartbeat.

Future Gains -
  What will this change bring to the mud a few hours from now?
A few days?  What about in the coming years?  Will this addition
impact the further creation or durability of the game in a
positive way?  This could not only be from a player standpoint,
but also from a wizard standpoint.  A new quest, for example,
would provide an outlet and new task for players to solve
and enjoy, but would have the further impact of being able
to bring new wizards and creations into the fold.

Past work -
  What has the wizard done since his last promotion?  Perhaps
he was passed over for the last promotion because the work did
not address these questions enough.  The previous work should
be added in with the current work before making a promotion.


I think these guidelines and questions may stimulate some
thought and can be handled as a reference guide if you 
are unsure.
