New members suddenly don't understand swap threads?

[DeletedUser3882]

@Manda the first I would argue that this is sufficient to copy/post in the guides as is...

 

[DeletedUser]

At the risk of complicating things...to avoid simultaneous posting issues, I suggest that you post your GB first, *then* donate to the person ahead of you in the thread.

Yes, that is the order that I stated, but if you don't close/re-open the thread, just doing it in that order won't avoid the issue. If you attach your GB and donate through the previous person's attachment without closing the thread in between, you can still have someone else doing the exact same thing simultaneously. In fact, if only one player does close/re-open and the other doesn't, you can still have a problem. I've personally seen this happen.

 

[Graviton]

Yes, that is the order that I stated

You're right, I read it again after I posted. Apologies.

 

[DeletedUser27184]

i understand, 5fp thread, u put 5fps in and then link your gb.

what i dont understand is what the whole point of it is.

if your not getting top 5 slots, then you may as well put your 5 fps in your own gb. i see it all the time . you have top slot, 200fp, 2nd 100fp, 3rd 80fp, 4th 70fp, 5th 60fp, and then a whole heap of ppl with 5 or 10 fps, ...i just dont see the point.

Another good reason, is that you get BP's. Those are hard to get, and you will get most of your BP's from the swaps. Without swaps most of your GB's will be stuck around level 15.

 

[DeletedUser34548]

In every guild I have ever been in, it is the same simple process....

Thank you. That is minimally complete and anyone who can't understand it should likely not participate.

Suggest, if you have some pull around here, you repost this, standalone, as Swap Threads Basics and get it stickied.

 

[Darth Mole]

In every guild I have ever been in, it is the same simple process.
First, you need to have the required # of FP on hand for the amount specified in the thread title (5, 10, etc.). In other words, no IOUs.
Then you post the GB of yours that you want the next person to donate to. (This is best done with the attachment feature for ease of donation.)
To avoid simultaneous posting issues (2 people posting at the same time and both donating to the same GB, resulting in one of them not getting a donation), it is best to close and re-open the thread in between posting your GB and donating to the previous one.
When you re-open the thread, simply donate the required amount to the GB listed directly above yours. Done.

I my new Guild in Z I have a thread entitled 'How to use the GB swap threads'. It contains essentially the info outlined by Mr Longshanks above. As soon as we get a new member they are added to this thread before they are added to the GB swap threads.
Works pretty well.

 

[DeletedUser34548]

This will be TL/DR...

Thank you very much. This is all valuable info and clears out much confusion in my head. Please do indeed repost as a guide and make it easy to find, preferably onwiki.

There may well be an adequate explanation on the board but the top few dozen results for "swap threads" all belong to this thread. This is not a local criticism. I have found this type of BB-style forum a poor way of organizing reference information (as opposed to opinion and discussion). I prefer MediaWiki and I'm glad to see FoE has one. But unfortunately, as with many game wikis, this one's content is shallow, limited to the official view, heavy on superficial mechanics and light on important emergent behavior.

At least it's not a Jimbo.com wiki anymore.

BTW, I cannot see the application of "TL;DR". 1500 coherent words is a short essay. Anything said in 140 chars isn't likely to be worth reading.

Again, thanks!

 

[DeletedUser]

BTW, I cannot see the application of "TL;DR". 1500 coherent words is a short essay. Anything said in 140 chars isn't likely to be worth reading.

When you see "TL;DR" (or some slight variation), it means "too long; didn't read", and is a summarized version of the longer post for those who can't/won't read the whole thing.

 

[Czari]

I'm at my wits end with this issue.

But the new players coming in now while not knowing how to play the game are also not bothering to ask and they just do whatever they want. While the GB attachment feature has made things easier for established players, in my opinion it has created a chaos for new players who can click a single button and break up threads and steal from guildmates even when it's not their intention.

This new crop of mobile/casual players coming in by the droves coupled with the 'break the guild' attachment feature has done more to break this game than anything else I've encountered in my time playing.

I have some good members in my W guild relying on me but it's gotten to the point I dread checking on that game because it's just going to be more fires to put out. Being a guild leader in a guild with old school players is fine, occasional things crop up and it does require more work in your game but being a guild leader to these new players feels like a job and sucks all the fun out of playing the game. Also any sense of commrodery or a team when instead of playing together you're just fixing their mistakes, reprimanding, booting, explaining it all again to someone new and repeating the cycle with just about every other one of them.

What has me at the end of my rope is now we explain this all in advance to every new member when they join and require them to confirm they understand and have no questions before adding them to threads. Only for them to do it and say 'Oh I didn't understand' after the fact.

I'm with you, Manda. Something weird has happened - not sure if it's because posting in swap threads is (supposedly) easier or due to Inno deciding to include a built-in trade calculator on mobile devices (that has caused a LOT of issues with newer players in our guild); or if those on mobile devices can't "see" everything. I played on my Kindle Fire for a week when my PC monitor went kaput and, except for no live chat and no GvG, everything else was pretty much the same but apparently one can't see the name of the person who has trades up on the mobile. I include this one because if a new member makes a mistake, many times "I didn't know that because I play on my phone" is an excuse.

What used to be a mistake maybe once every six months is a daily event for us as well.

 

[Czari]

Our GB swap threads used to be named "5 FP Thread, 10 FP Thread," etc. Worked for 2 of the three years I've been with the guild and most likely the other years before I arrived. A newer member suggested we change the name to 5 FP Swap Thread to make the purpose clearer. It may have made the purpose of the thread clearer but we've had two different members think one could post their GBs, then donate to anyone on the list they wanted. One of the two said it wasn't really a true swap thread because other people were donating more than just 5, 10, etc. FPs. /facepalms

In D world (not where all the issues are - the guild on D is one of the top-ranked guilds so we really don't get beginners there) the sicks to bricks thread is called "New GB Jump Start" and the swap threads are called 5 (10, 15, etc.) Endless Threads. I don't think the latter would help beginners understand the swap threads if "5 FP SWAP" doesn't.

 

[DeletedUser26579]

I have seen people fail to understand swap threads, and I have seen people scam the guild. The scammer:

* joined the guild and immediately asked to be added to the swap threads
* immediately posted without paying
* left the guild as soon as they were paid
* joined another guild

This all happened within a span of about 24 hours...

So, yes, I do believe there are scammers out there.

And, yes, we messaged the other guild they joined.

 

[DeletedUser34548]

When you see "TL;DR" (or some slight variation), it means "too long; didn't read", and is a summarized version of the longer post for those who can't/won't read the whole thing.

I'm aware of the various usages of the token. I bristle whenever I see it. If the text is not worth reading it should not be written. If it is informative, no excuse for generosity need be given nor should be demanded.

 

[DeletedUser16522]

This GB FP swap stuff has a few things that need to take place. !. no one gets added to the threads until they can tell you how the thread works know if they dont use it right they are removed. 2. FOE needs to change it back that only friends can donate to GBs or the GBs guild members. This bit of letting anyone donate only benefits the really large guilds with GBs in the 40 and up level range. Those people dont want to give the 1000s of FPs for more prints, but instead come down to the rest of us to get prints cheaper, which can screw up the players who have donated some FP to get themselves prints. 3. Foe needs fix this guild hopping, anyone leaving a guild and joining another one the same day let alone every 5 minutes, cannot do anything for so many hours! I've seen guild hoppers level GBs and owners miss out on DDing and changing collection times for that GB. And the same thing has happened with anyone being able to donate.

 

[DeletedUser31440]

FOE needs to change it back that only friends can donate to GBs or the GBs guild members.

You can only donate fp's to a GB of a person that is in your hood, guild or a friend initially. Once you have a fp on a person's gb you can continue to contribute to that level even if you are no longer in that player's hood, guild or friends. Once that levrel is complete you will be locked out of donating again.

 

[DeletedUser31498]

This GB FP swap stuff has a few things that need to take place. !. no one gets added to the threads until they can tell you how the thread works know if they dont use it right they are removed. 2. FOE needs to change it back that only friends can donate to GBs or the GBs guild members. This bit of letting anyone donate only benefits the really large guilds with GBs in the 40 and up level range. Those people dont want to give the 1000s of FPs for more prints, but instead come down to the rest of us to get prints cheaper, which can screw up the players who have donated some FP to get themselves prints. 3. Foe needs fix this guild hopping, anyone leaving a guild and joining another one the same day let alone every 5 minutes, cannot do anything for so many hours! I've seen guild hoppers level GBs and owners miss out on DDing and changing collection times for that GB. And the same thing has happened with anyone being able to donate.

Don't understand what you mean by #2. you mean exclude hoodies? why?

3. Any guild with open membership probably doesn't have super active swaps?

 

[DeletedUser26965]

So did Manda the first ever find a solution? There isn't one really, you just have to work with it on a case by case basis and it happens on every world as new players can play on every world. I kind of take the position that swap threads are a do at your own risk sort of thing and if someone shorts you on them well that's the risk you take by placing your GB on there in the first place. There's really nothing you can do about it unless you're a founder and remove them from the guild if they are nefarious, other than that if it's all just honest mistakes all you can do is attempt to educate and keep them off the threads until they get it.

 

[Czari]

I don't understand this. Booting one person out is no different because it's just about every other new player since the attachment feature went live. I've had good members leave and another good member with one foot out the door looking to go to guilds that don't let new players in because of this. I can't blame them in the least, I'm sick of it and if it wasn't my guild honestly I'd be done too.

We continue to experience this exact scenario in one of our guilds and at least two long-time members (at least that I know of ) are ready to leave the guild due to this situation. I'm seriously thinking of beginning a guild for players at least 35+ in age with at least one year in the game. My idea is for a guild where people who know the ropes can play in a laid back atmosphere. I used to enjoy helping new people but now not only do the new people apparently not want help, in our case they want the guild rules of five years changed to accommodate them!

 

[DeletedUser35173]

I'm at my wits end with this issue...

Thanks Manda and all the responders; so glad I put down my mobile and opened this up on my PC, the mobile game doesn't exactly poke you in the eye with references to guild guides and the value of joining a guild, or even the existence of these forums. It was rewarding to find that there is probably much more to discover in the guides and this forum, and that some people try to spend some of their time introducing noobs to the established ways of those who have been playing this game for some time.

 

[Czari]

Thanks Manda and all the responders; so glad I put down my mobile and opened this up on my PC, the mobile game doesn't exactly poke you in the eye with references to guild guides and the value of joining a guild, or even the existence of these forums. It was rewarding to find that there is probably much more to discover in the guides and this forum, and that some people try to spend some of their time introducing noobs to the established ways of those who have been playing this game for some time.

Hi Asleepius and welcome to FoE! The mobile version of the game wasn't introduced as far as I know, until after I began playing. We immediately began having issues in our guild after that addition in various ways, for example, at the time, mobile users could not post messages and our guild required daily posting within our GB clubs. Many of those mobile issues were addressed along the way and now the main components not on mobile (at least those I hear about from mobile users) is that mobile users can enter the market and trade but do not know who posted the trades. This is a drawback when guildmates post trades they need filled immediately for a time-related quest. I don't think mobile users can utilize live chat; I'm not sure if they are able to see GvG but without live chat, it is very difficult to participate in GvG.

That said, many people play solely on mobile devices; within my guilds it is generally new people to the game and/or younger players. I think the option to use mobile is great for people who play on PCs at home but can access the game away from the PC which is how some of our utilize it. Me - I have a tower gaming PC with a large monitor. My previous monitor blinked out and I played FoE on my Kindle Fire for a week until I replaced the monitor. I was so grateful to still be able to participate in the game but, for me, if mobile was the only way to play FoE, I'd be out...lol. One of my guildmates who only plays on his phone gained access to a laptop one time and sent a message to me saying, "WHOA!!! I didn't know what I was missing!!!"

 

[KitKit035]

I have been having this issue on Z World in my guild. Not only was it new members not understanding how a swap thread works but it was also people in the hood doing group messages and starting swap threads.

What I did was to edit all guild group message titles so the guild name was in it. This helped all members easily identify guild related messages. Then to take press off the new members and relieve frustration in the older members, I created a simple 2FP swap thread for all new members.

Any new member coming into the guild that was IA was placed in this thread first. This gave them a chance to learn how a swap thread worked and still have plenty of FP for research. Once they showed they could do swaps with no mistakes, then they would be moved over to the 5FP thread and removed from the 2FP thread.

I had a lot of success with this.