referral codes/recommendations

[mossly 144]

desc: add referral code system

could be like a player gets 1000 in game credits for inviting a friend who uses their code and then plays for at least 10 hours

ideally, a popup that comes up on first join asking if anyone recommended us

could even just be a form that we set a bot to scan and compare steam username and the generated list and then once the name is found and that name has at least 10 hours of playtime it sends the reward

i digress, the point is a system whereby players are rewarded for and incentivized to invite new and active players

 

this could, hypothetically, be abused to farm credits or rewards using bots but that probably wouldn't be too common as anyone dedicated enough to have gmod alts probably doesn't worry about ingame credits too much

 

oh shit my boys i almost forgot, the main benefit to the server is more active players joining

[StraightWhiteChristianMale 563]

-1 would be abused and a popup is not what people want when they join a server

[mossly 144]

1 hour ago, StraightWhiteChristianMale said:

-1 would be abused and a popup is not what people want when they join a server

we already have one

[IAreGunner 252]

yeah -1, people already use a shit ton of alts, this is gonna get abused 100%

[Deft 292]

Basically an MLM strategy. 
 

-1

[1998Corolla 322]

-1

Real easy way for people to just use the code with their alts. 

Edited December 8, 2022 by 1998Corolla

[Proggy 3,818]

I do like the idea of implementing a refer-a-friend bonus onto the server, but maybe not involving 1000 !credits. 

Maybe instead of leaving a -1 and moving on, lets flesh out a better system that is enticing enough to use but not worth abusing (or impossible to abuse)

To address the issue of "people will just refer their alts":
[IM ASSUMING] The system would not allow you to "refer" an account that has already played for 5 hours. So existing alts would not be referrable, and only brand new alts would be able to be referred.

The reward value would need to be balanced around the price of gmod.

Maybe the reward could be something like: 1 forbidden crate, 2 garnet crates, 100 !credits, and 500 standard_points.
The reward could go to both the referrer and the referred player.


discuss below?

[mossly 144]

17 minutes ago, Proggy said:

I do like the idea of implementing a refer-a-friend bonus onto the server, but maybe not involving 1000 !credits. 

Maybe instead of leaving a -1 and moving on, lets flesh out a better system that is enticing enough to use but not worth abusing (or impossible to abuse)

To address the issue of "people will just refer their alts":
[IM ASSUMING] The system would not allow you to "refer" an account that has already played for 5 hours. So existing alts would not be referrable, and only brand new alts would be able to be referred.

The reward value would need to be balanced around the price of gmod.

Maybe the reward could be something like: 1 forbidden crate, 2 garnet crates, 100 !credits, and 500 standard_points.
The reward could go to both the referrer and the referred player.


discuss below?

this sounds good; i was thinking the cheap hourage credits like for temp perm guns and lockpick to be clear, not pointshop ones

basically any system, reward does not matter to me in the slightest

[ChrisRid 900]

I really like the concept of a rewards system and want to give this a +1, but it goes without saying my reason for not commenting so far is because of the risk of exploitation. However what Proggy said is spot-on and sums up my thoughts here too. If there was a way of offering rewards which helped encourage new players to the server while offering little benefit to alts, then this could be great. So with that in mind, here's my ideas so far:

Rewards for the new player:

• Offer a limited time 2x XP boost to new players - this would be super beneficial and could really help players get involved in the game quickly and see good progress, while offering no real benefit to alts.
• Pointshop Reward - this is a fun way for new players to adopt a unique identity while also introducing them to the pointshop system, plus it offers no real benefit to alts
• Small Credits Reward - similarly to the pointshop reward, there's a ton of cool things for new players in the credits shop and it will help familiarise them with the system too, while offering little benefit to alts
• Low Level Unbox Crates - in the early game, new players are often just happy to have a weapon at all, so a low level unbox crate would be awesome. Plus as with the other systems, it helps introduce them to it while also being of little use to an alt account

Rewards for the player giving the referral:

• Only give rewards to the referral player if the new player reaches a certain level (e.g. level 50). While this means that it won't be an instant reward, it does a couple of things:
  - It encourages the referral player to actually help the new player get well acquainted with the game in order for them to make progress, so that both parties to get their reward.
  - It also discourages exploitation through alts (given the alts would actually need to get to level 50 for every account).
• Forbidden Crate - players of all levels get excited to see what you get out of a $1M unbox crate (me included) so this would be a decent reward.
• Unique Hat / Accessory - This could be something funny that expresses the gift of freindship (like a "I'm with him ->" T-shirt) and if the only way of obtaining it is through referral then it's inherently valuable.

These are just a few ideas but I'd be interested to see what others come up with as I'm sure there's a ton of possibilities.

[mossly 144]

6 hours ago, ChrisRid said:

I really like the concept of a rewards system and want to give this a +1, but it goes without saying my reason for not commenting so far is because of the risk of exploitation. However what Proggy said is spot-on and sums up my thoughts here too. If there was a way of offering rewards which helped encourage new players to the server while offering little benefit to alts, then this could be great. So with that in mind, here's my ideas so far:

Rewards for the new player:

• Offer a limited time 2x XP boost to new players - this would be super beneficial and could really help players get involved in the game quickly and see good progress, while offering no real benefit to alts.
• Pointshop Reward - this is a fun way for new players to adopt a unique identity while also introducing them to the pointshop system, plus it offers no real benefit to alts
• Small Credits Reward - similarly to the pointshop reward, there's a ton of cool things for new players in the credits shop and it will help familiarise them with the system too, while offering little benefit to alts
• Low Level Unbox Crates - in the early game, new players are often just happy to have a weapon at all, so a low level unbox crate would be awesome. Plus as with the other systems, it helps introduce them to it while also being of little use to an alt account

Rewards for the player giving the referral:

• Only give rewards to the referral player if the new player reaches a certain level (e.g. level 50). While this means that it won't be an instant reward, it does a couple of things:
  - It encourages the referral player to actually help the new player get well acquainted with the game in order for them to make progress, so that both parties to get their reward.
  - It also discourages exploitation through alts (given the alts would actually need to get to level 50 for every account).
• Forbidden Crate - players of all levels get excited to see what you get out of a $1M unbox crate (me included) so this would be a decent reward.
• Unique Hat / Accessory - This could be something funny that expresses the gift of freindship (like a "I'm with him ->" T-shirt) and if the only way of obtaining it is through referral then it's inherently valuable.

These are just a few ideas but I'd be interested to see what others come up with as I'm sure there's a ton of possibilities.

agree with all but with a lower level cutoff

[ChrisRid 900]

ACCEPTED

This feature will be added to help incentivise new players to join the server, while also potentially rewarding those who invite their friends to join and stay in the community.
The benefits will be balanced to ensure that there is no risk of exploitation, so the current suggestion (subject to change) is as follows:

A list of some of the benefits for new players who get referred may include:
- Limited time double-XP boost
- Pointshop Reward
- Small !credits reward (in-game, not donator credits)
- Some low-level !unbox crates

If the new player remains in the community and reaches a certain level, the player who referred them will get benefits such as:
- Forbidden Crate (or a multiple of)
- A unique hat / accessory to show off their companionship