When I was last a CL (MoeLester) or saw nothing that denoted money earmarked for sponsors. If you mean taxes then that would require people to pay the right amount of tax when in the end the mayor taxes could often be more than people are tributing.

"Older players leaving because of changes" ??!?!

I've been gone 4 years, absolutely nothing dealing with core mechanics of the game have changed...ok, 1 thing, Rebuild. This doesn't change the way the game is played, so a few folks lose a +1 for a couple days...so fucking what, spawn durdens if your pussy hurts that bad...spray a douche..something.

This is a business. A business exists to make a profit. No traffic = no profit. Sponsor's aren't doing their job, which means hands aren't doing their jobs, which means CL's aren't doing their jobs. Yes, in the old days, a new recruit had to seek out a sponsor or a hand and ask for work. This obviously wasn't a viable option (nor realistic in the slightest) MR was built on the foundation of player interaction. So interact if you don't want changes. Interact if you want to keep playing the game  the way it's supposed to be played.

If ya'll want to click click click, circle jerk with your 3 friends, and ignore the newbs, go play Farmville or Minecraft with the other 12 year olds.

I haven't seen one suggestion posted, nothing but little girls crying because they got sand in the vagina. Fucks sake. If ya'll are going to bitch, at least suggest a viable solution.

If you feel this is aimed at you, then yeah, it is...in reality, it's aimed at everyone bitching without offering a solution.

Actually I offered a solution so perhaps you should read the whole post before jumping on your high horse and letting your mouth run away.

Not everyone wants to be a sponsor every single account they play, yet people feel forced into doing just to get rid of rebuild mode, which is meant to help new players find a family, creating the traffic. However how many actual new players are helped by this? I'm guessing very little. People are spoon fed to the point they can't find a new family after a war because they can't initiate a conversation with someone in a crew is ridiculous, where is your player interaction there?

And no I'm not complaining about loosing a +1 and at no point have I said anything to suggest it so keep your assumptions to yourself.

The difference being with the manual over the automatic is the mayor tax used come out automatically when the player committed a crime, if that was still the case then I'm sure crew leaders would be more likely to give the taxes or % of the taxes to the sponsor.

Personally when I'm a CL I prefer not to have taxes and let members tribute what they want when they want & it's the few bad eggs that put high taxes and convert it to credits to put toward future accounts that has led to this whole sorry state of affairs.

We've gone from sponsor coverage and lack thereof, to automated tax issues... Let's keep in mind there's a whole forum for Suggestions and keep this to the topic at hand eh?  :3 

Don't get me started on my disillusionment of the suggestions forum TheDonBot

Care to clarify what that solution was? That post wasn't aimed at you directly, hence my last statement. It was an umbrella to all of the bitching and whining I've read in the changelogs and every attempt Izzy and Co have made to try to get new players to stay.

The +1 statement was referring to the only mechanic related change in 4 years. You're obviously one with sand in your vagina.

My CL died in that last war, I approached 2 leaders about a position. Looks like the interaction worked pretty well for me. I found a home 20 minutes after I created. I found a new home 20 minutes after my CL died. It takes very little effort to interact with one another here.

Upon creation, it is the Sponsors' sole job to find out what I'm about, describe their family, decide if we're a good fit, and if not,perhaps suggest other families that might be that fit. I was approached by every family but 1 that I did jobs for, almost immediately after I completed the quota. Obviously that isn't happening now. Why?

Obviously you can stats I can't Izzy but from what I can see there is 132 open HQ spots and I would estimate less than 100 active players without a family. I would say most of those are people who know how to play the game, they know how to get an invite without using the job board & just simply don't want to join a crew.

As you say this change it more about the other 99% of the time not just at rebuild mode but it's going to happen most during rebuild mode.

@Outcast seeing as your first line quoted me directly it was clearly aimed at me. Also if you've been gone 4 years then you clearly haven't caught up on the game if you think that's the only change.

And so you prove one of my points, returning players know how to get an invite, a lot just simply don't want to.

Just throwing this question out there - how many people *ask* to become a Sponsor as opposed to just being assigned one? I'm still rather convinced that the problem could be mostly handled simply by CLs and Hands managing their people better, but, what do I know eh?

I'm still gathering my thoughts on a solution for this, but I can say these changes will not have your desired effect. All people will do is either:

a) Refuse to trust their Family members with Sponsorship - rightfully so, those bastards could get them jailed, right?

b) Members will refuse to become Sponsors because they don't want that level of responsibility or stress.

How does either of these options help new players to join and stick around? Less Sponsors = Less people recruited. Isn't that what you're trying to solve? As I say, I can't think of a solution for an (in my opinion) outdated system - but I don't believe this will fix it. If the Jobs Board doesn't work (has it ever, does anyone know? I've not been around long enough to know, but was there a time the Jobs Board had its desired effect?), then it doesn't matter what punishments/incentives you put in place, you're beating a dead horse.

I also have a few words to share on other people's points.

Firstly, Ghost_Face - My first time as a Sponsor was on my very first account. My CL had entrusted me with the position and I had felt great pride and achievement in having obtained this new level of responsibility. In more recent times, I've learned that while it does require some trust to give someone Sponsorship privileges, it is also a bit of a necessary evil. It's a job that needs doing - so the CL/Hand(s) find someone (some people, depending on how active/good they are) to fulfill the role. 

However, I most certainly was never aware that CLs/Hands were 'expected' to pay their tax money to Sponsors (or rather, it was anticipated). I've never heard of any CL/Hand mentioning that this is how they do it or how it should be done. I've never heard of any connection whatsoever between monetary reward and Sponsorship privileges. Is this a thing...?

In my opinion, the role of Sponsorship is a job which needs doing (Not as much as you'd think, really. The majority of members I've had in my crews are usually made up of returning players. I guess I have always had shit Sponsors?) - By becoming a Sponsor, it's just something extra you're doing in favour of your Family, just like kicking up lots of $$, or building a gun, or collecting locals for an IA list, or anything else you might do to please your uppers. This doesn't require a monetary reward - however, if a CL chooses to treat his Sponsors, that is up to him. I do similar things with those who are willing to help the Family in other ways. But I don't think that should be the intended reason to Sponsor, at all. You should do it for your Family - and for a potential step up in the Family, the same reason we generally do most of what we do, right?

So, if your sponsors are being shit you get punished?

If we just remove the sponsorship option for everyone and just have them whore people instead, that would allow us to move freely without punishment?

Can someone clarify if this is the case, as that is what I'm reading here.

If so, I'd be more inclined to just remove sponsorship rights from everyone if it meant no punishment for upper structures. I'd then just send them off to become Orange and whore their way around instead.

This change will make more people just memberwhoring. 

Do not forget that most of us now, work at the same time we play. So sometimes, when I will  leave my work behind for 5-10 minutes to put some effort to write 5-6 unique lines, using different approach to each "new" player, just to be simply ignored because in the end is just someone playing incognito, that means that the next  time I see the  flashing  button, I will ignore it. Yes I admit it I  did that several times, and as long as I am not  100% sure I am talking to someone  who is indeed new to the  game, I will do it again and again. 

The way this game is going, you can't tell if there is someone  who  is new player and need guidance, or someone who is simply  laughing behind  your  back. And my egoism is hurt way too many times to care now. So, as far as I see it, do  not blame the  sponsors, blame those  who are intentionally hurting the game. 

I am not a 20 year old in the university anymore, to have tons of hours to waste. But  this game means to me more than it did back 15 years ago. So stop people from hurting the game, and the players. Stop incogn players, and you will see that the sponsors will be  all good to new players.

Multiple situations like this will result in the Mayor taking action, including up to Mayor jailing the CL/RHM/LHM for the city/district the potential associate currently is at, the CL/RHM/LHM for the city/district the potential associate has as his home city, as well as the CL/RHM/LHM for the city/district the negligent sponsor is from.

I can understand the penalty for the Uppers from the family of the negligent sponsor receiving punishment, but I dont see how the other two would fit at all. It seems insane to jail Uppers from their current city OR home city as they really have nothing to do with it in my opinion.

I have always seen Sponsors as Capos of the old day, they have a responsibility to train up their associates and ensure that they fully understand how to pick up and run with things. Start up funds, rules signing, profile updates, then just making sure they communicate to gauge the level of attention and help they would need. In return, they get the ability to add their own sponsor crests and make the role something personal to themselves so I really dont see any issue with it.

In terms of those who just flat out ignore new recruits, yes I have seen it happen, is there any way to report this information to the Upper structure prior to action being taken? For example, you get an alert saying "xxx" has ignored 3 new users who completed jobs. This would give the Upper structure the ability to take action prior to the Mayor getting involved.

I'm slightly baffled by the member whoring thing to be honest. The job boards are there as an introduction to the RP element and if time is invested in these jobs, it can make people get a good picture of what to expect from your family. Of course regular players may just look for who's where on the crew list but that is not something we will not be able to know. I have mailed people as a new CL after they completed multiple jobs, infact my jobs even had calling cards and stuff in them so I really dont see this as member whoring, I consider it part of the game. Member whoring to me is when you flat out invite people without a single bit of correspondance being sent first and no effort being made to touch base with the user first. Of course once Sponsers are assigned, recruitment should be done by them.