[Holiday Special] Three Ways to Spread Joy in Tanki Online

[Shedinja 1,488]

The holiday season is closing in fast. Be it through the diversified practices of Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Pancha Ganapati, Yalda - regardless of the celebration, this time of year focuses about the intrinsic values of gratitude, mercy, compassion, and their result beyond a shadow of a doubt: joy.

 

The Tanki Online community, despite being entirely based about blowing one another to smithereens, is a tightly knit one, and could most certainly do with sharing love instead of bullets from time to time.

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When studying Tanki Online as a whole, it's readily apparent that its community consists of a variety of facets, including but not limited to forum users, game chat surfers, the eSports discussion and partaker sect, and of course, the players themselves. Tanki X and its subsections have only augmented the community in that respect, adding a number of other players that would not have been involved with our sphere otherwise.

 

A community, when of one general mind, will typically stand the tests of time and hold fast through many seasons, navigating the endless rise and fall between lamentation and celebration. To counteract the promised low points of a community's lifespan, there should, if not must, be a method of drawing ourselves together and 'focusing on the positives', to shorthand. With life's troubles, not to mention our own community problems, it wouldn't make sense to abandon times of celebration for various upsetting events and not absorb the joy they bring forth when they're available.

 

There are a number of ways to spread this joy, but they can be easily categorized through what's been sanctioned by the order of Tanki Online communities under three broad methods: courtesy, charity, and benevolence. In the real world, it's not a grand stretch to perform any one of these (as synonymous as they may seem), even during tougher times; holding your tongue with an impatient, irritated peer, dishing out a buck or two to the red-clad Salvation Army guy in front of your local Wal-Mart, helping your grandpap figure out how to get a picture onto his Facebook... the list can go on indefinitely, so long as the focus is outward, and not inward.

 

 

 

Be a Courteous and Cooperative Player

 

The first and foremost step towards a closely-tied community, sharing respect and common courtesy for other players should be made the highest priority to the point where it becomes as natural as breathing. Sadly, this does not hold true to a majority of players, of whom sport little to no outward respect for others, natures that glow red with vehement, aggressive payback of their pride upon losing any ground, or simply apathy towards their peers' quandaries. 

 

In order to remedy this and break the ice between competitors and alliances alike, a simple first step to achieving universal courtesy can start as simply avoiding partaking in the practices of sabotage or multing. These terms, in the Tanki Online multiverse, come in a number of different flavors and colors, but their designs typically resemble one another closely: failure of an objective, resulting in the anger or confusion of the surrounding party.

 

For instance, open-community parkour matches typically don't last forever, thanks to someone deciding to jump in and mow through gathered crowds out of sheer spite. If you're one of those people (and you know who you are), look at their plight from an empathetic perspective. "If I were trying to climb that building, would I want to be knocked astray by a malicious Hammer time and time again?" If the answer is no, then don't interfere, and see if you could even find a way to assist. For those that answered yes, bear in mind that the vast majority of players don't share the same masochistic view, and typically want to get somewhere when they attempt to start something. Their anger may be knee-slapping from alone, twisted perspective, but from the other end and possibly the surrounding members, all that's being caused is suffering and misery, the antithesis of the end of the year's encompassing theme.

 

The next step, moving out of the avoidance zone and towards cooperation, could start off with simply the acknowledgment of a player's skills or the challenge level of the game played. It's not a matter of simply kissing tailpipe or shewing complete surrender to another. Inflated pride is one of the weightiest problems with the community and in the world in general, persistently keeping us from even cooperating with our allies. There is no "best player" or anyone even close to "unbeatable", and the sooner this is accepted, the sooner that the idea of a GG would be accepted by everyone, win or lose. This makes for a more enjoyable game environment all around; since our desired end result for a game is joy, why would we not lift the values of cooperation between both enemies and allies alike?

 

On a side note, the term "noob", according to Google Definitions, is defined as "a person who is inexperienced in a particular sphere or activity, especially computing or the use of the Internet". For those of you that have made a habit of shouting this phrase in all caps at anyone that crosses you, the term noob is not an overall insult, and should not be used as such.

 

Firstly, calling someone a noob implies that they have little experience in their field. While this may be true in a number of cases, depending on the player, this doesn't mean that calling them this will make them play any better. Instead of trying to belittle them with the spiteful four letter word, try communicating with them in a constructive manner and explain what they're doing wrong, and give them pointers on how to repair this issue. Four times out of five, this will result in not only improved performance, but overall enhanced team cooperation.

 

Secondly, even the most experienced players are not infallible; as human beings, we all make mistakes. Flipping out at someone that might have gotten in the way of a critical flag capture is not a method of tightening the loose bolt; all you're doing is tossing the only spanner further into the works. A little support and suggestion could go a long way if the moral compass guiding them is facing the proper direction.

 

 

 

Send a Gift

 

Since times and ages long since past, the simplest way of delivering joy to another can be expressed through the practice of giving. The same still holds iron-cast true today, as expressed by the community celebrating the sales and (to various extents) updates delivered by the development team. Their charity in keeping the game fully-functional 24/7 while simultaneously improving it by adding beneficial items while subtracting problematic one doesn't receive its due attention, and personally, I'd like to deliver a hearty thank you to the Tanki Online Developer Team for making sure the game itself stays afloat and for making sure every last game mechanic is tweaked to character-perfect condition.

 

In terms of player-to-player interactions of charity, there's admittedly not a whole lot to go around. It's not rocket science to discern that, in a game where those that perform the best are rewarded the most, there isn't a whole lot of generosity to go around. Even in team-based matches, players are rewarded according to their own merit within their team. In all fairness, this is the opposite of a problem, but the end result leaves players tending to keep their focuses on mainly the prize, which could cause them to become an individual liability if they're not cooperating with their teammates. Much more can be gained from looking to them for support, working with them instead of perpetuating the team-based 1v1v1v1v1v1 ad infintum mindset, so that benefits may abound for everyone (and usually, increase said benefits).

 

The solution to repairing this divide can only be made by the players themselves, once again. As described above, focusing on how to work best with your teammates is one of the most apparent in-game examples of charity. Instead of keeping the center of attention on the players themselves, however, the motivation for cooperation would be the outcome, or the crystals gained. This, in turn, reflects back to the individual player and their allies. "Hey... my alliance this time around was pretty good. I appreciate a supportive team, so I should probably get into the habit of doing the same for other teams I play on."

 

When someone ponders the term gift in Tanki Online, two things typically come to mind: the Gifts section and purchasable gold boxes. Gifts are a great way of sending a message to a tanker that they can receive at any time, with more value and formality granted to them in place of the informative PM system. These are a great way to spread joy, considering the thought and legitimate price tag that it brings displays an intent and certainty to whatever message it holds. To show your appreciation towards clanmates, friends, those who have earned your respect, or passerby one-on-one players, there aren't many other tools that can deliver this joy so well. Personally, receiving one of these myself gives me a warm fuzzy every time without fail, and I've never met anyone who hasn't thought much differently about them. There's something about a letter in the garage that has a permanent charm to it, making it that much easier to cherish.

 

On the other side of the gifting coin, a left-field glance at logistics is recommended. The value of a gold box is higher than the value of a thousand typical crystals from the Shop section. I saw to the calculations personally, and it seems that $1.00 USD in crystals alone yields 50% more of them than $1.00 USD in gold boxes. Knowing this, it's immediately clear that it was designed to be dropped as a gift to others, and not to deliver to one's self. Knowing this, if purchased, their charitable characteristics make them the perfect celebratory gift for in-game players. Throwing Save the Gold events, especially under themed environments, reflects the celebratory atmosphere of the holidays perfectly, and make for a more engaging method of deliverance while making the required fellowship all the more inviting.

 

 

 

Assist Someone in Need

 

In the outside world, there are countless examples one could list on providing assistance to another. Give a lost fellow directions, help an older lady across a heavily traversed street, send your brother some cash for college tuition -- anything that benefits another more than yourself is considered benevolent aid. Tanki Online and its affiliated items, not made of a vastly different mettle, functions with nearly the same community core, just a different exterior. Plenty of people still need help, just maybe not the same kind of help required for the great outdoors.

 

Working to help your teammates in clutch situations is a start to spreading joy through aid to your team. If you have the means to support a flag carrier or a player being overwhelmed by opposing fire, don't be afraid to throw yourself into the fray to help them out. Chances are, they'll feel compelled to help you out at another time should you decide to engage in combat, or they may even drop their flag to offer you as a token of their appreciation. While rare, some players become touched to the point of sending a Badge or something similar. Kind acts are logically the most powerful, because not only do they break boundaries, but unlike raw violence (where the only end result is contagion), they have adhesive and binding capabilities to their targets, which when fed can birth long-lasting friendships. (This effect has the kinetics to also form contagion, although under census, this is preferred result in these cases.)

 

The battlefield isn't the only place where a player can be helpful, though. The entire Help Page is a dedicated channel to those that have next to no idea how to navigate the Forums or Wiki, and the Help Site takes this a step further and encompasses the entirety of the game itself. Despite the helpers they have working around the clock for large portions of the day (not to mention in-game helpers such as chat moderators, forum moderators, Wiki editors, and Reporters), there's still a number of players new and experienced that are burdened with inquiries great and small. If you have the answer to something someone else is visibly curious about, don't wait for someone else to explain it! Be the lifeline they need for them to go about their business undeterred. It'll be a beneficial experience for both parties, and outlying parties' faith in forum-goers could also be boosted significantly. "Call it faith in humanity restored, if you would."

 

The same goes for the in-game chat, too. Since a fair number of players have never even heard of the forums, the Lobby chat is the hot-spot for inquiries about many in-game happenings. Should you happen to know a potential solution to a problem a community member is experiencing, speak your mind to them, and as quickly as you can afford to. Lots of tankers are unaware of up-and-coming changes and older ones alike, not to mention failing to understand more advanced questions based on a number of current values. If you have the power, lend someone a hand. Speaking softly while carrying a big stick is a character trait to be desired.

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If only since it's "the season", don't be afraid to dish out some of your efforts to lessen those required by the players around you. An empathetic approach to life in general is valuable -- treating others as you wish for others to treat you could wind up taking a tangible stance, where your actions can and will result in consequences, their contents dependent on the direction you take.

 

Do the TO community a favor and spread joy where you can, to maybe inspire someone else to do the same.

 

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[daudiii 61]

How about gold rain?

[MentallyDeranged 740]

Like!

[Shedinja 1,488]

How about gold rain?

I don't know anyone who will decline one of those, either. If there's other ways to move another tanker positively through their heart, then it's on the right track. 

[Zenyth 6,494]

Would Tangled Turret do the trick?  :huh:

:ph34r:

[GeeVuh 1,647]

What if I want them to give me 9999999k crystals, what do I do? :P

[rocketmonkey2015 61]

What if I want them to give me 9999999k crystals, what do I do? :P

This is just impossible, "inexperienced person in a particular sphere or activity, especially computing or the use of the internet". :)

[v1sual 50]

nice

[TTK_229 1,080]

Would Tangled Turret do the trick?  :huh:

:ph34r:

I would prefer King of the Hill plus

 

Nice job m9

[monkeyburn 13,529]

Excellent!  :)