Disciples

[gwit]

This is a "woe is me" story.

Was monitoring noob channel and a request came on to rescue a noob who managed to get himself stuck with some seriously big robots - can't quite remember what they were but they were big and very strong. He didn't stand a chance.

In the course of the rescue I "lost" a slep and a helicopter and I think we escaped on a pitbull - it took a good hour

After the rescue, I volunteered to mentor and to be really helpful, gave him a couple of noob guns, a pet and helped with the quests at half moon bay.

I also hunted with him and assisted with every question he had. I was away for a week on family business, couldn't log in but left a message - got back and saw that I was kicked as his mentor. I feel really pi**ed by this, I know I shouldn't but can't help myself.

I remember the bad old days when the mentor had to release you - I think the system has gone too far the other way now. We almost get professional disciples

 

[Fiona Simmons]

People are swayed so easily these days, he probably kicked you because someone else told him to do since you wasn't a week online. Maybe he was expecting more gifts from his new mentor, who knows. Maybe he believe it is normal to get free stuff now and take it for granted to receive help in a bad situation. Maybe he was inept to figure out how to read a offline message. You should talk to him and ask him for his reasons.

I can tell you feel betrayed by this fellow. It is discouraging to invest time to show new players around and help them to avoid all the money eating snares that wait for them. Taking on disciples can be rewarding and it can even lead into a long lasting friendship. But from all the years I'm around and what I've heard and seen I can tell that is the exception. Most time they just disappear half way, losing interest in EU or try to abuse your generosity, farming mentors and moving on like locusts.

Its sad but there is nothing we can do. I believe you are not worried about the items you spend on this person but the time and care you put into your mentorship that got betrayed. My opinion is to never give out free stuff for free, you can maybe use it as motivation for different tasks for your disciples like reaching 50% mentoring done or finishing getting all teleports but never just for free. This lead to a false impression what EU is all about.

Try to shake it off, don't let this experience stop you from being helpful and offering guidance to people that need it.
Every new disciple is another unique person and while you can find pattern how new player behave if you had enough disciples the one diamond you might find might be worth all the hassle and failures you go trough guiding ungratefully people who stab you in the back. Being too nice is as bad as being an ass or not caring at all. Over time try to figure out why people leave or backstab and think about how you aided to their behaviour and how to avoid it.

 

[III Dusk MMM]

Like in real life

This is how I see it.
Some disciples are dumped by mentors and some mentors are dumped by disciples. With good and bad on both sides. For me it was like this: A person asked if I want to be his disciple. I said yes and immediately he made a team and we shoot a mob. And that's all. End of metorship process.
For me it was OK because I like to search and find things on my own (like a challenge), but I still have this feeling in my mind now that the price for that mentor should have gone to a better person (like you for example who really provided help). So I would just say keep looking, a good friend can come once in a lifetime and you never know when is going to happen. In the meantime you can expect a lot of casual buddies and stories like this one.

Regards,
III Dusk MMM

 

[Svarog]

Sounds like a 'normal' course of action in at least 1/5 of cases these days. At least in your case he may justify it with your absence and haven't done it while you being online, or even right in the middle of conversation (happened more than once) Gotta learn to cut off emotions to not burn out.

 

[SoReal]

Disciples already get enough gifts when they finish that is their motivation.
I will always teach someone to fish but I will never feed them