TL;DR: Let’s make Stack Exchange into an RPG game!
=CURRENCIES=
There’re 2 currencies in the game: gold and diamonds.
Gold
Gold is the most common currency. It’s very similar to the existing “reputation.” You’re able to earn most of it the same way you earn reputation.
- Up-vote on a question: +5 gold
- An accepted edit: +2 gold
- Up-vote on an answer: +10 gold
- A bounty given to you: +(bounty amount)
You can also earn gold in other new ways, different from how you can earn reputation.
- A player buys one of your items on sale: +(item price)
- A player in your guild donates you gold: +(donation amount)
- Leveling up: +(level number * 100)
Unlike reputation, gold can be lost and spent quite easily. Down-votes don’t make you lose gold. “Down-voting” will be explained later. It’s called “attacking” in this game.
- Buying an item: -(item cost)
- Donating gold to your guild: -(donation amount)
- Account deletion: other players will be able to take your gold
Diamonds
Diamonds are the rare, premium currency. There’re only 2 ways to earn diamonds:
- Buying diamonds from the shop: -(real world money), +(purchased diamond amount)
- Leveling up: +(level number * 10)
Whenever you can spend gold, you can also do it with diamonds. You can even trade diamonds for gold. 100 gold = 1 diamond. There’re also items in the game that can only be bought with diamonds, so no gold equivalents allowed on those items.
=PLAYERS=
We new refer to “users” as “players,” since Stack Exchange is now a game.
Classes
There are 7 player classes, also known as “hero classes.”
- Warrior
- Mage
- Hunter
- Rouge
- Shaman
- Paladin
- Druid
Each player class has access to different items and abilities. For example, every post a player posts is affected by their class’s posting ability.
- Warrior: flag-proof answers
- Mage: your questions start with 1 up-vote
- Hunter: flag-proof questions
- Rouge: your answers start with 1 up-vote
- Shaman: edits to your questions must be approved by you
- Paladin: edits to your answers must be approved by you
- Druid: un-closable posts
Health
All players have health. They can gain health and lose health. A player’s health can’t go above the health limit, and it can’t go below 0. A newly-registered player starts at 30 health, which is the limit for level 1 (more on levels later).
Once a player’s health reaches 0, they’re considered “dead,” and they won’t be able to access their account anymore. Deleted players’ gold, diamonds, and items are available for taking by other players.
Ways to gain health:
- Use a health potion on yourself
- Leveling up (Your health is automatically refilled every time you level up. Leveling up also increases the health limit by 100 each time. I’ll explain the leveling system later.)
Ways to lose health:
- Get attacked (A.K.A. “down-voted”)
- Sell or donate a portion of your health to another player
Guilds
Guilds are social groups. Guild members can chat with each other, trade items, donate items or currency, and sell items to another player in the guild. You can’t attack (A.K.A. “down-vote”) a post written by someone in your guild.
Guilds are run my moderators. They’re the leader of the guild. They can kick players out of their guild if they like. It’s possible to not be in a guild, although joining a guild will help you progress faster in the game.
Levels
The concept of player levels in this game is very similar to other RPG’s. It takes an amount of XP (A.K.A. “experience points”) to reach the next level (XP requirement to advance level = level number * 100). XP can be earned by making positive contributions to the community. You can never lose XP. The maximum level is 100.
- Up-vote on one of your questions: +10 XP
- Up-vote on one of your answers: +15 XP
- One of your answers gets accepted: +25 XP
=VOTING=
The up-voting and down-voting system was changed to reflect the theme of this new RPG.
Up-Votes
Up-votes work in much the same way the existing up-vote system does. Instead of giving reputation, up-votes give gold and XP.
- Up-vote on a question: +5 gold, +10 XP
- Up-vote on an answer: +10 gold, +15 XP
Down-Votes (Attacking)
Contrary to the existing system, down-votes (hereby “attacks”) don’t subtract gold. Hence the name, “attacking,” this action subtracts some amount from a player’s health.
The amount of health subtracted from the player whose post you attacked depends on which weapon you use to attack. Weapons are a type of item, explained in more detail later. Unlike traditional down-voting, you can attack the same post multiple times. Each weapon has a limited number of uses, and it’s gone after you use it up.
FAQ: “How do I get the health back if I’m down-voted?”
You can buy a health potion from the shop, buy a health potion from another player, accept a health potion donation from another player, or have your health automatically refilled when you level up.
Accepted Answers
If one of your answers is accepted, you’ll earn:
- +25 gold
- +25 XP
- A randomly chosen item
If your answer gets un-accepted, you won’t lose the rewards.
=ITEMS=
Items are crucial to both the game’s progress and economy. Items can be bought, sold, traded, donated, or earned in many different ways. The prices of items may change as you level up. You’re allowed to have multiple of the same item.
Inventory
The inventory is where your items are stored. The amount of items you can store is limited based on your level (item limit = level number * 5).
Unlocking Items
Every time you level up, a set of items are unlocked. Unlocked items are available for purchase or receiving from a donation.
FAQ: “If I unlock an item, do I immediately get to use it?”
No, having an item unlocked only means it’s available. You need to buy or receive an item as a donation in order to have it.
Weapons
Weapons are the type of item used for attacking (A.K.A. “down-voting”). Different player classes have access to different weapons. Weapons have limited “uses.” Once a weapon is used up, it’s gone, and you have to buy it again to keep using it.
- Free - Fist (-1 health) - Unlocked at level 1 - Class: all - Uses: unlimited
- 50 gold - Baseball Bat (-2 health) - Unlocked at level 2 - Classes: hunter, warrior, shaman, and paladin - Uses: 5
- 100 gold - Bow And Arrows (-5 health) - Unlocked at level 3 - Classes: warrior, druid, mage, and rouge - Uses: 10
- 250 gold - Sword (-10 health) - Unlocked at level 5 - Classes: warrior, druid, and rouge - Uses: 20
- 500 gold - Gun (-25 health) - Unlocked at level 8 - Classes: all - Uses: 30
- 1000 gold - Fire Sword (-50 health) - Unlocked at level 10 - Classes: warrior, druid, mage, and rouge - Uses: 100
Potions
Potions are the type of item used for activating special abilities. Potions only have one “use.”
- 50 gold - Magical Reviver (un-deletes a post of yours) - Unlocked at level 1
- 75 gold - Blitz Freeze (makes your post attack-proof for 6 hours) - Unlocked at level 3
- 100 gold - Enchanted Rage (makes your answer always stay at the top) - Unlocked at level 5
Mining Tools
When a player’s account is deleted, their account actually stays, it’s just that they can’t log in anymore. But what happens to the deleted player’s gold, diamonds, and items? A deleted player’s loot is available for other players to steal. The link to their profile page will be placed on a list of free accounts, a page which is open to the public. Which mining tools you have access to don’t depend on your player class (A.K.A. “hero class”). You can use the same mining tool on the same player multiple times. Mine quickly, because other players in the community will be mining away as well!
Mining tools are the type of item used for claiming those resources of a deleted player.
- 10 gold - Pickaxe (mines 40 gold) - Unlocked at level 1 - Uses: 10
- 25 gold - Gem cart (mines 3 gems) - Unlocked at level 2 - Uses: 1
=ACHIEVEMENTS AND PRIVILEGES=
Achievements and privileges are very similar to the existing “badges” and “privileges” system. Achievements and privileges can’t be bought, instead you automatically get them when you meet the requirements to earn them. You can never lose an achievement or privilege if you no longer meet a requirement after you earn one.
Achievements
Achievements are like badges. You do whatever the achievement says you have to do, and you earn the achievement. All achievements in this game are exact copies of existing badges.
Priveleges
You don’t earn privileges by meeting a specific requirement. Privileges are only unlocked at certain levels, so you need to reach that level to get the privilege.
- Edit protected posts - Unlocked at level 2
- View close votes - Unlocked at level 10
- Moderation tools - Unlocked at level 30
TL;DR: Let’s make Stack Exchange into an RPG game!
