The
Volity Number, originally proposed by
jmac, describes a meta-game that could be layered over the entirely of a Volity network using information gleaned from
game records and the
reputation system. Each
player on the network would have a single Volity Number, representing that player's mastery -- relative to all the other players -- of the whole Volity network. A lower number represents a higher rank.
Your volity number would be public information, and maybe the most single visible piece of game-generated data about you, since it can apply in any context (not just game-specific ones), so it can (for example) appear next to your name in forum posts and the like. The idea is to encourage players to improve their rank by trying new and different games, and making more friends.
Formula
Each player's number would be computed and held by the bookkeeper, based on various data. Here are some vague ideas about how that might work:
Things that raise the rank:
- Playing a lot of games.
- Winning.
- Having a good reputation.
Things that raise the rank _more_ (maybe as a multiplier of sorts?):
- Playing more _rulesets_ ("kinds of games", in player parlance).
- Tending to win across different rulesets.
- Having lots of positive-reputation votes (which requires having played with lots of different people, not just the same folks over and over).
Things that lower the rank:
- Having a poor reputation.