A problem I've found in many MMORPGS is the lack of things to do while waiting for your guild to show up. (How many times can I fly around the same map picking ore?!?) To solve this problem, some other MMOs allow you to collect pets, achievement points etc. Unfortunately, these serve no real purpose. Instead, I would like to see the implementation of such "keep me busy" achievements implemented in a way that gives a tiny reward. Let me explain:

Lets take example achievements:
- Mine 10 000 iron
- Mine 1 000 000 veins
- get 1000 kills in a PvP arena
- get 1 000 000 in heals from a PvP arena or cause 1 000 000 points of damage.
- explore the whole area/zone/map/world
- fine and read 100 diferent books.

My above examples are quite plain; I have yet to see the game and therefor lack the imagintion to come up with better ones.

Now, these could keep characters busy for months. Not only could they work on them during times where they are logged and waiting for a raid time, but they cold also be kept very busy farming them. Which leads me to the following; a tiny reward.

Example: Mining 10 000 iron could toughen you up and give you an extra heath. One health is by no means game breaking but added up with a plethora of different achivements could gain you an extra 100 heath total. Or how about one extra mana for finding all the books? MMOs have to constantly dangle the proverbial carrot in front of the mule. While absurdly small increases are in no way game breaking, many players will want to pursue this path in order to squeeze out the maximum potential out of their characters. My most favourable moments in other MMOs where the ones where we won by the skin of our teeth; and only having done so because my guild/clan ecked out as much as they could from their characters.

No mater how small the offered reward, many players will pursue it if they stand to benefit from it. The potential of adding many weeks if not months of game play by using some type of achievement/reward system is huge. Not to mention keeping players busy during off times.

This idea could also be quite easily implemented to assist the crafting system in order to stimulate a world economy. Example: Part of a clothing achievements could be something along this line: Wear purple boots/cloak/pants and gloves. You could make purple dye only accesible through a crafter. Or the following: Finely hone your weapon 1000 times. (Your weapon gains a +1 damage if honed using a sharpening stone). This +1 lasts for 100 hit. These stones can only be made by apprectice+ miners or blacksmiths.

In other words, achievements could be used as a vehicle to promote the economy. The more achievments possible, the more the player base can actually profit from their trade skills.

What do you guys think?