Skull132

Inclined to agree with Sue. Further, if you want to go into immense detail over a subject like this, then I'd suggest you go and check out a few stations that actually focus on it. I know they exist.

Here are the basic things that we evaluate all of our Trial Moderators upon. Obviously, we cannot put everything down into writing, as that would that too much time, but these are the keynotes, if you will. The most important ones. Also included are the reasoning and explanations as to why we consider them important. These also happened to end up in order of importance, hah! Ability to communicate Communication, and the ability to communicate, is key for a moderator. We are primarily looking for someone who can make his point clear, in a concise manner. Someone who can also listen and understand what is being told to them. As necessary, direct a conversation to figure out what's going on. Another thing that helps with communication, greatly, is the ability to obtain outside/alternate perspective. The more viewpoints you have and can find on any given issue, the more informed your decision will be. The ability to remain courteous While we do not expect anyone to be preppy and flash a nice smile to every adminhelp they tend to, we do expect our staff to act respectful towards the players, and each other, within reasonable bounds. Through this, you are also expected to set a bit of an example for the players. Good judgement Next to communication, judgement is the second most important aspect of a moderator. Judgement is your capacity to make a decision, and then follow it up. This does not simply mean deciding between a warning and a ban: this can also mean taking a step back and asking for help, or reviewing your conducting and identifying, owning mistakes made. Knowing your limits Call for help and take a step back as necessary, be aware of situations that you are unable to manage on your own. Important for not burning yourself out, and thus not making as many mistakes. Identifying bias Similarly, when you yourself are involved, you need to be able to identify and deal with this. Sometimes this means calling for backup and giving someone else the reigns. Other times, you simply must put your own self away and deal with the issue from a neutral perspective. Having the capacity to do the latter is a great quality. Knowledge of the rules Having a knowledge of the rules is vital, as you are required to enforce them. It is very beneficial if said knowledge extends past the simple letter of them, and you are able to understand the reasons why certain rules are in place, and where they can and should be levied, and where not. We are able to help with gaining a better understanding of them, but we still need you to be familiar with them. Initiative We are a loose organization. There is no big, massive hierarchy nor point-by-point dissolution of duties. We are able to maintain this light model only through the initiative of individual members taking up the initiative and joining in on resolving issues that need to be resolved. This also means the ability and willingness, if not the want, to learn. The more knowledge of ingame mechanics you have, the more valuable you'll be to the team. Activity What we mean by this is activity on the server, and having some sort of understanding of what's going on. A moderator who doesn't play, and simply ghosts or lobby-sits isn't necessarily someone who's in touch with how things feel IC. And a moderator who doesn't touch the server/forums is even more out of touch. There are also some things that help, but aren't required right off the bat and can be learned. Any game knowledge, like of gamemodes or mechanics in general, will help greatly. There's also the ability to ask questions when needed, which is actually a relatively underrated, but very important skill. That's all I have for now. Best of luck, folks! And remember, if you have questions, PM me or any other staff member, and we'll get you sorted!

Quick check, shouldn't this be in the lore questions/suggestions place?

I think it's time that I make a summary/further planning thread for IPCs shortly. Where I summarize and address a few things, including my plan for this!

Uh. No. Tasers are already the most lethal weapon in the game, and they work off of halloss. And those things should be nerfed!

This thread has been an amazing ride. From pink Tajarans to syringeguns and powergaming. It literally does have everything. Annnywho. I did some thinking with some mods. Some discussing with Kekboot and Soundscopes. As I alluded to in my reply, with this little section: And the staff feel as if it's reaching this point. Basically, understand this: all aliens on this server have lore and standard expectations set before them. When you submit a whitelist application, you agree to adhere to expectations. Which is why we stripped said Unathi player of theirs: they showed a complete disregard for those expectations, despite the fact that they could somewhat reasonably explain why the character was acting like that. Shit got too ridiculous, and we felt like the player was failing to uphold their end of the deal that was struck with the issuing of the whitelist. These actions have been addressed prior to this complaint, or right after it being submitted. They should no longer be repeated outside of reasonable bounds, as per the agreement reached. If they do, further action will be taken. And also, do keep this in mind: you aren't playing just an anthro-cat, you're playing a character whose species has a preset lore here. And we'd appreciate that being stuck to. And a quick clarification on why a warning is issued over just stripping the whitelist: I came here and found the situation half-baked and not the most well managed. There was a warning issued a few months ago, whenever the entire situation assploded, but it was also nulled for one reason or another. Ultimately, irrelevant from my perspective, as I can do very little about that now. So, I chose to basically start with a clean slate, and proceed with escalation properly.

Well, this is embarrassing. While assessing the issue, the only thing that I was able to dicern was that Techno issued warnings over general chat. Which I still maintain isn't enough on their own. At no point was I aware of the fact that what Hurtz said took place. Welp. Since the warning, I think it was a warning? Was technically issued while acting under my direction, I'll go and delete it. Apologies about that one.

The lore and DO team are willing to manage this as an IC issue. I am still trying to wrap my head around of how to deal with this. As it stands, I've given the two respective teams the greenlight to do what they do, and we'll see what I can pull out of my sleeve. Also, the area where this complaint has merit is the precedence we've set beforehand. I remember, very distinctly, an Unathi who was wearing a fashionable pink wig, and who was also homosexual. Both were acts which go very distinctly against Unathi culture. In response to this, the player was stripped of his whitelist, though there were a few other fun offences that led up to it. Understand this: there is a point where shit becomes too ridiculous, and someone needs to curb it. I just need to regain my bearings a little and figure out where that line is. I will say, though, if that makes removing TF's whitelist over these offences, then we'll issue him a preliminary warning first, and then follow-up only once he steps over that line again. I will further say that every player is free to submit a complaint about whoever, and my staff is required to give these issues heed. After that, we can deem if they require action or not. No one is, or should be, outside of this liberty, and no one is given or should be given a chance to simply avoid the issues they are presented with. Please remain understanding and respectful of this fact.

This is a curious one, and the decision was slipped by me as I transitioned into place. - An unwritten rule that the admins have basically been enforcing over the past few months is that DOs are not the most valid of targets on station. It's not written anywhere, but that's roughly how it's ended up a few times when I was observing. I do not personally like it, but this falls in vain of that. - Gank and killing people are a curious point. I had a really fun discussion with a few folks here on the topic, and therein can be found my personal views. Though, these are not the active server rules that I am required to enforce, and I understand as much. As it stands, it's effectively against the rules, but I'd like to hear what RP Techno had in mind to create from this situation, and how he escalated it. Basically, what was your end goal?

Well, this wraps this up.

Okay, the first situation. Is it odd to say that it would have been had you killed the antag, and not just set them to arrest, cuffed them, and taken them away? Like, get with me on this one: you saw someone rise from the dead. An antagonist, someone your character probably knew was evil (or didn't, whatever, point stands). And your immediate reaction, as an armed individual, is to do a series of complex actions, instead of just, wailing at them with a baton? It's a really odd point to present, but I hope you're getting me on this one. The second point is the result of a recommendation given by myself. So here's the thing. You do not escalate situations like that. A single warning, which can be missed easily enough, addressed to the general public is not, has not, will never be enough to nearly off someone. Why? Because escalation of force. Had it been blue alert and the captain posted a public announcement, over the red system intecom text, okay, maybe. But not over a security officer going, "NONONO, DON'T DO THIS!" They were not armed, they had their ID, they had plausible cause to be out in space (being an engineer and all). You pull them over first, and give them a chance to comply, instead of engaging with lethal arms. Had they ignored a direct verbal or jest related warning (you pulling the weapon on them), then yeah, sure. But going ham on them right off the bat was unjustified. What's worse -- you were mistaken. So you nearly put someone who wasn't deserving into a coffin. This is not an acceptable standard of security.

Da wules are one of the things I want to look at eventually. My list is like this: mod apps, staff SOP real quick, and then the wules. Like, if you think, it can wait until then, then it can wait until then. Basically, I want to review all of the rules, remove the unnecessary ones (regarding the IC CoC, mostly), and then post up something where people can have a think about what needs to be further clarified, and where proper, tangible standards can be set, and where we can keep the more open, "Just be reasonable/sane about it".

Just for the sake of clarity, what'll happen next. About the agreement. Something Valk requested was clarification of what it was. This is the note: http://puu.sh/lf4oI/27141275c7.png What it means is this: Travis Davis is allowed to play an engineering apprentice/apprentice atmospherics tech, under the reasoning that the character had a change of heart and wants to swap out professions. For the most part, this agreement means that Travis is not allowed to do anything beyond very basic engineering tasks (mostly manual labour) without the assistance and supervision of a more trained, more senior technician/engineer. He is, basically, a student. As for why NT would allow this: our reasoning is that if Travis pays out of the schooling from his own pocket, then occupying an apprentice slot with minimum to no wage isn't really that much an issue to them (specially considering that these slots are empty half the time). Now, TF is held to this agreement. Because Dea and TF are posting conflicting accounts of whether or not it was followed, I'll go and find a few engineers, like Manfred, to figure out what actually happened. If they confirm that TF was sticking to the guidelines of the agreement, then that's that. If not, then well. Yes. In the mean time, Valkrae and TF will have a nice discussion, so that we can clarify a few things between the two players. Hopefully this will take care of this complaints. Regarding the agreement. If anyone thinks, that this sort of multidepartmental play, as I outlined in my first paragraph of this post, should not be allowed, then please post a staff complaint against the general staff. There, we can discuss one of two things: whether this agreement itself is acceptable, or what kind of multidepartmental play in general we are looking to permit on this server. And we can do so without people posting snippy-attacks, or getting defencive over it. Obviously, once that thread is concluded, the agreement will be altered to correspond. Any questions, by anyone? Oh, and if someone could give me the ckey or something of this engineer "Manfred", please let me know, thank you!

I am like, 90% sure there's a failure chance in the code, Carver. Not a bug, but a design thing which can be bypassed by spamming it.

Wait. What. What the fuck even is this fuckign-sa anjsk. I give up. SOS.

My thoughts on this are as follows. If they do it once or twice, which is what I've been led to believe, I don't exactly mind it. We've seen weird shit, like robosexuals and whatever else happen on a regular enough basis to not mind. Further, what's actually neat about this, is the amount of RP it generated. Though, take note, this RP is often aimed towards Safia in a negative fashion, and I've actually received complaints about that as metagrudging. I have two options here, really. Either: I let things play out as they have been, and allow Safia to be placed under scrutiny for her actions, and not actively bar her from doing silly shit like this (until she's pink every single round or something). Or I stop both sides, and tell them to back the fuck off. I cannot, and will not enable the RP of one side, while stopping the RP of the other, which is what I've been requested to do a week and a half ago. I prefer option one, I truly do, because it makes for good roleplay. For example, Houssam Jawdat now vehemently dislikes Safia, and calls her a disgrace very actively. Also prods fun at her, etcetera. This is the direct consequence of Safia's own actions, and as such, it is roleplay -- it is not metagrudging. However, the fact that I received complaints about Houssam's actions irks me. People must understand that roleplay is not always fun, it is not a ticket to do whatever the fuck you want for the sake of RP: you make choices, and for those choices are consequences. If it means that other characters dislike your character for those choices, then that is not something I will stop until it exceeds the point of reason, which it has yet to. Otherwise, you'd be asking me to create this little utopia for very specific people, and make a list of, "These are the people you cannot touch." Please, people, stop being oblivious to the choices you make. It's a little ridiculous when you turn yourself pink, and then act offended as other characters tear you, rightfully, asunder IC, don't you all think?

I'll get back to this thread tomorrow, after some rest. In the mean time, two requests: Delta, stop sparking. And can Vallrae, Dea and TheFurry figure out how there's apparently a rather large discrepancy between claimed observations, and claimed status quo? (Namely, how TheFurry claims that he wasn't fixing up breaches, but you folks claim that he was?)

You are splitting a hair with the telescience/xenobio thing. Namely, take note that most, if not all science-characters who've been on station for a long enough time have been around all branches of science. Granted, though, I have yet to see a scientist who also plays engineering with the same character. Now, my question is, why is it unreasonable for a scientist to be an engineering apprentice, basically? Let's speak hypothetically for a moment, as I want to figure something out real quick. We have a scientist named Bob, he's like 40 or some shit, and is swapping from science to engineering, so he's doing the occasional off-shift as an engineering apprentice. This was basically the deal which was made so many months ago, as sounds reasonable to me.

Tbf, I'm going to regard what Delta said as null-information, as it doesn't really provide any substance towards the complaint, nor does he use it to present a point, relevant or otherwise. I'm all for catching people when they're being silly and claiming things didn't happen, but this isn't it. If my memory serves, somewhere around January/February, whenever this issue was picked up by the admins of their own initiative, we reached an agreement that Travis is permitted to be an atmospheric technician within the capacity of an apprentice. Which, at the time, seemed to work: he was indeed following around actual atmostechs and RP-ing with them. The rest of the staff, or TheFurry, can bring me up to speed on if anything has changed since then, though, I am somewhat doubtful of this fact. Three questions stem from this: - Did Travis exceed the agreed-upon capacity of knowledge? (This is primarily to Valkrae/other observers.) - TheFurry, for the sake of public information, what is the actual skillset Travis has and employs? - Does the previously agreed-upon deal sound reasonable to everyone? If not, then why?

No. Research has gotten its hand in the reconstruction of surgery and otherwise tables, so they've had their share from me. It's now time to give engineering, sec and cargo something. Also, for the sake of ease of use, I'm considering having them visible on both sides. Fuck immersion, it's just better that way v.v

I feel like Engineering should get the larger number of the two. Will these fit in backpacks? My initial idea is no. But maybe?

I'll get to this shortly, over the next few days, as my work and sleep permit!

Okay, I'm basically getting two very polarized points of view from here. Which is making things slightly difficult for me. About calling the shuttle: if the situation is FUBAR enough, so the station is all fucked up and there are aliens potentially running around, then a person breaking into the bridge in a dire situation and calling the shuttle is generally okay. Though, usually on livehour, doing so without getting shot is nearly very impossible. On deadhour, by practice, the limit for catastrophe is slightly lowered, but this isn't really mentioned anywhere. So, I'm kind of curious as to what other participants of the round are thinking about this all.

A-aha no. Sec already has the barricades, which extensively serve a similar purpose.