Overpopulation/Understaffed

[Icuris]

]A simple question but it's something that's been bugging be for a while.

What can we as a community, do to support both the staff and server during situations that our population has grow too large to effectively manage?

This comes from the like of what occurred at 12:00am Feb 15 [pacific time] where the amount of players on the server has stretched the staff too thin. Where issues would run rampant as the necessary resolution was stuck in a limbo.

This is not a fault of anyone but it is a problem. To a degree most instances add to the role-play and create environments of varying degree, that carry their own tone for people to work with. In all honesty I thought it was neat that traitors that round were able to work with the chaos and complete their objectives utilizing the stations/servers current state. However when it gets to the point that so many call foul on behaviours I believe we have a problem to address.

And the problem is simple. Can we; the players take on some responsibility during these chaotic times on the server? And to what extent would we be doing so?

 

It's late and I am tired. If this seems like random rambling then so be it. I just hope maybe we might be able to help support our community in one way or another

[Skull132]

This is an issue that has existed for a lot longer than just recently, tbh.

The unwritten rule is that there should at least be one moderator recruitment cycle per quarter. That's about the most we can handle effectively, and it's regularly enough to where we can maintain an active staff rotation -- maintain good numbers without attrition throwing its weight around. What happened, unfortunately, is that we missed one cycle around September/October. And the effects of this stretch quite far: the next cycle needed to be handled in a safe manner, to establish a new set of core staff, as such, recruitment numbers were lower than regular.

With this said, I am starting to prep the mods and admins for another cycle to be started in March. And as necessary, I will keep running a mod cycle every 3rd month until our numbers are high enough. Or we may want to look into scratching the cycle system and slouch into persistent recruitment, which has its advantages and disadvantages. We'll see. Proper recovery to full operational capacity, as it were, will take time. But if we keep being persistent about it, which I plan on doing, we'll get there.

More of a description of the problem and a plan on what I want to do going forward, and not an answer to your question directly, I guess. The staff do appreciate the sentiment, though.

[Garnascus]

Theres not a whole lot you as players CAN do about it unfortunately. Sure i could say something like "dont break rules or cause problems in the first place" but thats not how things work. Just have some patience and understanding during those times.

[Guest Menown]

Obviously we need a One-Player law, where staff can only have one player to every two staff member.

[Guest]

What can we as a community, do to support both the staff and server during situations that our population has grow too large to effectively manage?

 

If you're not actually interested in participating in a staff position for the server in the near future, the best current option is to make note of what you see, try and get it in log-format and bring it up to a staff member later to get their thoughts on it. If the issue that you rose is (and I say this unironically) problematic, then usually the staff member will endeavor to deal with it in any way they can. Most instances often fall in the grey area between what's acceptable on-server and what is not, but that's alright; because in the end a precedent is established to usually help judge similar instances with similar circumstances.

In terms of the whole IC thing when you see/notice something that would be otherwise OOCly out of your hands or something you don't want to interfere with in fear of getting banned... well, I mean, unless you did something that was wholly and entirely wrong in response to that situation, who can blame you for doing your part as a roleplayer in having your character respond to situations as they appear? Provided your senses are in the right place, go with your gut. Sometimes the worst thing one can do is to choose not to react to a situation and brush it off, which is often not what most people would do in that position.