Moderation Update: February

[Braxis 813]

 

Moderation Update Log - February 2020

 

<Introduction>

 Good afternoon, everyone! I apologize for this update being a few days late; the last two weeks have been really busy for myself and the team. However, many of our projects and a few changes will be rolling out as we delve deeper into March!

 

<New Changes>

 

The Moderation Team has been hard at work tackling six different projects this past month. You guys will be seeing two of these projects within the next few days! Sadly, we are a bit behind on schedule due to some complications the team ran into, but there will be lots of announcements from us this month, so we look forward to hearing what you’ve got to say once they go live. 

 

 Take a look below for the projects we will have done this month. Some will be out within the next few days, but some will be out towards the end of the month. 

 

Current Projects
Rule Rewrite - The majority of the rules are being worked in admin review soon, and the last three portions are to be finished. Once all rules are reviewed and through Team, and Admin review. Rules page will be formatted differently to where it is hopefully easier for folks to Navigate.
 

Overhaul of the Infraction System - A lot of the infractions have been shuffled around and altered to fit the server a bit better than the old system Pun had left in place, thus allowing for more leniency for both warnings and bans for some offenses pending on the case by case scenario. This means we’re taking a step away from the more robotic three strikes you're out no matter what approach.

 

Infraction Appeals - Since the infraction system’s start in 2018, the least according to the records we have access too, infraction points never went away. Meaning, over a year those infractions coming back to haunt people if they broke a rule years ago and had an honest slip up. For minor to moderate offenses, we’ll allow players to appeal them so that way if you broke a raid rule two years ago, you don’t suddenly eat a two month plus ban. However, more serious infractions (ERP, harassment, doxxing, etc.) can not be appealed. More information such as how to will be out at the end of this week.
 

War Patch - Close to the mid or end of this month, a patch will hopefully be out for the current war system, allowing a basic set of rules and guidelines if players do not agree to any terms while encouraging them to make terms where both sides can better enjoy the war as well as revisiting some old systems to help give wars a better and proper way to be decided besides just dumping logs upon logs onto Mod Management and waiting for them to go “Ok! Good to go!”

 

Coups - Coups will be on hold unless you are couping an inactive nation or charter leader, though we hope to bring coups into a state where they can be done for active and dynamic RP. We will be gathering more feedback on that in the near future as well as referencing some feedback gathered by CT a little while back.

 

<Current Team Roster >

 

 

<Monthly Statistics>

 

Moderation Staff received a total of 1272 Tickets in February.

 

As for modreq numbers, our numbers are near the previous month, falling short behind by a few tickets with a shorter month to work with. I do apologize to any of the GMT or any similar time zones that had to wait as we restabilize the GMT side of the team. With ImCookie and Knox joining the GMT side of the team and other GMT mods returning from sick or IRL leave, we hope they continue their efforts in aiding the other GMT mods keeping tickets under control.

 

 

Three Months in a Row: LotsofChickens (BlueBudige)
2nd Place: Markosi
3rd Place: Tigergiri

 

*Rift is excused from below the 3% quota due to only being on the team for a few days. Ichor is excused as well due to being on leave for IRL.

 

< Roster changes >

+ BlueBudgie promoted to Management-in-Training
+ Ulmo/Riftlblade has rejoined Moderation

+ ImCookiie has joined Moderation
+ Knox has rejoined Moderation

 

<Special Thanks> 

 

Thank you to BasketWeaver and Sykogenic for the re-hauling of the infraction system and creating a proper tracking and aiding in the appeal system to hopefully make it a better method we can use for LOTC. 

[Dont_Advertise 1602]

I'm still waiting for my official blacklist message...

 

In other news, mod team seems to be doing well. I think its in a good spot rn, much better than most other iterations

[ImCookiie 1909]

We are incredibly fortunate to have a person like Braxis leading the Moderation Team— someone who truly seeks the best in people and the server. A big thank you for all the hard work.

[Milenkhov 4497]

Braxis the chad gamer. 

[Harri 4813]

what is the point in rewriting the rules again, and further? every iteration of the gm team just claims ‘we are writing the rules again’ to feign activity and productivity: not once have i actually seen this ever be sucessful. the general thing that happens is 95% of the rules remain the same, and you reword/change one or two that were specifically under scrutiny due to a recent event.

 

when are you outright scrapping your abyssmal failure of an infraction system? constant outcry from across the community indicates that they think the way you handle player punishments and escalations of them is outright criminal, and does nothing but create further and further hatred for the staff team. people would much rather you actually used your head to try and utilise common sense when punishing players, rather than use mindless and automatic infraction charts.

 

when are you going to actually start moderating the server? the moderation team don’t answer tickets in any reasonable amount of time, they don’t actively reach out to the community and gauge feedback or issues that they have, they have no semblance of communication and actively avoid moderating real issues – not so much a direct fault of yourselves, as telanir encouraged this behaviour and stripped the mod team’s responsibilities repeatedly over a long period of time, but my point still stands. your attitude now is to just follow your finger along your punishment spreadsheet and try to put the puzzle together to give the best explanation for a ban that you can. i, and i’m sure there are others, would like for you to actually try to moderate and compromise between players on the server.

[frill 2276]

1 hour ago, Harrison said:

what is the point in rewriting the rules again, and further?

 

1 hour ago, Harrison said:

when are you outright scrapping your abyssmal failure of an infraction system?

 

There is something toxically fallacious in using both of these outdated talking points as cudgels to beat the GM team with, especially when they conflict eachother so explicitly. Basing your criticisms on a misplaced assumption that the GM team is 100% happy with all facets of the rules and infraction system while also maligning them for trying to fix the system you acknowledge as an “abyssmal failure” does nothing to generate any argument or discourse and simply doesn’t make sense.

 

If you’re going to post blogpost screeds at least pick up one consistent argument and run with it, it’s a lot easier and far more conducive to a positive server if you say what you want without complaining that you’re getting it.

[Harri 4813]

2 minutes ago, frill said:

 

 

There is something toxically fallacious in using both of these outdated talking points as cudgels to beat the GM team with, especially when they conflict eachother so explicitly. Basing your criticisms on a misplaced assumption that the GM team is 100% happy with all facets of the rules and infraction system while also maligning them for trying to fix the system you acknowledge as an “abyssmal failure” does nothing to generate any argument or discourse and simply doesn’t make sense.

 

If you’re going to post blogpost screeds at least pick up one consistent argument and run with it, it’s a lot easier and far more conducive to a positive server if you say what you want without complaining that you’re getting it.

if i chose to withdraw my personal opinion from my question, would it really change the point of my complaints?

my ‘blogposts’ arent meant to beat down and humiliate the gm team in some great toxic ‘haha harrison got them’ display on the forums for rep, each of these poitns are passionate problems i see on the server and highlight hte main issues i have with the gm team

[frill 2276]

2 minutes ago, Harrison said:

if i chose to withdraw my personal opinion from my question, would it really change the point of my complaints?

my ‘blogposts’ arent meant to beat down and humiliate the gm team in some great toxic ‘haha harrison got them’ display on the forums for rep, each of these poitns are passionate problems i see on the server and highlight hte main issues i have with the gm team

 

I’m not going to drop a “feedback noted” or something on this, but I just want you to know that there’re people in the GM team that agree with the fact that the same issues that you raise exist and that there are some overtures in getting them resolved. Bashing rewriting the rules when they’re a vestigial limb from the P*nisher excel spreadsheet box ticking era that bogs down the staff by being purposefully constructed to have no room for malleability or digression while encouraging the staff to fix how these punishments are handed out is just encouraging the team to put the cart before the horse. 

[Haseroth 949]

1 hour ago, frill said:

 

I’m not going to drop a “feedback noted” or something on this, but I just want you to know that there’re people in the GM team that agree with the fact that the same issues that you raise exist and that there are some overtures in getting them resolved. Bashing rewriting the rules when they’re a vestigial limb from the P*nisher excel spreadsheet box ticking era that bogs down the staff by being purposefully constructed to have no room for malleability or digression while encouraging the staff to fix how these punishments are handed out is just encouraging the team to put the cart before the horse. 

Feedback noted

[Wrynn 1347]

To be fair, I’ve seen the rules rewritten probably about 10-12 times now whilst I’ve been on the server, and with each rendition nothing seems to actually get solved in the long run. Whilst I appreciate seeing an effort to try and solve the problem, a simple rewrite is a temporary fix to a problem that the server has faced for year.

 

Perhaps it would be a good idea to look at how the rules can be done differently to cover the needs of the player base instead of how they can be rewritten.

[Callum 927]

21 hours ago, Braxis said:

However, more serious infractions (ERP, harassment, doxxing, etc.) can not be appealed.

What if i didnt do it? And its blatantly clear I didnt do it. But i cant prove it cause the evidence wont be given to me...