The Opticraft Suggestion Thread

[smd75jr]

Disclaimer: This is NOT directed at anybody in particular though it may use examples and ideas from other people.

Recently there has been a massive increase in the number of players and with it, the amount of griefing. Sadly, it would appear that not enough has been done to address this situation yet. While there have been a vast number of improvements to the server and the Opticraft community, I (along with many others) feel that some improvements could be made.

This list is in no way complete and may be added to at any time.



1. Moderators Are Players Too:

Just like police officers can have the day off, moderators still want to be able to build like everybody else. A good feature to implement would be a form of badge system so that mods can go on and off duty in much the same way that taxi cabs do. This would allow mods to do their jobs, but also be able to build and contribute creatively to the server and the community. http://forums.bukkit.org/threads/admn-adminstatus-v1-5-tell-your-users-if-you-are-helping-or-relaxing-permissions-1-2-3r0-1.48748/ (possibly integrate it into deject3d’s plugin).



2. Captain, She Can’t Take Much More, We Need More Mods:

Sadly, we have lost quite a few mods recently, and the remaining ones just can’t keep up. With the massive increase in players since the 1.2 update the current mods just can’t keep up with the demand. Due to the increase in players there is also an increase in griefing and if we do not add more moderators to combat the griefers then players will begin to feel ignored when they request help if nobody comes to help them after a while. While deject3d’s plugin will help imensly, it still comes down to how quickly a mod can respond to a players request. To put it simply: We Need More Mods!!!!



3. Mod Apps? THIS!! IS!! [Your thread was moved to Moderator Applications – Rejected] Wait Rejected?:

I know that at the moment people who have had their Moderator Application rejected aren’t supposed to ask why if there was no reason given, but how is anyone supposed to improve if we don’t know why we were rejected in the first place. It would be very helpful if a reason was given if an application is rejected so that the applicant can try to improve so that they can hopefully be more successful during the next round of applications.



4. THE SERVER CRASHED!!!! Meanwhile In New Zealand -> “Ring Ring” **OPTI-RAGE**:

Servers crash, anybody who has ever run any kind of server whatsoever has had this ingrained in their mind for all eternity. So what does one do when a server crashes? We reboot it. What do we do when the Opticraft server crashes? We hope that somebody with optical’s phone number is on Mumble and then get them to call him. But what if he can’t be reached, or can’t reboot the server immediately? Then we sit there and wait. To keep this brief: the operators need to be able to login to the server and reboot it.


Feel free to post or PM me with any more suggestions to add to this list!!!!

[TarynMai]

1.

Do not apply if you aren't going to take this position seriously and aren't going to commit yourself to the duties of a mod.

We know very well what our job is. We are regular players, yes, but we signed up for this. It is our job to work full-time. If people cant handle it, they can ask for a derank.
2. I do agree with you on this point, but quantity doesnt mean quality when it comes to more mods.
3. There could be plenty of reasons as to why people dont get it. But I do agree here too.
4. Operators arent always on either.

[Nick3306]

1. alicia nailed it
2.Moderators don't grow on trees, Moderators who are not mature enough or moderators that are just plain stupid would have a huge negative effect on this server. That is why we are so picky when choosing mods.
3. If you want us to give reasons we will add one line to every app that says "we do not currently think you would make a good mod" It is as simple as that.
4.The server should automatically restart when it "crashes".

[smd75jr]

1. alicia nailed it
2.Moderators don't grow on trees, Moderators who are not mature enough or moderators that are just plain stupid would have a huge negative effect on this server. That is why we are so picky when choosing mods.
3. If you want us to give reasons we will add one line to every app that says "we do not currently think you would make a good mod" It is as simple as that.
4.The server should automatically restart when it "crashes".

2. True, however, I think at the moment there are enough good people who want to be mods that it could be bennificial to open up moderator applications for more than 1 week every 2 months.

3. That's hardly a reason -.-

[Nick3306]

1. alicia nailed it
2.Moderators don't grow on trees, Moderators who are not mature enough or moderators that are just plain stupid would have a huge negative effect on this server. That is why we are so picky when choosing mods.
3. If you want us to give reasons we will add one line to every app that says "we do not currently think you would make a good mod" It is as simple as that.
4.The server should automatically restart when it "crashes".

3. That's hardly a reason -.-

Well if you get rejected, that is the reason why. Just saying.

[tbpb2010]

1. alicia nailed it
2.Moderators don't grow on trees, Moderators who are not mature enough or moderators that are just plain stupid would have a huge negative effect on this server. That is why we are so picky when choosing mods.
3. If you want us to give reasons we will add one line to every app that says "we do not currently think you would make a good mod" It is as simple as that.
4.The server should automatically restart when it "crashes".

3. That's hardly a reason -.-

Well if you get rejected, that is the reason why. Just saying.

I understand why admins have to give such a general reason for rejection (possibly time constrains and anonymity) but that's like a doctor telling a family their relative died because their heart stopped.  They (more often than not) want to know what caused it.  I think smd75jr (and many others) want a more personal and direct reason for getting denied such a needed position.  In builder apps more often then not if they are rejected (or accepted), the op tells the builder what projects they had were good, what wasn't quite up to snuff and why it didn't meet their standards.  Sorry if this post sounds a bit redundant to what the original poster said but I felt the need to offer my opinion.

[smd75jr]

1. alicia nailed it
2.Moderators don't grow on trees, Moderators who are not mature enough or moderators that are just plain stupid would have a huge negative effect on this server. That is why we are so picky when choosing mods.
3. If you want us to give reasons we will add one line to every app that says "we do not currently think you would make a good mod" It is as simple as that.
4.The server should automatically restart when it "crashes".

3. That's hardly a reason -.-

Well if you get rejected, that is the reason why. Just saying.

I understand why admins have to give such a general reason for rejection (possibly time constrains and anonymity) but that's like a doctor telling a family their relative died because their heart stopped.  They (more often than not) want to know what caused it.  I think smd75jr (and many others) want a more personal and direct reason for getting denied such a needed position.  In builder apps more often then not if they are rejected (or accepted), the op tells the builder what projects they had were good, what wasn't quite up to snuff and why it didn't meet their standards.  Sorry if this post sounds a bit redundant to what the original poster said but I felt the need to offer my opinion.

Its not redundant at all, it explains it quite well

[Nick3306]

The difference with the builder apps is that you can reject someone because they don't build big enough, or detailed enough. With mod apps, all we look at is whether we think you would make a good mod or not, so that would be the only explanation we would give. Sure we could brake it down into things like immaturity, and a lack of trust, but we would prefer to keep personal feelings intact. Plus, the last time I gave a reason for rejecting a mod app, the entire forum went crazy.

[morgosin]

1.

Do not apply if you aren't going to take this position seriously and aren't going to commit yourself to the duties of a mod.

2. I do agree with you on this point, but quantity doesnt mean quality when it comes to more mods.

This sounds very familiar... Where did I hear this before, oh yeagh!! It is like the go to phrase for promoteing a builder on classic, And I totaly agree with it, quality keeps people on the server.
Sure we can have 40 mods but some of them are bound to do something stupid to mess up the servers Reputation. I'd rather have nice, good, and knowledgable people leading the server, rather then someone that is constantly trolling the guests...

[cschurz]

I think SMD deserves a nice discussion on his points rather than a simple dismissing of his points.

Moderators in general
- We (...I) are certainly working on more ways to reduce the workload of moderators by means of a simpler ban appeal system, easier to use logblock, improvements to the ticket system my mod provides, and ways to passively reduce the amount of griefing. It is my opinion that a "perfect" server is one that moderates itself. It's my goal to get as close to that as possible by means of making things easier for all parties involved (both the ones receiving moderation and those who are being moderated). Such a system is a long way off.

To answer your point more directly: Moderator's shouldn't be the one-stop-shop when it comes to being helped in-game or out of game. They are, in ways, the simplest solution to the problem. And I am not a believer in Occams' razer. Less emphasis on manual moderation = better.

--
"More Mods"
I understand that my previous point is, as I said, a long way off. I do actually agree with the point that we need more mods. We could slap a moderator badge on just about any casual member here and they'd at least try to do the job. Most would probably do the job quite well. More mods does, however, become difficult to manage. Quality assurance is important when it comes to mods, and I think Nick and Relkeb could potentially loosen it up a bit, just until we get some more automated moderation techniques in place. We're currently burning through our mods simply because they don't enjoy the workload they receive. A "Moderator badge" wouldn't really solve that, it would just be a band aid.

Hopefully you can see my opinion on the whole moderator thing.

[smd75jr]

I think SMD deserves a nice discussion on his points rather than a simple dismissing of his points.

Moderators in general
- We (...I) are certainly working on more ways to reduce the workload of moderators by means of a simpler ban appeal system, easier to use logblock, improvements to the ticket system my mod provides, and ways to passively reduce the amount of griefing. It is my opinion that a "perfect" server is one that moderates itself. It's my goal to get as close to that as possible by means of making things easier for all parties involved (both the ones receiving moderation and those who are being moderated). Such a system is a long way off.

To answer your point more directly: Moderator's shouldn't be the one-stop-shop when it comes to being helped in-game or out of game. They are, in ways, the simplest solution to the problem. And I am not a believer in Occams' razer. Less emphasis on manual moderation = better.

--
"More Mods"
I understand that my previous point is, as I said, a long way off. I do actually agree with the point that we need more mods. We could slap a moderator badge on just about any casual member here and they'd at least try to do the job. Most would probably do the job quite well. More mods does, however, become difficult to manage. Quality assurance is important when it comes to mods, and I think Nick and Relkeb could potentially loosen it up a bit, just until we get some more automated moderation techniques in place. We're currently burning through our mods simply because they don't enjoy the workload they receive. A "Moderator badge" wouldn't really solve that, it would just be a band aid.

Hopefully you can see my opinion on the whole moderator thing.

I do agree that a Moderator Badge system would be a band-aid, however, at the moment, with the workload that our current mods have, it could be a good temporary fix until we can get more mods, as well as more of the trusted members to potentially assist with some of the moderators jobs (such as placing water).

In that same vein, deject3d, have you considered making your mod available to some of the trusted members. I believe that this could potentially help to lessen the workload for the mods in regards to placing water.

[ryans1230]

...Moderators in general
- We (...I) are certainly working on more ways to reduce the workload of moderators...

I've been in mumble for a few weeks now and have talked to the mods on, generally in the morning, and they all say the same thing. Most of the grief happens while the player that is griefed is asleep. And when they log on in the morning, their place have been griefed, and they call on the mods to fix it.

A good idea, is to establish temp. mods, or players (Trusted) that are allowed to help remove the workload of mods, during peak hours for grief reports. Then, when it is over (the amount of grief reported is almost diminshed), the players are returned to their former rank.

[Destroy8r9]

So a temp nod position that goes away when they logout like classic

[ryans1230]

So a temp nod position that goes away when they logout like classic

Not when they log out but when the grief reports go down. Otherwise, if I was trusted (like some others), they would just stay logged in and be a mod forever (until their Minecraft crashed).

[Nick3306]

I think SMD deserves a nice discussion on his points rather than a simple dismissing of his points.

By giving my reasons for dismissing his points, I am continuing the discussion.