Re: TGNS Server Two

**Zek** · 01-22-2007, 09:04 AM

Originally Posted by Wyzcrak

You can manage the gray icons like we all manage question mark players.

The first thing you do when a question mark hits your team's scoreboard is to talk with him and make sure he's got the communication abilities you expect when you come here. You don't wait until your hive's under siege and he's the only guy who has the res to drop the backup movement chambers before you lose the hive.

So, now, address the gray icon the moment he appears on your team's scoreboard. Explain that its use is optional, and how he can enable you to carry the burden if he doesn't want to.

As we do with question marks, get your ducks in a row beforehand. Get the gray where it needs to be before it need be called to action.

If you don't mind my asking, what exactly is the benefit that we're trying to accomplish by using this system?

**Cain** · 01-22-2007, 09:46 AM

Originally Posted by Zek

If you don't mind my asking, what exactly is the benefit that we're trying to accomplish by using this system?

Communication. Education on server standards. Building the community.

All registered players, SM and non-SM alike, are supposedly active members as far as at least reading the forums. If you come across a reg who appears reluctant or ignorant on the use of 'gb', educate him. Likely he just visited the forums once to get rid of his ? and while that is acceptable, we would much prefer a more active player base in general. The community shouldn't be limited to the time we spend on the server and even if it is, we should all make the effort to bring those players in.

A system with one reg per team getting temp admin status is more than enough to promote the tgns style of play. The challenge for the community as a whole is making sure those powers are used, no matter who controls them.

I'm sure that all regs having access to 'gb' is less of a hassle for those more 'regular' ones, but ultimately this is about building and maintaining a community of like-minded players. Not just policing the servers.

**Yer Mom** · 01-22-2007, 06:18 PM

I must've been blind to the positive effort. If this is the case, then may I suggest adding the importance of understanding gb to the primer, or making it a rule.

I see what you guys are trying to accomplish now, but I think that a bit more control should be added as far as the overall understanding of gb goes. It promotes us to communicate, sure, but if put into a rule, it would become more second hand, I think. As if we were saying to a ? "Can you hear me?" we will be saying to a gray icon (we don't know to be a regular) "Can you use that?" Maybe it would make it more comfortable to the masses...

-Mom

**Rampage** · 01-22-2007, 09:57 PM

I agree with this last post by Yer Mom. Please consider adding it to the rules that display when joining the server.

**Zek** · 01-22-2007, 10:20 PM

Originally Posted by Cain

Communication. Education on server standards. Building the community.

All registered players, SM and non-SM alike, are supposedly active members as far as at least reading the forums. If you come across a reg who appears reluctant or ignorant on the use of 'gb', educate him. Likely he just visited the forums once to get rid of his ? and while that is acceptable, we would much prefer a more active player base in general. The community shouldn't be limited to the time we spend on the server and even if it is, we should all make the effort to bring those players in.

Listen, I join TGNS to play the game. I don't want to spend half of my playtime every game trying to educate a new person each time on using commands. I'm willing to do the dirty work of explaining the rules, and warning and gb'ing people who need disciplining, but actually having to convince others to do the same is on a whole other scale. Have you tried it lately? How often can you say you've had good results? Most players just don't want to bother with that, they're here to play.

Can we get more registered players to use the gb command than currently do? Sure. Can we get everyone who could randomly receive the command to use it properly? Not a chance. Even band-aid solutions like convincing them to pass it over takes time and can ruin games, as discussed. What you're asking is impossible, and it's just wasting a lot of time on everyone's part when this responsibility should just be left to the people who are willing to do it. The benefit of this whole effort is tenuous at best and the work involved is incredible.

Frankly I think this approach is just far too idealistic. There is a reality of the playerbase we're working with here that needs to be taken into consideration. The majority of players simply don't want to have that sort of burden placed on them, and they don't want to spend so much extra time learning a system of plugins that might as well be transparent to them. There comes a point when you just have to work with what you've got.

**Rampage** · 01-24-2007, 08:57 AM

And I also agree with Zek, here. Passing admin responsibilities around is just turning into work. At least at my real job, I get paid. The time wasted is silly.

**Cain** · 01-24-2007, 12:16 PM

Originally Posted by Zek

Frankly I think this approach is just far too idealistic. There is a reality of the playerbase we're working with here that needs to be taken into consideration. The majority of players simply don't want to have that sort of burden placed on them, and they don't want to spend so much extra time learning a system of plugins that might as well be transparent to them. There comes a point when you just have to work with what you've got.

You are, of course, correct. This is the idealistic approach and as such is targeted less on the reality but more on the way one would like things to be. That said, I admit that I myself is not exactly what you might call a 'regular' and although I rarely see a problem with admin or temp-admin presence, I believe you when you say it's an issue at other times.

May I suggest then, that one solution would be to purge all registrations and start over, emphasizing the use of 'gb' in the server rules. The old system was based on points and question marks anyway and perhaps that is no longer necessary? Loose the ?'s and NSPlayer will no longer see the need to register. That way you don't fill up on players who register just to get rid of an icon.

We can still use custom server messages for unregistered players, but if all you get access to is a temp-admin command, that you are reluctant to use in the first place, maybe you just don't bother. The downside to this would be less people actually visiting the forums and reading the rules, but the ns-community is rather small and most people who visit the server know the rules already. The rest we can kick with 'gb'.

**Wyzcrak** · 01-24-2007, 12:46 PM

The introduction of a new solution is pending. We'll resume discussing this publicly once it's been on a the server for just a bit.

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