Moderators- A search for guidelines and improvements.

[Oldman731]

Originally posted by Grits
As for me personally, I have never been muted

Hmmm.  We may be able to change that.

- oldman (c'mon, folks, if you're going to push the line, don't expect that you're going to get absolute fairness of application.  Just stop pushing the line.)

[hitech]

MyTake:

1. Grmrpr dosn't like my mod system.
2. Grmrpr starts raisning a fuss in the main.
3. Dosn't win there because mods are doing what they are there 4. So he comes here and continues the same topic.
4. He tries shift the blaim to the mods instead of hist behavior.

Future step 5. He continues the same behavior and is no longer with us.

What it comes down to is very simple , If you do not know how to beheavior in a general social enviorment, no amout of rules will ever teach you to do so.

HiTech

[jaxxo]

ehehe WMmute...i knew it!

[Morpheus]

Hey Hitech, when was it said that Grm was ever involved with the mods? Or had any conflicts involving the mods? He is simply questioning how the mods have tended to handle things in the recent past. IMO you need to calm down for once and take a look at what the "people" are saying rather than take what the mods do for face value. They are not always right, nor are you. They, and you, are human just like everyone else who plays the game.

Why do you think, or make it seem like you are bigger than life sometimes? Aren't we your pay check?

[WMLute]

Originally posted by VIC
I would like to commend a few people who try to get people to clean it up alittle when in the main arena.These would be

WMLute
Ghosth
Sim
ROC

 I'm sure that there are many more but these are all that come to mind right now.Takeing a lesson from them ,I have been trying harder to keep it clean on my part.

Originally posted by jaxxo
ehehe WMmute...i knew it!

It's rare to see me anything but respectful to others online.  I try to be helpful, and I value this community very much.  I've had my tirades where I have gone off on someone, but you won't see me cursing at them ever.   I've been Moderated too many times to count for not shutting up, but never over cursing.

It isn't rare to see me ask people to watch their language.  Fly one of my Special Events.  I CM'd a King of the Hill tonight.  I didn't hear or read one single curse word, and you won't.  I have ejected people over language during a Special Event like a SnapShot or a KOTH, but most people will quit if you just call 'em on it, and ask them not to.  And I do.  I have always done that.  You have flown one of my events, you already know this.

In the Main Arena I TRY to act exactly how I expect the people in one of my Special Events to act.  I DO treat people respectful for the most part.  

I would be a hypocrite to act otherwise.

So what about that do you have a problem with?

The way I expect people to act during a Special Event that I or someone on my SnapShot / King of the Hill team are running is how I feel people should act in the Main Arena as well.  I think the Moderators are doing an ok job.  The MA seems to be a little bit better.  I can't tell the Moderators what to enforce in the MA  (personally, I would have a much lower tolerance level then they seem to) but you will not find some of the behavior that you see in the Main Arena during one of my events.

Thank you Creton for the kind words.  I try.

[StarOfAfrica2]

Just out of curiousity, IS there a policy regarding offensive player IDs?  I for one usually ignore them, but every so often it causes a stink (which is exactly what they wanted to accomplish).  I know it would be even more work, but having a filter in place to kick out some of the more obviously offensive names would help keep it down maybe.  I understand what NB is saying with keeping the rules vague, but IMO it just reinforces the idea for some that "if there's no rule says I cant, then I can."

I also agree with the "dont question the mods" thing.  If you have a problem with it, email Skuzzy.  Even if you are being polite or truly dont understand why you were muted, even if it was a mistake, the mod might see it as you being confrontational.  Take it to the person who is responsible for dealing with it.  If the mod was wrong, I'm sure they will be told about it.

[Mr No Name]

Moderators should never ever ever be anonymous.  As paying customers we are OWED some accountability.  This causes a secret police state mentality.  I saw it heavily abused the other night it seemed that anytime someone asked why they or another person was muted, another nute would follow.

[Murdr]

Originally posted by Mr No Name
Moderators should never ever ever be anonymous.  As paying customers we are OWED some accountability.

Your "owed" accountability can be found a support@hitechcreations.com.  Nuff said.

I saw it heavily abused the other night it seemed that anytime someone asked why they or another person was muted, another nute would follow.

You would think that some people would see the cause & effect situation there, and stop being the cause.  DUH.


By the way, good post NB

[CHECKERS]

I have always thought that these were good guide lines ...
 They were posted on AcesHigh Website,  long while back .....
 Im posting them here  in the hopes, that it will help all concerned  to
  " Just cool their jets a little ".....    
 
 Regards
 Bob/ CHECKERS

   


The unwritten rules of Aces High
As with many games, over time some
unwritten rules establish them selves as
generally accepted behavior. These rules
are not cast in concrete but are a good
guideline on how one conducts himself.
Some rules take into account "real" life happenings while playing the game
while others are pretty much accepted by the population of online players for
ingame issues.
First are the accepted unwritten rules for real life issues:

1. When nature calls, announcing on Channel One "Pee Break" and ones
    location is accepted as a "timeout". Time may vary but that pilot is
    considered offlimits for that time period.
2. When the beer is empty, announcing on Channel One "Beers Empty"
    results in the same timeout with the additional requirement of grabbing
    beer for anyone that want's it.
3. Wife ack. No explanation is necessary. No time limit is imposed.
4.  Pet interference: dependent on the nature of intrusion and resultant                   outcome as it effects participation.



Accepted unwritten rules for ingame issues:

1. In a base vultching situation the first to call "dibs" goes to the front of the
    line. When mulitple pilots call dibs at the same time, a coin flip will decide
    who is first. Taking cuts is frowned upon.
2. Wiping the goo from ones air screen is an official timeout if it has been
    announced on Channel One. Time may vary dependent on the amount of
    goo present. Multiple kills=more goo. evaluated on a per kill basis.
3.Anyone that bails and opens his chute above 600 feet AGL shall be shot         in their chute. The resultant whining on Channel One will be replied with           the comment "Your Momma"
4. Political discussions, whining about getting killed, ANYTHING in CAPS
    on Channel One shall result in the offender becoming a labeled "tard" and
    shall be shunned by those present.
5.  The talking of "smack" is reviewed on a case by case basis. Good smack
     is a pleasure to read. Badly written smack reflects on the poster more             than the recipient. So good sentence structure and a clear thought                   processes are required so as not to percieved as a "tard".  Talking good
     smack is akin to walking a mine field. The liabilities out way the benifits.
Unwritten rules really are a way of life. They are not hard and fast rules, but rules that have been accepted over time. Think of it as a step up into the world of Aces High. Now go out and have some fun !!

[68Hall]

Originally posted by hitech
MyTake:

1. Grmrpr dosn't like my mod system.
2. Grmrpr starts raisning a fuss in the main.
3. Dosn't win there because mods are doing what they are there 4. So he comes here and continues the same topic.
4. He tries shift the blaim to the mods instead of hist behavior.

Future step 5. He continues the same behavior and is no longer with us.

What it comes down to is very simple , If you do not know how to beheavior in a general social enviorment, no amout of rules will ever teach you to do so.

HiTech

Wow. I, by and large, stay out of all things like this, however, there are legitimate, and politely asked questions put forward here, regarding the system under which we are all affected. Respectfully HiTech, if my plumber, Doctor, or yard man responded to my questions in the fashion that you have here, I'd fire him without a second thought.

Of reasonnable interest, the community at large would like to have a better idea of how the moderators are instructed to do their jobs.
We would like a crack down on the use of mispelled words that represent something otherwise mutable.
We would similarly like a crack down on openly offensive names.
We appreciate the idea that the mods keep track of those who contiunally abuse the system, but find that there are serious gaps in enforcement on those players, and MANY others.

HiTech, I can appreciate how and why you would take criticism of this nature a bit personally. You put thousands of hours into this, and do a heck of a good job of it. That said, we would all appreciate it if you would more often respond in a less defensive tone. It's hard for us to communicate legitimate issues with you if we expect at any moment to be banned from the game on a day when your feeling miffed.
Morpheus may have said it strongly above, but his point was relatively valid. Like he, I have dropped from 100ish hours of play, to very few per month. Frankly, if I weren't such good friends with my squad mates, you wouldn't still be getting my 15 bucks. Not because of you or your response here, but because of the issues described above by so many good old members.
At the end of the day, we want the same thing that you do.
Best Regards,

[Murdr]

Originally posted by 68Hall
Respectfully HiTech, if my plumber, Doctor, or yard man responded to my questions in the fashion that you have here, I'd fire him without a second thought.

Apples to oranges.  Lets try maybe, movie theatre owner.  In that theatre there are ushers that you rarely take notice to, but if someone is doing things to disrupt the experience that everyone else came there for you might see them come down and warn that person.  If the offender doesnt take the hint, they might come back with the manager and escort them out.  Sometimes you might think they are acting like barny fife when they feel the need to cause a disruption themselves by telling someone to take their feet off the seat in front of them when it clearly wasnt bothering anybody.  Other times there doesnt happen to be an usher in the theater at that particular time to see someone causing a disturbance.  How much luck do you think you'd have getting the theater owner to answer to you, to explain why his ushers aren't doing their job the why you think they should, or even talk to you for that matter?

Or a nightclub owner even.  Does the club owner owe you a meeting on the protacol of his bouncing staff just because you paid the cover charge?  I doubt it.  He books the bands and the DJ's.  People pay to come in and be entertained, but at the end of the day its his place, and its up to him who will be allowed in, and how they will be expected to behave if they want to stay.

If you did have a legitimate complaint or concern with either of those examples, what would you do?  Ask to speak with the manager privately?  Write a letter to the managment?  There are parallel responses for that with HTC.  On the other hand what if instead you stood in the lobby of the establishment loudly voicing your concerns hoping to gather support from other paitrons?  Do you think you'd get a cheery response, or do you think you'd be escorted out the door?  
Sorry, but I am not sayin this to stick up for HT, what I am saying is that if you want to draw parallel to a real life comparison, go all the way and be realistic, and see if you'd act the same way. (by "you" I mean the reader, and not anyone in particular)

[68Hall]

murdr go back and reread my post. You have misunderstood the context of the sentences that you quoted. I will clarify.
If any one of the above that I mentioned, responded to me, as HiTech did in this thread, they would be gone without a thought. I'm addressing the post by HiTech as well as a number of other terse posts that I have seen before.
I am his paying customer, not the other way around.

[68Hall]

BTW in all of your examples what I would do is walk out, never come back, and tell all of my friends about how the owner chooses to communicate with his patrons, and convince them not to go there either.
Though some of my post was directed at ingame issues, the impetus was on the manner in which he chose to address what was actually a reasonably respectful and mature group of posts...and which we all know is EXTREMELY RARE  on this board.

[Murdr]

So if a dissatisfied patron tried to cause a public commotion in the lobby, rather than first going to the manager to privately state his concerns, in your eyes the managment would be out of line?

[Masherbrum]

Originally posted by Grits
My only problem with the moderation is soome people seem to get a pass, while others are hit hard and early. I have seen some regular abusers go on for hours, while at that same moment someone else will get muted or warned for much less.

As for me personally, I have never been muted, and the few warnings I have gotten were tactful and I did what I was asked and had no further problems.

Couldn't agree more.   I've been warned, and muted about 8-9 times since starting in Apr. of 2001.  

I'm personally fed up with "some having free reign" to outright type cuss words, and continue posting.   If this is allowed, the Moderator "on-duty" has NO BUSINESS muting anyone.  I'm sorry, but favortism is rampant, and blatantly obvious.   IMO, if someone is truly going to "Moderate" the MA, Mute ALL OFFENDERS (cussing, 15 minutes rants of how "How this game sucks (sorry kReacher, about 20 people were filming you)", etc), don't "pick and choose.  Either Mute or let em go.  This "almost moderating", while bedding with "favorites" is the wrong approach.  Bottom line, you're a Moderator, act like one.  

I was in a PM with another player two nights ago about, more or less, this very thing.   To pretend there "isn't anything wrong" is worse than what is going on in the present.  

Karaya