Admin Application - slate

[slate]

BYOND ckey: I<3Vore
Character name: Scarlett Argentry
Discord username (+user id): slate#3061
How long have you played on Citadel?: A year, in two days.
How long have you played SS13?: Around 2-3~ years.
What is your timezone/general hours of activity?: 2PM - 2AM~ EST
Previous SS13 related admin experience: No admin experience on SS13.
Previous non-SS13 related admin experience: I’ve administrated several servers on a game called ‘King Arthur’s Gold’ in it’s alpha, an old large-scale TDM-type game.
Current administrators who have agreed to support your application: N/A.

Reason for application:
I had been planning to apply for some sort of staff role for a good time now, although I still felt as though I needed to develop a better understanding of the codebase, the community, and the style of administration. After a year, I feel as though I’ve gotten to a point where I’m confident in saying I would be able to properly learn to use the administration tools tgcode offers to enforce the rules in a style that fits with the community of the server. While there seems to be a large amount of admins currently, I’m usually lucky to see one or two admins online - especially late at night, which seems to be when myself and a lot of other people play. Combining this with the recent, new influx of players, I felt now was a good time to contribute my time to Citadel in a more useful way - mostly the main server, as /tg/code is what I’m most familiar and experienced with. I want the server to be an enjoyable experience not just for myself but for other players, and with the lack of active admins on at certain times throughout the day, it feels like this isn't being fulfilled to the best standard it could be. My experience in administration includes several, smaller games, but the most notable one was 'King Arthurs Gold'. The game and SS13 weren't similar in the slightest, but I did learn how to settle player conflicts, and to keep a close watch over games for any sort of foul play. I feel as though I'm ready to start administrating on SS13, and Citadel feels to me like the perfect place to do it.

1. How would you engage with two players having an out of character altercation?
    Some of this depends on what medium the players are using to communicate, but in both instances the response would be very similar. If the argument is taking place through in-game OOC, the first response would be to ask the two players to disengage. Gentle warning are often enough to stop such interactions, and there is no need to take any serious action if they are willing to stop, even if it takes a few warnings. If, however, they continue to argue after several warnings, it may be time for an OOC mute on one or both of the players, depending on who is the aggressor. A fair amount of time, to me, sounds to be a round - although, if the player is known to do such things a lot, a much longer OOC mute may need to be considered. If the argument spirals out of control and multiple players are involved, I would definitely consider doing a full disable on OOC for a while, if not the rest of the round. This situation on discord is very similar, although it provides the option of telling the players to bring such arguments to a private location such as a PM. It should be noted, that the context and topic surrounding the altercation should always be looked at before any action is taken - if it’s just two people joking around, it wouldn’t make much sense to be involved.

2. What should an admin do if they're involved in a situation that needs admin intervention?
    Admins should never be involved in issues surrounding rounds they partake in. It doesn’t matter how unbiased and just an admin tries to be - dealing with situations involving them is bound to end up with them leaning towards their own side a bit more. Players expect to be dealt with in a fair manner, and an admin doing such a thing would most likely only contribute towards a bad image. Instead, another admin should be called to look at the dispute/ticket, preferably one that knows the details of the situation. If an admin is found guilty of breaking server rules as a result, they would be expected to take any punishments much more gracefully than a regular player, given their position. Furthermore, an admin caught breaking any rules should likely be dealt with much more harshly.

3. How should an admin determine in what way to punish someone who breaks the rules?
Often times, a warning and a note would seem to be enough. Of course, this depends on the severity of the rule broken. If there’s something in the books that specify exactly how someone should be punished, then it should be followed. Unfortunately, this is a rare, if not non-happening occurrence. SS13 is a game with thousands and thousands of possibilities, and as a result, there are thousands and thousands of ways rules can be broken, each with their own context. Admins should always put themselves into the shoes of the player, and ask themselves if what the offending player did was reasonable given the situation they were put in. Previous notes/offenses should be accounted for, as this means a player is much more likely to repeat the same mistakes and break the same rules in the future. How players respond to admins in admin PMs is also a factor - while it is understandable that a player may be upset or angry with things not going their way in a round, or because they were contacted by an admin, the way a player communicates with an admin can provide insights into whether someone is really sincere in their promises, and if they will break the same rules again. In the end, players should be treated like humans, and dishing out an overly long ban or similarly harsh punishment will create a hateful atmosphere, and the point of the punishment will be missed.

4. Under what conditions should an admin de-admin themselves while playing?
Any time an admin expects to have a considerable role in the current round, they should de-admin themselves. This can range from being a head, being an antagonist, or being any other role that can benefit from an increased amount of information relating to the round. Even as an assistant, if the admin plans to help fight against something like a cult or changeling, they should be de-admined as to keep a fair environment for all players. Keeping admin on while filling these important roles will only breed mistrust between the admin and player base - and an admin that does such things, and uses the information they gain to their advantage, shouldn’t be an admin at all. On the contrary, while playing roles of low-importance, an admin should definitely keep admin status on. This will allow them to better assist players, and will result in a smoother, more fun round for everyone. I would even say that admins should aim to do this more often than is currently done - too often do I see admins playing roles of high-importance with admin mode off, when there are very little admins online at the time, and they instead could be helping fill that spot - even if it means skipping out on playing as a head.

5. What is expected of an admin on Citadel?
Admins should set a good example for the rest of the community. They should be expected to be fair with their judgement, putting their opinions to the side - nothing is worse than an admin who lets personal relations take priority over their real job. Of all people, admins should be approachable and understanding - especially with newer players, who they should do their best to help learn the game. In the end, admins should be there to make the server an enjoyable, drama-free environment. Some admins may do this by running events, but in my opinion it’s enough to be proficient in moderating the server in a fair and just way. As leaders of the community, administrators should be someone players are comfortable to be around and aren't hesitant to approach with any of their issues, both through their attitudes and keeping a trustworthy public face.

[Midnight_117]

+1, really well written and they seem like a great candidate for the position.

[kevinz000]

ehhh you're alrightish. +0.5