Producer promotion and directive

Started by Shabago, November 04, 2021, 04:02:01 PM

   Recently, you may have seen the post in regards to my promotion to Producer. First and foremost, I would like to thank Nessalin for the kind words and his continued contribution to this hobby of ours. This can also be stated for Nathvaan, with his dedication to our web and machine work and Brokkr for efforts to oversee game-wide changes of story/plot and balance. Without their tireless work, this game simply wouldn't be what it is today.  Thank you, gentlemen.

As some of you have mentioned curiosity over what Producers do, this is a rough outline. Code: Nessalin. Web/Machine: Nathvaan. Game balance: Brokkr. While each area is listed, there is crossover and grey-areas where any of us may weigh in, give oversight, or reach consensus by group vote. Where do I fit into this? After discussing with the team at large, my particular area will be based upon something much of the player-base has spoken up or out for: Player-Staff relations.

What is this, in a nutshell?

- Specific oversight of the staffing team: Their workload/fun balance, any internal conflicts/grievances, conduct towards the player base, and concerns of the coined phrase 'burn out'.

- Oversight of the player base concerns, feedback, continued efforts of transparency, and continued efforts to improve the relationship between players and the staff, for a more welcoming community.

- New player and veteran recruitment or retainment.

First order of business for such a role is to address one of the biggest, continued concerns that both staff and players, past and present have. Community relations. There are people on both sides of the staff/player line who feel they've been cheated, wronged, spoken down to, mistreated, or disrespected and I believe I can safely state for everyone that that shouldn't happen. No matter what position someone has on the staff team, how long a veteran player has been around or what walk of life the individual person may come from, we are all here because we love this game, and for it to be great, we all need to collaborate to tell the best stories. Respect for the effort, dedication, and time to the craft of storytelling, by players and staff alike, should be the daily norm. That has not always been the case, and it has continued to cause friction over the years.

The best place to start, I feel, is for the stewards of the game (staff) to offer a hand to you all, by way of apology. While there are claims and accusations that have been made in rather poor faith with intent to harm the game/individual people that play it, there are other *valid* complaints that did and do exist in regards to the conduct of the team. In these cases, we can not truly fix what took place in the past that led to conflict in various forms, but we can at least acknowledge them and apologise for them. We can also do better, moving forward. After the years I've spent on the staff team, a number of you have commented upon my even handed approach, being a player advocate, and an advocate for greater transparency. I hope, by action rather than just words, I've earned some trust from all of you that I don't make idle promises, but have carried out what I stated were my goals. I intend to continue that, from this new position, and see our community grow in a more positive light.

What I hope for, from all of you, is the same level of treatment or respect that you would have from us. This mutual acknowledgement of people's time and talent will go a long way. Will either side be perfect? No. We're all creative people, with visions and artistic views that will not always mesh well with one another. There are times when perceived text tone alone can cause issues. Human nature is not infallible and neither is the staff team (who are...mostly human) or the player base. Striving to be better, however, is entirely possible for us all. Thus;

- The staff team is aware to be mindful of tone on the GDB, Discord, or in-game. That our interactions with players should be respectful.

- A conscious effort to supply equal positive reinforcement animation or request resolution, as warranted, just as quickly as negative world reaction may be needed.

- An ask of the player base as a whole to respect staff time and commitment, and to strive for a  level of respect when interacting with staff.

- Breakdowns, on either side of the above, will be reviewed by, and possibly result in a discussion with, me. And, as it can regrettably be required from time to time

- Action taken to either limit or remove people's interaction with the community at large, if repeatedly demonstrating a wish to disrupt, harm, or generally be toxic to the game and it's community.

I truly believe that with a commitment to common decency between staff and players, the mood and image improve, but we will also see the game see itself grow, possibly seeing those who left in the past, give the game another try. Retention of new players will become easier, with a lack of such behaviour to witness upon joining us and the level of frustration on both sides of the fence can be calmed, leading to an even brighter future of Armageddon Storytelling.

Conscious effort will need to be made by all of us to not assume the worst of one another, earnest communication can be had to avoid misunderstandings and all of us are capable of understanding that we all want the same thing here: A stronger game that we all enjoy playing together.

Join us in seeing this realised.
Nessalin: At night, I stand there and watch you sleep.  With a hammer in one hand and a candy cane in the other.  Judging.