Player/Staff Meeting 2 : 2/21/09 - Part 1 - Intro & Staff Mission Statement

[Morgenes]

<Morgenes> Welcome aboard everyone, we're already in moderated mode so you
  won't be able to talk here, but you can use msg to talk to each other
  privately if you like

<Nessalin> OK, we'll get started, now.  msg me if you've got something
  you'd like to ask the staff and I'll put you in the queue.  When it's
  you're turn you'll be voiced so you can ask you question and follow-up
  to staff responses.

<Sanvean> Heya folks. Sorry about the late notice. We were thinking it
  had been better publicized.

<Sanvean> We will probably do another meeting soon in order to make up
  for that but we figured we'd go ahead now.

<Sanvean> People had asked about our mission statement and I wanted to
  say I think it probably needs to be looked at to be modernized, but I
  think the core things are still there.

<Sanvean> One of the things we have been working towards in the past is
  more and more playerstaffcooperatieve efforts to create content for the game

<Sanvean> I'd love to hear ideas from you folks on how to do that
  better, or to field questionscomments regarding how you think we should
  be adapting to changes in the worldInternetgame tech

<Sanvean> *ends it there to ask for questions/feedback/comments*

<Morgenes> To ask a question, type /msg nessalin <question>

<Sanvean> If no one's got questions about the mission statement or what
  you hope to see in the future, I'm glad to open it to random questions.

*** Nessalin sets mode: +v hedrai

<Hedrai> I'd like to see it posted better, possibly at the bottom of
  the website along with the copyright statement or whatnot so players can
  view it easier, just in general.

<Sanvean> when you say it in that sentence, what do you mean?

<Sanvean> the mission statement?

<Hedrai> As it currently stands, the mission statement isn't readily
  viewable without major searching, new players don't want to search for
  information. - Correct.

<Sanvean> AH, okie doke, good idea

<Hedrai> I'm just saying when the website is designed, place it near
  the bottom of the copyright so it's always accessable.

*** Nessalin sets mode: -v hedrai

*** Nessalin sets mode: +v venomz

<Venomz> I'm curious about whether thought's been put into putting the
  'menace' on a backburner, and letting the world get back to the way it was.
  There are a few reasons for this.

<Venomz> First, the 'Menace' can come back at any time, such as the
  moment you guys have a -real- timeframe of changeover.

<Venomz> Second, while PC-PC conflict is still possible, blunter
  aspects of it are toned down because of this 'menace'. It hurts, in a way.
  So... just curious as to whether thought's been put into that approach.

<Sanvean> From our side, the menace part is more player-driven than
  staff-driven

*** Nessalin sets mode: -v venomz

<Sanvean> From our point-of-view, I mean

<Sanvean> And that means some of that is out of our hands (done)

*** Nessalin sets mode: +v bogre

<Bogre> I'm wondering how much new content is actually going to be
  added to Arm in its current state- obviously we've had a lot of new code
  and building done by the staff, and player written content submiotted. 

<Sanvean> the answer to that is that it depends on the interest of
  staff and players - if they create conttent for Arm 2, it'll go there,
  otherwise it'll go to arm 1

<Bogre> Yet beforehand there was statements of 'no new buildings' and
  'no new objects', etc. Has this been suspended so that a lot of new
  content can be made for stuff in game?

<Sanvean> Yes, it has been suspended, although I don't know that I
  would call it "a lot". For us, deicsions are often shaped by what people
  want to do, since this is an entirely volunteer enterprise

<Sanvean> So, yeah, you'll see content continuing to be added to both

*** Nessalin sets mode: -v bogre

*** Nessalin sets mode: +v dar

<Dar> I just want to say. What is a big idea about the mission
  statement? I dont remember this topic raising before, untill some certain
  criticizing GDB thread.  I do not need to know the mission statement, I
  got to like the game over the deeds performed inside it.  Not the
  document that stands behind those deeds.  Personally, I think the whole
  concept is a non issue. 

<Dar> Done.

<Sanvean> Well, I'd pretty much agree with you, there. Here's how we
  ended up with one:

*** Nessalin sets mode: -v dar

<Sanvean> About - ten? maybe a few more years ago, we were trying to
  standardizee things where we could.

<Sanvean> So players and staff could have the same expectations of
  interactions and responsibilities. One thing ness and I did was hammer out
  that mission statement so people coming on staff could see how we thought
  of the game

<Sanvean> and what we expected of them. I wasn't aware there was a
  controversyover it, really.

<Sanvean> I'll have to look for the thread, heh. (done)

*** Nessalin sets mode: +v FantasyWriter

<FantasyWriter> Are there any plans for a 1.arm website revamp, or is
  Reborn

<FantasyWriter>  too close to spend the time it will take?  Is there a
  website build for 2.arm

<FantasyWriter>  yet, or are things still too far out for that?


<Morgenes> We do have plans for a new Arm 1 website, it's still in the works,
  but we hope to get it out as soon as voluntarily possible

<Morgenes> it will be a test bed for the Arm 2 website

<FantasyWriter> Done.  And thank you.

*** Nessalin sets mode: -v fantasywriter

*** Nessalin sets mode: +v psionic_fungus

<Psionic_fungus> In my experience on this game, player population
  density has been a consistent issue with PVP.  Since the destruction of
  Tuluk, I haven't seen the same type of interaction between various clans
  in a civilization center.  Does the staff have any plans at address player
  density with the current game.

<Sanvean> Well, in my experience, player population tends to fluctuate
  from area to area

<Sanvean> For one thing, we do want people to have several options as
  to where they play, since different people want different things

<Sanvean> I'm not perceiving any major problem with it right now that I
  don't think time will cure

*** Nessalin sets mode: -v psionic_fungus

[staggerlee]

<Morgenes> Welcome aboard everyone, we're already in moderated mode so you
  won't be able to talk here, but you can use msg to talk to each other
  privately if you like

<Nessalin> OK, we'll get started, now.  msg me if you've got something
  you'd like to ask the staff and I'll put you in the queue.  When it's
  you're turn you'll be voiced so you can ask you question and follow-up
  to staff responses.

<Sanvean> Heya folks. Sorry about the late notice. We were thinking it
  had been better publicized.

<Sanvean> We will probably do another meeting soon in order to make up
  for that but we figured we'd go ahead now.

<Sanvean> People had asked about our mission statement and I wanted to
  say I think it probably needs to be looked at to be modernized, but I
  think the core things are still there.

<Sanvean> One of the things we have been working towards in the past is
  more and more playerstaffcooperatieve efforts to create content for the game

<Sanvean> I'd love to hear ideas from you folks on how to do that
  better, or to field questionscomments regarding how you think we should
  be adapting to changes in the worldInternetgame tech

<Sanvean> *ends it there to ask for questions/feedback/comments*

<Morgenes> To ask a question, type /msg nessalin <question>

<Sanvean> If no one's got questions about the mission statement or what
  you hope to see in the future, I'm glad to open it to random questions.

*** Nessalin sets mode: +v hedrai

<Hedrai> I'd like to see it posted better, possibly at the bottom of
  the website along with the copyright statement or whatnot so players can
  view it easier, just in general.

<Sanvean> when you say it in that sentence, what do you mean?

<Sanvean> the mission statement?

<Hedrai> As it currently stands, the mission statement isn't readily
  viewable without major searching, new players don't want to search for
  information. - Correct.

<Sanvean> AH, okie doke, good idea

<Hedrai> I'm just saying when the website is designed, place it near
  the bottom of the copyright so it's always accessable.

Where is it posted?

[Sanvean]

It's posted on the staff website, which is why it confuses me a little that players are complaining about it. It was intended as something for new staff members, to bring them up to speed on how we (the OLs) perceived the responsibilities of being on staff.

Here it is, in its entirety:

Preliminaries:

Armageddon is not a company or corporation; Armageddon is a hobby. It's the equivalent of having a huge train set in our collective basement, and obsessively going down to tinker with it. We want everyone to enjoy being on staff, to feel that they're doing things purely because they want to, and in fact the primary reward anyone should expect for donating their time to a hobby is the enjoyment of the time spent.

The one responsibility that everyone on staff has, and the thing you implicitly agree to when becoming a staff member, is to be an active member of the staff community. This means you should keep up to date on what is happening, in the form of reading the IDB and CDB on a regular basis, and provide information to others in the form of feedback on what they're doing, as well as sharing what you're up to. People who are not a part of the community are not contributing. If you don't enjoy being a part of the staff community on Armageddon, then you probably aren't going to be in charge of much.

That said, we'd like to outline what we feel is most important to the game, because as Overlords, we think it's vital that our vision for the mud be clearly communicated. Armageddon has evolved and changed over the ten some years that it's been in existence, and it will continue to evolve, change and (hopefully) grow.

Accountability:

Accountability comes in three flavors: accountability to the game, to the players and to the other members of the staff. Here's how we see each:

Accountability to the game: To keep working towards the goals of game stability, playability and consistency.

Building: Making items and NPCs that are consistent with the current guidelines.
Building: Keeping abreast of changes and events on the game.
Building: Taking charge of typos and ideas, fixing and verifying them and then making sure they get cleared out of the file once they've been verified/approved.
Coding: Not leaving code half-baked or unfinished.
Coding: Making sure code is balanced and consistent with the current documentation.
Coding: Spending time on code that will maximize people's enjoyment of the game, rather than focusing on code that is so specialized or complicated that it may never get used.
Coding: Taking charge of bugs and making sure that they are fixed, tested, and removed from the bugs file when resolved.
Staff: When posting on the Net, in the form of usenet postings, ISCA, or the Armageddon webpage, or emailing players, to refrain from flamebait, statements which cast a bad light on the game, or insulting other MUDs.
Quests: Running quests that are consistent with current guidelines, which incorporate existing events, and which don't collide with things already existing on the game.
Accountability to the players: Treating players fairly and consistently.
   Building: Keeping your clans informed as to IC/OOC events, and making sure you check bugs/ideas/typos on a regular basis to fix things that affect them. If you have to take RL leave, make sure your areas are covered so the players aren't left in the lurch.
Coding: Testing changes thoroughly to make sure they don't crash us, and posting what's been done in case not everything was tested sufficiently so the crash bug can be fixed
Coding: Making sure command syntax is (fairly) intuitive and more importantly, that command syntax is consistent
Coding: Making sure new features are sufficiently documented in the form of helpfiles, as well as included in news, the MOTD and/or the GDB.
Documentation: Answering questions on the GDB, wishes, account mails, mails to clan immortals both informatively, politely, and in a timely way.
Quests: Running quests which are consistent with current documentation. Finishing quests completely, and not scheduling events for players and then failing to show.
Quests: Treating players fairly. This is not to say do away with the karma system, but hand out karma or perks to players who have earned them. Not because they're a pal in real life, or bought you beer.
Quests: If a player dies or is harmed as a result of your actions, emailing the account with a report on what happened, so if the player emails the account about it, their letter can be answered.
Staff: To be consistent in how things are done. For example: Booting the imm port at a consistent time, so the players know when to expect it will be down, and when it will be back up again. Or setting out guidelines for approving/rejecting apps, and letting the players know what those guidelines are.
Accountability to Staff: Respecting the efforts and time of the other staff members.
Building: Not interfering in another person's area of responsibility or doing something that will have a major impact on them without checking/letting them know ahead of time.
Coding: Airing major changes on the IDB ahead of time, and asking for input. Not making a major change without some consensus on the part of the upper staff.
Coding: Documenting changes thoroughly and letting people know what's new so they can incorporate it in their quests and building. Coding things that are useful to other staff members, and making sure there are no bugs in the code which create problems for people running quests or building.
Quests: Keeping each other informed of plots, events and other information they might need.
Staff: Treating each other fairly and consistently, trying to work out problems directly, or, in the case of Storytellers and Highlords, through someone higher up, should the problem not be directly resolvable. Not engaging in backbiting, or discussing other staff members with players.
Staff: Letting the rest of the team know when you will be absent, particularly when there are plotlines or projects that are dependent on you.
Staff: Adhering to the guidelines sent out in the Storyteller and Highlord documentation, including the staff contract.

Priorities:

The priority list for working in any area of the game, whether it's coding, quests or building, are:

Stability: Increasingly, we're working towards less lag and longer uptimes. Being able to use the testport to test possible crash bugs will move us even further in this direction.
Balance: Making sure code and building do not unbalance the game. Documentation and building like Halaster's template weapons or Krrx's template NPCs assists in this as well.
Consistency: Adhering to the existing documentation. while continuing to expand it. Making code and syntax consistent overall.
Accountability: As listed in exhaustive detail above.
G-Factor: Things that make players go 'Gee-whiz, that's cool!' Anything from a small building detail to a slick piece of code or an inventive, atmospheric quest.
Not on the list, but valid as long as they adhere to the above.

I read this in a book...
A few years ago...
When I was mortal, we always played it that...

Focusing on using/extending what we have:

Code: The code shouldn't be so specialized. Any spell should be usable as a spice, as a poison, as a psi power, as a skill. And the other way around. We add new skills, and people want more spells, we add more spells, and people want more psi powers. And all of them have bugs and issues of game balance. Focus on using and extending the functionality of what's there.
Example: People make requests to see DMPL extended here or there, or see fixes in DMPL. This is a prime example since they're not asking for a whole new language, just a more stable and usable feature in DMPL.
Example: Checking the bugs file to look for flaws in your own code, and making sure they get fixed, so the code is fully functional.
Example: Expanding the light code and adding color values while fixing it so the room echoes when someone moves in with a light.
Example: The gith_gear dmpl, which works with existing merchant code, rather than against it.
Example: Having the crafting code often work with forageable objects.
Example: All the additions Morgenes has made to the emote code, such as being able to use emotes with objects.
Quests: Quests need to be followed through on. Starting a new quest is not a solution to leaving another unfinished. Quests, like code, should interact more. Quests should also try to use what's there, to expand and amplify the existing world and documentation.
Example: Daigon doing Byn travel quests, and Keraptis coordinating with BlackMoon raiding quests.
Example: Quests which use past events as a basis, such as Radoon's going to Mal Krian to find the ruins of the library there. Quests that ask players to find an item or NPC that is already in the game, rather than specifically built for the occasion.
Example: Bhagharva and Talley adding to the arena area, as well as the existing code there, to create the Gladiator RPTs.
Example: The 'quest' where the elves & humans fight for territory in the 'rinth. This doesn't involve demons, ancient assassin cults, or anything, and the players are free to explore it and find out what is going on, they can take part, or flee it.
Example: Kadius sending people on weekly 'quests' to find items for the stock and warehouses. This makes them interact with the existing world and existing code to get what they need. They feel that there's a benefit to exploring and learning the various markets.
Building: There's not as large a need for 500 new items, as there is for having the existing database used more.
Example: Rotating shop merchandise to get old items out into the game.
Example: Going through the existing database to fix old items or make sure they're flagged correctly.
Example: Revamping existing areas, such as Krrx did with the Red Desert and the Salt Flats.
Example: Making the crafting code work with as many existing objects as possible, rather than building entire new sets.
Example: Camps and villages. The wagon code wasn't intended to be used this way, but it is an excellent extension of existing code.
Example: Tents. Again, an imaginative, interesting extension of the wagon code which fulfills a player need.
Example: Lizards/Birds that are 'alive' that people use as pets. Rather than coding it to allow NPCs to exist within characters.

Summary: We've always been about quality over quantity; this is only backing up that ideal.

July 22, 2000: Submitted by Nessalin and Sanvean
© 2000, Armageddon MUD

[staggerlee]

Oh!  Yeah I've seen that, I thought the reference was to something else. I misunderstood.
Thanks for the quick response!