What IS the new staff experience like?

[Majikal]

Old staff, new staff, what's it like stepping behind the curtain the first week?

Stressful, confusing, do you just jump around animating and spying on roleplayers in your zones, do you dive right into the projects you always wanted to work on as a player hoping an admin gives the nod? Week 1, what's it all about.

[Nergal]

Learning the various staff commands for watching other players, making/editing items/NPCs/rooms, getting pranked by staff, learning how to animate and echo, learning how to avoid the mudsex, flying around the world invisibly - and more!

The first few months are a learning period so you can't work on your own projects immediately, but you can work on other projects. Most if not all staff end up with multiple projects that they are either leading or are a part of.

[Eurynomos]

The first groups I started overseeing as ST were Sun Runners and Tan Muark, both of which I had no experience with beyond playing around with a few PCs. It was a sink or swim scenario, and I think I started doing the doggy paddle, but ended up learning the backstroke quite quickly.

It was stressful at times, confusing many times. I ended up making some pretty serious flubs with animations at first (My working title on the IDB is 'Captain of the Derp'), but players and other Staff members have been pretty understanding of those admittedly human errors. As Nergal stated, there is a probationary period where new (and returning) Staff don't propose their own projects to work on, but collaborate with other Staff on currently existing projects. I think this is a very important first step into, or back into, the Staffing side of ArmageddonMUD. While projects I personally come up with might have seemed 'more important' than what was already going on, I learned over time that collaboration with the whole, ,and seeing a vision through to the end, provides more catharsis than any personal gain I might have from seeing my own projects through to the end.

[Jave]

My first week was last week I think. It's all been a bit of a blur despite being really fresh in my mind.

First thing: The SPAM. Dear God the spam. I was begging for someone to tell me how to make it stop when I logged in.

Second thing: Commands. I felt like a brand new player again. All the syntax were strange and confusing. I was a total newb trying to figure out how to do basic functions.

Then there is spying on people playing, and stressing that you're going to accidentally force the entire game to walk north or kill someone with a rotten piece of fruit you threw from your staff avatar rather than an NPC you meant to be animating or say something you meant for only other staff to hear to the general player base, etc.

And then comes the thrill of storytelling. I just zipped around the world finding people who were role playing and started making the world react to their actions to try and add some depth and flavor to virtual landscape. -- I don't think I'll ever get tired of doing that.

... ... then after that week is up, you actually get given a team and a workload ... 

But overall it's been a great experience. 

[Akariel]

Oh dear god the spam.

Also, seriously, you people all think and feel way more than me and I feel ashamed. Why do you all make me look bad?

Then comes the storytelling and that's great and all. Animating things is -awesome-. Animating for you people is awesome.

Once the first week is passed, though, we start getting our clans and workloads. That's yesterday, though, so maybe I'll tell you about it in another week.

[Mordiggian]

My first few days I was still figuring out imm commands and proper syntax and I ended up being the only person available to provide animation support for a major RPT I knew nothing about! Trial by fire!

Also, when you're the newbie on a clan team, they teach you how to do mastercrafts and you get all excited and resolve all the mastercrafts so nobody else has to... until you realize you've been the victim of a terrible trick!

[Eurynomos]

My first few days I was still figuring out imm commands and proper syntax and I ended up being the only person available to provide animation support for a major RPT I knew nothing about! Trial by fire!

Also, when you're the newbie on a clan team, they teach you how to do mastercrafts and you get all excited and resolve all the mastercrafts so nobody else has to... until you realize you've been the victim of a terrible trick!

When there's new scrubs about, I tend to arrange really big important RPT's and then flake out at the last minute and force said scrubs to take over. It is known.

[Rathustra]

On my first night someone crashed an argosy off the shield wall. I helped two other staff members to animate the gith response, culminating in the trapped crew locking themselves in the pilot bay as the gith tried to hack the door down. Then like an angel a Blue Robe descended from above and in through the pilot window and saved everyone.

[Renenutet]

It's nice. Haven't killed anyone yet. Haven't broken anything yet. Let's check in next week.

[Xalle]

I read and read and read and read and read some more.