Tharinoma - Moderator Application

[Tharinoma]

Byond ID:
Tharinoma

Colonial Marines Character:
Flint "Bee" Hirleman, or randomized.

Age:
20+, I prefer not sharing the exact number.

Gender:
Male

Timezone:
Usually GMT+0. Subject to change and I'm on during the night, I have no regular hours.

On average, how many hours are you available per week to moderate?
I'd estimate 14h per week, probably more.

Do you have any previous experience in being staff (not just SS13)?
Yes, Primary administrator on the LLA LS13 server.

Did you play any of the previous Colonial Marine servers?
No.

What are the 3 biggest servers you play on besides CM?
LLA LS13, when the pop was there (pop is dead currently). It's the only other server I played on for more than a few rounds.

Provide links to any previous Colonial Marines applications that you've made:
N/A

Are you currently a staff member elsewhere (not just SS13)? If so, where?
Yes, on LLA LS13. I'm aware I can't be staff on both servers, I'm in the process of resigning from LLA.

Have you ever been banned for more than 24 hours on Colonial Marines?
No.

Have you ever been banned for more than 24 hours on ANY server? If so, which server, when, and what for?
No.

Are you familiar with the chat program Slack (its use is required)?
Not yet. Doesn't look too complicated.

Common Staff Situations:
Write a description of what you would do in each of the following situations. Do not write on the same line as the situation - use the space below it or make space as needed. Failure to do this proves your inability to follow instructions and your application will be automatically denied.

1. A player randomly shoots someone at round start and MPs have detained him.

I would observe the involved players. If the shooting looks intentional or griefing, I would contact the shooter to get his side of the story. Should he answer my PMs and fail to provide a solid RP explanation for his action, I would remind him of the griefing and lethal force rule, and apply a note and a ban, length depending on the player's history of misbehaviour. Then I would probably suggest a way for him to deal with the situation without breaking the rules, and aheal any victim.
If the incident turns out to be missfire or proper escalation, I'd let the MPs handle it, it's an IC issue. Should he refuse to answer, I would probably sleep him and apply a 3h ban, or more depending on history.


2. The ship has a breach to space and a bunch of players have died or are dying as a result.

I'd find out wether the cause of the breach was one of the few allowed by the rules or not. If it is, I wouldn't take any OOC action. Depending on the severity of the damage and the pace of the round, I might consider an IC announcement.
If the breach was intentionnal and unwarranted, I would seal the breach and aheal victims, then contact the player responsible for the breach. Once I got his side of the story, I would remind him of the rules and apply a 3h ban, or longer depending on his notes.
If the breach was unintentionnal, but could have been easily avoided, I would contact the breacher to determine what his intent was and remind him to "try his best not to do it again" and give him advice on how to deal with a similar situation. Possibly leave a note, specifying it was unintentionnal.


3. You see a player walking around the ship naked and clearly lost.

I would PM him with directions and advice. Try to find out what he's missing and help him out. Encourage him to ask for help IC, through LOOC and ahelps, and probably link him pertinent guides and maps.


4. A player is being very rude to you in Adminhelps and requesting to speak to an Admin+ staff member.

Apologise for the inconvenience, ask him to be respectful and warn him further disrespect will be punished according to the rules, and direct him to the staff report section of the forums.
If it's just salt, I'll usually just ignore it. I'm more concerned with the well being of the server than with my internet dignity.


5. You notice a player with a name that doesn't fit our naming rules. The player is arguing that: They've used the name for several years, no one has told them to change it before, and that they didn't know it was a rule.

I'd ask him to review the rules: not knowing them isn't an excuse to break them. I'd apologise he was misslead into believing his name was acceptable and inform him it must be changed anyway. I would let him choose his new name or randomize it if he doesn't, and note the incident. As usual, possibly apply a ban if his notes indicate he was already warned about proper names. (Assuming I have access to the name variable, if not, ask him to remember to change it for the next round, try to give him a reminder, and warn him there will be harsh consequences if he doesn't : ban/sleep).


6. You see a Maintenance Tech running around in armor and carrying a rifle. The security level is green with no threat present.

PM the MT to find out why he's running around with guns and armor. Unless he has a good reason, I'd talk to him about powergaming, try to give him ideas on how to solve a similar situation properly, and note the incident. I'd also ask him to return the equipment. Should he refuse, I would sleep him for the round. As usual, possibly ban if warranted by notes, probably jobban from CE and MT.


7. You see a Squad Medic performing surgery on the planet. He claims it was because there were no doctors in the FOB.

Tell him to stop immediatly, explain to him how the powergaming rules affect medics and refer him to the very clear "Only Doctors and the CMO can perform surgeries." from the rules. Suggest that he stabilises his patient before sending him back to the medbay, then ask him to review the job specific rules and apply note or jobban depending on history. Sleep him if he tries to finish the surgery anyway.


8. The round is stagnating. There are 30 marines and 4 aliens. The marines won't leave the ship, and the aliens won't attack. What would you do, to "encourage" the sides to engage each other?

Contact the command staff with orders from the USCM high command ordering them to move on and do their jobs, then give them a few minutes to roleplay the situation. If I'm not satisfied, make a public IC announcement telling the marines to attack, probably with the approximate location of their targets. (Or more unconventional event-stuff if I have admin priviledges)


9. The round ends, a MARINE starts shooting a hostile IRON BEAR and the IRON BEAR Adminhelps complaining he was killed after the round ended.

Answer the IB informing him that the round still goes on after the round ended, and that marines are allowed to engage hostiles after the "Round has ended" message appears. EOR"G" only applies when there's some form of "griefing". Ask him to re-read the rules, it's detailed in there.


10. A marine is running around disarming, punching and stealing gear at round start.

Observe the situation for a short while. If the situation starts resolving itself IC, like the MPs detaining the marine, observe and do nothing. If the situation is ruining the round for other players and/or out of control, PM the marine telling him to calm down and note the incident. If the marine doesn't stop, sleep him and have a lengthier talk with him about grief and it's consequences, plus ban/note.


11. A marine has killed another marine. When you ask him why, he said it was because the other marine had punched him.

From my experience, fights between players are usually much more complicated than that, so I would start by contacting all involved parties to know precisely what happened. If the player did infact simply reply to a punch with a volley of bullets, I would then explain to him what proper escalation is, insisting on the fact he just ruined the fun for another player. I would then suggest a few ways for him to deal with this situation properly, then note the incident, or ban if player's history warrants it. I'd then adminheal the victim if he didn't respond with lethal force to the assault.


12. An issue arises that requires Admin+ abilities.

Leave a message to the Admin+ people on the proper chat detailing what help I need, why and how urgent it is, then try to deal with the problem with my miserably low amount of verbs and rights. If it's really bad, I might contact a few trustworthy looking players for help from IC, or make an announcement.


13. There are minor racist comments going on IC. 9 of the 10 people are laughing and RPing but one player gets offended and Adminhelps about it.

Apologise, and tell him this is the internet and some people being offended by others is bound to happen. Suggest a few ways for him to defuse or avoid the situation IC, then assure him I'll monitor the situation and step in if needed, then proceed to do so.


14. A marine opens fire at round start in briefing killing multiple marines and instantly logs off.

Aheal the victims, then apply a 7 days ban on the griefer's account and file a permaban request.


15. You see a player playing a xeno larva/chestburster run towards the frontlines and die.

Check his notes to see if anyone already recorded this kind of behavior, then contact him for an explanation. If he's a known troublemaker or I'm positive it was done on purpose, apply a job-ban from xeno. If I'm unsure, note the incident and ask him to be more careful in the future in order not to unbalance the round. Then observe him if I can spare the time to make sure he doesn't make a habit of it.


16. You see a xeno memeing, saying AYYLMAO, REEEEEE etc in hivemind chat.

I probably wouldn't interfere, it depends on how often the player spams it. If it's just the way he talks, or occasional, no action. If he's spamming it and the other xenos are complaining about it, PM him telling him to tone it down a little.


17. A xeno player calls the shuttle a "dropship". A different xeno player complains to you that it's metagaming/failRP to call it a "dropship".

Answer the ahelp telling him it's not against the rules, then explain to him that the hivemind is the english translation of what xenos think, so aquired knowledge is the only barrier to the use of certain words, not RP. I'd then ask him to review the rules, it's detailed and explained in there.


18. A Command staff player at briefing near round-start mentions there are aliens on the planet.

It doensn't necessarily require OOC intervention, it really depends on how he describes the aliens and what role he gives them. If he mentions unknown lifeforms that happen to be somewhere along the way, it's just RP. However, if he precisely describes the aliens as having xenomorph traits or as hostile planetside opposition, I would contact the player to remind him metagaming isn't allowed. I would then make some form of announcement, probably related to WeyYu, in order to prevent any metarushing, and note/ban the player after giving him tips on how to do a briefing properly.


19. A Marine kills another Marine on the EVAC Pod to take the last spot and claims it was RP as he was saving himself.

I'm not sure how to respond to this situation. I like the idea of sudden-fighting-for-that-last-escape-pod-slot as it creates strong and intense RP situations that can be very fun to play or observe. However, we can't have every evacuation turn into a bloodbath with everyone rushing to save themselves.
If the killed marine is okay with the outcome of the situation and if it was RP'ed through properly, I probably wouldn't interfere. If the dead player is complaining, I'd try to make him understand the other player's point of view and accept that's how his character's story was meant to end. I suppose I'd take action against the killer if he made no effort whatsoever to RP or was just looking for an excuse to kill another marine.
Overall, I would ask other staffmembers for help and advice, preferably letting someone else take the case so I can observe and learn.


20. You see a fellow staff member give wrong information in an Adminhelp or incorrectly enforcing a rule.

If it's about information, I would contact the staff member before he's done to try and correct him, while searching the forums/wiki for reference.
If it's about poor decision making, it depends on the severity. If the staff member is dealing with an issue in a way I wouldn't, I'd let him finish then talk about it with him. We all have our own way of staff-ing.
If it's about a serious mistake, like punishing an innocent player, I would contact the staff member to give him my point of view on the situation and ask him to reconsider. Then log the logs and bring it up to the general moderators/admin chat for discussion.
If I outrank the staff member that's making a mistake, I'd give him a slap on the wrist and teach him how it's done.


20a. You see a fellow staff member abusing his powers in-game.

I'd contact the staff member, aggressively if needed in order to make sure he takes some time to reconsider, then I'd call for someone that outranks him, then log the logs and send them to the boss. No reason for this to happen though, right?


21. You see a player talking in OOC chat about what he did with your mom last night.

If he's spamming, or if his descriptions are crude enough for him to be breaking the no ERP rule, I would contact him and tell him to stop, warning him a mute would follow if he didn't, then note the incident. If he doesn't stop, mute.
If he's just salty or mad at me, I'll ignore him and wait for the next round to start. Again, as long as it's not disrupting the server, I don't care.


Any additional information you'd like to add?
In my answers to the situations above, I'm assuming I have minimal rights and verbs available. I can imagine quite a few ways I could resolve or take advantage of some of these situations with administrator powers in order to throw a little RP in the round without interfering with the xeno/marine fight.
I'm also not detailing any of my detective work when investigating as I have no idea what kind of logs I'll have access to. I know how to browse logs, combat logs, possibly how to check an item for fingerprints. I used to admin with now old outdated TG admin verbs.
I'm not active on the forums, I just don't enjoy it much. If i'm hired, I'll be sure to participate more by giving feedback on applications, appeals and suggestions.
Finally, please keep in mind that my answers to the situations described above should give you a pretty accurate image of my mindset when I'm administrating for a server, but they are not definitive. I can and will very easily adapt, the severity of my punishments, or my protocol when dealing with griefers, as needed. Generally, until I know what I'm doing, I'll be asking for advice and feedback to more experienced staff members.

Thank you for reading.

[TheSpoonyCroy]

• For question 2, minor point but mods can't make announcements but you did lovely work on the rest of it.
• For question 4, depending on how disruptive they are being you might also might want to note and ahelp mute him.
• For question 5, minor point but mods can't change names of PCs. Also make sure to include their name in the note. If they disagree with you, they do have a chance to appeal for their name of choice on the forums in the ban appeal section (It has happened but I do admit it is quite rare)
• For question 6, with recent rule changes, it is best to leave this to the MPs to deal with this. You can probably even through them a bone with an sm or have an admin make a mother/ai message.
• For question 8, remember as a mod, you are there to enforce the rules. You can give slight nudges to affect the round but aren't being forced to do anything drastic.
• For question 9, you are technically correct on this one but incorrect as well. EoRG counts as the creation of combat logs post rounds towards blue on blue. This question was a trick question since IBs are counted as antags and therefore are free game but if a marine is shooting a fellow marines even if they have a good reason, we technically can't allow it.
• For question 11, you would be surprised how simple some people can be however I need to focus back on the question but seems you did quite well with this one.
• For question 14, you wouldn't know this but we generally only file permas on repeat offenders (excluding a few cases) but low effort like briefing shootings aren't going to be an instaperma but do apply a heavy ban and make sure you make it clear in the note attached to the ban about how it went

Might be me being sleep deprived but this is looking to be quite the decent app. I'm going to give you a +1 for now but I might change it when I wake up. So keep that in mind.

[Kavlo]

Good app, Answers are good, you've got a good sense of how to be a mod and you understand what you're applying for.

+1

[Jroinc1]

+1

This is the best of the lot, and it's pretty good. Also, used to know him from LLA.

[slc97]

Your history shows that you are more than capable in understanding what is necessary to moderate a server. A good number of your permissions will be reduced from what you may be used to given that moderators are not granted administrator status, however I'm sure you will adapt and adjust to this just fine. I'd be glad to have you on the team +1.

[Feweh]

The lack of forum activity and the fact that you havent logged on since the 26th is concerning.

[Tharinoma]

I was afraid the lack of forum activity might be a problem, and inquired wether it would result in an auto denial of my application before I made it. I was told it wouldn't be a problem as long as it increased if I was hired. I very much agree that moderators should be involved in the community, and plan on working on that post count drastically in the event I'm hired.

There is no need to log in in order to browse the forums, I do it daily, did it daily. I don't bother logging in unless I need to post. (I have logged on the server and played daily too, if that's what you're referring to.)

[TexasTwoStep]

hired

Hired assumes that we pay you, we unfortuantely only can share our knowledge and memes.

Besides Forum Activity, I do enjoy the application - generally, when I was accepted I too had little forum activity due to largely the usage in which I didn't use the forums. I hope you'll get more involved into the story-telling, or the suggestions, etc.

+1

Thanks,

~Drax.

[Karmac]

Man just post in random threads you don't really care about and make a discussion or guide once in a while, that's the easiest way to get that forum activity up, I'm sure you'll handle it just fine though.

[Tharinoma]

Man just post in random threads you don't really care about and make a discussion or guide once in a while, that's the easiest way to get that forum activity up, I'm sure you'll handle it just fine though.

I prefer quality over quantity when it comes to posting, I don't see much point in boosting my post count for the sake of boosting my post count. No way that would make anyone a better staff member anyway, right? I do force myself to read most of the stuff that appears on the forums, and skim through the less important threads to keep myself up to date.

Hired assumes that we pay you, we unfortuantely only can share our knowledge and memes.

I promise I won't ask for a raise before the second month.


Thank you all for the support and feedback.

[apophis775]

Forum activity is a bit of a thing here. We prefer staff who post and engage people on the forums.

You've been a member since January, and your posts are as follows:
8 total
3 in this thread
3 in a player report
2 in others.

I'm not sure you have the forum presence we usually look for usually.

[slc97]

I will say this. When I was accepted, I had 10 forum posts. I do not harp heavily on forum activity for applicants as long as they understand that they're activity must increase upon acceptance. Tharinoma has stated to me and here that he is willing to do that, so forum activity will not affect my opinion on this app.

[Dapper Stache]

Looks like a decent app to me, all of the answers are within acceptable parameters and I have nothing new to say about them that Spoony didn't already cover. You seem like you'd make decent staff. +1

[TheMaskedMan2]

Spoony basically covered all of my thoughts on this, and not much has been missed, I feely it's a decent application and any grievances can easily be worked out during your trial. You will be needed to up your forum activity though, just give opinions on suggestions, occasionally say hi, and it should be fine.

+1

[apophis775]

Another concern, is that you are a staff member on LLA.

Personally, I prefer we don't take people who resign from other servers just to be staff for us. It can create... concerns... between servers.

We've had the situation happen in the past and it was annoying to deal with.

[Tharinoma]

The LLA server has been effectively dead for a few months already... I think I haven't used any of my administrative powers since something like February. Right now, the average population is below 1. Me resigning was more of a formality, no one's needed to admin an empty server. Although it would be really nice, I doubt it's going to rise from its ashes any time soon. This isn't me cumulating staff positions in different servers. More like me applying to a new place after the old one died. Shouldn't create any concerns.

Seems like the potential issues raised in this thread have nothing to do with my capacity to moderate, something I take like a compliment and thank all of you for. As for my previous LLA affiliation and forum inactivity, those aren't things I can change before you'll make your decision on this application. Whatever it is, rest assured I'll be staying around to enjoy the server.

[Jroinc1]

Another concern, is that you are a staff member on LLA.

Personally, I prefer we don't take people who resign from other servers just to be staff for us. It can create... concerns... between servers.

We've had the situation happen in the past and it was annoying to deal with.

LLA's been dead for a while, can confirm. It died over a year ago, used to play there.

[apophis775]

Can you give some form of proof you are resigning? I don't see any topics or anything on their forum about it. Where in the process of resigning are you exactly?

[Tharinoma]

Server is dead, dead with a capital D. Things move veeeery slowly, if they do move at all. I don't expect my forum status to be changed anytime soon. I announced my resignation in the admin chat, and they acknowledged it. Resigning's never been more complicated than that over there. I'll make a forum post to make it as public as possible, but I'm afraid that's the most I can do to provide proof.
(http://www.llagaming.net/forums/threads/retiring.5645/)

[apophis775]

That works.
We just don't want it to seem like poaching or anything. Because they may be dead, but that won't stop reddit from flipping their shit yelling that we are stealing staff from other servers or trying to call us out as poachers (since we have a strict anti-poaching policy).

[Feweh]

Accepted.

Check your inbox.