Renomaki's Moderator App

[Renomaki]

Byond ID: Renomaki

Colonial Marines Character: Reno ‘weenie’ Story

Age: 25 going on 26

Gender: Male

Timezone: (UTC-04:00) Atlantic Time (Canada) (If I am correct)

On average, how many hours are you available per week to moderate?

On Weekdays, I work from 9 to 4 each day. While events can change things, at the very least, I believe I can provide 2-3 hours per day minimum, although I may have more spare time during weekends.

So, I could argue that I have between 10 to 15 hours throughout the week.

Do you have any previous experience in being staff (not just SS13)?

I used to be a mentor for about a month before I went through an emotional crisis and needed to leave the community for a while.

Did you play any of the previous Colonial Marine servers?

I only really been playing for about a year now, starting back when Hugger Combat was a thing and 100 players was considered really high.

What are the 3 biggest servers you play on besides CM?

I used to Play Paradise, but I don’t really go there anymore, moreso due to all the bad things I hear about it.

Other than that, I don’t really play many servers on the side

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

I made 3 Predator Apps (viewtopic.php?f=127&t=8631 , viewtopic.php?f=127&t=10451 , and viewtopic.php?f=125&t=12368 )

I also made a CO App (viewtopic.php?f=142&t=10185 )

And also a Synth App (viewtopic.php?f=149&t=14456 )

Are you currently a staff member elsewhere (not just SS13)? If so, where?

I only ever been staff on CM, and only for a short time as a mentor. Sometimes I yearn to make my own server, but I don’t got the money or experience…

Have you ever been banned for more than 24 hours on Colonial Marines?

No, the most trouble I ever got into were a few bad notes.

Have you ever been banned for more than 24 hours on ANY server? If so, which server, when, and what for?

The one server I can think of where I MIGHT be banned was Goon (it was a ban for a gross joke gone wrong, back when I was about 14ish I believe and a noob to SS13), but I heard awhile back that they had a ban purge and lifted a lot of bans. I never went back to check, though… Don’t feel comfortable in that community after some bad experiences I had.

Are you familiar with the chat program Slack (its use is required)?

Honestly, I am pretty rusty with it, so I’d need to reacquaint myself with it if I get accepted

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.

This does sound like a bit of a griefing situation, but since the MPs have managed to contain the threat, it’ll make conversing with the player easier. Depending on the damage done, I might take the time to heal the wounded via divine intervention (or ask a higher ranking staff if they should do so, since I have no idea the power a mod has) before quickly jumping to the culprit, who no doubt will be in the process of being escorted to the brig.

From there, I’ll try to talk to the player and find their reasoning for their actions. He won’t be doin much at this point, since he’ll probably be helplessly chained up by the MPs. After getting as much information as I can out of them (provided they were willing to talk), I would either let them off with a scolding and a warning (for those incidents where a player accidently buckshots his NCO with a gyroshotgun), or should the situation be more serious, I would add the incident to their record, and maybe apply a ban based on previous notes if the situation was serious enough to require it.


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

This sounds like something that is beyond my ability. The best I could do is try to keep the salt levels down by reassuring the players via OOC that the breach is being handled, provided it is the result of an unexpected accident. I myself experienced such a breach once as a CO in the gardens, where the xenos were somehow able to vent out all the air and made attacking the dropship impossible until staff intervention fixed the situation. We still lost, though.

I doubt we could do anything for the players that died, but at the very least, I would alert a dev or admin of the incident and hope they can fix it in time.


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

Back when I used to be a mentor, this was something that higher ups would summon me for. Being that I MIGHT become a mod, though, I would probably do as they had done unto me. After all, I should put my focus into tending to rule breaks or those that suffered from grief. The only reason I would take the time to mentor someone is if it was a slow shift and there were no able mentors around.

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

In such a situation, I would try to calm the player down and reassure him that his issue will be handled, before going onto SLACK or MCHAT (depending on the situation) and ask for a bit of help on the matter. While I shouldn’t have to drag an Admin (or god forbid Feweh) into a situation they have little time for, it wouldn’t hurt to have a quick response that I can relay back to them, so the player can at least rest a little easier knowing his words were sent through instead of feeling ignored.

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 would talk it out with the player and try my best to explain why having a name such as PUSSYSLAYER420 or MARIO MARIO is not appropriate for the setting of the server, Attempt to reach a peaceful compromise and give him a new name that we agree on, before adding the incident to his record, in case he decides to forget about the talk we had.

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

I might try a bit of passive moderating first, using subtle voice to make the player question why the hell he is running around dressed for a defense that isn’t even happening. If he doesn’t get the hint and return his gear, then I’ll get more personal and ask him what the deal is. Depending on the outcome, I will warn him not to breach protocol again, add a note to this record and then send him on his merry way.

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

I’d have to take a moment to have a heart to heart with the fella, explain how I understand and admire his dedication to keeping his fellow marines alive, but then explain that everyone has a role to play, and that his role isn’t to be a field surgeon. I’d then make sure he closes up the incision and prepares the marine in question for a proper medevac towards proper medical staff. The incident would be added to his record and a warning issued.

Of course, I don’t think medics can do surgery anymore due to the skill update, but just in case, right?


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?

The most I could really do with what little power I have is make use of Subtle Voice to sort of “manipulate” players into action, causing either the queen or the Acting Commander to take action instead of being a bunch of pansies. No one likes it when rounds are delayed due to cowardice, after all.

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.

If I am correct, there is nothing stopping a marine from shooting a xeno at round end. I believe that, being a hostile, it would be fair enough game.

Then again, I believe marines in the past were banned for merely shooting at walls or into the air due to all the combat logs it creates, so I’d probably ask a fellow mod or higher ranked staff for an opinion before resorting to action. In the meantime, I would try to set the player at ease so he isn’t too upset.


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

This sounds like a job that leans more towards MPs than Mods. However, I might “get into the player’s head” via Subtle Voice and try to get the player to chill out with the dickishness.

If it gets a tad too extreme (such as stealing spec gear and trashing it), then I might intervene and ask why he going to such extremes to piss off people. After all, there are harmless pranks, and then there is edging on griefing and ruining the games of other players.


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

This question is a tad vague. Did the player shoot the other player who punched him? Did the other player punch him by accident and it escalated out of control? There are many factors to this, and I’d have to ask both parties (and if needed, witnesses to the event) to figure out the story before any records are updated and warnings (or bans, if serious enough) are applied.

12. An issue arises that requires Admin+ abilities.

… I’d get on SLACK and ask if an Admin is available to help?

That is the point of SLACK, after all. If an admin isn’t in game and there is a situation that may require a higher power, I’d ask around there and see if anyone is free. If admins ARE in game, however, I’d just use Mchat and alert them from there.


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.

I would try and set the player in question at ease first before I take action. If it is mostly coming from a single person, a little subtle message might get him to chill with the racist jokes. If a large group of players are doing it, though, I might, (and I do mean MIGHT, not do outright) use OOC to remind players to ease up a bit on the racial stuff. Of course, if I have to, I’d ask for an opinion from other staff first before doing that.

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

This is a clear case of grief. After tending to the wounded, I’d have to try and find logs to get a lead on who the player was before they logged out. Staff seem to do it all the time, so I assume that there is a way to do it. I (or most probably we, since I doubt I’d be able to do it alone) would check the records of the player in question, and then apply a ban fitting of the crime in question. Chances are these sorts of players are just drive by griefers, though, so they probably won’t even bother to appeal such a ban sadly.

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

I would try to quickly get in contact with the player if I am able to and ask what he was planning to do up there at the frontlines as a freshly born larva. While rare, there have been cases of marine mains griefing xenos by purposely wasting their larva to get back at them for their death, so I’d have to be careful to avoid being lied to.

Upon a good talk and some record checking, I would warn the player to not be so foolish next time, apply updates to their record and, if needed, a short ban or a xeno jobban based on past history.


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

I would start with a subtle message to the offending xeno to cease that nonsense, getting personal via ahelp if they persist. Either way, I’d add the incident to their record, considering that there IS a rule against this and that breaking it will certainly result in a bad mark or even a possible jobban.

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".

I used to be the kinda xeno that didn’t like calling things by their marine name, but I eventually came to accept that xenospeech is simply just their hisses and growls translated into English, which means it is perfectly fine for them to call things as marines call them.

Thus, I would explain to the player that it is passable to call the dropship a “dropship”, and try to set them at ease.


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

I would personally message the player in question and scold them for this metagaming before giving them a stern warning and a new entry in their record.

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.

While it could be passed off as RP, gameplay wise it does seem pretty fucky to randomly kill a marine for their spot on the drop pod. Moreso if there were some empty ones nearby.

I’d have to have a talk with the player in question about this, check records for past excessiveness, warn him about this needless cruelty and then add to his record as needed (or apply a fitting ban if he has been a really bad cookie as of late).


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

I’d try to get their attention and inform them of the error, with the hope that they correct the situation shortly.

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

If I catch someone abusing their position for their own amusement or advantage, I’d probably report it (via Slack) to a higher ranking staff member and get their input. I wouldn’t want them to be aware I was reporting them, so I’d keep it hush hush until I could get some help on the matter.

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

… Ignore it?

What do I care, people shit talk each other all the time, and I got bullied here plenty. You get used to it.


Any additional information you'd like to add?

To be honest, I am a bit nervous about applying for this. The main reason I am doing this is because I feel it is about time I gave back to the server in some way, help out for a little while, you know?

I remember back when I used to be a mentor for about a good month, helping out players, pointing out rulebreaks, and I admit, stepping out of bounds and getting involved in at least one moderator ahelp when I shouldn’t. But for a while, there was a modest satisfaction to it, even if I wasn’t all that good at the job.
When I “retired”, it was due to a number of personal things that caused me distress and depression. It was a sad day, but I needed to be away from the community for some time after my little crisis. Since then, I gotten better.

However, it also felt nice to be free and among the commoners again. Mainly because when you are part of staff, a lot of things get ruined for you (such as events and surprises), taking away a fair bit of magic that made CM and SS13 fun to begin with. But on the other hand, I had been playing this game for a good while now… Maybe I could use a break from the normal gameplay to focus on contributing for a while, ease up the workload a bit and try something new as a result. A lot of people here have done it for months, if not years, so there must be something to it that makes it worthwhile.

If you think I’m worth adding to your team for a month or two (or three), I hope I’d do a decent enough job at it. I might not, but it never hurts to try.

[Jroinc1]

+1.

Actually didn't need to read his answers to know that he'd make a good staff.

[Skysoldier]

Oof, it's reno. +1

Anyway I'll look over your answers:

► Show Spoiler

2. We have both the ability to fix air, and ability to fix breaches.
4. If the player is being excessively rude to staff, it's a bannable offense, remind them as such, might be noteworthy.
6. This isn't exactly intervention worthy as it's mainly an IC situation, leave it to the MPs unless the player actually breaks rules.
8. So for the alien side we can use the queen mother report, but for the marine side we can't use ARES announcement, so SMing is fine.
9. If it is hostile, it's fine.
10. Yep, IC until he is being almost outright antagonistic.

Overall, pretty good.

[Sir Lordington]

First off, I'd like to say I think you're an outstanding community member. Had some very nice experiences with you. Onto your answers.

► Show Spoiler

1. Fine, but remember that if you've had to scold and warn the player, you should make a note.

2. As a moderator you can, and in fact should, fix breaches. What would you do if it was a player caused breach?

3. Remember you have Slack and you can always quickly link the quickstart guide.

6. This is an IC issue so unless he starts doing egregious things you should probably limit your intervention to SMing him or an MP at most.

11. Let me pose a more specific question then. Suppose Marine A and Marine B have an argument over their place in the RO line. Marine A punches Marine B over their argument, so Marine B pulls out his sidearm and shoots Marine A. What do you do?

13. Minor racist comments IC are allowed. You should tell said player that the character and the person playing it are not one and the same and to not take these comments as personal attacks.

14. What kind of ban would you apply and how would you take their notes into account?

16. Why do you opt for a Subtle Message as opposed to a PM first? Even if it's minor if you had to intervene you should add a note.

18. What would you do if he had previous notes on the matter?

19. Evac is a stressful and hectic situation. Danger could be hiding in every shadow so fighting another marine to the death for a spot on your ticket to safety is perfectly fine. In these chaotic situations often filled with combat there is barely any time to type out roleplay.

20a. Remember to get all the evidence you can.

Skysoldier ninja'd a few while I was typing this out but hey. Anyway, I'm a bit on the fence here. You seem a tad reluctant to use and add notes in certain situations. I think I'll stay neutral until you address some of the concerns and questions I've outlined above.

[Jerkface00]

As a general rule, moderating goes something like this: You become aware of an incident -> You investigate the incident -> you decide to act, or not act on the incident based on the rules.

What we're looking for in this application is primarily to see how you think to investigate the situations at hand, and what (if any) actions you think are appropriate. The following is my thoughts on your answers as well as some further questions.

► Show Spoiler

2. This is actually something within the mod's power to fix. They have the ability to both build floors, walls, and to spawn in air-nodes that will reset the air in a given location to the default breathable quantities. What's more, mods have the power to heal people back to 100%.

So let me instead pose 2 questions based on that new information for you:
2a) A predator explodes on the upper deck via his bracer. How do you react?

2b) The dropship crashes into the alpha/bravo chow hall and it's east doors are melted/gone exposing the crashed dropship and the main hallway of the Almayer to space. How do you react?

5. What if when you opened his notes you see that he has already been warned twice about the particular name he has when you speak to him?

6. It's important to remember that being in uniform and having gear are actually marine law breaks and not inherently rule violations. If SMing him didn't get the message across, I would suggest instead SMing a MP, or the CMP. If he were instead running down to the colony and fighting like a marine, that'd be a different case all together, and direct intervention might be required.

7. Only thing to add here is that under the old system, the medic in question shouldn't be allowed to finish the surgery. This is because you may be arriving late and he might have already "fixed" whatever was wrong with the victim. Otherwise I'm pretty sure you're correct in that the skills system prevents this from happening anymore.

9. You are correct!

11. Lets assume they're on the way from briefing to the dropship and it was a single punch thrown from the person who was shot, no words or other actions were exchanged before the shooting occurred. What then?

19. It's actually acceptable to fight, and even kill for a spot on the escape pods. Granted the situation must be dire - limited/no space, no one willing to give up their seat etc. You should indeed investigate, but it's important to remember that time is likely going to be limited for them and they may not have had the ability to negotiate with the other person before hand. It's also important to think what the consequences are of actually taking the escape pod, vs. being killed in an attempt to use them. Taking the escape pods is ending the round for whoever is on board by their nature.

Looking forward to hearing back from you.
~Jerkface

[Solarmare]

Something I've seen you say some way back is that you got burnt out on CM, if I'm not mistaken . As far as that goes I'm curious how you feel about it currently (what you like about it and such) since moderating required a decent amount of activity over each week. Also want to see your feedback on what others have said, though you seem like you'd pass the trial period.

[taketheshot56]

Reno is incredibly competent and having RPed with them countless times, I have no misgivings whatsoever about how they would act as a moderator, Reno fits the slot perfectly +1

[Renomaki]

Well, to start off with...

Solarmare, you have a good point, and I myself question if I really do have the guts to take on the job that is a Moderator, at least for the short term. My only experience I ever had was as a mentor, so I only know the basics of staffing, such as aghosting, subtle messaging, ahelps and prayers, and of course basic Slack. On the other hand, though... After awhile, playing CM does get dull, and it is hard not to feel like one is having all the fun while others sacrifice their fun so others can enjoy themselves, so I figured not only would it give me a new experience to occupy me for awhile (boring as it might be, but who knows), but it would also be nice to give back to the community and hopefully do some good, at least for a little while. I doubt I'd be able to handle it as long as others, but hey, we'll see.

As for Luke and Jerk's questions...

For 2, I never realized mods had limited build tools. I thought that was an ADMIN or DEV ability only, so I figured that I'd have to contact higher ranking staff for such a task. But with this new wisdom, I suppose it would be fitting to try and contain the breach, with permission of course. After all, in some events, staff may intend for a breach to remain there for at least a little while, or it may be too late into the game to really bother. I wouldn't rush to repair it until consulting someone first, just in case.

For 6, I believe the normal reason for such behavior is out of meta paranoia with a hint of powergaming. It is a common event on the ship for an alien to sneak aboard and prey on defenseless players roaming the halls, so it is understandable that some people would preemptively gear up "just in case" so they have a slight fighting chance. It is the same logic as to why POs often grab shotguns at the start of the round, or why the CO or SOs nab weapons from the CiC armory before going planetside despite merely being a leadership figure on the ground. While it is understandable that a player wants a fighting chance, he should still dress and gear appropriately instead of trying to beef up as much as they can. I will keep your advice to heart, though, and find more subtle ways to deal with it.

For 7, while outdated, I feel that if a medic doesn't seal up (not finish, just seal up, if that is even possible) a marine after their attempts, it might result in confusion for doctors up top, since there is no easy way to tell if a person had been opened up recently... Until recent updates made it so scanners tell you, so thanks for that. Not sure if they would have trouble figuring out what the last step was before the medic stopped operating, though...

For 11, both situations involve improper escalation, since shooting a person for punching you, accidentally or not, is OOCly excessive and dickish. How I would handle such a situation wouldn't change, though. I's still contact the shooter and the shot, gather what information I can (which would include their records, AKA notes), and add the incident to the offender's record, applying a ban if need be based on their history (although I would let them know beforehand so they don't get too startled about a sudden ban).

For 14, I admit I am not sure. These kind of players who just log in to grief before buggering off may have no note history to them, so I don't know what would be appropriate. 24 Hours? 3 Days? Will they even come back after their ban expires? If it was a regular, it would probably be a bit easier due to them having history, but I doubt any regular would just suddenly gun and log, would they?

For 16, you do have a point. A part of me felt like maybe sneaking in a subtle message would be enough for them to get a message without dragging them out of the game too much. Wouldn't mean they would go without an edit to their records, though.

For 18, If they had several incidents of blurting about xenomorphs before the marines even land, I suppose a short ban might be in order? I would inform them beforehand before issuing it, however.

As for 19, however... I don't know. Sure, the staff might be willing to look the other way, but in my case, I'd feel a bit.. Wrong. I been playing for a year, and not once have I seen a marine murder another marine for a spot on the pod. heck, most marines just want to sit in either the CiC or SD and try to survive the siege of xenos. A lot of players get their kicks racking up kills, and the idea of marines fighting each other so they could stop killing xenos seems alien to me. Heck, more often than not, very few people even use the pods, including doctors and other non-combat staff. I myself only use the pods if I am a doctor or an MT, or some other non-combatant, only using the pod as a marine when I am just tired and don't feel like fighting anymore (since a marine leaving his comrades to die seems very dishonorable). Maybe that is just me...

[taketheshot56]

Heres a question for you, The MPs have gotten the COs permission to execute a doctor accused of murdering several marines with purposeful OD, prior to the execution, the doctor ahelps saying the MPs are making up evidence and that they (The doctor in question) never ODed anyone and ask you to stop the exeuction. How do you respond as a moderator?

[Renomaki]

Heres a question for you, The MPs have gotten the COs permission to execute a doctor accused of murdering several marines with purposeful OD, prior to the execution, the doctor ahelps saying the MPs are making up evidence and that they (The doctor in question) never ODed anyone and ask you to stop the exeuction. How do you respond as a moderator?

That.... Is a very weird situation...

If the doctor really didn't OD anyone, I'd have to talk to one of the MPs about the situation and ask if they knew who the doctor ODed. Then, I'd follow the lead, find the marines that are supposed to have been ODed by said doctor and get their side of the story. If the stories match up in the MPs favor, then I'll just have to let it continue. On the other hand, if the doctor really was innocent, then... I'm not too sure how I'd handle that, at least alone. Mods don't have access to the AI, so I'd have to ask a higher staff about sending out a message if possible. There is also the option of sending a fax and Subtle messaging the CMP to read it, which should work as well and remain IC.

[Tharinoma]

Yes +1

Not much else to say, the answers are fine if not great, the player is well know, and an active comunity member. I believe you'll do fine as a mod.

[VitorThauma]

Replies are pretty good, nice player. I think you already have everything that is expected from a mod. Hope to see you on the team! +1

[Solarmare]

Well, I'm not sure if being a mod is what you're exactly looking for but I'll give you my +1. You'd make a good enough mod past the trial period.

[Snypehunter007]

I remember Reno as a mentor back in the day. He was a good mentor and he is a solid community member.

+1

[Sir Lordington]

Your answers are good enough for me. Whatever minor issues I can find are perfectly fine for trial.

+1

[Jerkface00]

Approved for trial mod.
Expect a mail soon.
~Jerkface