I've been playing SS13 for four years now. I never liked playing security on other servers. I started playing MP on CM as an opportunity to learn about the Almayer layout and how rounds work but most importantly to not immediately drop into a TDM situation which my horribly unrobust self would suck at.
Then something odd happened. I started to main MP. I realized that I liked the slower pace of the role sometimes and there is still an opportunity to get more robust on the 60% or so of rounds with a hijack.
I started to see all this outrage about MP play. And I thought to myself Dear God I don't want to be one of those. So I asked around - what do MPs do that's bad, what should I not do?
I heard some valuable feedback, for example to ensure that minimum sentences are used whenever possible, to follow arrest procedure, to use your authority to ignore minor crimes at times. But nothing about outright griefing by MPs. Nothing about blatant powertripping or rule-skirting.
And yet I kept hearing it.
"MPs are shit."
"MPs are nazis."
Or, here's this gem of a quote from one of our admins: "MP is currently a griefer role."
I believe now that MP hate is one big scam. Allow me to explain.
- First, it is valuable to note that there are really two different environments in the game. There's the Almayer, or as I like to call it, the RP SimulatorTM, and then there is the surface or as I like to call it, the Team Deathmatch SimulatorTM. Both operate almost independently, with different things happening and different players gravitating to each environment. The Almayer can be mid or even high RP at times, depending on the roles and the circumstances. Talking about whether xeno research should go on in containment. Arrests for disrespecting an officer. The CL and all of their nonsense... I mean "roleplay." The surface? It's all kill or be killed for the most part. I guess there are predators, but no one cares about them, right?
99% of the time, MPs remain on the Almayer. It's valuable here to point out that while MP hate comes from all corners, a lot of it comes from individuals who main PFC or other surface-side roles and often are salty about being brigged in their most recent round.
It goes without saying that people who do not like RP don't want to play RP-heavy roles or in RP-heavy environments.- MPs are OOCly bound to marine law. As in, they are required to follow it, sentence within it and utilize arrest procedure. Failure to do so is a bwoinkable OOC violation. This is an important point. Considering MP hate is so extreme I expect people ahelp if they feel at all wronged by an MP when it comes to procedure or sentencing or whatnot. In fact, I've been pinged as MP for procedure, even when I was in the right. I've gotten "why are you permabrigging that marine" even as all of his fellows with him are still around me actively flooding the brig to break out someone else (what he was doing too prior to being arrested). If MPs are so terrible why is it in 50+ rounds I can't remember a single MP being put to a permanent sleep by staff? All this said: Please, please please ahelp bad MPs. I don't know who is giving us a bad name but whoever legitimately is should be dealt with.
- When someone is brigged they literally get put into a timeout from the round. If they are playing for the TDM piece and not to RP then it would be highly aggravating to be placed in a box with nothing but RP to do for X minutes. I think this is critical for understanding the OOC salt.
- I've asked for specific examples of bad MP play and the best feedback I've gotten was "brigged me for X during briefing."
- RP is not for everybody. Four years ago as a newbie on Paradise Station I used to get frustrated myself when I was forced into an RP situation.
- I've probably played around 50 rounds as an MP and with manybdifferent MP/CMP players. I have not once seen anything egregious by a fellow MP. No powertrippers, no wanton violence, no torture, no max punishments 4noraisin. Hell, hardly any max punishments even when there was a reason to do so. And yet, even after those very rounds, I see such vitriol directed at MPs.
It is no secret that certain players like to troll and bait the MPs during briefing and elsewhere and then claim false outrage because MPs arrested them. I've seen multiple rounds where a valid arrest was used as an excuse to attempt to mutiny. I personally fear applying handcuffs in briefing because I don't want to be the reason a certain squad cites for causing everyone's round to devolve into a chucklefuckfest.
I think this is an apt metaphor for the larger game going on here. MPs are the strawman here in a larger attempt to use MP hate to overthrow the structure of RP on the server. What all of this points to in my opinion is that people who hate on MPs in large part want to see CM move away from RP. MPs are the easy target here, they represent the fun police against those who see zero value in RP.
I'm not saying "hug an MP today" however I think we're falsely accused here.
By the way, I believe Marine Law deserves a major rework and clarification but MPs shouldn't be hated on for following it as it is now. That said, the current state of Marine Law, while headscratching about some things, has nothing on 1939 Germany so don't believe the hype.
tl;dr: I believe MPs are the scapegoat of a movement that wants CM to ditch med-RP. Also I need a hug. Not that kind of hug, Jesus, get that crab away from me!
I am interested in understanding where any valid MP dislike is coming from and informing my opinion on this. Maybe I'm wrong... but I don't think I am.