shockshard - Moderator Application

Staff Applications Moderator Applications
1

Moderator Application - shockshard

What is your BYOND key?

shockshard

What is your Discord username?

shockshard

What characters do you play on CM-SS13?

Richard Creech

Are you 16 or older?

Yes

Timezone:

EST

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

Currently, 15-30 is a good estimate.

Qualifications:

Do you have previous experience in game or community moderation?

Back in early 2023, I was a Game Admin within the /TG/ community, running various events and responding to various ahelps. Due to the lack of a Mentor program, I also frequently responded to various requests for assistance for gameplay mechanics. I will admit that as it was my first time staffing for SS13, I made some mistakes here and there which, though I grew overall.

Provide any links to any previous CM-SS13 whitelist, mentor or staff applications:

I have not made an application for a whitelist, the mentor program, or for staff.

Have you ever been banned for more than 24 hours on CM-SS13?

I have never been banned and I currently do not have any notes within the server.

Can you actively engage and communicate with the team through Discord?

I am able to do this, and I already frequently chat within the Discord server.

Final Details:

Why would you like to join the CM-SS13 staff team?

I would like to join the CM-SS13 staff team as I believe that Iā€™ve experienced enough to be able to both assist other players with administrative issues as well as provide a good roleplay experience with the usage of faxes and more heavy roleplay roles.

What makes you a great addition to Staff? (Experienced Tabletop DM, Aliens Lore Buff, Super Organized, etc.?)

In honesty, those three examples fit, though I have a few more examples that would fit. Minus the obvious answers that are usually given, such as being level-headed, professional, and being able to remain cool under pressure, there are other things to provide. Like what was mentioned earlier, I have previously staffed as a Game Administrator for a large SS13 community, so I have experience with BYOND and what it is (and isnā€™t) capable of, as well as how to utilize Admin tools. Another thing to add is that a good chunk of my playtime has been with MP roles, so I have a good understanding of Marine Law and its applications, in the event that Provost needs to respond to a situation or a faxed appeal.

In your opinion, what is the most important quality of a CM-SS13 staff member?

Iā€™d say that there are two qualities that are tied for the most important. Being chill as well as patience. Patience is important, as individuals who are acting malicious, as well as new players that just may have no clue what is going on, both require patience to properly resolve in a proper and professional manner. Being chill is also important, as in all honesty, we are all sitting down and playing a silly old space game with the goal of having fun. Being chill and not being an ass is both pleasant for those who you interact with, but also has been shown to (usually) have more positive and compliant interactions overall.

Anything else you want to add?

Thank you, to those who took the time to read this application. Iā€™ll be open and say that I am very likely to get dunked, due to my low playtime compared to many people within the community. As of writing this, I have a total of: 117 total hours, with 104 of those being alive and active. Regardless, I was advised by various people that I should go for it, and I will be responding to any questions given to me. I hope you all have a good day/afternoon/evening. Cheers, Lads.

4 Likes
2

Iā€™ve not seen you a lot, but I do have a pretty big concern after a round a few days ago.

You were the CMP and someone was arrested before briefing, if Iā€™m remembering correctly, and you informed the XO of their request for an appeal. The XO was alone in CIC at the time and trying to manage briefing and everything else. When they hadnā€™t responded, other MPs stated they would go remind him, which you then explicitly ordered them to not do, saying that his one notice was ā€œenough.ā€ Of course the XO never got to the appeal, and was subsequently arrested.

While itā€™s certainly on the XO for not remembering or delegating, your behavior in this incident was questionable. Explicitly ordering your MPs to not remind the XO just seems like you were fishing for a reason to arrest an XO, which is incredibly concerning behavior for someone applying for moderation staff to be displaying.

-1

4 Likes
3

Good afternoon, and thank you for commenting on my application.

I want to forward this by mentioning that following this round, I followed up with a member of Staff, who was an Appeals Manager, via the ahelp system. They were also curious about the situation, and I explained the full thing to them, including the part you mentioned. According to them, what I did was entirely valid and was permitted via Rules and Marine Law.

Also, I would like to add on that it was not only my announcement at the time. Myself and the Warden sent out messages at different times within different channels, which could be seen if the logs were checked and if people looked rather than jumping on the anti-MP bandwagon which is known to exist, this can be verified. The purpose was to not continue to pester the XO with notices, which I now admit that bothering them would have been the proper course of action, though verification with a staff member said that nothing I did was wrong.

I apologize that you saw my actions as unfair, however, and am continuing to grow in whatever ways I can.

1 Like
4

I should really comment more on apps in general but usually there is already a clear consensus by the time I look at an app - doesnā€™t seem to be the case here. So.

I was the warden on the round in question. CMP asked me to handle XOā€™s appeal (Deserves some credit for understanding the appeal delegation policy, not everyone does, and not everyone handles appeals properly, such as handling appeals as pardons, etc.) XO Sampson said they missed the radio messages, I didnā€™t think there was any intent for a NoD charge based on that, and accepted the appeal. (Sampson over my time playing with him has always been a nice player and I have no reason to doubt them on missing the messages - I miss multiple radio messages sometimes as well.)

I agree that reminding them more wouldā€™ve been the best move - either in person, or via phone call. That being said I understand where the arrest came from - ML regarding appeals says ā€œShould the person recieving the request for an appeal fail to take appropiate action on it they are to be given a NoD charge.ā€ - so itā€™s not phrased as optional to give the charge (personally I think this should be reworded to cover situations like this). And as Iā€™m sure weā€™re all aware, MPs can be put on the note/ban track for not following ML.

I think the rules, ML, SOP could afford to be slightly less rigid in certain aspects to cover certain situations like this, but this is coming from someone who is very careful about the rules. For example I think NoD should read ā€œINTENTIONALLY failing to perform oneā€™s role to an acceptable standard.ā€ to avoid this kind of issue, and/or it being removed from the ā€˜mandatory must chargeā€™ crimes list.

As CMP, would I have continued to try to reach the XO? Yes. But Shock said

so itā€™s clear to me that their intent is to keep bugging the commander regarding appeals in future until the commander is clearly aware, and thatā€™s good enough for me. Iā€™ve played with Richard a lot over my 1000+ hours here and personally I havenā€™t seen anything that would concern me if this application was accepted. Good luck.

-Sam L. Johnson

2 Likes
5

Iā€™ll throw in my 2c here:
I was, i believe, the MP that the ā€œdont bother the XO about the appeal againā€ from creech was issued to; and fair, right? I read the manifest usually and did see it was a solo XO round and that we arrested someone who requested an appeal during roughly the span of when briefing was ocurring, but yea, the NoD charge for an appeal that expires isnā€™t worded exactly as being optional. i think creech mentioned not to bug the XO though not to be malicious but because i was moving vaguely in the direction of CIC and he saw that and didnt want me to bug the XO when he was doing solo wrap-up from briefing and thatā€™s what i understood it as too.

Otherwise, shardā€™s been helpful, precise, and thoughtful both in-round as MP and also on discord for what iā€™ve seen of them there. Theyā€™re also a pretty aware and intentional SO/XO when i see them, so i do think they have a capacity and empathy for how much STUFF some players have to chew through in the course of a round. they also already addressed how theyā€™d like to have done that appeal bit better, and the capacity for genuine self-reflection and the ability to listen to players is critical, i think, for staff.

so for what small piece of the pie of being staff that iā€™ve seen seems to be a fit for shardā€™s discipline and skillset: answering newb players and helping them along, keeping tabs on greater pictures of the round and having awareness, precision in understanding of IC/OOC guidelines including how they interrelate to each other (as mike mentioned, being bad at IC marine law sets you up to eat potential OOC consequences like reports or notes), and the demobstrated ability to self-reflect to seek improved experiences for all players.

already addressed by shard also but iā€™d like to see a bit more playtime just for community commitment sort of vibes; i think the tangible skillset is already developed, though

6

Thank you both for the supportive comments. That entire round was going south to begin with, and the unfortunate situation mentioned only added fuel to it, which is a shame as it was not my intention to act malicious with my decision.

As for my playtime, I have been working to continue playing and expanding my knowledge of various game mechanics while also getting more community presence. Iā€™ve even assisted some Mentors with some niche information that they were not familiar with. (Fingerprint Scanners are not user friendly to many people, mentioning the security terminal in the item description would be useful.)

7

Agreed and PR opened, thanks Makes fingerprint scanner description newbie-friendly by zzzmike Ā· Pull Request #6989 Ā· cmss13-devs/cmss13 Ā· GitHub

8

I was observing this round for a few reasons and remember this well. I did not know this was you lol, what a way to make an entrance. Long story short itā€™s not a big deal, XO laughed it off more or less and life goes on. For sure you should of taken more steps to alert the XO of the appeals but Iā€™m sure you understand that by now.

Or embrace the ML just go full time CMP/MP and become the next Beck, that would be fun.

As for your application it looks fine but who is going to trust someone with server moderation powers when their total community playtime doesnā€™t even equate to a platinum medal? Like even 300 hours is low for someone trying to apply for mentor/moderator.

I see you being active in discord talking about how you more or less have plans which is great but no real rush. You seem like a level headed individual with some experience in things. Just keep playing, establishing good roleplay and character so that people know and trust who you are. - Instead of 1 week of nothing and then a -1 youā€™ll get a +1 the same day your next application is posted.

2 Likes
9

Good morning/afternoon, and thank you for taking the time to comment on my application.

Yeah, Iā€™ve taken time to reflect and get feedback on that round, as it was a bit of a shitshow all around. As for my playtime, I understand that is my weakest point, and I am working to gain more community presence as well as playtime overall. I merely applied as I was told by a few community members and even a couple staff member to just go for it, and playtime isnā€™t always everything.

Regardless, I understand the concern you are providing, as handing someone administrative powers in a game as open as SS13 can require trust, due to how many things admins are able to do. In the event that this application is denied, I still will be continuing to play regardless in the hopes of doing better in the next application.

10

Hi, quick question, why are you no longer a TG game admin?

1 Like
11

Good afternoon, and thank you for replying to my application.

At the time, it was a set of unfortunate circumstances that Iā€™ve since learnt from. During a lowpop round late at night, I took it upon myself to attempt to liven up the round via Antag shenanigans, however in the process I crossed a line I shouldnā€™t have, which crossed into the Abuse territory.

Looking at how messy the round became, I went and told the Head Admins what had happened, and stated that I wouldnā€™t hop back on until a decision was made, as to not make things worse. Upon assisting them with some questions about various topics, the agreement was made that I should be removed. I accepted the punishment and was told that I was free to continue playing and could reapply in the future, and I was not banned or noted, as the situation was messy for other reasons.

I am still ashamed in my conduct at the time, but Iā€™ve grown since then and better understand what lines I should not cross. This is an understandable question to have, and Iā€™m fully open about it, as I view it as an unfortunate learning experience.

1 Like
12

When did this occur?

13

This occurred in early April of last year, so nearly a year and a half ago.

14

Why did you not disclose you were removed from TG Staff in the Do you have previous experience in game or community moderation? Section. That is a big red flag.

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15

Looking back on my application, it appears I was being vague, which wasnā€™t my intention. As it was directly asked to me, Iā€™ve given all the information regarding the scenario. If any of the previous people that have commented wish to edit or add more, they are free to. Iā€™ve simply made a mistake in the past, and believe that it has no correlation with the individual I am today, and I apologize that not mentioning it gives off a red flag to you, though I understand the concern.

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16

-1. I do not like people being dishonest in a position of authority. To clarify, had you been upfront in the application, I would have had no problem. We all make mistakes, it takes an adult to admit to them. If you were dishonest with this, it begs the question, what else are you not telling us?

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17

I understand your concern regarding the situation, and appreciate your input on the matter, however I have not displayed any dishonesty within my application and have been open with any questions asked to me.

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18

This is the last thing I will say because a back and forth is not value added. You failed to disclose in your application you were removed from staff on another server.

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19

This is the last thing I will mention as well, as to not clog things. I accept that I failed to disclose it, which is a careless mistake I acknowledge. Once it was inquired upon, I have given all of the information in regards to it.

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20

Your honesty now is appreciated but it couldā€™ve been explicit. I think itā€™s fair to argue these are things worth knowing when judging you that shouldnā€™t be hidden behind a targeted question.

I donā€™t particularly hold it against you personally as I wouldā€™ve done the same thing, but I am not applying for staff.

I am going to reserve judgement for now and watch you more in game and in the discord, but this is not a great start. I feel now I should ask if thereā€™s anything else you feel is worth disclosing.

1 Like