Admin responses!

[Sheakhan]

 

This one should be fairly easy to implement.

I've noticed, and had issue with using adminhelp on occasion, where admins simply never respond or acknowledge my question or issue.

 

I understand of course that admins are busy folk, I discussed the responsibilities of the position when I was bugging neca about working towards doing the job myself.

 

That being said, there are two things I don't understand:

 

1. Never getting around to acknowledging the player request.

 

Gripe: It's not hard even when you're busy, and if you're busy playing your character it bears mention that your responsibility is not to your own enjoyment first but rather to other players. That's part of the responsibility you accept as admin. All I ever look for is a simple "Got it, working on it." or "Sorry, one moment." when things are hectic. But not receiving even this acknowledgement leaves me to conclude that either my message isn't received or that my message was deliberately ignored.

 

Solution: Copy pasta. If you expect to be busy, just have a copy-pasted response ready to go. Don't just say: "I'll get back to you" and never do it though. Concern yourself with the enjoyment of others and return to them as soon as you're able in roughly the order they had issue so that you don't cause players to lose a little faith in the admin system as a whole.

 

2. AFKing as Admin.

 

Gripe: I understand things happen and you have to leave the computer. Not much can be done about those occasions. I likewise get that leaving an admin AFK might deter griefers. But it also leads your players to believe that they have backup, someone to question about issues with the round. When they attempt to use adminhelp and receive no reply, they'll end up assuming the same things as if you were simply too busy for them and didn't respond.

 

Solution: Don't go AFK, or at the very least don't go AFK without telling the playerbase on at the time. Admins are hardly useful if they aren't actually around, and with the server unlisted theres little point to using your AFK presence to deter... the normal playerbase.

 

I'd like to see this issue addressed, as it has occurred far too often to both myself and other players and makes it difficult to fully trust administration to perform their job.

 

If I, or another player has an issue I would like to see a reply, even if that reply is "No, can't do that, sorry." as opposed to what appears to be some admin's current policy of: If I'm not going to help, I just wont respond. or I ain't got time fo' that!

 

Something, something, closing statement.

 

[Eldrin-Kanthos]

I very much believe this too. Nothing is more frustrating than watching an issue continue IC after reporting it, never to get a response. Or to have a bug that is not responded to a report of.

[Bone White]

 

This one should be fairly easy to implement.

I've noticed, and had issue with using adminhelp on occasion, where admins simply never respond or acknowledge my question or issue.

 

I understand of course that admins are busy folk, I discussed the responsibilities of the position when I was bugging neca about working towards doing the job myself.

 

That being said, there are two things I don't understand:

 

1. Never getting around to acknowledging the player request.

 

Gripe: It's not hard even when you're busy, and if you're busy playing your character it bears mention that your responsibility is not to your own enjoyment first but rather to other players. That's part of the responsibility you accept as admin. All I ever look for is a simple "Got it, working on it." or "Sorry, one moment." when things are hectic. But not receiving even this acknowledgement leaves me to conclude that either my message isn't received or that my message was deliberately ignored.

 

Solution: Copy pasta. If you expect to be busy, just have a copy-pasted response ready to go. Don't just say: "I'll get back to you" and never do it though. Concern yourself with the enjoyment of others and return to them as soon as you're able in roughly the order they had issue so that you don't cause players to lose a little faith in the admin system as a whole.

 

2. AFKing as Admin.

 

Gripe: I understand things happen and you have to leave the computer. Not much can be done about those occasions. I likewise get that leaving an admin AFK might deter griefers. But it also leads your players to believe that they have backup, someone to question about issues with the round. When they attempt to use adminhelp and receive no reply, they'll end up assuming the same things as if you were simply too busy for them and didn't respond.

 

Solution: Don't go AFK, or at the very least don't go AFK without telling the playerbase on at the time. Admins are hardly useful if they aren't actually around, and with the server unlisted theres little point to using your AFK presence to deter... the normal playerbase.

 

I'd like to see this issue addressed, as it has occurred far too often to both myself and other players and makes it difficult to fully trust administration to perform their job.

 

If I, or another player has an issue I would like to see a reply, even if that reply is "No, can't do that, sorry." as opposed to what appears to be some admin's current policy of: If I'm not going to help, I just wont respond. or I ain't got time fo' that!

 

Something, something, closing statement.

 

1. A reply to your adminhelp message is a luxury and not a right.

 

2. You'll just get less admins coming on if they're not allowed to afk.

 

Much more realistic solutions:

 

1. Pm the/a admin through byond messenger instead.

 

2. See 1.

 

/thread

 

[Eldrin-Kanthos]

Why have a built in admin help section if that is not the way to contact them?

[Bone White]

 

Why have a built in admin help section if that is not the way to contact them?

 

It is a way, and byond messenger is an alternative, or backup option.

 

Most things in life don't have a one-fix-for-all. Why should this be any different?

 

We're not machines, we volunteer our lives to admin whilst you have fun. The only thing you're going to get by complaining about the lack of admins or lack of responses is admins quitting due to under-appreciation.

 

[Eldrin-Kanthos]

 

For me it is more that I just wish I could get a quick response to let me know something happened. Some rounds I make an admin help and never hear back.

 

I respect the admins and understand that they volunteer for all this stress, I mean no disrespect. I just was asking for a sign to know that I was heard and not speaking to an afkmin.

 

[Wintermote]

 

1. A reply to your adminhelp message is a luxury and not a right.

 

2. You'll just get less admins coming on if they're not allowed to afk.

 

Much more realistic solutions:

 

1. Pm the/a admin through byond messenger instead.

 

2. See 1.

 

/thread

As one of the former head admins of Sigurd, I do think my own opinions would be fairly pertinent here.

 

Just letting a player know that the issue is being looked into is extremely important. I know I can get sidetracked talking to three or four people at once to figure out who did and why, but when someone asks me something, I don't intentionally leave them hanging, I let them know that I'm busy and either looking into their issue or can't look into it at the moment, and if I'm getting overwhelmed, I ask other admins on skype to get online and help.

 

An admin that is afk on the server might as well not even be there. There may be some benefit to players thinking they're being watched, but an admin who's logged on and doing nothing to solve a situation because he's afk just looks incompetent, which makes the entire admin team look bad.

 

I tried to generally always be available while I was on the server. I might not be paying attention to the round, but I kept my headphones on so I could hear any adminhelps while I did whatever else, because that's what I'm there to do. It's part of why I'm an admin.

 

We're not machines, we volunteer our lives to admin whilst you have fun. The only thing you're going to get by complaining about the lack of admins or lack of responses is admins quitting due to under-appreciation.

As both a player and an admin, I hate this response. It's a typical way of offloading blame for incompetence: "b-b-but I do it for free!"

If you can't respond to players, you shouldn't be an admin. It is literally the responsibility you took on by being an admin. If you don't want to handle players, don't log on, don't be an admin, or temporarily demote yourself from admin while you play.

 

If you need a pat on the back to do what you do, or get tired of being called shit by players for what you do.

Stop being an admin.

 

Flat out. There are a dozen people who will gladly take your place in a heartbeat. If the "stress" of answering adminhelps or putting up with the shitflinging gets you to leave, it's not the sort of thing you were ready for anyways.

 

It is a thankless job (for the most part) and those of us who do it, should be doing it knowing that. Do I get tired of the bullshit from players? Yes. But I enjoy solving issues, and whether it's recognized by someone or not, I'm a little happier every time I smooth out a problem. This attitude of "I do it for free, so you better respect me" has always rubbed me the wrong way. You can't demand respect from players, you can't tell them you deserve it because you're a volunteer.

 

If people bitch about admins not doing anything, they aren't wrong. You aren't doing your jobs if you ignore them. It doesn't matter how much of a volunteer you are.

 

[Sheakhan]

 

1. A reply to your adminhelp message is a luxury and not a right.

 

2. You'll just get less admins coming on if they're not allowed to afk.

 

Much more realistic solutions:

 

1. Pm the/a admin through byond messenger instead.

 

2. See 1.

 

/thread

 

This is one of the least helpful responses I could have anticipated.

You get fewer admins coming on if they are treated as incompetent or ineffectual wastes of space, not acknowledging player communication makes YOU as an admin, appear to be doing nothing or outright ignoring the player base. Even if I agreed that it was a luxury, you'd be a fool not to see the importance of keeping up appearances as a useful member of the admin team. It's self defeatist, and frankly unjustifiably selfish to actively choose not to offer even a "Yea, got it!" in response to an Adminhelp.

 

As Wintermote said, AFK is fine so long as you at least check in once in awhile and keep up on the responsibility that YOU signed up for.

 

If you, as an administrator, cannot be relied upon to do the job you chose to do than you should chose not to do the job as being unhelpful and ignoring the playerbase ruins the credibility of others who take the job more seriously.

 

That being said, playing the "I volunteered for this so give me some respect and don't expect anything out of me" card hits an especially sour note with me. I'm a volunteer as well, I volunteered to join the damn Navy. How well do you think it would go over with the department of defense if I decided to just... not maintain public relations because it's a civilian luxury, not a right? Or If I opted to maybe ignore issues in my operating theater or on an aircraft I was responsible for just because I'm a volunteer and I don't have to hold myself to any standard of conduct? I took this job because I wanted to, same as you. But I did so knowing I have a responsibility, hell, an obligation to perform the job to the best of my ability, and that at the end of the day it's a thankless customer service position.

 

The major difference in our volunteer positions is that you can quit if you so choose, and I would suggest to any admin that feels like responding to player messages and questions, even if just to say "I'm busy" or "I can't do that" is too much to ask ought reconsider their attitude or perhaps consider relinquishing the position.

 

I don't harbor any ill will or disrespect for someone trying to do their best job, nor do I have anything negative to say about someone who can't fulfill their obligations and chooses to step down, but if your opinion is reflected amongst the bulk of the admin community I feel that the issue is even more worthy of addressing than I had initially anticipated.

 

Ignoring your players is a great way of losing players. Lose players, your admins you've kept around will be pointless. That's hardly an ideal outcome, so I suggest we consider a better alternative.

 

[Fox McCloud]

 

Letting the person know they are being helped is, indeed important; I admit, that, at times, when things are quite hectic, I don't always get around to doing it like I should, but it is, most definitely, something that should be a standard go-to for admins to engage in--even, as you suggested if it's just a "one moment" "I'm sorry, gimme a sec", "sec", or the likes.

 

I will say this though, about AFKing admins--while it should be discouraged, sometimes real life literally does just smack you up side the head, at times, and you have to drop what you're doing on SS13 and go take care of whatever nightmare life has decided to throw at you---again, AFKing is definitely something that should be discourage, but we can't avoid it, entirely; life is just too unpredictable at times.

 

I definitely thank you for your concern and thanks for sharing this with us--it's definitely something I will strive to improve on Paradise.

 

[SpaceTimeNow]

 

Personally i don't see anything wrong with an Admin going AFK if some RL issues are calling for it. Peoples lifes can get very busy, sure if your life gets too busy you should reconsider beeing admin at all. If possible, you should schedule your afk times if with an other admin so he/she could cover for you.

 

I think the main problem with this is that an afk admins show up in adminwho. If i click adminwho and see 5 admins listed i sort of have the expectation that my issue would be handled quick and it might tempt players to raise minor issues or questions that they would have avoided if they would see that there is actually just one admin currently active.

 

So i think admins should go invisible if they are: currently AFK, expecting to have to go AFK frequently in the near future or are just on the server to actually play. If a admin currently cannot work request, then he should not be visible. It's better to have a invisible admin popping out of no where and handeling your request then a visible admin "ignoring" it. Maybe also add some sort of TAG when a admin account is talking in OOC, that represents if the admin is currently "active" or not.

 

So basicly there should be a button for a admin to go active / inactive mid round and it should be represented to the playerbase.

 

 

Maybe also a quick respond button if admin requests pops up for an admin. Just like the PDA reply button, so a admin can hit it and it will fire some predefined response to the player. Something like: Your message has been recieved by an admin and will be addressed as soon as possible.. (i would not fully automate this, because people would loose trust in that message if actually no admin responded)

 

[Bone White]

 

...

tl;dr

 

We don't get sounds on pms.

 

I'm always very courteous of anyone who makes player complaints when I can respond, but what I can't always do is respond. I have an uncommon bug where my client slows down and eventually becomes unresponsive unless I restart my client every 20 minutes or so. I often miss messages because of this or can't reply promptly.

 

This thread is calling for admin responses, yet you say don't be an admin if you can't commit to it, yet another thread is calling for more admins. Half of you want quality, half of you want quantity, but you're getting neither. There is no panacea, we have to make a decision and that at the moment is remaining unlisted, and slowly growing our admin pool after a recent exodus of server staff.

 

I'm not going to paint all the players with the same brush Wintermote, but your complete negativity is detrimental to the community. I'm not going to childishly tell you to "stop being a player" in retort, so I'll stick to "thanks for the feedback".