Policy: Administration

Administrator Policy

This section is required reading for all Staff positions.

Staff Regulations

1. Admins and moderators must remain professional at all times in PM's. If they cannot for any reason, they should hand off the exchange to another admin/moderator.
2. Players are to always be noted for warnings. Do not skip this step.
3. Admins are encouraged to talk to all parties and work to deescalate a situation rather than getting personally involved. If an admin is already involved, they should contact another admin to handle it.
4. When you leave a warning or ban, reference the rule(s) to avoid confusion (e.g., rule 1.2)
5. Admins and moderators should deadmin themselves if they are playing an antagonist or security/head role; this is a suggestion, not a rule, but rules against metagaming still apply to admins and moderators.
6. Admins and moderators should keep each other accountable; report abuse to a headmin or the host.
7. Admins maintain the right to set the game mode as they see fit. A vote should be called to decide whether to change the round type, but it is ultimately up to the administration. A rule of thumb is to run secret whenever there are at least 15-20 players and/or during "prime-time" hours (12:00PM-12:00AM EST/GMT-5), and extended during the opposite.
8. Admins may use whatever means (within reason) to end a round if they believe the round should end. This should be done ICly using events or admin-calling the shuttle; hard resets or "ending the round now" should be used sparingly, or not at all.
9. Players should report abusive admins to the host, a headmin, another admin, and/or post a complaint on the forum. Please be specific and timely or nothing is likely to come of it; include the time and day that it happened, the admins and players involved, and have a thorough description of what happened. Having evidence is key, otherwise it is simply your word against theirs. Saving your logs from the round is the most important step you can take to combat admin abuse.

Admin Strikes

1. If an admin is found to be abusing their rank or abilities they will first receive a warning, and then a strike every time after. One strike is the equivalent of a final warning; two strikes will result in the admin being demoted to moderator and they will have to work their way back up to full admin; three strikes will result in the admin being removed from all staff roles and in them being ineligible for any staff position for at least one year, or in more severe cases, in perpetuity.
2. Hosts and head admins reserve the right to skip warnings or strikes for particularly egregious cases of misconduct and may permanently remove staff at will.

Central Command Officers

1. Central Command Officers are the In Character representatives of both an Administrator, and the Staff Team at large. Consequently, they are the highest authority players can encounter in game, barring 'higher ranked' NanoTrasen representatives. Seeing as how any such representative would also be controlled by an Admin, CCO is treated as equivalent to any special/event rank clearly held by an Admin controlled character.
2. Central Command Officers may not be an existing player character, such as your Static.
   • They may, however, be related to another of your characters. This relationship may never be used in game to confer your non-CCO character/characters with an advantage over other players.
3. If you wish to turn your current player character into a CCO, they are retired from active station duty and may not return under standard job titles.
4. Central Command Officers are often utilized to heighten the sense of importance/impact around a specific situation. Exercise discretion regarding when to bring them on board personally.
5. On duty, CCOs may visit the station to organize random/surprise inspections or directly intervene in severe station events.
   • The nature of this direct intervention is purely administrative: conducting interview, handling disciplinary measures, etc. A CCO should never arrive to resolve an active conflict, i.e. vines or a cultist incursion.
   • A new policy is being tested currently which allows On Duty CCOs to visit the station without concrete purpose. It is the hopes of the staff team that a more concrete CentComm presence may allow for more player engagement/direct feedback. An Office for CCOs exists already on the Bridge of the Triumph.
6. CCOs may also visit the station off duty, but only as a Visitor or CentComm Visitor role. Standard non-interference policies apply.
   • CCOs, whether on or off duty, may not engage in ERP while on the station.
     • ERP involving CCO player characters conducted in private chats, or at Central Command (when applicable), are slightly more acceptable.

Fraternization Clause

1. CCOs may develop personal relationships with station player characters to a limited extent.
2. To prevent concerns regarding potential bias towards a CCO's associates, Admins are advised to exercise extreme caution when developing said relationships.
   • Accusations of Administrative bias due to IC interactions harms the integrity of the Staff team and the player's trust in its functions. Keep this in mind when engaging in direct RP.
3. A player citing a direct relationship/friendship to your CCO in an attempt to flex their connections/authority may result in a discussion regarding how you manage your CCO.

Impromptu/Unscheduled Events

1. Admins are allowed to spice up rounds on their own initiative.
   • This includes but is not limited to, spawning in special event characters, sending various messages and alerts, altering the timing on random event triggering, etc.
2. Admins are expected to secure some form of consent before launching unannounced events, to give the players some sense of warning and agency.
   • This consent may be gathered by soliciting prayers, sending Faxes regarding incidents, or otherwise telegraphing where or how an event is likely to occur.
3. The general rule of thumb is to avoid dragging players who are not interested into impromptu events.
   • If the event you are running has a calculated potential for player death/severe damage, ensure a second Admin is present to both assist you, and handle any Adminhelps related to the event.

Players: How to Interact With Admins

1. First, understand what an admin is and what they're here for. Admins (and moderators) are generally veteran players who've shown that they have a strong understanding of the game, have a generally mild and steady disposition, and have both the ability and a willingness to separate their administrative duties from their play. Admins are volunteers who give some of their free time back to the community to help keep it running; being an admin is not "their job," and most if not all admins have things to occupy their time outside of the server.
2. Secondly, remember that admins are human. You will likely not get an instant response to your adminPM. Every admin will handle a situation in different ways, and every admin has a different opinion on a myriad of different in-game topics and will administrate according to their opinions. Staff try to form a consensus on most things, but always remember that "experiences may vary."
3. Lastly, adminPM's are the best way for you to get the attention of and interact with an admin; not on Discord, and not on the Byond pager. When interacting with an admin it is generally recommended that you tell the truth, be respectful, and provide all of the information that you think is relevant to your adminPM. If you're ever in doubt, you should adminPM; do not assume that admins are always watching, because they aren't. They may not know about a situation that's unfolding that could use their attention. Also keep in mind the fable of the "Boy Who Cried Wolf"; if your adminPM's are repetitive or rarely if ever contain any kind of meaningful or useable information, you will likely be ignored. If you are rude, aggressive, or just impossible to work with, admins can and will ignore you, mute you, or even ban you; admins have no obligation to put up with you.

Admins: What's Expected of You

1. Be polite, patient, and friendly when handling a situation as an admin. If you are on as admin, you're expected to administrate. If you don't want to, de-admin and play as a regular player. You are not expected to participate on the server for a set amount of time; inactivity is okay, but you may be asked to step down if you go for too long without participating in the server.
2. Observe before bwoinking. In most situations, you will need to watch, check logs, and ask questions before making any accusations. Give players the benefit of the doubt; don't immediately assume the worst. Always try to deescalate; if you can't, or are getting personally involved, find another admin to handle the situation.