Policy: Administration

Administrator Policy

Staff Regulations

1. Administrators 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. Administrators 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. Administrators 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 Trial Admin where 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.

Event Manager Policy

Event Managers are considered a subclass of the general Staff role, ranking below Game Admin. Due to the access Event Managers have to Administrative tools and resources, they are regarded with the same level of scrutiny and oversight as Administrators. However, they are not allowed to act as Administrators, handle Administrative issues, or otherwise present themselves as a server authority capable of resolving issues that require Staff oversight, except for in specific circumstances.

Events

1. An event is classified as any externally instigated scenario presented to the crew, but not typically organized by them. In other words, an Event is generally something the players react to and participate in, rather than organize themselves.
2. Events of different complexity and scale require different levels of oversight. A small event revolving around an unknown creature boarding the ship may not need any extra eyes, but a full scale invasion of a nearby enemy base would ideally involve multiple other Managers or Admins participating to help manage.
   • Event Scaling should always be one of the primary considerations, when planning. If an Event is likely to be large, clear it with the Staff team before kicking it off.
   • Since events are designed to engage the playerbase, it is generally good to poll the gaming population at least one to two weeks in advance. This will be covered further down.
3. Events are divided into two loose tiers: Low Chaos and High Chaos.

Low Chaos Events

1. Low Chaos events are generally peaceful "Slice of Life" scenarios that help to reinforce and expand upon the game setting. These events are designed without much player conflict in mind, and are meant to impact the rounds of players as minimally as possible unless they choose to directly interact with the event.
   • Examples of former Low Chaos events: A Cooking Competition being hosted by Central Command, a Building Competition on the Gaia World hosted by Central Command, a Trade Ship visiting the station.
2. Low Chaos events do not need to be entirely peaceful. A small hunting competition could be considered Low Chaos. Remember that this classification gauges the projected impact of the event on the server overall.

High Chaos Events

1. High Chaos Events are less peaceful scenarios that equally reinforce and expand upon the game setting, but with more allowances for conflict to develop. These events might impact players who did not initially opt in for them, and should therefore be handled with considerable care and oversight. No high chaos event should be hosted without at least one other Staff member present.
   • Examples of former High Chaos events: An unidentified xeno creature boarded the vessel and reacted violently to any attempts to capture it, leading to the death of players and eventually itself. An unknown Cult kidnapped a Central Command official, and the crew of the Triumph were asked to mount a rescue operation.
2. High Chaos events are not necessarily "Spawn mob, job done" scenarios. It is generally advised to source player controlled enemies from the Ghost population when possible. Keep in mind that one player is often equivalent to ten or more simple mobs, in terms of combat scaling. Dropping one hostile player on an unsuspecting crew can be disastrous if mishandled.
3. High Chaos events are also not necessarily exclusively combat oriented. Any event that has the potential to go off the rails in a hard to manage way may be considered High Chaos - this includes simple events like replacing every floor tile in the hallways with snow, or other blatantly magical occurrences which would be expected to disrupt the daily work flow.
   • A general rule of thumb for impromptu High Chaos events, like the aforementioned snow in the hallways, is to wait until nearer to the end of the round. Players will find one or two hours of snowball fights near the end of the shift less disruptive than starting the entire round in that state.

The "Too Much Spice" Clause

If any Event, planned or impromptu, is considered to be High Chaos, then the round immediately following it should not have any Events.

1. Events are fun, and not every event needs to be telegraphed and planned meticulously for weeks in advance. Event Managers are encouraged to spice up rounds whenever they feel it is appropriate. Too many events can quickly lead to fatigue, and Event Managers are expected to quickly develop a sense for when the players need a break from external influence.
2. To this end, it is server policy that the players are allowed to have a "break" following High Chaos events, due to the level of disruption they tend to cause.
   • For the purposes of this policy, a Low Chaos event is not typically considered a break.

The Lore Integrity Clause

1. Following a trend towards LRP or lore-breaking occurences in unmonitored Events, it is now expected that all Event Managers run their event ideas and concepts past the Head Admin and/or Head Lore Maintainer.
   • At the time of this writing, the Head Admin is Captain277 and the Head Lore Maintainer is Sentre.

Player Polls

1. We have an Events Suggestion channel in the Discord server, and the EMs are encouraged to source ideas from player suggestions whenever they wish.
2. Event Managers are also encouraged, if they have an event idea they're interested in running, to announce it via the Discord server Emojiocracy channel to determine player interest, secure slots for players who wish to participate, get ideas for what the players want in an event, etc.
3. Event Managers do not need to use player polls to announce events. An impromptu Event may be organized at any time, so long as it adheres to the "Too Much Spice" Clause.

Event Manager Conduct

EMs vs Admins

1. Event Managers are not Administrators, even though they have access to many of the Admin tools.
2. Event Managers should not answer an AdminHelp ticket. If they are the only person present in game, they should report the ticket to the relevant Admin channel in the Discord server, and wait for a Game Admin to handle the ticket.
3. Event Managers should not use their powers to punish players committing server infractions. Typical (unofficial) Admin practices of BSA striking spammers, speaking over the Intercom, acting as a CCO, etc. should not be performed by Event Managers.
   • If the EM is in-game as a CCO, or otherwise utilizing Admin tools for the purposes of an event (ideally with Game Admins or other Staff present to provide oversight), these activities are considered acceptable.
   • During the execution of an event an Event Manager may utilize Admin tools to prevent overt disruption or trolling.
4. The general rule of thumb is that if it's considered an Admin's job, it should not be handled by an Event Manager.

EMs and Admin Powers

1. Event Managers are given access to Administrative chat channels in the Discord, and may see Achat in-game. Leaking any information from any of these channels/chats may result in your removal from the team, and potentially a ban from the server itself.
2. Like the above, Event Managers have access to the standard Game Admin controls and buttons. Using these buttons outside of events is equally discouraged, and may result in the same courses of action being undertaken.
3. Outside of hosting Events, it is generally recommended that Event Managers deadmin themselves, to avoid any implication of misconduct or metagaming.

Regarding Favoritism

1. Event Managers are expected to be impartial when designing, hosting, and executing events.
   • There is a necessary degree of discretion EMs are expected to employ when selecting participants. If you receive two requests for a role, determining which is a better fit for the course of action you have planned is acceptable. This rule regards trends towards selecting the same people every time you run an event, rather than simply discriminating based on suitability.
2. Do not arrange events so that your player character is the center of attention.
3. Do not arrange events so that your friends or your player character's friends are the center of attention.
4. Do not provide unfair advantages, or likewise unfair challenges, to event participants based on your personal relationships with them.

Punishment Policy

This section covers the default standards for applying Administrative punishments to offending players.

Banning Rules

1. Give new players the benefit of the doubt before banning and provide them with a stern warning; do not ban on their first offense, unless they are an obvious griefer.
2. Adjust ban times based on severity and the contriteness of the offender.
3. For regular players, a permanent ban should never be the first ban.
4. Player may be job-banned for one of three things: abuse/powergaming, incompetence, or using their job to grief other players.
5. Players should be warned about their behavior before being job banned. Temporary job-bans should be applied first; do not directly permanently ban someone from a job unless you believe their actions were severe enough to warrant a permanent ban.
6. Players in a head role are subject to more severe punishment. This includes a "temporary permaban" wherein they will be banned for an indeterminate amount of time, until the admins believe they are competent and/or mature enough to once again take on the role.
7. All job-bans and server-bans may be accompanied by the other, depending on severity.
8. Department-wide bans should only be applied for the most egregious actions, or if there's a risk of the player circumventing the ban reason by playing in the same department.

Banning Steps

1. Investigate: When a situation comes to your attention, investigate first. Check logs, variables, contents, and the environment first. Do this before or while you're completing step two.
2. Question Players: Question whoever you think is relevant; the suspicious party(s), the victim(s) if there are any, any witnesses, other admins, and observers.
3. Determine Guilt: It's time for you to determine whether a player is guilty of breaking the rules. Remember to compare what you learn with what you have from step one and two.
4. Check Previous Notes & Bans: Take into account the player's previous bans and notes. Decide if they should be left with a warning and a note, or if they should be banned.
5. Check the Banning Scale: Use the banning scale to help you determine ban length if it's going to be a temporary ban. Remember that the scale is only a guide, not a set rule.
6. Should the ban be permanent? Determine whether the ban should be temporary or permanent. Remember not to give permanent bans to first time offenders (if they aren't griefers).

Banning scale

Missing banning scale picture.

Use the banning scale to help you determine the length for a server ban. Remember that the scale is just a guide and not the set amounts that should be given for every situation. Some rules of thumb to remember are:

1. If a player seems genuinely contrite, consider reducing their ban.
2. If a player is being incredibly rude, attempting to interfere with your investigation, or won't cooperate, you may increase the ban.
3. Remember that any player who regularly comes close to breaking a rule (toeing the line) should be counted as breaking that rule. If they have a large number of notes or warnings it may even be worth increasing the ban length.

Job Bans

Job bans can typically be set in days or weeks instead of hours, depending on severity. If a job-ban is accompanying a server-ban, the job-ban should be double the length of the server ban (or more).

Other Bans

1. Ban players from OOC only for rulebreaking that relates to OOC. OOC bans can be used in lieu of or conjunction with a server ban.
2. Identity bans can be used on players that break rules regarding characters (i.e., they keep playing as pop culture characters). It may also be used to prevent meta-friending and meta-comming.
3. Emote bans are for players who use emotes to either circumvent language restrictions or to harass other players.

Other punishments

In lieu of banning, you can use other methods to punish players for a single round. Kicking, deleting their character, sending them to admin prison, muting them, forcing their character to sleep are all acceptable punishments for very minor infractions.

What To Do If You're Banned

1. The first step is to wait and think about what you did. No, really; take a break and do something else so you can mull it over. Even if you're in the right, if you go berzerk and start berating the staff no one will care about your ban and it may even be lengthened. After you think about it and you still think your ban was unfair, ask an admin for the logs from the round you were banned in.
2. After you've read through the logs, read through the rules that relate to your ban. Did you break any? If not, have you been skirting the rules? Remember that "toeing the line" is still counted as breaking the rules; even if you aren't breaking the rules in a literal sense, you may be breaking the spirit of the rules. If you still don't think your ban was just, continue to the appeal.
3. Before you make your appeal, think about how long your ban was for. Was it for less than a day? If so, it's not worth appealing; generally a ban appeal will take at least a day to be processed. Now, how long into your ban are you? Have you waited a while? If your ban is more than a couple of days long, you'll want to wait until the next day to post your appeal. If at this point you're ready to go, get to the ban appeal page and create your post using the format provided. If you were a good boy or girl and got your logs, be sure to use them in your defense.