The ideal game mod...

[veluchami]

1) Should be faceless
2) His presence should not be felt
3) Should step in 'only' if things get out of hand

These are my personal opinions. I dont imply anything against the current mod or NGD's way of dealing with moderation in anyway whatsoever.

I will explain each of them below with examples and give reasons why NGD's having a problem with moderation.

I have said 'faceless' because it avoids personal attacks. And separates the mod from his actions. A recent issue wouldn't have happened, if, the responsible mod didn't have a habit of talking to individuals (Hence the issue of the player pm'ing him asking him to make him level 50 is of his own making).
Being faceless, would prevent people from judging the intentions of the moderator or the qualification of the mod to moderate (like his age and maturity level etc...)
Mod-moderating is regulating. I don't buy the reason that he talks to people because he wants to compile the list of problems in the game. In that case he can call hmself a surveyor and not a mod. Besides, Thats what the complaint section is for. IMHO, NGD can start by reading that section.

I said 'his presence should not be felt' This is because people are suspicioius by nature. They think moderators are there to be intrusive and show big brother'ish attitude and take sides in a dispute. A moderator who remains faceless, doesn't talk, and doesn't interfere with the chat 'unless it goes beyond the limit'. Using your powers too often make them lose their potency. Its like in the US people dread murder as they are a rarity, whereas in Iraq its almost a daily occurrence and people almost dont give a shit.

Yes I agree it is difficult to not talk in the game that you love and not being able to play it. But, moderation is never an easy job. (And if you are not getting paid for it, as I glean from Znu's post, you are just wasting your time. Its not worth it)

Lets not turn this thread into a troll thread. I don't want this to be closed, just lets have a healthy discussion. If you think otherwise just post your points

PS: I still think we dont need moderation. But if we have no choice, let them be like this.

[DkySven]

Since NGD doesn't have a lead support yet, the response time to their mails is awfully slow. Because of that I try to see what I can do for people by getting to know what their problems are and ask things to Kailer. But if you want to get your support only from NGD's mail-system, it's fine with me.

[Groark]

The ideal moderator does not exist as the ideal player does not exist either or the ideal game or whatever.

I think the actual moderator is a very good one and I have a very high opinion of him and respect him. What his task should be or not is not up to you but to NGD.

Originally Posted by veluchami

1) I don't buy the reason that he talks to people because he wants to compile the list of problems in the game. In that case he can call hmself a surveyor and not a mod. Besides, Thats what the complaint section is for. IMHO, NGD can start by reading that section.
PS: I still think we dont need moderation. But if we have no choice, let them be like this.

The complain section -as all the threads in this Forum- represents only a small part od the players. Most of the players do not post in here and many do not even look at it. So in "MHO" it is a very good thing that we have a moderator not only to "moderate" but also to answer some questions and to hear what the players problems really are and not only the ones who post a thread.

[JennyfromtheBlock]

I agree that if we must have a GM he should be a faceless person. Someone that doesn't abuse power. Deals with true problems that arise instead of just stopping discussions they don't agree with.

[veluchami]

Originally Posted by DkySven

Since NGD doesn't have a lead support yet, the response time to their mails is awfully slow. Because of that I try to see what I can do for people by getting to know what their problems are and ask things to Kailer. But if you want to get your support only from NGD's mail-system, it's fine with me.

No Dky, you misunderstand me. It's definitely better to get support faster by any means possible. But all I say is that your job description should be just support or just moderation. IMO, you could be of great help in a support role. But it doesn't go too well with moderator powers. You tend to get embroiled into the disputes you are supposed to solve, because you have a face and a history. Think about the latest issue, and think of what would have happened had we a mod with the above mentioned qualifications. People would have forgotten that DB was kicked in an hour or so. Even he wouldn't take is so seriously coz he was just kicked by a nameless person named 'Mod'. We have had our DB episodes almost daily but it never blew up this big, enough to separate the realm into two groups. I mean, come on, You are just setting yourself up for trouble. People just don't like to be moderated in the first place, and far less by a person they have known to be a peer for a long time. Well vythica voiced it, but many people might not have voiced it, fearing the backlash that vyth got from your friends who will zealously defend you no matter what.(I dont blame them. Hell I would do the same if I were your friend) This naturally forms two conflicting groups which is not good at all.

To make it short, Horus hates authority. Efrendi was at the receiving end of it, you could just ask him. Believe me when I say, he is a very diplomatic person, but still he was flamed to hell. Besides, You are just 16(correct me if i am wrong. I saw from your profile) and have to moderate grown ass men and women some of em would go to great extents to get back at you if you hurt their ego. I truly believe that the best moderator for Horus is Horus itself. Things do get heated up but tend to cool down pretty soon. Ever wonder why surak started hanging out lesser and lesser and stopped finally?

[veluchami]

Originally Posted by DkySven

Since NGD doesn't have a lead support yet, the response time to their mails is awfully slow. Because of that I try to see what I can do for people by getting to know what their problems are and ask things to Kailer. But if you want to get your support only from NGD's mail-system, it's fine with me.

Dude, one more thing. This boggles and interests me to no less extent.

Why did you take up this job?
1) You aren't getting paid as per Znurre (If you are, then thats a good reason to do it. Don't read any further)
2) You don't get to play a game you love
3) People wont be honest with you anymore cos you are superior to them
4) You get into mudslinging contests with people who you don't care and don't give a shit about
5) Game modding is not one of the best career paths that a seemingly intelligent person like you would want to take, not to mention it is not a healthy profession, either mentally or physically
6) You get to listen to the rants of 40yr old men and women who don't have anything to look forward to in life, and you got to pretend that you are genuinely interested.
7) You just make fake friends who would kiss your feet for no other reason than that you are the mod
8) Your real friends just get mixed up in this crowd and disappear
9) If you are totally into community service, you aren't doing any good here trying to help fat ass lazy buggers who don't have a life outside of a frigging game and who are just a drag on the society they live in and dont contribute to the collective gdp of their nations... well, not all of em, ofc (look who's talking )
You could instead plant a tree, help the homeless, comfort the destitute...

All I see is a humongous f***ing lose-lose situation here. Please tell me how you get motivated...

[Myxir]

Come on guys? What the fuck is going on with you? Why do we have millions of threads about this? Ideal moderation... holy crap.
Do you have nothing else to do than complain about this issue?
Get a beer,coke,coffee, tea, whatever and chill out.
As you obviously see, this forum needs moderation. Users just don't want to get along with it...

You want a faceless mod? You HAD a faceless mod. Gamemod. Guess what. Everyone complained about the actions done from this account. Seriously, I can't get you.
People just seem to search topics to rant about.

[_dracus_]

Originally Posted by veluchami

Lets not turn this thread into a troll thread. I don't want this to be closed, just lets have a healthy discussion. If you think otherwise just post your points

PS: I still think we dont need moderation. But if we have no choice, let them be like this.

If you wanted an healthy discussion you would be more honnest in the title of your thread. It's not like it's really about the ideal game mod, but more about Dky and his motivations.

[veluchami]

To make my point clear, I had to give an example why a 'faceful' mod wont work out. And Dky happens to be that person who is fresh in everyone's memory. So I gave some examples.
Yeah I do agree when I reread the post that it might be misleading. So I reiterate again I want a healthy discussion.
So people who want a 'faceful' mod vs a 'faceless' mode can list out advantages (i dont disagree there are some) vs disadvantages and lets see which is better for the community as a whole.

[veluchami]

Originally Posted by Groark

The ideal moderator does not exist as the ideal player does not exist either or the ideal game or whatever.

Exactly ! thanks so much for making my point so succinctly.
I said Ideal mod because imo moderating Horus would generally be a huge fail.
Only moderator who would succeed is ruthless, faceless almost a bot. But success at what cost? At the cost of breaking the community, destroying the game we love, displacing the delicate status quo that exists now? And I call it fail.