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Karlotta's Compendium - Printable Version

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Karlotta's Compendium - Karlotta - 03-08-2021

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

This is a work in progress.

If you don't plan on checking for updates regularly and intend to read only once, do it when this is finished and not now.

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An in-Depth Look at Discovery’s Community and Activity Problems
(with pictures)


Every few months (sometimes three times in a week) we are graced with posts decrying the state of the Discovery Gaming Community.

The gripe ranges from concerns like “disco’s RP level sucks ass” and “stupid lolwhuts dunno nuffin I wish they were dead” to “disco is too complicated and restrictive” to “it’s boring when you never meet anyone” or “too much bullying, power abuse, double standards, the hypocrisy gives me ulcers”, or now more recently "Oh no! Now OFFICIAL FACTIONS are dying TOO !!!11 What ever can we DO????".

The overarching theme is that DiscoveryGC is full gameplay problems, very unfair, very hypocritical, very stupid, the population is dwindling, and nothing effective is ever done about any of it.

I used to make that kind of thread too, and replied to other threads offering solutions, facts, analysis, logic, and also sarcasm while inevitably becoming cynical like most people who care. Trying to move things towards a better direction here is almost always in vain. Nothing ever changes for the better, and if it does, it’s too little too late.

Not like… 80% of the necessary steps too little, days or weeks too late.

More like... only 5% of the possible and several years late, with two steps in the wrong direction for every step in the right one.

But mostly, nothing at all.

Although the same problems are brought up again and again for years and feasible solutions were provided multiple times, those awarded with the power to change things either don’t care, don’t read, don’t understand, or find that solutions benefiting others are detrimental to themselves, be it for petty reasons as diminishing their own personal “importance” if someone else than themselves fixes stuff.

Many ideas and "solutions" provided of the years were, of course, bullsh!t. Examples of such bullsh!t is stuff that radically changes gameplay into something different than what most people here want, things that are technically impossible, things that achieve the opposite of what they claim to, or things that would require an amount of work that no one is willing or able to invest.

But there are also solutions that are perfectly in line with would people here want (or claim to want, in some cases), perfectly feasible, and there are people willing to put in all the work, if they haven't done so already (hello).

The latter is the kind of solution this thread is dedicated to:

Nothing radical or fancy, just easy common sense stuff, against which no valid counter-argument has ever been provided.

When these weren't simply ignored by staff, the attempts at counter-arguments, were logical fallacies commonly used as excuses to do nothing, such as:

- "it only fixes 90% of the problem and not 100% so we will do nothing" (nirvana fallacy)
- "it's and old game so its not worth trying to change anything now" (non sequitur)
- "I'm doing this in my spare time without pay" (someone other than you could do it)
- "if you want to be less restrictive on this you will drop all restrictions" (slippery slope fallacy)
- "you aren't staff you are karlotta so your idea will be ignored" (ad hominem)
- diluting solutions by making them half-arsed "because compromise" (moderation fallacy)
- various ways of straw-manning the ideas
- denial of objective reality ("there is no better or worse, it's all just personal opinion")

or when all else fails, the wise speech from "wise older man":


If anyone in disco’s appointed “staff” (or their staunch defenders) even tried to justify the status quo instead of just ignoring everything, the “counter-arguments” always consisted of the same old logical fallacies, empty rhetoric, or memes (see section X, “Discovery BS Bingo”), sometimes featuring Latin or otherwise bigly impressive words and phrases they hope will make them look wise to people who have no idea what’s going on.
After the yearlong attempts, there really isn’t much left to say that hasn’t already been said multiple times. The ball has been firmly stuck in the court of those who have the power to change things, and they refuse to even touch it. But since these threads will inevitably keep coming for as long as disco’s blatant problems remain, I might as well summarize it again in a citable source, providing context as well as visual aids. Because we unfortunately still are, as we have been for over a decade, stuck at a point where rational argument either fall on deaf ears or are brushed off with BS excuses, it’s necessary to take a step back and look at how we got here. For that purpose I’ll give a broader look at how certain kinds of people tend to behave and why, and of the history of disco as a community and mod.




Here is a collection of facts, thoughts, and ideas linked to re-occurring themes revolving around how Discovery needs to improve in order to become a more healthy, fun, and growing environment/community.

All ideas were presented to staff via one channel or another (forum posts, discord channels, ingame or discord pms) but were mostly ignored of brushed off with pseudo arguments (often logical fallacies).

If anyone wants to discuss anything about them they should do so somewhere else, for example in the associated discussion threads or discord. Please don't post anything here so it can be kept clean without moderator intervention.

Topics
[+]Spoiler
Each topic and the proposed solutions are largely independent from each other, although there are some links and combined they amplify each other.

RE: Karlotta's Compendium - Karlotta - 03-09-2021

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RE: Karlotta's Compendium - Karlotta - 03-09-2021

This written mainly by me with some small contributions from former admins/gms, hoping Durandal and Xalrok would implement. Unfortunately they chose not to. Still a work in progress but pretty well rounded in its current state imo. Some of said it's too long and many things are "common sense". But if every player here is required to read and learn the rules which are about as long, staff can be expected to read something of this length too. If they already saw it as "common sense" then good, reading it anyway doesn't do harm. Most of what is "common sense" to me here has been violated by staff regularly.


Code of Conduct for Game Masters, Moderators, and Developers

1. Preamble

The following contains advice and procedures for community leaders, which will hopefully help make DiscoveryGC a healthier environment and reduce stress, anxiety, frustration, toxicity, mistrust, and paranoia. While parts of this document may appear self-evident to some, they may seem exaggerated to others. Adhering to this code of conduct regardless has the potential to avoid needless bad blood, won’t hurt you, and will let you lead by good example. Even if mistrust regarding power-tripping and personal biases (justified or not) won’t disappear entirely, it is best reduced by showing a good attitude before things escalate.

The spirit of this code is that Discovery isn’t just any private game server among many, doesn’t have an unlimited supply of players, and therefore those in charge ought not do whatever they please with the justification that members can "leave if they don't like it". We are the only remaining Freelancer server, have no real alternatives, too few players, and therefore have an interest and the obligation to uphold the legacy of Freelancer for everyone who loves the game. Whoever is or was in charge at one moment represents only a small part of those who defined Discovery (in good ways or bad) for over a decade, and an even smaller part of a large community that contributed through role play, ideas, and ingame activity.

For much of its history, Discovery has suffered from a lack of respect, responsibility, and accountability of some of its leaders, resulting in a severe disconnect between them and large parts of the community. It is therefore important that staff members come to understand their role as more than just a position from which to exert power, but rather as one where they have the duty to uphold respect for themselves, their team, and the community. Real respect is earned through integrity, competence, and professionalism, not by instilling fear of what they might do because they can. Simply because someone holds a position of power doesn’t mean they can remove or disenfranchise people who don’t. Another way in which trust and support were often squandered was to show others contempt by refusing to even take into consideration what they think are helpful ideas or widespread grievances. A problem that commonly led to many others was that people didn’t talk and listen to each other like they should. Even if a decision contrary to popular opinion has to be made, everyone is entitled to an explanation on how and why that decision was reached, beyond a dismissive "we felt like it”.

Harmful behavior doesn’t necessarily stem purely from a general unwillingness to be constructive, but mostly happens while annoyed, like everyone is at some point. Being able to deal with staff mistakes non-destructively is therefore just as important as trying to keep them from happening. Past unwillingness or inability to admit and undo wrongdoing occurred in an environment where people are either put on pedestals and glorified, or ostracized. That kind of environment generally motivates people to try and sweep things under the rug in order to not tarnish their reputation, especially if a tarnished reputation closes certain doors forever. It is therefore also our goal to change the environment into one where making mistakes doesn’t automatically destroy someone’s other positive contributions, and people are less fearful of admitting any wrongdoing and subsequently correcting it.

We are a gaming community with large variety in age, maturity, culture, priorities, and levels of investment. Together with the voluntary nature of work, this also results in widely differing ideas on what is or isn’t acceptable behavior. Rather than reciting vague feel-good phrases about how everyone should “be excellent”, or implementing strict rules which threaten draconic and counterproductive punishments, this code of Conduct therefore aims at creating understanding, common ground, and consensus on what “being excellent” actually means, and at making it easier for people to realistically behave that way.


2. General Conduct

a) Treat others the way you would want to be treated if you were them. Abiding to this basic social contract is in everyone’s interest, including your own, because those who don’t will become natural enemies, and also forfeit their right to receiving respect by not giving it. This applies not only to tone of communication, but also to granting others the right to have fun, be creative, express themselves, defend themselves, have a sense of security, and have faith in justice. Remember that there is a person just like you at the other side of the screen.

b) Be polite and show restraint: When accepting a staff position, be willing to adhere to higher standards of behavior than regular members. Avoid posting derogatory things in public (forum, server, or public Discord). Don’t joke about handing out gratuitous sanctions, nerfs, favors, or other things concerning your staff responsibilities, which can be seen as you taunting your powers. Not only does it raise concerns of injustice, but it can also make others think they can do what you were merely joking about. Be as funny as you want, but not with your staff duties. You also need to be able to work with people you don’t like. Anyone able to function in a professional environment understands the necessity of this, but it’s often a foreign concept in gaming communities. If you reject contributions from people because you don’t like them, or because you don’t want them to contribute more than yourself, you’re probably not the kind of person who should get to make such decisions. Exercise self control so you don’t rush decisions or responses, and don’t let anger influence them. Don’t post when you’re drunk.

c) Be fair, accountable, and non-intimidating: Community, forum, and server rules also apply to everyone including Game Masters, Developers, Moderators, and Faction Leaders. Higher positions shouldn’t be a license to dodge accountability for rule violations or poor behavior. Anyone should be able to criticize members of the staff without fear of repercussions like sanctions, non-granted SRPs/perks/developments, or censorship. In order to avoid intimidation (be it voluntary or involuntary), discipline in expression is required, and subjective or "people based" criteria should be removed as much as possible from staff decisions. All decisions should be rationally justifiable, not feelings-based.

d) Take responsibility for your position: A leadership position includes the responsibility to read and comment on what members have to contribute/comment on your specific field, as long as it’s posted in the right subforum:
- Game Masters: Rule Violation Reports, Player Requests, Rules discussions, and GM Feedback
- Lead Developers: Mod submissions relevant to their department, bug reports, and Development Feedback.
If submissions are rejected explain the reason, so people who try to contribute don’t feel ignored and keep pushing for the same thing. The more people understand a problem, the more likely finding a fix becomes. If an idea could work but there’s no one to implement it, help organize a task force to accomplish it. You’re encouraged to accept contributions from people who don’t have official positions, as long as they abide to quality standards (that doesn’t include making real other people’s vague ideas, only actual work contributions). Be transparent on what you have the power over and responsibility for, to avoid misunderstandings.

e) Deal with criticism and criticize constructively: Don’t treat criticism of actions or of something within your responsibility like an insult. No one should feel offended when their (or anyone else’s) work isn’t declared to be 100% perfect. If criticism is unjustified, explain why and try not to turn it into a discussion about who is the better or worse person. Base your decisions on what is good for gameplay and community, not on personal feelings. Understand that while saying “but I work so hard” may be true, the amount of work invested doesn’t determine whether something is a step forward, backward, or could still be improved. When opinions differ, try to understand where other stances come from, and be as honest as possible (also to yourself) about the reasons behind yours. When decisions affect others, not even attempting to understand differing opinions is one of the quickest ways to lose people's trust and come to ignorant/inconsiderate outcomes. Refusing to engage with criticism constructively and taking everything personal will inevitably make things personal, and about you, sooner or later. On the other hand, be sure to politely point out possible improvements wherever you see them. Review by multiple pairs of eyes is invaluable for increasing overall quality.

f) Don’t cling to power: That includes giving up privileges and powers that you don’t or no longer need, even if only temporarily. By keeping powers because they consider oneself trustworthy (which most people do), ex-staff members also further the possibility for others to do the same. Keeping voting privileges that are never or rarely used slows down the decision-making process. Don’t try or threaten to drag Discovery down with you when you leave.


3. Forum Moderation (Moderators and Game Masters)

- Avoid grandstanding, mocking, threatening, or being condescending while moderating.

- Instead of simply locking threads or threatening it with phrases like “I’m eyeing this carefully”, also show people how to be more constructive. For example, point out how unconstructive debate tactics (logical fallacies, dogpiling, bad language) make meaningful discussion impossible, or ask them to focus on the topic instead of people.

- Propose to split off topic discussion into a separate thread. If one or more people spam non constructive things, move their posts into their warning/sanction thread instead of simply making them invisible.

- If things are censored, explain to the community why in order not to awaken suspicions of foul play.

- If members present their ideas poorly, point out ways how they can present their ideas and opinions in a better way.


4. Sanctions and Warnings (Game Masters and Moderators)

Sanctions/warnings are one of the things that stir up the most negative emotions for several reasons: They are often perceived (and have often been formulated that way) as judgements of a person’s character, and thereby come across as deeply insulting when issued. On the other hand, a lack of sanctions or even warnings for someone is often perceived as favoritism or incompetence. Sometimes it is even seen as a form of censorship of the truth of what really happens on the server or forum, due to public calls to “go file a report” that never goes through, or because of forbidding “trial by forum”. If sanctions are harsh (bans, being insulting in the notice, removal of SRPs/positions/officialdom), they depopulate the server, create hatred, destroy positive contributions to the game, and will raise expectations that you should do the same things to other people.

To alleviate this, sanctions/warnings should be administered regardless of whether offenders or reporters are considered "good” or "bad” people, or an offense considered to be a slip. Make it known that a sanction/warning is not a judgement of the offender as a person, but necessary reactions to certain actions, and that sanctions will happen to everyone sooner or later because everyone makes mistakes. Thereby reduce the stigma and negative/harsh consequences around sanctions/warnings so they arouse less anger, are less of a tool to “stick it to someone”, and so you won’t have to weigh between doing your duty and stigmatizing/harshly punishing someone who you think doesn’t deserve it.

- Sanction/warning posts should explain exactly what the person did wrong, quoting the Rule, and if applicable, stating that the underlined part was broken, so people don’t feel wrongfully accused of violating every aspect of the rule.

- Sanctions/warnings shouldn’t be needlessly harsh and serve the primary purpose of informing the person and community that certain behavior is not acceptable. Only if someone intentionally harmed another player’s experience, gained an advantage over other players from the violation, or is a repeat offender, should they suffer additional consequences. Punishments should preferably also be educational if needed (role play, lore, and empathy), credit sinks (when possible and sensible), or specific restrictions on potentially harmful behavior for limited periods, rather than large dents in player activity or possible destruction of future or past roleplay/community/Mod accomplishments (see “Procedures” for examples).

- The sanctioned person should be able to tell their side of the story. Ideally, the “Forum Banned” category should still have posting rights in the Sanctions section. Censorship shouldn’t be used as a tool to keep things from being talked about, and only be applied if posts contain bad language or law violating materials.

- Avoid posting comments that are judgemental of the sanctioned/warned Member as a person. Many will already feel offended when publicly told that they did something wrong. Unhelpful remarks, pointless punishments, and censorship can make it look like you have a personal stake, are twisting the knife in the wound, and contribute to creating an overall toxic environment. Don’t be demeaning, threatening, snappy, funny, humiliating, condescending, or sarcastic. Don’t use a sanction as an occasion to grandstand as powerful, heroic, merciful, clever, educated, angry, disgusted, or magnanimous. Don’t publicly brag about ridding yourself and the community of someone, also not in flood or public Discord, as that encourages others to try and do the same to people they dislike.

- Try not to silently watch as bad deeds accumulate and collectively punish them later. It can make you look like you’re quote-mining or baiting/trapping for more to happen so you could dish out a harsher sanction.


5. Granting players rights and privileges (Game Masters and Developers)

The path towards achieving Faction Officialdom, perks, and SRP privileges should be clear and transparent. Privileges should be awarded taking into account game balance, quality of the story/roleplay, and consistency with lore. They should not be handled as badge for being a “community asset" or “exemplary player” (this should probably be changed if its still in effect, or removed if its not: https://discoverygc.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=125210) because the latter is highly subjective, based on personal feelings towards someone (aka bias), and it can also arouse arrogance or jealousy. If someone is not expected to handle certain privileges like Official Faction rights or mod development negotiations responsibly, the behavior that leads to this conclusion should be outlined, together with a clear statement of what exact behavior is expected from them (see “Code of Conduct for Official Factions”).

Sanctions of members should not automatically lead to non-awarding or loss of SRPs, Faction Officialdom, or perks, unless the violation was directly relevant to them, because that would otherwise destroy positive role play contributions, and creates constant anxiety for holders/contenders. This can also drive them into pressuring others to not report offenses, or motivate GMs to not issue a sanction at all because it would have to be harsh. Privileges should be removed when precisely those privileges were abused, or if there is no more IRP reason for them to have them.

When dealing with general player privileges/rights (instead of perks for certain players), keep in mind that restrictions also make it harder to find things to do on one’s favorite character on a currently rather empty server. Restrictions also force people to play on throw-away characters across multiple IDs, making the game experience annoying and anonymous/lonely especially for new or casual players. Gameplay of casual and new players is as important as that of “veterans”, or we will have less and less “veterans” because new players can’t enjoy the game enough to stay long enough to turn into a “vet”.

RE: Karlotta's Compendium - Karlotta - 03-09-2021

This is a draft / notes from brainstorming


Code of Conduct for Official Factions

1. Preamble

This Code of Conduct aims at outlining ways in which Official Factions can contribute positively towards creating a healthy environment and fun gameplay. Set standards should be as realistic and unambiguous/subjective as possible, so that everyone can agree they are worth striving for. It may also be worth it to differentiate between “minimum requirement” and “desirable but not obligatory”, to prevent bigotry and finger pointing while still giving some advice for those who want to contribute more than the minimum required.


2. Official Faction Leaders

2.1 Minimum Requirements

- Community rules apply in the Official Faction Leader (OFL) discord channel. No insulting, trolling, abusing, or hassling.

- No spamming or NSFW (Not Safe For Work) content in OFL discord.

- Work to improve your faction, but don’t try to make/keep it “better than others” by blocking the legitimate interests of other factions, independent players, or individual players.

- You receive OFL rights because you are trusted to used them responsibly for the organization of gameplay for the benefit of everyone. They are not given solely to benefit yourself or your faction, or as tools for blackmail, revenge, or bribery for your personal benefit.

- You are required to be diplomatic and not tribalistic when dealing with other official faction leaders and developers.

Respect your IRP enemies right for fun gameplay. That doesn’t mean you have to hand them victories, or that you have the right to be handed victories.
You are expected to act diplomatically towards people outside your faction, mediate in case of conflict, and not stoke the flames.


3. Official Faction members

Don’t see your faction’s officials status as a license for poor behavior towards “non official players”. There is a difference between IRP elitism that can make sense in the discovery universe, and OORPly harming other people’s game experience.


random ideas to be explored:
Create a 400 word summary of NPC faction diplomacy that indies and officials are to follow.
Accessible how? FLhook? Diplosystem?

RE: Karlotta's Compendium - Karlotta - 03-09-2021

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RE: Karlotta's Compendium - Karlotta - 03-09-2021

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RE: Karlotta's Compendium - Karlotta - 03-09-2021

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RE: Karlotta's Compendium - Karlotta - 03-09-2021

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RE: Karlotta's Compendium - Karlotta - 03-09-2021

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RE: Karlotta's Compendium - Karlotta - 03-09-2021

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