How can you tell..

Started by Kensei, Mar 17, 2011, 03:14 PM

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Kensei

Okay so let's talk about something different (still about GM though).

In your opinions, how can you tell if a GM is planning something suspicious (such as corruption)?

Provide some good answers so others can be aware <3

XicoR4

Most people will act good and decent until you give them enough power, then they'll do a face heel turn and you won't even see it coming.
Just be cautious if they start asking for more power (certain ingame commands that can be exploited, acess to databases, etc...).

Your best bet is prevention though, just interview people, get a feel for what they're like before giving them any power and regularly monitor your GMs (checking the command logs every once in a while,or possibly checking some players equipments for illegit gear randomly, for example). It also helps if the GMs don't have legit chars or if (s)he wasn't part of a guild on the server before being "promoted" (most servers recruit players for GM positions, which is a bad idea imo).

Chemical Crush

Although you say a GM shouldn't play legits, I find that unfair.  Slightly.  I like GMing for servers but I also like to take a break from time to time and just level.  Now, I dont have ingame commands like @item or anything really.  All I can do is Mute.  Haha, and turn into random stuff.  I'm limited on the events I can run and I cannot select my own prizes, they are all pre selected because of the rank I am. 

I am honestly glad I am one of the lower ranking GMs, I dont need @item.  I would much rather hunt for my own stuff. 

But I agree, you should just interview them, try them out.  Let them just be a 'support' GM or something, let them answer questions, see if they are knowledgable.  Honestly I dont think any person should have @item or serious Commands unless its the admin.  But if you have a corrupt Admin, well...then it doesn't really matter I guess.

There is no real way of telling if someone wanting to be a GM, or who is already a GM, is planning to be corrupt or do corrupt things.  Just keep your guard up, if they keep asking for powers or it seems suspicious, it probably is.  o_o;

Kensei

Yep, for me, if they ask for more power, they're planning on something suspicious. A good admin knows what GM level should be given to certain GM and the GM should feel enough. Asking for more should be followed with good reason. If not, well something fishy there.

Sometimes good interview does not make sure that the person will do good in the future.

Chemical Crush

Hence why I said test them out, make them the lowest ranking GM possible and just watch how they act.  Sometimes you could have the nicest GM and as soon as you give them the slightest amount of power they abuse it.  Its hard to trust people nowadays.

Scribbles

Video interview would prevent this if you are a good judge of character... unless it starts turning into Omegle Video chat... >>

yC

I wouldn't want to be video interviewed for a GM pos lol.  Is it common anyway?

Assuming you are the admin asking this question, just log everything your gm do and watch the logs carefully.  They don't become corrupt in one day, there might be times they kill players at the wrong time (no log for this ...) or help friends with hunting/mvping etc before they demand more power to get more corrupt. 

Kensei

I know a server where "Female" GM recruitment is done by video interview, well I am the cause for that though, but still video interview is just lol.

Lucian

They demand high GM levels and are always saying how much you can trust him/her.


Kensei

@ Lucian : well if what you mean is the server I mentioned, they do Video Interview just because they care much about gender xD

tl;dr : no TRAP allowed, but any girls (w/ or w/o experience , but have bewbz) can become a GM via video interview.

and ofc there's a motive behind that <3

uncelebrated

There's no reason for a GM to have a "legit" character.  If you're doing your job as a GM, you won't/shouldn't have enough time to actually level or grind for items on a legit. 

As far as corruption goes, get used to it.  At one point or another every GM will participate in some sort of corruption.  What you should focus on as an Admin/head GM is reducing the frequency and severity of corruption on your server.  For instance, @item abuse will lead to much bigger problems than say messing around with @follow or @killable.

Limit the GM level of your GMs and monitor command logs and you shouldn't have any problems.
'effective now, ***** is butthurt because his server sucks without competent players to make things interesting'

Sarin

Quote from: uncelebrated on Mar 30, 2011, 10:44 PM
There's no reason for a GM to have a "legit" character.  If you're doing your job as a GM, you won't/shouldn't have enough time to actually level or grind for items on a legit. 

So you're saying that GMs can't relax and when they're GMs, they have to devote all their free time to GMing? After school/work and few hours of dealing with trolls and other stuff, people need to relax a bit, and does it matter if it's on RO, playing some other game or something else?

Nyub

Top answer is as everyone stated : asking for higher command levels. Pretty sure they stop asking once they got their hands on @item mostly.

Possible reasons :
1. Peronal. Always.
2. PvP issues.
3. GM-dating service.
4. Guild Favors.
5. "Flash Me For Customs".

Regarding if they're to have legits or not, I must say they should have one. As long as their legit isn't on the same account as their staff account, and, you're the only one who can alter the SQL (they also need to check SQLs for scenes, but must be unable to change anything there) . Working as a staff and Playing as a legit is different, but since it's entirely a Game, basically they need to steam off and just relax.

A close monitoring is always a must, and asking players about opinions regarding your staff members (can cause dramas and make it sound like a popularity contest). Interviews are mostly "to impress your panel of judges/boss" ; which means expectations are built already or they're too convincing to not do any donkey's behind. But once they have the hands-on Staff work, that's where the real colors start to come alive.

Myteriouss

I would have to say if they keep asking for more Levels/Promotions. Then, they start to get a little fishy.

However, if you're an admin, you can make GMs not drop items/trade/mail items till a certain level, but, able to give @item command to a level <w.e gm> so that they can item any item they want, but still can't drop the items.

For myself, I get a little worried when GMs keep asking for promotions/levels (especially constantly).

Nyub

With what Moon said, this isn't a Sim-Game that you increase your INT to pass tests and get promotions. It's basically like applying for a job IRL. First they take you. You do your job right. You get noticed. You get promotions. You gain new fields and commands. Rinse repeat until you're 2nd in command.

It's hard to trust anyone in the internet even if it's a friend or not. Even "friends" can have hidden wants. The words in applications stating "I enjoy RO, I like helping people, I don't abuse commands" is mostly copy-pasted almost everywhere. Unique ones (that are extremely rare) can have a better chance, but as I said. In-game actions will weigh more than the application.

Myteriouss

^
Indeed.

People get promoted by actually doing work that needs to be done, thus, rising up on the ladder of success.

Now, if you have a job IRL, what would happen if you were to ask your Supervisor for raises? promotions? constantly? I'm pretty sure they'll tell you off and/or write you up lol.

Ace

@offtopic yC sorry for replying to this.. I really want to comment ^_^


@ontopic

Well for me there are some reasons I can tell that my staff is planning on corruption:

1. When that staff is saying that "It is ok for me to have a level 40 GM account as long as I have @item)  :o

2. When they are always saying that "You can trust me, I won't give items to anyone. Just give me @item)  ::)

3. When that staff will always contact you of promoting him to a higher GM level because he is working in your server long enough.

4. When he asks for items from you because he wants to wear it (like +10 d-set) then eventually, those items can be found in a legit account.

5. Lastly, when he will say "I will have an event please give me @item." (haha!)

What to do?:

1. Never give anyone @item command

2. Even if how long he has been working on your server, it is up to you if you will increase his position or not.

3. When having a manual event, make sure that you are the only one who is giving the items to the winners.

4. Always monitor your staff. (You can also check the log)

5. As an admin, you must not be lazy.

Secret Duckie

Kind of off topic, sorryyy. <3
I don't have much I can contribute here because I'm actually pretty new to GMing, but I have to agree with uncelebrated.

On my server we're allowed to have legits. At first I was really pumped because it was really tough for me to choose being a GM over playing a game I've loved for, like, 8 years. Once I actually became a GM, though, I think I've logged on to my legit maybe 4 times (at least 2 just to test something that I couldn't test using my GM character). I just don't have the time! I work full time in real life, and I'm also the art/sprite GM. So essentially all of my time outside of work breaks down to probably 70% in game GMing, 20% art for the server, and 10% everythingelse. xD

I guess it comes down to what kind of GM you are. I'm a head GM with a special job as well, so basically I police, support, event, and sit around looking pretty and showing how nice the staff is on top of my spriting/art job. Someone like me can't possibly have time for a legit. On the other hand, if you split the GM's up and have one for each of these roles, they could have enough time for a legit, I suppose.

It's a tough subject for me because even in my short time being a GM, I have seen GM's letting their job get affected by playing on their legit character. Basically just sitting around dual clienting on @hide or just not being online at all. It makes my job even harder, honstly. xD;

Euphie

To say that there is no reason for a GM to have a legit and that every GM will be corrupt at some point is a very cynical view and as far as I see it, completely untrue. I honestly feel bad for servers who don't allow their GMs to play a legit character as well. On most servers, GMing is not a paying job, its volunteer.. so you go to work all day, then come home and work more on a GAME that you're not allowed to play.. kind of a shame >.<;

It's much easier to get to know the community from a legit character as well as experience gameplay the way a player does from legit characters. Basically how can you know whats really going on in the server if you don't even play it. Sure you can oversee whatever is happening but it just isn't the same. I agree with the point being unfair, if you work on a server, you should also be able to play it. To not be allowed would mean the admin doesn't trust you enough.. at least that's how I see it.. and would make for a more uncomfortable 'work' environment.

As far as how can you tell if your GM is about to do something corrupt, I don't think there are any 'signs' of it. It's not a disease that you can look for symptoms for, everyone is different and some people you will see it coming and others you won't. As said above, the best thing you can do is keep an eye on the logs and listen to your players if they feel a GM is doing something terribly wrong, especially when there's multiple reports of the same thing for the same GM.

Thats my opinion anyway! C:

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Ecstasy

I think one of the most obvious answers is if they ask for commands that they won't need to fulfill their job description.
I guess at releasing their accounts you should make the commands limited on the get go. Give the essentials.
If they ask for more beyond that and you make them justify the need for it and it doesn't quite fit. Well, there you go.

NetRagnarok

I would never give anyone power with a possibility of corruption and cheating. Only exception is if I knew them personally in real life. I started a server with 2 real life friends, we hired a SubGM, which has minimal power to help the server such as warping etc. As for developers, you can give them access to your files in your test server, which is what I did. Then in the real server, you can give them basic power such as warping again...

Use a test server, please

Jocasta

I believe too. GMs do not need any unnecessary commands that do not fit their job description. If a GM is intended only for rule enforcement, @item is not strictly needed. For Event GMs, there are effective ways to hand-out prizes, such as Itemizer scripts freely posted on eA. Item Logs and Pick Logs will be helpful as well, in order to monitor the item being summoned by the Game Master. Also, you could always ask your staff why are they summoning items which are not needed in any way for his / her position? A Game Master cannot also test builds and items in order to appropriate it to his/her legit account in the near future.

However, corruption in a strict sense is not just associated with the item. Supporting (buffs and leeches) are also a top priority and the control of this is hardly monitored. I can leave my legit in one place, party up, even share, kill the monster and voila, love the levels! I had an experience with a co-gm ages ago doing this nasty corrupted practice.

Always monitor your logs by imbuing them to PHP/HTML. You could always view their activity and monitor them properly (including party logs in which they might have partied someone unnecessary or unrelated to any event held at the server).

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LeaLea

Easiest was to prevent GM corruption is checking the logs often, if they have legits (And I do agree Ms should be allowed to play on their own server, but be monitored) keep an eye on them all. No GM under level 99 needs @item, that's senseless, it's pretty easy to make a command that can create items bound to the account, for the purposes of looking pretty, all event headgears/items should be obtained from NPCs, easy to track.

What an admin should never forget is that this is the internet, and you should never let your guard drop ever. Anyone with a couple of brain cells and a drop of common sense can throw out a good interview.

Nomi

My first response would be through the logs. Many corrupt staff members will try to break your server's Terms of Agreement behind your back, thus the trusty logs that admins use to track what a player does within the server, and has done in the past. First give away could be how they act around you, are around others, or the like.

In all honesty, there is no true way to tell if someone is about to commit something bad without it having been done already. It's why it's always a gamble to add this or that person to staff, because there's always that chance where you'll take risks, but won't realize until after the damage has been done.

keben

when you guys are hiring a member for the staff.
-let them be a GM in training (do not give them a gm account after hiring them)
-should not trust them fully (do not give access to your files easily, just test them for a week or so)
-do not believe their swears (most likely they would do something stupid and corrupt)