What do you look for in a GM?

Started by AxeGunner, Jul 15, 2007, 10:03 PM

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Ambrose Merle

#15
Hmm... Pretending I didn't see anyone elses posts, I'll put it into my own wording...

Sub-moderator: Sub = Subordinate. a sub moderator is someone below the normal command used like a deputy rather than a sheriff. Not as strong, not as experienced, but still often times essential, especially on bigger servers. Subs often have no real skills, and learn from other moderators with time. A subordinate moderator must be... willing to learn, responsible, and often times fresh to the experience and therefore under their trial run to see if they'll ever become an actual moderator. These guys are also often time like a back-up reservoir. Got a packed team and someone leaves? Pick out the sub that best fills the hole unless no one really qualifies.

Moderator: Their responsibility is solely to improve the gaming experience and take responsibility for stopping player crime. Player crime is basically any time someone breaks a specified rule, or outsteps a special boundary that does not need to be listed such as hacking the server itself. A moderator MUST be... Patient, discerning, kind, somewhat experienced, long-fused, able to make hard decissions, mature, responsible, and capable of almost always doing the right thing, if not always. If you hire a cranky nasty GM, you'll lose players and the community will start to boil down until the moderator wont come on except for rare occassions because theyself-inflict stress. They also need to be able to hold their temper, otherwise they'll make rash unecessary decissions that can cost the server more than just players. There are other thigns you should look for, but these are the essential for a good long-running moderator.

Super-moderator: obscenely rare. Can do the job of ANY moderator. Scripting, spriting, etc. I could qualify if I took a month to learn how to make maps, and handle client side issues, but I'm backing out of Ragnarok which is often the case it appears for anyone close to being a super moderator. By the time they actually get that kind of experience, they really can't stand the game anymore and dissappear. Often times these guys are also quick learners and fit the moderator qouta to the T minus the patience.

Administrator: Must be flawless by either keeping their mouth shut, or by keeping their mind keen. A bad administrator can sink any otherwise healthy server. They are responsible for barking the orders, handling the corrupt GMs, and filling in for any moderator that isn't pulling their weight. If an administrator gets a report that a moderator banned someone without reason, and the administrator ignores it letting the moderator run free, the administrator took the fault onto their own shoulders and thereby makes the whole server suffer. Administrators do have the option to bsically hide though if they're short tempered and so forth. I would recommend an admin only makes a server though if they're patient since even if the community is ok, setting up a server is a pain in the... Often times as well, the community can wreck anyones nerves, so patience IS key I find in administrating.

There is busloads more, but these are the basics. If you wnt more info, PM me or email me and I'll anser as best I can.

--edit--
sorry, didn't mean to necro.. I thought the last post said nov 30!! >_<;;

Pandora

I don't think people will mind someone reviving a topic if they have something useful to add to the discussion, it's not like your spamming or advertising a server. Smaller servers might not have that many distinctive roles, but overall I find what you said to be true, and in any of those roles patience is key.
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pupu

You've already gave good enough explanations of how good GMs are like.

Things I hate about bad GMs:

1) They're active everyday:
The reason why I hate the fact that bad GMs are active everyday is because they seem to be involved in everything, even things that they're not supposed to be involved in, making them unwanted and hated. This would cause a lot of drama between the GM and players that the GM has been involved with.

2) They broadcast messages excessively:
This is annoying. GMs should not be broadcasting messages all the time. It's not that bad to broadcast a message to say "hello" each time you log in, but it's really stupid to start conversations on /b. Also, I'd like to include that /b'ing all the time causes anger between players and the GM, because what if there is a group of players possibly MVPing, and they were too distracted by useless broadcast messages by the GM. For example "I like cheese", or "I like untying nots". And yes, I've been to a server that had GMs excessively broadcasting these kinds of messages. Sad, isn't it? It's like they've never seen this command in their lives.

3) "Legit" characters:
I don't have to explain much. If GMs have legit characters, then they should at least make it look like they're not GMs to reduce drama and complaints. I don't even have to tell you guys they shouldn't cheat, because no matter what, and no matter what situation they're in, they ALL cheat. Don't hide it. :)
wat

Ambrose Merle

Most of the administrators and moderators I've met had one of three issues, of not a combination, or all of the problems..

1. lack of patience.
2. Short fuse.
3. Immaturity.

All three of these can badly wound a server no matter who has it. I'm guessing... 67% of about... 39 moderators my mind is telling me. I'd finish the math but I've got too much to do and I'm too tired XD

Pandora

#19
Quote from: pupu on Dec 16, 2007, 10:12 PM
3) "Legit" characters:
I don't have to explain much. If GMs have legit characters, then they should at least make it look like they're not GMs to reduce drama and complaints. I don't even have to tell you guys they shouldn't cheat, because no matter what, and no matter what situation they're in, they ALL cheat. Don't hide it. :)

Try to view this from an admin/gm point of view. If you're GMing on a RO server, it's usually because you like RO yourself and thus you wanna play. So yes you will have characters on the server you work on usually, sometimes you'll have characters before you become a GM. No matter how 110% legit you are, people will always suspect you. Whenever you get a new piece of equipment or card, people will think you cheated it. It really sucks let me tell you. Don't go saying that everyone cheats because its not true! T_T I'm not saying that there are not GMs who do cheat, hell I've seen some bad stuff on servers I played, but don't go accusing everyone because of it. I've worked for every single piece of equipment my character owns, I gained every level the normal way and what's more I rarely ever get to participate in event and win prize cuz I'm the one hosting them. Admin/GMing is not all fun and play trust me.

If you're a good GM, you'll bust your donkey to do good work for the server, but there will still always be players to whine, start false rumors or accusations, get jealous or dislike you just because you are authority. It's a really ingrate job sometimes, long fuse is a must.
[color=darkblue]heRO is a great friendly, pre-renweal, unique and fun server with a great community, give it a try![/color]



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Ambrose Merle

Quote from: Pandora on Dec 17, 2007, 08:55 AM
If you're a good GM, you'll bust your donkey to do good work for the server, but there will still always be players to whine, start false rumors or accusations, get jealous or dislike you just because you are authority. It's a really ingrate job sometimes, long fuse is a must.


Personally experienced this. I once wanted to help a server by adding in about 500 new items. One of the players started saying I was a bad GM becuase of it and that I was trying to take over. He also claimed he was the administratiors friend, which was a lie. That was just the most recent. I've been called an ***, jerk, and soooooooooo much more it's not even worth the time, and most of time over the dumbest crud. another example, I once made a contest for some people that they had to kill 5 baphos at a time solo. 2 died, but one called his friend in to help, and when I nuked them and the baphos, they screamed out that I was being a jerk to everyone claiming they were playing fair and started blaming each other. A day later I heard reports flying around that I had spam nuked two people for no reason, which was a lie. I did it ONCE and it was becuase they CHEATED the game rules. They were banned shortly after. I probably should have done it in the first place, but I'm merciful to a fault.

Inanna

I like a GM that I have a chance of getting to know. It may sound silly, but I feel like a GM should know their players. If you're around, I'd like to talk to you, find out a little about you, I want to know about the person who is modding the place / administrator. It also makes me more comfortable when I know hey, I can come talk to you without feeling awkward, and I like knowing that whatever problem is going on / what I've spotted will be taken care of.

Communication is VERY important as a GM, no matter what kind they are, and no matter what they're doing. Being able to communicate with your players is going to make things easier on everyone.

I also look for someone who isn't afraid to enforce the rules they put in, even if it makes them look like the bad guy. You enforce the rules because you want it all to be fair -- even against friends.

GM's broadcasting to say chat... makes no sense to me. I honestly don't understand WHY someone would use this as a method of striking up conversation. This is why @main exists, along with PM's. I mean yeah, I can understand wanting the players to know you're there... But not to start up conversations! The broadcaster is for important things, I've seen players say about another GM "why won't he shut up?" and "why is he using broadcast to try to talk to people?" because of the fact he was using this. It seriously puts the users off! I even saw users who had no urge to have anything to do with one guys events because of how he handled himself!

It may be a game, but if you're in a position of moderation/whatnot, you need to act professional. How you act as a GM reflects on your server.

Support GM/Moderator at Paper RO.
We have awesome events coming up! :)

Ambrose Merle

I was just dinkin around, enjoyng this day off, and had to reply to this. I perfectly agree Inanna. Knowing a moderator is nice, and they should try and be social. Being a moderator is hard work, but they should be able to laugh it up with the players here and again. I've never seen any reason moderators can't play, I just think they shouldn't go MVPing or PVPing with or on other players, since it's unfair for the players. Then again, PvPing mods can be an awesome sight for both the mods and players themselves! You didn't sound silly at all, Inanna v^^ Merry Christmas!

Mewi

Quote from: Inanna on Dec 20, 2007, 07:24 PM
I like a GM that I have a chance of getting to know. It may sound silly, but I feel like a GM should know their players. If you're around, I'd like to talk to you, find out a little about you, I want to know about the person who is modding the place / administrator. It also makes me more comfortable when I know hey, I can come talk to you without feeling awkward, and I like knowing that whatever problem is going on / what I've spotted will be taken care of.

Communication is VERY important as a GM, no matter what kind they are, and no matter what they're doing. Being able to communicate with your players is going to make things easier on everyone.

I also look for someone who isn't afraid to enforce the rules they put in, even if it makes them look like the bad guy. You enforce the rules because you want it all to be fair -- even against friends.

GM's broadcasting to say chat... makes no sense to me. I honestly don't understand WHY someone would use this as a method of striking up conversation. This is why @main exists, along with PM's. I mean yeah, I can understand wanting the players to know you're there... But not to start up conversations! The broadcaster is for important things, I've seen players say about another GM "why won't he shut up?" and "why is he using broadcast to try to talk to people?" because of the fact he was using this. It seriously puts the users off! I even saw users who had no urge to have anything to do with one guys events because of how he handled himself!

It may be a game, but if you're in a position of moderation/whatnot, you need to act professional. How you act as a GM reflects on your server.

Believe it or not... I have actually been shunned for being too 'social' with the public.  Even though I was handling scam reports, technical support and in-game support and spending 5 hours a day GMing...  But some people had the nerve to say that I was not doing my job simply because they saw me in Prontera chatting...  -.-  I was not paid... I did the job for free and it consumed a great deal of my personal time yet they thought I was not allowed to socialize...  I helped people even when I was on my break...

But anyway the proof I showed like 50 thousand times... when those two players slandering me that said I didnt do my job was the technical support section.  Where it said...

Last Post By GM-Mewi
Last Post By GM-Mewi
Last Post By GM-Mewi
Last Post By GM-Mewi
Last Post By GM-Mewi
Last Post By GM-Mewi
Last Post By GM-Mewi
Last Post By GM-Mewi

And so on for just about every thread there.  I helped many upon many of players just to get slandered blah... Thats how it always ends up when being a highly active GM I guess.


Becoming a GM means you sacrifice a part of your soul forever, be prepared.

Ambrose Merle

Mewi, for being such a learned GM, you seem to miss the point of why certain players really do that. It's not that they don't think you're doing your job, it's becuase they are jealous, think they can do better, hate you, or they're just plain nasty. I've gotten numerous players who hated me to admit why both in and out of the public's vision. There will ALWAYS be players making a fuss, ranting, and complaining of non-existant problems siply becuae they're too stupid to do anything else! You sound more like a new GM, not an old one. No offense, just an observation. I've been Gming for... almost over 3 years now, would have been four, but I quit early December and I was originally a GM at February... 15th I think it was?... or was it the 16th...? ... Blegh... Oh well, not important!

Mewi

Quote from: Ambrose Merle on Dec 27, 2007, 05:51 PM
Mewi, for being such a learned GM, you seem to miss the point of why certain players really do that. It's not that they don't think you're doing your job, it's becuase they are jealous, think they can do better, hate you, or they're just plain nasty. I've gotten numerous players who hated me to admit why both in and out of the public's vision. There will ALWAYS be players making a fuss, ranting, and complaining of non-existant problems siply becuae they're too stupid to do anything else! You sound more like a new GM, not an old one. No offense, just an observation. I've been Gming for... almost over 3 years now, would have been four, but I quit early December and I was originally a GM at February... 15th I think it was?... or was it the 16th...? ... Blegh... Oh well, not important!

Em I was aware of why they were doing it, did I say I wondered why?  You claim me as a "New GM"  I've been GMing for almost 5 years, moderating longer, and clan leader even further back.  Odds are I have a considerably larger amount of experience than you as a GM.  I do not see what grounds you have to base such an accusation off from and it is offensive to me for you to say that.  Considering that you do not know me,  you have little info on me AS a GM.  As far as I am concerned you are basing your "new GM" claim off from an assumption that I do not understand on "why people do what they do"  I am not blind -.-

I fight corruption, and to be honest, people who have faught corruption as long as I have, are usually 3 steps ahead of the actual people creating the corruption in question.  For me GMing is second nature,  it's nothing foreign to me and neither is fighting dishonest people/players uh robots?

Over the years I've had to put up with sexual harassment, sexism, discrimination and a whole long list of perverted and disturbing things, that are usually a daily thing for most women who are frequent online users.  If you are judging me based on my gender ( not saying that you are but just in case )  I can assure you that my femininity is what made me such a cold stone hearted rule advocate.

During my past years of GMing,  I have learned, I have adapted, and I have maybe snapped at most 3 players/members ( but I wasn't the only GM/Mod they ticked off )  Either way,  I'm not saying I am perfect.  We all have flaws,  but when it comes to moderating I hide nothing, zilch, nadda and I am brutally honest when a fact needs to be stated.  I am more than confident at my abilities in this area.  But it's not like I have to defend myself to you,  I just thought I'd inform you ^~


Becoming a GM means you sacrifice a part of your soul forever, be prepared.

Ambrose Merle

You sure know how to blow things out of proportion. I said I suspect you of, and don't be so certain at your superiority. Your temper is clearly higher :P

Second nature? Sure, right. You're crowning yourself too heavily on this.

As far as not being blind, you seemed to make it obvious in your statement that I originally commented on that you believed they actually thought you were being too social.

On the note of defence. What, or whom were you defending from? Me? I said no offense and I was lightly questioning, not making an open battlefield. There are literally thousands of moderators out there, and I make it common practice to question them, since most are beyonf incompetant and full up on themselves.

I made an analysis, but I'm keeping it to myself. If you wish to carry this on as a debate, or not, please PM me, you're more likely to get a reply, and sooner at that.

Laslty. Inform me? You needn't inform me of any such things, and that was scarcely informing since you clearly felt the need to defend yourself from the undefendable. I repeat myself, I wasn't attacking, merely lightly questioning. If any thing I've said on here was an "attack" of some sort, it would have been these statements that basically told you to reread what I said and calm down. I'm certain you are calm, but I doubt you're calm enough.

Zone

I think I would look for someone who shows promise, really, there are many factors that you can look for, but in the end, you may get most of those things, and get a dedicated staff member, or you can get an egotistic gm who leaves you for another server because they think that since they are "everything" you look for in a gm that they can act as they wish and they want to  be more flamboyant about their title, so they go for a larger server.
>.>
I say this because you can get the "best" gm, but they can be the polar opposite, let the newer gms intern to get a feel for their position and always, always keep on them, that makes them feel more noob so they try to do their best.

Mewi

Quote from: Ambrose Merle on Dec 29, 2007, 12:24 PM
You sure know how to blow things out of proportion. I said I suspect you of, and don't be so certain at your superiority. Your temper is clearly higher

Second nature? Sure, right. You're crowning yourself too heavily on this.

My temper?  My feelings on this topic are entirely neutral.  I am "crowning" myself too heavily now?  Your analytical nonsense needs to come to a halt,  I merely covered all the factors in your so called 'judgment' of me which was a blatant attempt of singling me out from all of the other members in this thread.  You can call it "blowing it out of proportion"  But just remember who was the first one to lay the judgments in this "debate."  I am not becoming a moderator/GM near any location that you presently reside ( nor would I want too ) so you can stop with the attacks of the experience that I have, in which you have more than likely... ZERO knowledge of.

I quit moderating/GMing long before this debate went on, but the experienced I gained during those times remain.  It IS second nature,  do not dare claim ( even vaguely ) that you know what is second nature to me.   I never went out of my way to place judgment on your talents ( if any ) as a GM, however you did do that to me.  Just remember there is a difference between being conceited and simply being honest.  A good GM/Mod/Admin is brutally honest.  I will NOT go out of my way to lie for you or for anyone.   I will NOT go out of my way to tell you what you want to hear which is also likely the exact opposite of everything I have said above.

Quote from: Ambrose Merle on Dec 29, 2007, 12:24 PM
As far as not being blind, you seemed to make it obvious in your statement that I originally commented on that you believed they actually thought you were being too social.

Did I ever once state in my first topic that I did not know why they were acting that way?   I was adding onto a post made about GMs being social.  That event was something that I experienced on the server EuphRO ( v2 )  When two users made an argument against my GMing that "she is always in Prontera talking."  I was support GM AND public relations, not to mention on the side... bot hunting. They could not of possibly seen the massive PMs, the 20-30 bots I banned a day and the technical support that I was dealing with ( oh wait they could see that last one /hmm ) .  I stopped talking publicly when I received a report.  But all of that is to prove their accusations incorrect, I was FULL aware of the type of people they were before hand.  Can I be anymore clear?

Quote from: Ambrose Merle on Dec 29, 2007, 12:24 PM
On the note of defence. What, or whom were you defending from? Me? I said no offense and I was lightly questioning, not making an open battlefield. There are literally thousands of moderators out there, and I make it common practice to question them, since most are beyonf incompetant and full up on themselves.

Also I would like to point out how saying "no offense" when the intention is obviously going to lead to offend someone... does not nullify that it was offensive.  Did I ask for your questions? ( what questions? ) Did I ask for you to make blind observations on my character/experience and person?  Let me answer for you,  no.  You say clearly to me "dont be so certain at your superiority"  Yet you are the one who began the so called superiority flaunt by placing judgment on someone else.

Considering you were the one to begin the targeting,  you can take it to PM.   Thank you for your response and may you always have a wonderful day.

~Mewi~

PS:  I'm done spamming in this thread for sure,  talk about off topicness >.>"


Becoming a GM means you sacrifice a part of your soul forever, be prepared.

Zone

o.o;;
Okay then, back on the subject!!