Privacy? Are GMs entitled to it as well?

[DragonHero]

Just do what i did... I made it so gms cant make any items. nor can they boost their stats or gain all skills. only number 99 can do that. and i will be the only one with an number 99 account. i made it so that there cant be any corruption. hahahah!

[Thorin]

Corruption is also considered using @hide, @recall, and all other GM commands for your personal gain or for the gain of a certian group.....it isn't all about @item.

[Guest]

any player with more power then others can always, no matter what abuse it if they want too

[Brainstorm]

If you take anything that gives your an unfair advantage over other players as corruption, just by being a mere gamemaster and play on your server makes you corrupted.
You have a big advantage over everyone else, knowledge.

[JavaFalcon]

If you take anything that gives your an unfair advantage over other players as corruption, just by being a mere gamemaster and play on your server makes you corrupted.
You have a big advantage over everyone else, knowledge.

what knowledge would a GM have during WoE if they were on a legit, that normal players wouldn't?

[Ansuz Isaz]

The complete, fragmented details of coding the items? Not that many people can really read coding that well, so they don't know every last detail for every last formula.

However, there's still more to it than that. Say, you installed a new quest. If you want to do it, it won't take you much effort. =P You know where everything is, you all ready know what you have to do, so on and so forth. It might seem minor, but, as Brainstorm said, this is simply assuming that any advantage the GMs have is considered a corruption quality.

At least, that's the only way I can interpret Brainstorm's statement. xD

[Descent]

If you take anything that gives your an unfair advantage over other players as corruption, just by being a mere gamemaster and play on your server makes you corrupted.
You have a big advantage over everyone else, knowledge.

I fail to see how this qualifies as corruption. Knowledge? Of what? RO? The server's configuration? NPC's? Quests? Players know just as much as a GM does in that aspect when said GM is on a legit. Especially if that GM is still hunting gear, questing for customs, buying and selling cards with their OWN (read: OWN, not generated) Zeny...

I guess that must make me the world's worst Admin. Sigh.

[Thorin]

Basically you know more about how everything on your server works, than normal players. all the custom quests, helpful modifications, and such that a normal player would have to spend time finding.

[Denia]

Basically you know more about how everything on your server works, than normal players. all the custom quests, helpful modifications, and such that a normal player would have to spend time finding.

But isn't it the job of the GM, to share the knowledge of say ... quests, modifications, and such to their players? I know I spend a lot of time personally answering questions and currently am working on a wiki which should help players a lot more.

[Descent]

Basically you know more about how everything on your server works, than normal players. all the custom quests, helpful modifications, and such that a normal player would have to spend time finding.

Yeah, this thread is done in my eyes. Last reply. :X

Let he(or she) who is truly without fault cast the first stone.

You know, it's quite sad, really...I want nobody to take this the wrong way, but I'm really disheartened at how little faith some of you have in your own staff. It's also quite saddening to hear things like "trust no one".

A Ragnarok Online server is like a business. An employer(Admin) must trust his employees to get the job done. Ever have a boss who's looking constantly over your shoulder while you're on a project?

That's called micro-managing, and it's a glaring trait of the power-trippy types who end up going through employees faster than a gas station changes its prices. So, in the end, some of you speak about power-trippy, corrupt staffers, when in reality, you're just as power trippy, only frighteningly paranoid to boot.

Again, I'm probably the exception to the rule, but who wants to work with an Admin who's questioning everything they do every second of every day? I know I sure wouldn't. I don't know what you all have gone through with "Corruption" war stories, but I will say this much:

I was subjected to what some call the worst of the worst as far as corruption: FaithRO High Rate, back when Carnage was still Admin. If I came out of that and retained this mindset I still have to this day(trust, whatnot), how bad could it possibly have been for some of you?

Again, not trying to offend anybody here, just my attempt at making a final point.

[GM Faith]

I trust my staff unconditionally.

If i hear reports of things going down that shouldn't be (as you invariably will get reports of it) then I investigate, but not before.

Descent is absolutely correct about the micro-management conclusion, no-one likes to work in that environment.

At the end of the day, every GM ever makes mistakes initially, every GM perhaps does things they shouldn't at first. But these can and will be ironed out in time, usually by themselves.

I share the exact same opinion as Descent.

Furthermore, if you can't trust these people unconditionally, what are they doing on your staff in the first place?

[Lore]

Furthermore, if you can't trust these people unconditionally, what are they doing on your staff in the first place?

It's not as hard as you think to put up a facade so admins (even intelligent ones) will think you'll make a decent GM. Hell if you wanted to, couldn't you totally fake your GM application? There is no paperwork in RO, no trail you can follow, no previous employer you can refer to.

Basically, what i'm saying is it is freakishly easy to gain the trust of someone over the net. When you cannot see someone, observe their rl actions, or look them in the eye, how can you judge them as people? The only thing we can go on is "oh this guy sounds nice & helps players".

Now some may decide to hire people they know in real life. I.E. Girlfriends, boyfriends, husband, wife, blah blah. This creates a whole new (and probably worse) biased system.

I think you get the picture.

Fact is, "Unconditional" trust is something you should be wary of. You are the admin of the server; the money comes out of your pocket. These GM's dont lose a goddam thing if the server dies the next day. Now imagine yourself in their position. They have gm commands galore, the ability to create any item in the game, and an Admin that trusts them unconditionally. The temptation is enough to drive good GM's corrupt. Trust me. The second your GM decides that he/she doesnt like you, you now have a corrupt GM.

In the end i think one should only hire people one has known (but has not dated >.>) for years (IN REAL LIFE) to be your GM's. Only give GM power to your inseparable buddies. That, or give players the GM status, in name only. Do not hand them incredible power over your server.

EDIT: after reading the topic title...i realize this is incredibly off-topic... 

[GM Faith]

Well its a little different for us.

We don't hire based on application,We did once, and 2/3 of the GMs ended up being eintirely unsuitable so i would never advise hiring a GM based on an application.

Also, it sounds obvious, but never hire someone who asks to be a GM.

Anybody who thinks they are suitable to be a GM invariably isn't.

Our staff are drawn from people i have been observing playing and in the community for over 2 years, In that sort of situation its very easy to see who you do and don't want on the team. Furthermore, as people who have played on a Low-rate server for said number of years they very much have a physical and emotional attachment to the server and stand to lose every bit as much as you do.

I would, however, strongly disagree with hiring your friends, or friends of any other staff members.

Giving friends GM positions smacks of corruption in itself, and can lead to incredibly damaging rumours at the very least.

Some of it is down to luck, we're blessed with what i believe to be the strongest, most intelligent (for the most part) community i have seen on any server. Perhaps thats a little biased, but all I mean to say is that I have a lot of great people to work with.

That isn't to say that we don't have people who ask to be made a GM for whatever reason, but it is very easy to avoid them.

The bottom line is to hire people that you trust, Observe their actions over a long period of time and get a good enough idea that they are every bit as passionate about the server as you are.

Sorry for the wall of text, but i enjoy talking about this stuff. 

[Lore]

Well its a little different for us.

We don't hire based on application,We did once, and 2/3 of the GMs ended up being eintirely unsuitable so i would never advise hiring a GM based on an application.

wise.

Sorry for the wall of text, but i enjoy talking about this stuff. 

Me too, though i don't really know why >.o

[Descent]

I never agreed with GM Applications. Two major reasons:

1: You can never tell if that person is fabricating their entire resume or not. Even if they leave references, you don't know the servers they have been on, what they've done, or even if they were on staff.

2: This happened to me on a server I played on, which turned me off to the whole idea in general. The staff put up an application thread to apply for a GM. EVERYBODY posted in it...except me. I wrote my GM Resume and asked if it was fine if I e-mailed it directly to the admin. She(the admin) said it was fine, so I did. Upon reviewing it, they said I "didn't fit the mold" and instead recruited the admin's guildmate(on her "legit") to be a GM. This guy failed in every possible aspect of the job, the players hated him, and in the end, the server was brought to a close on this and the admin's other stupid decisions.

The second reason is personal, but I feel that GM Applications have too high of a chance to be lied about.