DISCUSSION about behavior of moderators!

[zino]

Ok, there`s a deal - Mr. MOD (GOD) BB_Azariel said me:

If you want discussion please then open a thread for discussion. Your previous thread was opened for complaining about moderation, not discussion.

Feel free to open a new thread if you believe you can be objective and constructive on this issue or just answer one of the many existing threads.

Closing this again as it is a complaint and not a discussion. Please do not make me close another thread of yours or I'll ban you from the forum.

BB_Azariel

Ok! So, now I am opening the new thread for discussion. For discussion about behavior of MODs. So, what is your experience with MODs and their "God-known-reasons" of banning players? Because, my experience is like from the novel from George Orwell.

Feel free to discuss about it. I am looking forward for your opinnions - players (not MODs)!

Edit BB_Aza: linking posts of complaint is complaining x)

[BB_Azariel]

You are asking players about their experience with moderation... This is still not a discussion.

To make this a discussion please make the theme clear, give an objective and constructive opinion and then add a question that will frame the discussion.

Right now, by asking about people's past experience with moderation, you are encouraging players to complain about moderation... And I'll have to close this again if that happens.

BB_Azariel

[zino]

Realy? And what is it, if not the discussion? I think, the theme is clear enough. The only problem is, that you should allowed to discuss about it, but it is impossible.

I gave also the objective and constructive opinion, but you erased it, so how can I do it better?

Feel free to close this, if you think, that I am not polite. Feel free, if you want to bann me from the forum. You just should realize, that I can be your paying customer...

[BB_Azariel]

Was just trying to help you actually, pointing out how this could become a real discussion... I would like to have more serious discussions about topics like this with players. I'm not trying to make it so you can't express your feelings, I just will not allow people to vent their anger in a non-constructive way.

Oh well, I'll leave this thread open for now in the hope that something good can still come out of it.

Best,

BB_Azariel

[Tierarzt]

Abide by the rules and you won't need Moderator intervention. Cross the line and be prepared to be spanked. Simples.
It's not the moderators that are at fault here.

[Nukar]

I agree with Tierarzt.
Lets not discuss moderation, but rather community behaviour as a whole.

[Mystic]

Being an MOD is often not an pleasent experience, first you get loads of complaints about the game and you get the same question over and over again. Then you have to deal with people who are just out to make trouble, it takes a while to realize that they are not really out there to have fun playing but they are out there to have fun making a mess and wrecking havoc. In my experience the Mod_hammer is the best solution, just kick them off the chat or silence them.

After you have had a couple of those in a row your patience get a bit thinner, and you whack the wrong guy.. Just a nice guy trying to make a small joke is getting whacked also, who sometimes is going out to complain. So sometimes the wrong player get whacked. And ofcourse also MOD can make mistakes.

So, shall we go without MODS then?

If everyone was a nice person, who didn't break rules, we could go without. Most of the guild channels don't have an mod. Ahum, troublemakers are typically just throw out of the guid. Something an mod doesn't do that much. So, also guildchannels have mods. As long as there are rules, we should have people who made sure that the rules are being followed. So actually you are not talking about the behaviour of the mods, but the rules of the channels. Its simple, no rules, no mods needed. But remember this.. sooner or later an gang of no-good-guys will take over the channel and wreck havoc. Have seen this happening in the channels of the testingserver.. Some guys repeating over and over and over again the same unreadable dribble..

[Dechowsky]

In my opinion MODs are overwhelming all the game chat and forum. They are everywhere, and sometimes I feel like they read every single word I type. I know, I know... Thats the way they work - but in every single MMO game you cannon experience such "invading" moderation like here.

And you have to interfere like this? I mean every single time if someone said a word in "non-english" language you have to warn him not to do so in public? If there are 2-3 players that are chatting and joking around a little bit you have to stop them (coz a joke was a little racist...) You know what? Thats annoying. Thats repels me from posting a single word on World channel, because I can be banned (got 24h ban for writting self-filtred f@#%@%) The reason you ban people are funny. You just hammer one and another with your MOD_hammer. Thats not the way it should be. You should be somewhere around - warning people in private, if they are really stubborn and continue to spam and/or use "non-english" you should warn him for the last time and if thats not helping THE LAST EXIT leads to the ban...

And you know, that banned person cannot use trade? This can mess someone's game if theyr economy is based on a trading. 24h ban without trade was really annoying for me and nearly made me to leave Settlers at all.

[Dweeble]

I'm not sure we should start an "us vs them" type thread as banning clearly depends on the moderator in question.

PennyUK and Captnfox are extremely helpful, only ban when necessary and do an all round great job of moderating ESPECIALLY considering that no MOD is paid. Unfortunately the same cannot be said of other MODerators, who have banned without warning for disproportionate amounts of time, ban discussions of topics they don't like and are rude to players.

2 examples:

There was a (civil) discussion about religion a few days ago which was cracked down on for no particular reason, when I questioned it I was told to "go read the rules" which have absolutely no mention of banning talk about religion. When I said that I didn't see any mention of it in the rules I was ignored.

I write 3 words in caps get a warning not to use caps, say "OK" and get banned for 30 mins. I was not spamming caps or being a nuissance to other players yet I get a ban anyway.


I'm not saying MODerating is easy, but banning people and controlling the flow of the chat does become extreme at times. The job is to moderate, not control every word that is said. I would like to see less banning in general. Say if someone writes non-english things more than 5 times there should be a ban. But there are people who are banned without warning for just a few words in a foreign language. It seems excessive and causes unnecessary annoyance (hence this thread!).

Yes there are chat rules, but not all infractions should result in a ban. The reasons behind the rules are what really matter. Spamming and too many caps makes it difficult for players to read the chat, speaking in a foreign language means the MODs can't do their job etc etc. Only when an infraction of a rule becomes a problem should banning be used

The conversations I see most frequently on the chat are actually complaints at MODs or the rules (which one could argue is spamming of chat caused by certain MODs). More leniency would definitely help. Perhaps better MOD training for some too.

[Luuk_The_Great]

Okay, question to the complaining ppl: Have you ever broken the rules, or do you think something in the rules is not correct? And is it true that you would normally don't follow some rules, but now you have to because MOD's are watching you?

Please a fair answer:P