Yasuragi wrote:So, do we have an update on how the discussions are going?
The lack of a comprehensive and organized response by any of the major groups involved -- the moderators, the mentors, the admins, [violet], Max -- and the responses of
many individuals makes me concerned that the higher-ups will simply wait for the SC proposal to be defeated, and then point at that as evidence that the system works, ignoring the sheer amount of distress/emotion roiling the community and the headaches that this has caused everyone. In addition, the fact that this issue has been around for
years, and pops up regularly, is indicative that something must change, to avoid more anger, outrage, and headaches overall. The status quo simply does not work, for that reason alone.
So we've seen individuals respond -- vague promises on behalf of the mentors (which I appreciate, and I love them, but their promises
are vague), individual moderators responding with conflicting and personal opinions (which only adds to the confusion, especially as Mall shows no sign of remorse or guilt), and silence from the higher-ups. Lack of transparency will only lead to confusion down the road when -- or if -- any changes are announced or implemented, and if the situation is not resolved here and now, that same lack of transparency will only rear its ugly head in the next argument, six months down the line.
Well, I can really only speak as a Mentor here, but we're pretty unanimous in our opposition to this so far.
Here's the problem though - Mentors have no real power. We don't even have a direct line to Max. Now, I'm not saying this should change (as that would be a egoistic power grab on my part and I'm cool with the level of responsibility I've got here), but there's not much we can do in our SUPAR SEKRIT BUNKER besides express our frustration in slightly less-held-back-by-rules-of-common-decorum manners, as well as get a bit more candid responses from the Mods.
That said - here's what we know. Keep in mind we're not really under any restrictions as to what we can tell you guys - if we know it, you'll know it. If this situation changes, you'll probably also find that out.
-The Mods' primary purpose is to maintain order, not incite or facilitate change on the forums. We can argue all we want that one of their number has gone against this code, but nothing will come of it. There will be no public action taken against Mall. We can only guess as to what was said behind closed doors, but what Mall did (and is continuing to push) is 100% within the boundaries the written Mod rules.
-Any change to the current status quo regarding the separation of R/D gameplay and the Roleplay community has to be undertaken at the top level. This means that, no matter if we get support from the Mods, they aren't the ones who can ultimately help us. This needs to be a decision made by Max and the site developers.
-There are some things in the works, primarily the idea of a Regional Officer - a sort of "mini-founder" who would be able to do most of what a founder can do. This has been in the works since before the current flareup, and at the moment it's still being worked on. From what we understand, the two main holdups are coding and gameplay balance issues. But it
is being worked on.
-Max likes Raiding/Defending, and doesn't want to see it go away.
THIS MEANS RAIDING WILL NOT GO AWAY NO MATTER HOW MUCH WE WANT IT TO SO WE CAN STOP ENTERTAINING NOTIONS OF IT RIGHT NOW.-Max is aware of everything, and has been kept up to date as things have unfolded.
-Like I said, Max is the one and only real person who can change anything. We have allies in the Moderation Team, but they have not and
will not present a unified response because that's not their job. They are the police, not Congress. You want to talk to people who can change things, you go to the man directly.
-The Mentors, for the time being, are doing what we can. We are in active discussion with the Mods, mostly at this point brainstorming ideas for fixes so that this doesn't happen again. Nothing concrete has come up, and ideas are so fluid at this point that posting them would be a waste of time. When we have something solid, you'll be the first to know. Also, every idea that is thought to have merit is being sent to the man upstairs. There are a couple of options (in addition to ROs) being considered now.