A Hypothetical DMA Platform.

[MShady]

Hypothetical DMA Platform

Since my previous post spurred some discussion during the Lead election, I thought I’d post my hypothetical platform for DMA. Hopefully, it will give some other candidates an idea.

Everyone knows I don't stand a chance of winning, and I'm neither a NWN2 DM or was a NWN1 DM of any accomplishment. No point in taking votes away from legitimate candidates to make a suggestion.

1. DMA Role:

A) The DMA’s primary role is to be a mentor and support NWN1 & NWN2 DMs.
B) The DMA control’s ALFA canon. All “Realm Shattering Event” plots must be reviewed by the DMA.
B) The DMA must be an active DM on a NWN1 or NWN2 server.
C) The DMA shall work with server HDMs to support plots, coordinate server issues with Tech and Infra.

2. Unified DM Rules: We should not have separate rules for NWN1 and NWN2 DMs.
A) Anyone who is an existing NWN1 DM can become a NWN2 DM.
B) Former NWN1 or NWN2 DMs do not need to reapply. If an HDH wants them, that’s good enough.
C) Provisional DMs: Removed. Before a person is allowed to DM, their HDM must attest to the DMA the person is capable of using the DM client, reviewed standards and is ready to DM.

The “PADM” status has functionally become more a “tenure” status and vote enfranchisement than any practical concerns in game. If someone is DMing, they can vote. That’s it.

D) DMA still reserves the right to veto potential DMs. They must provide cause and list what changes need to be made to allow someone to DM. Hopeless candidates are not entitled to a “path to DMing”, but an explanation must be made. For future Admin to review, all related correspondence is posted to an Admin forum.
E) The HDM of a rejected DM candidate can appeal to the full Admin. A rejected candidate cannot reapply for 1 year or until a different DMA is elected.
F) DMs inactive for a period of 1 month lose their DM status. It can be restored at HDM discretion, so long as the DM will actually be active.

3. DM Training: It sounds like a better idea than it actually is. HDMs and EADMs are given a check list of things to go over with a new DM as part of orientation they do at their discretion.

A “How to DM well”, how to use the DM client and a briefing on using Standards will be written up by the DMA team for review by new DMs instead of a class. eLearning works well enough for most of us at work, it can here too.

An Advanced class on using the DM Client will be run based on demand on how to get the most out of the NWN 2 DM Client.

4. Standards: The DMA should relinquish Standards to the Lead Admin and membership selected by the various Admins with membership in accordance to the proportion of an Admin’s role in Standards. Admins themselves are not allowed to sit on Standards.
A) Standards will be publically viewable.
B) Current Standards will be published as a stick on the General Discussion forum.
C) Standards will be simplified. We have strayed too far from the DMG.
D) Wealth guidelines will focus on player equipment, not overall wealth.
5. Standards Enforcement:

A) Player Conduct: Players found to be in violation of Standards would have the case handled by the Player Admin.

Note: Players with equipment within guidelines who none the less have a lot of excess wealth should work their DM to invest that gold into RP related things, such as strongholds, businesses, guilds, etc.

B) DM Conduct: DMs who violate reward standards are subject to disciplinary action by the DMA. HDMs who run servers that have problematic spawns or other related issues are subject to disciplinary action by the DMA. In both cases, counseling is clearly the first step before punishment.

Note: The DMA should not be able to close a server without approval from either the Lead Admin or a general Admin vote.

6. DM Code of Conduct: The DM Code of Conduct should be revised if necessary and reinforced.

A) Requirement for DM neutrality. A DM with a serious OOC issue with a player or otherwise biased should not DM that player.

B) DMs are discouraged from using “rail road” plots, punishing players IC for actions that should be handled administratively by the PA and forcing players to play with them against their will.

C) Players should always have a “way out” with only moderate consequence as not every DM /Player relationship is going to work. This is a GAME. We’re here to have FUN. Unless there is something requiring a case be filed against the player, move on…

7. DM v. Player Disputes: Disputes between a DM and a Player are reviewed jointly by the PA and DMA. The PA will make the determination on the case. The DMA may appeal this decision to the full Admin.

The rationale is that the PA is generally the most neutral party in any dispute. The DMA represents and regulates the DMs and would be expected to support their constituents. While a PA represents the players, the majority of their role is in disciplining them. The ARs, serving in an advisory role, handle player representation. DM ARs represent the DMs in a dispute.

8. Restoring the HDM’s role in ALFA – Sort Of:

A) The HDM’s ability to override Admin needs to be clarified and reestablished. As it stands, I do not think they even have that. An individual HDM is just as valuable to this community as an Admin. The difference between the two should be treated as a division of labor. They ultimately make ALFA work and if they collectively do not like a policy, they should be able to veto it.

B) HDMs and Standards: As HDMs are required to implement Standards, they should have a say in the approval of the Standards. If the Standards policy of the time cannot gather a 2/3rd vote of the HDMs, and perhaps EADMs, than they need to be retooled. If several servers don’t support the Standards, they aren’t likely to enthusiastically implement them. It’s about buy-in.

9. Building Standards: This should be a joint venture between the DMA and Tech Admin. The DMA’s role here is to provide guidelines on static content (spawns and merchants, etc). The Tech Admin handles Server Standards. This includes naming conventions, what scripts to implement, etc.

10. Server Succession: HDMs will be required to provide a monthly copy of their servers for a protected FTP maintained by Infra. In the event of a technical issue or a change in DM leadership, ALFA cannot afford to lose a server. Disciplining a HDM unwilling to provide such an upload will just encourage them to leave and take the server with them. Instead this should be a litmus test for any potential server teams or appointing a new HDM.

Long Term Goals:

My take on the Council System: My hypothetical goal would be to be the last DMA in ALFA.

A “Council” Admin system. Each server team, NWN1 and NWN2, selects one person to represent them on the ALFA Council. Whomever is fulfilling the role of the existing Tech and Infra Admin will also have a seat.

The Council elects a “Lead” Admin from amongst its ranks every six months. The Lead Admin’s role is to act as a committee chair, handle promoting ALFA, breaking dead locks and delegating work.

There would be no more DM Admin as the server team’s representative collectively fulfills that role…

Players deserve a role too… The player community elects a Player Admin every six months who has equal status to other committee members. Their role is to represent the player’s voice on the committee, including any potential disputes.

Summary: Our Admin system is no longer an effective system. Like a post-colonial government, we tried to ape our original systems. It consisted of 5 people who built this place and expected to run it as a result. We now have 5 rotating people who run ALFA and have divided it like a pie.

ALFA run under a Council System would look like this in its current form: 5 NWN1 Reps, 1 NWN2, 1 Tech Rep, 1 Infra Rep, 1 Player Rep. Of those, 1 would be elected Lead Admin with limited responsibility. Decisions on almost all matters would be made by up or down votes.

The amount of bureaucracy that cleans up speaks for itself.
OR

Modify the Existing System:

Restore some of the HDM’s role as mentioned above and give all community members the ability to vote for Lead Admin. DM Admin should remain a DM vote, however.

Constitutional Committee:

Curtail it to running elections, which really means it not a committee but one guy. Admin can decide on Charter changes per a reasonable method.

Reduce Voting Staff:

Regardless of what other Admins do, there should only be one voting Staff Head for DMA

Exodus: So close, yet so far away.

There is no reason we cannot share technical resources. We already do in the sense that Acadius Lost does tech work for both ALFA and Exodus. We should encourage more information sharing and general cooperation in this realm as possible and not view them as a competitor.
Someone should put the question to him about how we can both benefit from greater cooperation. Would a cooperation agreement between our two Tech teams where we both share everything be beneficial?

I’d also propose that we coordinate on membership in the sense that anyone banned from one community would be banned from the other community. Good neighbors warn each other of bad characters in the neighborhood.

I would also recommend someone complete a report for ALFA’s leadership to review what Exodus is doing better than us. There must be good reasons why they have had servers live for 10 months and we are just getting started. What are they and how can we learn from it?

I’d also ask the Exodus team if they’d ever want to coordinate a cross over. We would send a group of ALFA’s best players to their server, reduced to their standards and such along with an ALFA DM over to them and vice versa. The idea would be friendly relations and maybe learning something from them. I don’t know if they’d do it even if they had a say on who comes over.[/b]

[Swift]

Can we get a 'Too Long, Didn't Read' version? Thats a wall of text, and im not reading that much if your not running

[ThinkTank]

the TL;DR's have it.

[MShady]

I always wondered what TL;DR meant.

Look, I can understand not wanting to spend the time. This election and the issues at hand interested me and thought I'd make a few suggestions.

It's an important one, after all

Mike