Curmudgeon's DMA Questions

[Curmudgeon]

@ Jaydemoon: Actually, I lifted that restriction.

[JaydeMoon]

Which restriction?

[Curmudgeon]

It seems I have follow-up questions, then--
For the issues of RL getting in the way, it looks like you're giving the same answer as Jayde? It won't be a problem, because life is different right now (and no particular plan for what happens if RL does intervene again?)

If RL takes me away (i.e., I drop dead) we have a Charter to fall back on, as in the recent case of kmj retiring as Lead Admin.

For crafting, it seems part 2 got left out: if DM intervention is required, what is the point of automating?

To make it easier for players to customize their gear so it looks right to them?

I'm also not sure what is meant by needing to see a spec for custom NPCs over CR 5? Any such system would have very clear and consistent leveling paths for NPCs based on character class.

Can you give me some clearer idea of what you mean by this?

And I suppose I need to clarify my number 3-- take the custom NPCs made in number 2: give DMs the power to make those spawn statically. (i.e. DM runs a plot where generic ne'erdowells shank the local goblins and start raiding caravans. DM goes into cave X and says "You goblins don't spawn here any more. My ne'erdowells do.") -- would this be seen as appropriate power to give to DMs? And if so, what restrictions would you place?

Ah. It would need a thorough cleanup routine so the next group of PCs that comes along after the plot ends where these custom critters were needed does not run into an inappropriately scaled situation.

[Zelknolf]

So are we to take your response to mean that you will step down if your schedule becomes as cluttered as it was this term? If so, what assurance do we have that you will-- given that you haven't in the past (specifically, the past six months). Or is that to mean that you'll never quit, and we should simply expect slowdowns like this last term until a grinding halt-- should you indeed become too incapacitated to appear active-- carries on long enough that the term ends or you are recalled?


Your answer to crafting still does not answer the question, as the gear customization is not the portion you said that DM intervention was required for-- unless you mean to say that no such architecture should exist.


For the NPCs, any system that gives a DM control over the level of spawned NPC must have a clearly-defined scheme to level up on, which must conform to the rules set down by the world's core ruleset, and must be carried out from a seed NPC who is level 1 and built to the same specifications. NPCs made in this way are generally truer to the rules than those made by hand, as there is significantly less room for human error (and when human error does happen, it usually just makes the NPC exist at the last HD it could get a valid level up from -- which is of course easier to spot and report than an NPC with a non-canonical special power or extra feats.)

[Mirabai]

@ Jaydemoon: Actually, I lifted that restriction.

Actually, this in a unfair and somewhat misleading response to Jayde's questions.

Your response bluntly states, and without background, that the restriction is lifted. Without that background, it gives the appearance that Jayde doesn't know what he is talking about or making much ado about nothing.

Allowing it to stand that way is a bit dishonest.

First off, you did not completely and totally lift that restriction. Your response there can certainly give the impression that you did.

Your new rules regarding Avatar Muling are:

New items put up for review and inclusion may be avatar-imported provided they are either

• removed from play in the same session they are introduced, or
• are approved by the HDM or an HDM-appointed approver

So either I can mule something in, but I cannot actually give it to any PCs because it must be removed from play in the same session it was introduced… OR it has to be approved by the HDM or the appointed approver.

This is STILL something that can take some time, an issue you yourself addressed when you removed the third bullet point from the group originally proffered, which was that if something had not been reviewed within a week, then the DM should be able to mule it in without approval.

Because it looks like you believe that individuals who have made a commitment to contribute should not be held at all accountable for timeliness because this is not a job and you balk at nearly any attempt to instate timeliness into our infrastructure and/or bureaucracy.

But I digress. So while there is now a mechanism in place for DMs to mule via avatar, I think a reasonable person can note that the rules in place simply do not address Jayde's concerns about trusting DMs to make things right in the first place.

The next thing I'd like to quickly note is that this 'change' was posted on April 2d and ONLY in the TSM DM forum. So as of the beginning of this election cycle, which should have been 1 April, DM Muling was simply disallowed, and you have yet to make this an ALFA-wide announcement, that I can see.

I'll also note that the last thing I posted concerning DM Avatar muling, practically begging for an answer after the issue had already been discussed, was October 8th, after you had already spent 3 weeks of silence on the issue and as you were in the midst of promising us that you had plenty of time to be both HDM and DMA.

From October 8th through April 2... it took you a whole term to change the rule from NO avatar muling to the one outlined above, which, btw, is not actually a lifting of the restriction. It's an easing of the restriction, at best. Which is good, do not get me wrong, but it is not what you captured in your 5 word response. Additionally, you never answered my question I posted in that same thread, point-blank asking you why the right to mule things in on our avatars was taken away in the first place.

This time around you are once again promising us that you will have plenty of time for the roles to which you are committing… but I'd like to reiterate Zelk's question about what reassurance we have that this is going to be the case. You assured us last time that you could do it, and time has proven that many things have simply sat untouched by you as time passed on.

So, my questions reflect all of that above:

Why do you feel you cannot trust fully trained and accountable DMs to simply mule items in without checks and balances?

Why was this right taken away from us in the first place?

Do you honestly feel that, since this is not a job, people who have made commitments to get stuff done in ALFA should simply not be held accountable for timeliness? If not, how will you address timeliness?

What assurances do we have that you will be able to provide your own timely service?

Finally: Do you not think it is insulting to the community that your 'compromise' on crafting is to allow simply the 'modification/creation of mundane items' when the offer for a full, customized crafting system is present, considering the interest in crafting and the already proven inability of the current system to properly work (DMs create your crafted item and bring it onto the server…. somehow…)?

[Swift]

How does the way Curm runs his server have anything to do with this election?

We are electing a DMA, not a HDM. Leave how Curm runs his server out of things as it is entirely irrelevant.

[danielmn]

How does the way Curm runs his server have anything to do with this election?

We are electing a DMA, not a HDM. Leave how Curm runs his server out of things as it is entirely irrelevant.

CAUZE ZOMG!!! SOMEONZE VOLUNTEERZINGS FOR TWO BIG POZITIONZS IZ BADZ! HE IZ POWERGAMERZ AND AFTER ALL ZHE POWER ANDZ ADMIN LEWTS!!!

Oct 2009 -Oct 2010 - runs unapposed.
Oct. 2010 - runs against Mira (likely a loss due to Mira not being back for a very long time)
Between Oct 2010 and April 2011, disgruntled postal workers make themselves known, clamboring some Rusty-rant chant.

[JaydeMoon]

Do you honestly believe that, Swift? That each method of administration is run entirely in a vacuum? You're smarter than that!

However, I had thought, mistakenly it appears, that the avatar muling thing was an ALFA restriction. That may not be the case. I'm pretty sure that Mirabai operated under that assumption during her stint as HDM of BG. Some of the confusion of having an HDM that is a DMA as well... which policies are for the server only and which are for the community.

That said, how someone runs their server can definitely be correlated to how they will run other things. That's basically like saying, "How this politician runs his city district has nothing to do with how he would run things as a State/Province representative".

And I have personally seen similarities, especially in the length of time it takes to respond to most things.

danielmn: Totally unfair and uncalled for. I do not see a single instance of a statement that implies that Curm's attempts to hold both an HDM position and the DMA position are because of some bid at being in control for the sake of holding power. Nobody has said or implied that Curm is a powerhungry despot, that I have seen.

I personally believe that Curm is doing what he is doing because he truly feels it is what is best for the community. I feel the same way about what I want to do. We have differences of opinion, but both of us want to improve the way things work in this community.

The concern with him being both is that in holding both positions he isn't able to fully administrate for either.

It is not an invalid concern and is seemingly evidenced by lack of timely action in both positions on topics of concern to the people he administrates for. Now there might be a totally different reason he does not respond in a timely manner that has nothing to do with holding both positions, but he has not expressed that where I can see it.

[Mirabai]

How does the way Curm runs his server have anything to do with this election?

We are electing a DMA, not a HDM. Leave how Curm runs his server out of things as it is entirely irrelevant.

As far as I know, muling things in on your avatar was disallowed across all servers, not just TSM. The reason for this can be found in a post AL made where he stated it's a bad idea for technical reasons. As per usual "official" documentation on the matter is lacking either way.

When recently Curm brought back the PDM rank amongst the DM corps he defined in his ruling what PDMs could and could not do. One of those things concerns muling, and that is an across the board rule, not just for TSM. It stands to reason that if he is defining what a PDM cannot do on any server, he is also defining what a DM cannot do on any server. He is, after all, the DMA, and the DMA is the boss of the DMs, regardless of the HDM.

I certainly could be incorrect and would like to get Curm's official stance on this, as I already mentioned in my question to him in my previous post in this thread.

Here is the recent ruling on PDMs:

I have decided to overturn a decision made by one of my predecessors, and bring back a couple of "ranks" in the ALFA DM hierarchy:

Provisional DM (formerly PADM): The Provisional DM is a DM who is new to the NWN2 DM Client or to the ranks of ALFA DMing. PDMs will be considered as DMs-In-Training and will be limited in what they are allowed to do without the immediate supervision of a full ALFA DM. PDMs may not spawn creatures or mobs greater than Challenge Rating 3 (CR3). They may not assist PCs in making alterations on their characters without HDM pre-approval (i.e., Diety or alignment changes, level rollbacks, etc.) They must show they understand the use of the ALFA DM XP widget before they can award Session XP. No GP or item awards over 500gp are permitted. All session XP and GP awards must be documented in the PDM's appropriate Journal thread in the server DM forum. They may bring only mundane items (non-magical) into the game on their avatars, and must submit copies of all item blueprints brought in to a mod to the HDM, EADM, or Server Maintainer before doing so. The server HDM is responsible for overseeing the training of all PDMs, including training in the mechanics of the DM Client, server lore, and current plots, and in the knowledge of ALFA Standards. When the server HDM feels a PDM is ready to take on the full responsibilties of an ALFA DM, she will so inform the DMA of the readiness of the candidate, and upon the DMA's approval, the PDM will be promoted to Full ALFA DM status. There is no time limit on how long training may take. PDMs will not be eligible for voting in DMA, IA, or TA elections.

[NESchampion]

How does the way Curm runs his server have anything to do with this election?

We are electing a DMA, not a HDM. Leave how Curm runs his server out of things as it is entirely irrelevant.

CAUZE ZOMG!!! SOMEONZE VOLUNTEERZINGS FOR TWO BIG POZITIONZS IZ BADZ! HE IZ POWERGAMERZ AND AFTER ALL ZHE POWER ANDZ ADMIN LEWTS!!!

Oct 2009 -Oct 2010 - runs unapposed.
Oct. 2010 - runs against Mira (likely a loss due to Mira not being back for a very long time)
Between Oct 2010 and April 2011, disgruntled postal workers make themselves known, clamboring some Rusty-rant chant.

I'm pretty sure no one is saying this.

In fact what people seem to be saying is that it's causing delays on both ends that results in things not getting done and then dying a slow death as they await approval. Like say repeated crafting attempts for four months, or replacement for improperly priced items for months. Both of which have happened to me, no exaggeration or caps required. Hence why I was interested in guidelines for time to get stuff done rather than just an open ended policy of "whenever".

I think members of ALFA should have an expectation of at least a general timeline. Exceptions do occur, and it is volunteer work, but frankly if you don't have the time to dedicate to getting things done in a timely fashion then it seems reasonable that you would allow someone who does have the time to take over and then help them where you can.

[Swift]

When recently Curm brought back the PDM rank amongst the DM corps he defined in his ruling what PDMs could and could not do. One of those things concerns muling, and that is an across the board rule, not just for TSM. It stands to reason that if he is defining what a PDM cannot do on any server, he is also defining what a DM cannot do on any server.

How does stating that a PDM can only bring in mundane items on their avatar imply that it is a restriction imposed on all DMs.

You would be the only HDM in recent times I have spoken with that was under the impression that bringing items in on your avatar was banned ALFA wide.

[Mirabai]

When recently Curm brought back the PDM rank amongst the DM corps he defined in his ruling what PDMs could and could not do. One of those things concerns muling, and that is an across the board rule, not just for TSM. It stands to reason that if he is defining what a PDM cannot do on any server, he is also defining what a DM cannot do on any server.

How does stating that a PDM can only bring in mundane items on their avatar imply that it is a restriction imposed on all DMs.

You would be the only HDM in recent times I have spoken with that was under the impression that bringing items in on your avatar was banned ALFA wide.

I really don't know, Swift. I do know that on numerous occasions Curm and I have discussed the non-muling rule and he never once corrected me and said "this only applies to TSM". Pretty much a moot point now, and will remain so unless Curm deigns to respond. Been waiting for answers on this matter since October so I'm not holding my breath.