The Stifling on Chat is killing the game

[mrbrklyn]

What is claimed to be an over active DM here, is probably someone breaking some rules or commiting undesirable act which is against the interest of all players and then complaining that a DM did not have to interfere.

The DMS are smothering the players....

In most cases a DM is nice enough to give an advance warning to stop the undesirable behaviour at it's root. However, unfortunately there is no DM online at all times simply because of the nature of what a DM is and the amount of time people are prepared to dedicate themselves to others.

There are many servers out there without any DMs, they happen to have no players either, can you see the correlation?

That is very questionable. I avoid DMs like the plague. They are mostly young, ignorant, and incapable of rational judgement. It also ignors that this rule is destroying the camradere on the board, and reduces the oppurtunity to make new friends.

As for the number of players, they're are all kinds of reasons for that, including, we have friends on metalforge, it is the oldest of the servers, that the developers are often there, etc.


Ruben

[mrbrklyn]

Seems to me like it is changing the name of one command. Wouldn't go so far as claim it completly changes the game.

Good point, except you need to take into account all the documentation!


Ruben

[Salathar]

<<Offtopic chatter is allowed which is a major change since at least summer, when offtopic chatter was no allowed in shout. So how do you call this 'Stifling' ? This is a huge relaxation of the rules which is happily seen in a form of 'chat.>>

What? Nobody ever enforce the rule of no off-topics on shout to any dillitating extent and now noone can say BOOOO any more in shout without getting run down.

Feature word 'shout' , try doing that on 'chat instead This is the whole point of the rules change/channel existence, remember?

Concerning, offtopic in shout, I was there when a DM asked to move the chatter to 'say or 'tell, so it WAS. Distinctly remember it being summertime too.

[mrbrklyn]

<<However, the recruiting policies are up to a server admin, and what he says goes argue or not. But if an admin does choose to give someone DM access they better prove themselves worthy, or so would most players would want I presume.>>


People are LINING UP for the oppurtunity.

Most of the people who would make the best DMs wouldn't touch the responsibility with a 10 foot pole. And some of the better ones who are DMs and good are largely inactive in the roll: ie - they don't push their weight around and then one day you have have a problem and you say - Hey I didn't know you were a DM!

Ruben

[cavesomething]

DMs _should_ expand the rules unforcement, because that's part of a reason for haivn g a DM in the first place.

time to define the difference between laws (in the legal sense) and rules.

Rules are for robots and machines, laws are interpreted by people. the point of the later is to allow consideration of mitigating circumstances or to ignore trivial infractions.

Why do you think that blanket enforcement of littering fines causes outraged newspaper articles? (as happened in the UK in the last two weeks)

It is because law is a contract between the people and the law-makers, and part of that contract is that the law will serve those it applies to. Law can then be suspended or ignored when it is stupid to do otherwise.

The problem, at least as it would appear that mrbrklyn sees it, is that the letter of the law is being enforced at the expense of the people it is there to serve. (issues of voluntary vs compulsary citizenship notwithstanding)

[Salathar]

That with a HUGE MOTD to say
type:
CHAT I want to talk to everyone
when you mean

SHOUT I want to talk to everyone

and then say

SHOUT The server is going berzerk
When you have a server problem or need DM help.

Yey! Another constructive criticism, now we are getting somewhere, I can really feel the bond.

Something 'motd does say though:

Code: Select all

(3) Rules for the "chat" have been updated, see
the Server Etiquette page for details. By default,
one does not have access to the chat channel. Set 
your listen level to 10 ('listen 10) to use the 
channel ('chat <message>).

[Salathar]

I think that making listen 10 default level is a good idea. With those wishing to ignore 'chat taking time to type 'listen 9. On the other hand typing 'listen 10 ain't that difficuilt either. So why does the rule have to go again?

As long as it gets the damn DMs off everyones back for regular play and conversation.

Respect to every DM that stand for his views and does not let some individuals abuse or spoil the game. I trust that's not what you ment by 'regular play and conversation'.

[mrbrklyn]

Feature word 'shout' , try doing that on 'chat instead This is the whole point of the rules change/channel existence, remember?

Concerning, offtopic in shout, I was there when a DM asked to move the chatter to 'say or 'tell, so it WAS. Distinctly remember it being summertime too.

This doesn't help the resulting dynamics that this change brings. It doesn't make chat the default communication channel for the whole board, it doesn't encourage commradere like shout does, and it doesn't end the riegn of terror by DMs.

Ruben

[Casper]

I avoid DMs like the plague. They are mostly young, ignorant, and incapable of rational judgement.

All this time you seem to be referring to some hypothetical DMs. Could you please give some specific examples where DMs intervened, explain how the problem was not handled well, and what in your opinion would have been the correct response to the rules violation the DMs intervened about?

It also ignors that this rule is destroying the camradere on the board, and reduces the oppurtunity to make new friends.

the new rules give players more freedom to choose what they hear. You seem to be not wanting to give everyone else this freedom. I still don't understand why, except for a habit to use the shout command by some old players.

[Salathar]

Seems to me like it is changing the name of one command. Wouldn't go so far as claim it completly changes the game.

What seems to be odd is how the change is being seen, I bet we would not be having this discussioin right now if shout stoped being 'server wide' communication channel, but rather a 'system' channel was introduced for such purpose.