1 - Under Construction
1a) I think there should be an UC tab. Some of us are interested in Under Construction servers - newbies oughtn't concern themselves.
1b) To get off the UC tab, I think Devil's right - it ought to be either voted to Publication, or it should need an hour worth of entertainment value, or it could be when the server's logged a certain ammount of hours of play value for a certain ammount of definitely-not-developers playing. Once you've got 10 or so players spending at least an hour a day on it, it's ready for review - that kinda thing.
1c) And until
a Hubworld is put up, yeah, servers that run out of interest should get shunted back to UC until they're ready to represent Graal again.
2 - He Copied Me!
2a) I think there should be a framework for Originality. If you want to work on a Ninjas With Grenade Launchers server, and such a server already exists, you should be encouraged to work on that server and/or discouraged from making your own. Conversely, you should have to get your own playerbase rather than stealing from NWGL1 to pay NWGL2 - see also,
Websites and Ads for Playerworlds.(not the best link, but the most specific).
2aI) How do we encourage people to work together? Well, the PWA can moderate disputes between the parties which want the Ninjas with Grenade Launchers to fight pirates and the parties which want the Ninjas with Grenade Launchers to fight aliens. If it's entirely impossible to have a server where they fight BOTH pirates AND aliens, someone has to decide which one it'll be - and if the guy who made all the levels is threatening to quit if it's not Pirates, and the owner's threatening to shut down the server sooner than give up on Aliens, this is a big deal. It's up to a neutral third party who only has Graal's best interest in mind to sit them both down, even out their powers (as currently the Owner fires the Levels Guy, keeps his stuff, prevents him from making a new server, then shuts down the server when he can't find a new Levels Guy, wasting months of development), and works out a compromise. (Space Pirates.)
2aII) How do we discourage people from making their own server? You can either let them do it (so the Levels Guy makes his Ninjas vs Pirates server and the Owner continues with his Ninjas vs Aliens) and force them to advertise and get their own players off teh intarweb instead of stealing each others' (maybe one advertises on scifi sites and one advertises on pirate sites, who knows?), OR you can just forbid anyone from starting up another server with Ninjas while there's already a Ninjas server. One Ninjas Server At A Time, and you all better get along - even if the parties involved are thinking Naruto or Ninja Turtles or Ninja Scroll or Soul Calibur or....
3 - He Deleted My Stuff!
3a) Maybe it's just me, but it seems a final decision is needed on whether these PWs are owned by Graal or owned by the PW's sponsor. If Graal owns 'em, Graal can usurp the interim manager - but said manager probably oughtn't be paying for the privelege. If the PW Owner owns his PW - can he be considered "breaking the rules" on what is effectively Private Property? Do the Java Ninjas come rampaging onto all Java apps and enforce their will? No, I think under the current methodology a PW Owner can't be in violation of any rules at all - he can be banned on every server but his own for violations elsewhere, he can be Persona Non Grata on the forums and even blacklisted as a hacker, yet his "site"/server is still hosted for as long as he's paying.
3b) So what happens when such a person decides to burn their server to the ground? Ought their level manager (or Former Level Manager) be allowed to resurrect it? I say yes - there's no conflict of originality, only a question of ownership between those two. The level manager shouldn't get access to the Last Backup of the server though, and shouldn't be handed it under any circumstances - if he has the levels he edited on his harddrive, he can rebuild and reconnect the world on his own, using only what he made himself. (Or she made herself, apologies for gender biases - but I'm in a hurry.)
4 - Open/Hiring Season
4a) There are two theories of management - the Zergling Rush theory and the Protoss theory. The Zergling Rush theory holds that in order for PWA to be effective, you need a lot of underlings, supported by a few regional managers - one to watch over every 10 or so - then an Uber Manager to watch over all of them (Houdiniman). The Protoss theory holds that you just need a handfull of really good managers, and everyone else can come to you. I like the latter (having suffered running my LAT like the former) - just sit back and wait. Have PW owners - and only owners, discard all email from other sources - petition for review. Review them when they petition, and review the existing PWs on a set schedule - though not one open to those being reviewed, you just throw together a calendar. "December 9th - check up on Classic. Next checkup: January 13." If someone complains that Classic sucks and should be reviewed, tell them they're already scheduled for a checkup sometime this week, and you'll get back to them by Sunday. Unless it's an emergency ("Lycia's drunk on RC!") they can wait, you are few and busy.
4b) Should PWA be responsible for coordinating PWs? I think no - you can't force 'em to, so why dedicate your time and energy to it? It's like teaching a pig to sing; it wastes your time and annoys the pig.
5 - If not the PWA, then whom?
5a) I miss the old Global Scripting Admins and whatnot. We should get some more of them. They can handle encouraging the good PWs and fixing the bad.
5b) Even if I'm the only one that thinks it's a good idea, I still say there should be a global locker for things PWs don't mind sharing. Like snowflake scripts, and jack-o-lanterns. But then, I think all the servers should be connected at the Hubworld, so what do I know?
12-12-2006, 10:01 AM
Linear Mode
