Admin Table December

Discussions about everything, SMR related or not.
seldum
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Admin Table December

Post by seldum »

[20:08] <@Incognito> ok, we'll go ahead and get started
[20:08] <@Incognito> If you have any questions, please send them to JJ
[20:08] <@Incognito> First off, the next round.
[20:09] <@Incognito> As started in the newsletter, it will be a draft round
[20:09] <@Incognito> The leaders will be Seldum and myself
[20:09] <@Incognito> The actual draft will happen 3 days from now
[20:10] <@Incognito> That's 3 AM server time on the 19th
[20:10] <@Incognito> 9 PM EST time
[20:10] <@Incognito> on the 18th
[20:10] <@JettJackson> yeah so basically this time on thursday usa time and early friday for euros and east
[20:11] <@Incognito> The map itself can be viewed here: http://smrcnn.smrealms.de/viewtopic.php?f=110&t=12006
[20:11] <@Incognito> The final version is pretty true to what is posted there
[20:11] <@Incognito> with a bit more connectivity between the racial galaxies
[20:12] <@Incognito> You can expect to see longer arming routes
[20:12] <@Incognito> but nothing prohibitive
[20:13] <@Incognito> Turns for the draft round will start on the 20th at 12 AM server
[20:13] <@Incognito> If for some reason the draft gets delayed
[20:14] <@Incognito> server crash, a leader can't make it, etc
[20:14] <@Incognito> We will lock off feds until after the draft is done
[20:14] <@JettJackson> i have a question: Is there going to be pre-built routes and pre-built planets Or is everything starting from scratch?
[20:15] <@Incognito> There will be some routes in racials
[20:15] <@Incognito> but don't expect them to be good
[20:15] <@Incognito> or even decent
[20:16] <@Incognito> The goal of the map was to get players out of racials and into the neutral galaxies
[20:16] <@Incognito> Planet parking is expected
[20:16] <@Incognito> As for planets, all planets will start out as 10/30/5
[20:16] <@Incognito> 10 gens, 30 hangers, 5 turrets
[20:17] <@Incognito> Each alliance will be given 5 planets
[20:18] <@JettJackson> another question: Will the planets be made stronger? More builds?
[20:18] <@Incognito> As of now, there is no plan to raise the planet size
[20:19] <@Incognito> If the size is changed, the only thing that would be added are generators
[20:20] <@Incognito> The setup of the galaxy should make opping more difficult
[20:21] <@Incognito> The reasoning for having prebuilt planets is so that players can land on them early in the game
[20:22] <@Incognito> with worrying about a single player being able to bust them
[20:22] <@Incognito> Any other questions about the next map or the draft round in general?
[20:22] <@JettJackson> that and a single player jumping out to a super high exp advantage with minimal turn usage
[20:22] <@JettJackson> and I have no questions on my end
[20:23] <@Incognito> ok, for the current round
[20:23] <Naeblis> blarg
[20:23] <@Incognito> the plan is to leave the round open for a week after turns start in the draft round
[20:23] <@Incognito> so the ned end date would be the 27th
[20:25] <@Incognito> We'll send out an admin message a few days before the end, reminding people of the new end time
[20:26] <@Incognito> Looking a bit further ahead
[20:27] <@Incognito> After the draft round, we will be allowing each player to create one extra account, or Multi
[20:28] <@Incognito> The rules regarding this are still unofficial, but this will give you a rough idea of what to expect:
[20:28] <@Incognito> Each player is allowed to make 1 additional account.
[20:28] <@Incognito> Both accounts cannot be logged into the game at the same time (no multiboxing)
[20:28] <@Incognito> A player may not kill their multi (50 points for arranged kill).
[20:28] <@Incognito> No existing account may be used as a multi. All multies must be made using new accounts. For the email of the new account, use the email for your first account with a multi tag at the end (exp: MyEmail@smrealms.de_MULTI)
[20:28] <@Incognito> In order to validate the account, you must contact an admin for the validation code. This is to ensure each player only has 1 account. Individuals who do not notify an admin within 48 hours of creating the account will have their multi banned.
[20:29] <@Incognito> Any infractions that occur on one account will result in punishment for both accounts.
[20:29] <@Incognito> All veteran players that make a multi will have that multi start out as a veteran. Newbie and Beginner-ranked players will have a newbie multi.
[20:29] <@Incognito> As I said, this is not the final list of rules involved
[20:29] <@Incognito> but it will give you a good idea of what to expect
[20:30] <@JettJackson> I have a question: Will the multi accounts be bumped up to vet status such that they are not allowed to join the newbie games?
[20:30] <@Incognito> Yes, for all veteran players that make a multi
[20:30] <@Incognito> the account will be bumped to vet status
[20:31] <@Incognito> Any other questions or comments on this?
[20:31] <@JettJackson> yes
[20:31] <@JettJackson> Are there going to be limits placed on what ships the second account has access to? So that both accounts aren't in top racials and able to switch accounts to keep oping/etc?
[20:32] <@Incognito> Right now, no
[20:32] <@Incognito> Personally, I would like something like that to happen
[20:32] <@JettJackson> honestly, i dont think restricting ships should happen, as both cant play at the same time anyways
[20:32] <@Incognito> but we don't want to deal with any additional coding
[20:33] <@Incognito> So as it stands, a person can switch back and forth between ships for an op
[20:33] <@JettJackson> another question
[20:33] <@JettJackson> Will there be a cool down factor involved? Like 1 hour or 2 hours within you can use both accounts. To stop Double opping?
[20:34] <@Incognito> No cool down factor is planned
[20:34] <@JettJackson> yeah
[20:34] <@JettJackson> since you physically cant use the same ship at the same time per multiboxing rule
[20:35] <@JettJackson> it doesn't necessarly need a cooldown.
[20:36] <@Incognito> Now a questions to the players
[20:36] <@Incognito> Would you prefer that both accounts be restricted to the same alliance, or have them free to join different alliances?
[20:37] <ACD> Restricted
[20:37] <Naeblis> you don't need multis
[20:37] <Naeblis> just code hangers damnit allow switching from traders to warbirds
[20:37] <Storm> restricted
[20:38] <@JettJackson> I think restricted would be the best as well, as it would make it easier to track plus limit spying
[20:38] * Naeblis hides i na corner
[20:38] <@JettJackson> naeblis the problem with that idea is that it doesn't increase activity because you are still drawing from the same turn pool
[20:38] <@JettJackson> per one account, i mean it might boost trading between ops a bit but thats bout it
[20:39] <Naeblis> double turns
[20:39] <Naeblis> amd hangers
[20:39] <Naeblis> same effect
[20:39] <Naeblis> less bs
[20:39] <@Incognito> If you want to code that for us
[20:39] <@Incognito> go for it
[20:39] <Naeblis> you can steal the damn code
[20:40] <Naeblis> the me php is open source
[20:40] <Naeblis> planet docking was an early feature
[20:40] <@Incognito> I never player ME
[20:40] <@JettJackson> the me code doesn't translate to SMR code though
[20:40] <@JettJackson> arent they written in different code languages
[20:40] <@Incognito> so I don't know how the code works
[20:40] <Naeblis> closer than you think i'm sure
[20:40] <Naeblis> both are php backed
[20:41] <@Incognito> it's something we can look in to
[20:41] <Naeblis> i've only been suggesting that feature for years
[20:41] <@Incognito> but I don't think anything involved with it will happen before next round
[20:41] <SMR-Travdan> I personally would prefer an alternative solution to multiple accounts (just to avoid the personal hassle of switching back and forth).
[20:42] <Naeblis> allowing multis, even with a coded timer is a silly bandaid
[20:42] <Naeblis> when you could fix the game and make ships lootable off planets
[20:42] <SMR-Travdan> I would be willing to help with brainstorming of other solutions, and possibly even coding it.
[20:42] <@Incognito> Go for it
[20:43] <@JettJackson> again, that requires a coder to code it, i mean its a great idea, but we don't have coders dropping out of the sky
[20:43] <@Incognito> JJ, seldum, and I are often around
[20:43] <@Incognito> we'd love to hear new ideas
[20:43] <@Incognito> especially if you want to code it yourself[20:45] <@Incognito> Any other questions or comments about multies or alternatives to multies?
[20:46] <Storm> Are there going to be IDs in game so you know which multi belongs to which player?
[20:46] <Storm> (sorry JJ ;) )
[20:47] <@Incognito> It's something that has been discussed
[20:47] <@Incognito> such as requiring the name to be the same as the original account
[20:47] <@JettJackson> yeah there will be specific directions on how to handle that so we can have it organized
[20:49] <@Incognito> I was hoping to have an update from Astax about his game progress
[20:50] <@JettJackson> another question
[20:50] <@JettJackson> How will trader ranking be handled? Each account earning rank on its own or both feeding into the one account?
[20:50] <@Incognito> but beta died when he and Spock were working on it
[20:50] <@JettJackson> i think this means user score
[20:50] <@Incognito> Each account will maintain its own user score
[20:53] <@Incognito> That's everything on the list to discuss at this point
[20:53] <@Incognito> Any general questions before we close?
[20:54] <@JettJackson> Please tell your friends and others to try the game, it would be nice to have a fuller round and get some newer players to join.
[20:54] <@Incognito> More players is always good
[20:55] <@Incognito> and with that, I declare the table over
[20:55] <@Incognito> If you have ideas about multies and whatnot, feel free to talk about it in irc and webboard
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XDemonX
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Re: Admin Table December

Post by XDemonX »

Thanks for posting this seldum.

I am willing to work with Travdan and the admin team to discuss what coding would need to be made to make this multi idea be cleaner. Though I think it could be successful with the current plan, I think it may cause some problems. What I foresee happening is ops will consist of this "Okay lets rip through 600 turns, logoff and get on your multi and rip through another 600". You're pretty much going to give each person 1200 turns. As I talked with Travdan this morning too, this will especially cater to the more hardcore players because now I have double the turns in top racials.

Here are some coding I would like done (just seed ideas meant to be expanded and discussed.
- Have the multi be linked per account. Access other account by selecting which character to enter the game as through the "Play Game" Screen
- Limit the ships the multi can fly. This would be fairly simple to code as this is related to user privileges. Would be a bonus to code in there a screen for admins to change game by game. This way each game could be different on what your "support" account has access to. Top racials should not be allowed for support accounts.
- Optional: User score to be adjusted on support account. ex. Exp Gained = User Score Gained * .20. This is to prevent using the account purely for stat padding / trading. We want this account to SUPPORT the main.

These ideas are worth looking into. Simply allowing people to make 2 accounts and having to log out and login will cause problems. Monitoring and enforcing the accounts not being logged in at the same time will be a headache for the admins as well.

__________________________________________________________________

This question now is directed at the admin team:
What is your current cadence when it comes to how you run day-day/weekly? or What are you guys doing to try to help the game?

Reason I ask this is because I recently had a discussion with an admin and sounded like nothing happens as a team. The impression I got is "we got no one to code so there is nothing we can do".

My Recommendations:
1) Assign an admin to handle social media. Holti started this project by using the Facebook page to post screen shots and updates of new games. She did a great job but I understand she stepped down as an admin so someone needs to continue her project. This is simply FREE advertising.

2) Host weekly meeting for the admin team to discuss current issues and what steps should be taken. An example is to have a meeting discussing the coding issue. I understand you do not have a coder. Let's say a coder appeared today and said "Okay give me your list of hot topics you want to see coded into the game?" Could the admin team provide that list? If so, great. But a coder has not appeared. Here are some simple ideas.

- Develop a way to generate more funding. There are ideas on how to introduce more ways to spend credits. This would be priority #1 to code. There are MANY people you could hire (on contract) to code these small changes with little cost. Find out how much it would cost to code these then start asking for funding.. give "specials" for donating credits like "Receive 50% bonus credits this weekend only!". If the admin team came to the game and said "Hey guys we need X amount of money and here are the changes we can see come live into the game" then I know I personally would be more inclined to donate money than just to donate and have no idea what it is used for.
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Holti
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Re: Admin Table December

Post by Holti »

1) Assign an admin to handle social media. Holti started this project by using the Facebook page to post screen shots and updates of new games. She did a great job but I understand she stepped down as an admin so someone needs to continue her project. This is simply FREE advertising.
I had the head admins give you powers to continue the facebook project, at your request, well over a year ago. I stepped down officially as admin in Dec. 2013 [a year ago!], though I seem to keep getting sucked back to admin, especially the past couple of months. Due to my promotion and election to several college admin committees in the past month, I will not be able to do more than be a consultant, beta tester of Astax's new code, newbie trainer on the new player game, and official Mr.Spock skype nudger. I won't even have time to play SMR next round due to my recent promotions.
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Re: Admin Table December

Post by XDemonX »

Holti wrote:
1) Assign an admin to handle social media. Holti started this project by using the Facebook page to post screen shots and updates of new games. She did a great job but I understand she stepped down as an admin so someone needs to continue her project. This is simply FREE advertising.
I had the head admins give you powers to continue the facebook project, at your request, well over a year ago. I stepped down officially as admin in Dec. 2013 [a year ago!], though I seem to keep getting sucked back to admin, especially the past couple of months. Due to my promotion and election to several college admin committees in the past month, I will not be able to do more than be a consultant, beta tester of Astax's new code, newbie trainer on the new player game, and official Mr.Spock skype nudger. I won't even have time to play SMR next round due to my recent promotions.
That is understandable. I lost my powers when I got banned :). But someone should continue that project (I know you're too busy Holti). I think it was very productive when we had it running.
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Holti
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Re: Admin Table December

Post by Holti »

I lost my powers when I got banned :).
I'm surprised anyone remembered to take away your powers on the facebook page. I'm pretty sure that you, I and Jester were the only people who went their regularly at the time.
Grey Death
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Re: Admin Table December

Post by Grey Death »

Holti wrote:
I lost my powers when I got banned :).
I'm surprised anyone remembered to take away your powers on the facebook page. I'm pretty sure that you, I and Jester were the only people who went their regularly at the time.
Actually I went there regularly and still do. I removed his powers at the time of banning.
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XDemonX
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Re: Admin Table December

Post by XDemonX »

Grey Death wrote:
Holti wrote:
I lost my powers when I got banned :).
I'm surprised anyone remembered to take away your powers on the facebook page. I'm pretty sure that you, I and Jester were the only people who went their regularly at the time.
Actually I went there regularly and still do. I removed his powers at the time of banning.
Hasn't been ANY activity on the page for about a year (Last post was Dec 20th).
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JettJackson
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Re: Admin Table December

Post by JettJackson »

I am pretty sure I don't have access to whatever is being discussed here.
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XDemonX
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Re: Admin Table December

Post by XDemonX »

So disorganized. No one knows what is going on.
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JettJackson
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Re: Admin Table December

Post by JettJackson »

XDemonX wrote:So disorganized. No one knows what is going on.
You could explain what you are talking about with respect to this facebook thing vs throwing out an insult. You know I am on facebook a lot and can help with whatever is going on there but I need to know what you guys are even talking about first...
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