Moderator Application
Personal Information
Byond ID? Solidfury7
CM Character? William Crimson
Are you 16 or older? Yes
Timezone GMT
On average, how many hours are you available per week to moderate? 25-30
Qualifications
Do you have any previous experience in being staff (not just SS13)? I was staff on Hippie Station for around a year or two. Resigned when I became CM mentor. I was an admin on TnB, which is garrysmods oldest serious RP server.
Do you play any servers aside from CM-SS13? No
Provide links to any previous Colonial Marines applications that you've made:
Are you currently a staff member elsewhere (not just SS13)? If so, where? No
Have you ever been banned for more than 24 hours on Colonial Marines? Yes
Have you ever been banned for more than 24 hours on ANY server? If so, which server, when, and what for? No
Are you familiar with the chat program Discord (its use is required)? Yes
Communication is a vital part of being a Moderator. Are you willing to actively do so with the team? Yes.
Common Staff Situations
A player randomly shoots someone at round start and MPs have detained him. I would first look at the marines rank, checking if they were a “new PVT”, from there I would check for the players notes, a lack of notes may indicate a newer player or an alt-account being used for griefing. I would from there, PM the player, and try to work out the situation, I would message other players, from the victim to the witnesses to confirm the intent and actions behind the other player as it could merely be a misfire, if it was due to the player being completely new I would offer support, a guide and a warning. If it was outright grief, I would issue a 3 hour ban and note it. If it was a misfire, I’d let it be handled ICly.
A player ahelps that a predator has violated the honor code when killing him, what should you do? I would inform the player to gather evidence regarding the potential honor code violation, provide the CKEY of the individual if requested, and inform the player to make a player report on the forums, as it is a whitelist issue. I would make a log of the date and time, to further speed up the log process.
If possible, I would gather logs prior to the report, as it will be easier due to the round still being in progress and being online at the time.
You see a player walking around the ship naked and clearly lost at roundstart. I would assume the player is new, I would inform a SEA or a mentor to assist them. If none were available, I would PM the player with relevant resources, before contacting a member of the players squad or an MP to request they assist the player with kitting up and some of the more obscure details.
A player is being very rude to you in adminhelps, calling you names and arguing everything you say. He is requesting to speak to an Admin+ staff member. I would inform the player that staff are a volunteer team here to assist the playerbase and the community as a whole, I would inform him to please tone it down, if he did, I would provide the reasoning for the judgement made and inform him if he disagreed, he may make a report, however requesting specific staff or staff ranks is not permitted. If he continued to be verbally abusive, I would give him a note regarding his behaviour and inform him as such, if he continues to do it, against multiple warnings, he would receive a 3 hour ban.
A player ahelps that a marine is named 'John Doe', how do you deal with this? I would assume the player is new as it is a common occurrence for newer players to have generic names, I first would check his notes before I would inform him of the rules, and highlight the Rule 12 break. If he had no notes, I would give him a friendly warning, just informing him to read the rules, I would alter his name and provide a link to the rules and a new-player guide. If he was an older player, I would instead warn the player if they had no-prior notes on it.
You see a Maintenance Tech running around in armor and carrying a rifle. The security level is green and there has been no threat to the ship in the round at this point. I would check if the player is new, I may consider contacting a mentor or the player in question, as they may be struggling to understand the role. Beyond that, I would leave this as an IC issue.
A Marine ahelps that they were killed by a survivor. It is early round, the Marines have just landed, and the survivor claims that they were outright hostile to all Marines from the get-go and openly stated their intentions. How do you deal with this? As hostile survivors are not currently permitted, I would first check if an event was in progress, if no event was in progress, I would continue with normal procedure, firstly checking the notes of the survivor and the ahelper. I would then message both parties regarding what happened, and if they were any witnesses.
If escalation was involved (reasonable escalation) I would rule the situation as IC, as standard escalation applies to all humans
If the survivor was hostile from the beginning, I would heavily warn the player and note him. If he did something similar previously as a survivor, I would apply a survivor job-ban and note.
You receive an ahelp from a player stating that an MP has locked them up in permanent confinement for running into Requisitions and taking an attachment that was laying around. I would first remotely check the prisoner's record, from there, I would message the Ahelping player for further clarification on the situation, I would also message the MP and get his side of the story. I would ask for any witnesses while checking both individual notes.
I would ask the Prisoner if he has requested or received his rights to appeal, if not, I would inform the CMP in question to investigate the situation ICly, while I investigated OOCly.
I would check the logs of the situation, question other witnesses and double check if the charges applied were relevant. If not, I would inform the MP that his charges were incorrect, relink him to marine law and note him. If the CMP had not found the prisoner innocent at this point, I would have compiled a fax (or ask another member of staff to do so) ordering the release of the prisoner, and a form of IC punishment for the MP, if this was not an innocent mistake or completely new player.
If the MP made the right call, I would inform the prisoner that his charges are valid, but he may request an appeal from both the CMP/CO and High Command, or ask for a pardon.
The round is stagnating. There are 30 marines and 4 aliens. The marines won't leave the ship, and the aliens won't attack. What would you do, to "encourage" the sides to engage each other? Inform the aCO, through either IC means (High Command orders/fax) or SMing that marines should finish the fight. If marines still hesitated, I may state that High Command is offering potential promotions and medals for anyone that deploys.
I may also inform the Hive to assault with a Queen Mother directive.
You are playing as a medic, and another medic overdoses all your patients and prevent marines from being revived. It seems like it may be on purpose. How do you deal with this situation? I would ICly interact with the other player if he was nearby, trying to get a feel for if he is new or not, if I was still unsure, I would contact another member of staff to deal with the situation.
The round ends, a Marine starts shooting a hostile CLF member and the CLF member ahelps about being killed after the round ended. End of round grief does not cover hostile factions. As such it is deemed normal combat, and I inform the player of that.
A Marine is running around disarming, punching and stealing gear at round start. You receive an ahelp from one of the victims. I would monitor the behaviour of the marine, if this behaviour was completely random, attacking anyone and stealing randomly, I would inform the player that he is breaking roleplay standards, and breaking Rule 4 and issue a heavy warning and a note.
You receive an ahelp from a Marine saying that he was killed by another Marine. When you ask the murderer why, he said it was because the other Marine had punched him. This situation is clearly improper escalation, I would inform the murderer that he has breached escalation rules, and inform him that his actions were not reasonable before noting him. If the player had a history of said behaviour, I would apply a ban based on their history, as well as an additional note.
You find out that there is an improper mutiny occuring. The mutineers are rallying together and preparing to storm the CIC. How would you attempt to resolve this situation? I inform the marines that no mutiny was authorised and inform them that they must first ahelp with the relevant number of people, by name. Individuals who ignored this warning would be slept, warned and noted.
There are minor racist comments going on IC. 9 of the 10 people are laughing and RPing but one player gets offended and Adminhelps about it. Minor racism is permitted ICly, this is a roleplay server and a wide amount of views are held within the USCM, I would inform the player that it may be dealt with ICly by the MPs.
A marine opens fire at round start in briefing killing multiple marines and instantly logs off. This is a classic case of griefing. I’d aheal the marines (or have another staff do so) who were affected in the situation before noting, banning the griefer, I would then file for a perma ban.
You see a player playing a Xeno larva/chestburster run towards the frontlines straight from the Xeno hive the second they burst and die. II would inform the player that combat-larva is not permitted, I would ask for him to provide his side of the story before making a judgement call, if it was merely a run of bad luck. He would receive a note regarding the behaviour or potentially a job-ban.
You see a Xeno memeing, saying AYYLMAO, REEEEEE etc in hivemind chat, as well as insulting the Queen. I would inform the player xenomorphs still have roleplay standards, and should not be LRP. He would be noted and warned regarding the incident.
A Xeno player calls the shuttle a "dropship". A different Xeno player ahelps that it's low role play to call it a "dropship". No action would be required, some people like to call it “Metal bird” some people like to call it dropship. They are both valid names.
A Command staff player at briefing near round-start mentions there are aliens on the planet. You receive an ahelp from a marine regarding this. The USCM do not have knowledge of the Xenomorphs infesting the colony, they are aware of their existence, however nothing is confirmed. I would inform the accused player and inform them of this, before noting them.
You find a Marine killing another Marine on the EVAC Pod to take the last spot and claims it was RP as he was saving himself. There are two other marines in the pod along with him. If all other pods were full, launched or occupied, this is a valid action. If the evacuation pods were plentiful or unoccupied, this would be not permitted as it is a blatant chance just to kill someone, and as such, would be warned and noted.
A player insults you after you warn them for a minor issue and begins ranting in LOOC or dchat about staff and mentions you specifically, referring to you as an 'idiot' and a 'retard'. I would inform the player that abuse of staff and players alike is not tolerated, he would be given a warning to calm down before being noted for toxicity.
A player ahelps saying he was hugged by a Xeno when he was ssd, and wants the larva be removed from him via admin powers. How do you handle the ahelp? I inform the player that the game continues even when players have left, informing him that it is no different to dying in another game while going to grab a snack.
You see a fellow staff member give wrong information in an Adminhelp or incorrectly enforce a rule. I’d potentially challenge the information, if it was unquestionably incorrect rather than subjective opinions (Eg, something clearly ruled on), before telling him if he is unsure he should contact a superior regarding clarification. I may also contact another member of staff for clarification.
Two staff are arguing in msay if an ahelp is breaking a rule. Because the staff who took the ahelp thinks the player broke a rule, they ban the player based on their interpretation of the rules, with others thinking the person was fine. What would you do? I would likely give my opinion for context, with the other staff, before suggesting that we standby while we contact a senior member of staff to handle the situation.
Why would you like to become a moderator? I’ve been within the community for many years and I feel like it is time I give back, I avoided joining the moderator team for quite a few years, instead choosing the old mentor life as it was more inline with my idea of teaching newer players and avoiding the burnout which happens to a lot of mods. However I’ve found, especially within the last year I’ve become a lot more mellow and think I’d be a better fit within the moderation team.
In your opinion, what is the most important quality for a moderator? Approaching cases as impartial as possible with a cool head. I think when one realises that nearly everyone at CM is here just to have fun, that it’s much easier to be laid-back and not absorbed into the “Us vs Them” arguments. The roleplayer who likes to emote every breath and the combat-unga who likes to run around with two double barrels in a chefs hat are both here to have fun, they just have different views on what is fun, and that's okay. If you can't be impartial, you should pass the case to another member of staff.
Anything else you If accepted in to staff, I'd cease playing the CMP role more or less completely as I find that intensive roles like that tend to cause issues with conflict of interests when staff are personally involved. I will likely transition to maining SEA or SL once again.
My playtime has been reduced as I've been moving house and doing a lot more forum and discord based work. However my activity is returning to normal, especially with the installation of my computer.