Moderator Application
Personal Information
Byond ID? Lunaslantern
CM Character? Byrant "Tree" Chesterfield
Are you 16 or older? Yes
Timezone PST (GMT-8)
On average, how many hours are you available per week to moderate? 10-12
Qualifications
Do you have any previous experience in being staff (not just SS13)? I admin a Destiny 2 clan with a couple other people
Do you play any servers aside from CM-SS13? No
Provide links to any previous Colonial Marines applications that you've made: Not Applicable
Are you currently a staff member elsewhere (not just SS13)? If so, where? Not at this time
Have you ever been banned for more than 24 hours on Colonial Marines? No
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, communication is one of my soft skills
Common Staff Situations
A player randomly shoots someone at round start and MPs have detained him. While this is an in character issue, I can check the player's notes to see if there is a recurring issue. After investigation converse with MPs to ensure we do not punish people who are new (by explaining how the game works to them), but also keep people from round start nonsense (which is clearly forbidden).
A player ahelps that a predator has violated the honor code when killing him, what should you do? I should inform the player that if they believe someone with a WL job has broken the rules of that WL, then they should report it to the governing council (in this case the Predator council). However, if they are doing something that would land them a ban on the forums or discord (using racial slurs, etc) then I can take more direct steps by banning them, speaking with them and making notes as needed about the interaction (both with myself and other players). For this example though, a report to the WL council should be enough.
You see a player walking around the ship naked and clearly lost at roundstart. I would check if a SEA is active during the round, if there is none then I check to see if a mentor is available to help them. If no other option exists, then I can spawn in myself and help teach them the ropes (if they actually want my help).
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 remind them that they are specifically forbidden from arguing with moderators or insulting them. If they do not believe I have handled their issue correctly, then they can make a report with the appropriate form on the forums. I would also make a note and then hand them a 3 hour ban, so they have some time to cool off. As for escalating things directly from me to Admin, that would skip several steps and would not be a viable option for the issue.
A player ahelps that a marine is named 'John Doe', how do you deal with this? I would message the player and ask if they are new to CM. If yes, then I would change their name for this round and explain to them how to change it for the next round. If they do not change it then I would make a note and possibly issue a warning if they are being . If the player in question is familiar with CM and just being difficult, then it will be noted and they will receive a warning. If the notes on this player indicate a history of such behavior a ban is possible, but nothing more than a few hours.
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. As this question is presented then they would be creating an in character issue. It would become an ooc issue if they attempted to join the front (without explicit permission), started shooting up the ship at random or similar. I would make a note about it in either case and get involved only if it escalated from there.
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? I would speak to the survivor in question about their reasoning, reminding them that we no longer have hostile survivor scenarios. If their notes indicate this was their first issue (of this sort) and they are not being argumentative about the issue then I can heal the marine (if they have not already been fixed up by a medic) and continue with the round. If the survivor in question has several notes about this subject, then they will be reminded to read the rules section of the forum and receive a warning or survivor job ban depending on the situation.
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 investigate the issue with both the MP, the prisoner and any witnesses (if needed) and check the logs. After that I will inform the MP if they need to change the punishment (in this case, jail time for robbery, damage to gov property, etc) and make a note in their file. If it turns out the prisoner in question was incorrect and deserves to be perma'd then they will be informed along with a note on their file.
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? For marines, I could use the fax machine to ask why High Command or WY is still waiting for results, pushing them for a redeployment. For the aliens I would use QM to remind them that hives are supposed to stretch and grow, not stagnate and decay. If both are applied I am certain one group or the other will act.
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 can create my own ahelp request, but if I am playing, then I am playing. In character I can confront them or alert MPs/others to their actions.
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 only applies to characters that have no reason to be attacking one another. In this case the CLF and USMC are not allies or friends and thus would attack on sight. The player would be informed of this.
A Marine is running around disarming, punching and stealing gear at round start. You receive an ahelp from one of the victims. This is an in character issue as presented. If the player in question has lots of notes about similar behavior or is doing things to damage/destroy special equipment (such as attempting to destroy the comm relay gear), then I would make a note and step in to remove them from the situation. They would from there receive either a warning or a temporary ban depending on how severe their actions were. Should it remain mundane then the MPs would handle it and a note would be made on their record.
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. Ok so I actually did this once, and thought it was well handled. I would warn the marine that you cannot escalate issues without just cause, being punched does not mean gunning someone down. They would also receive a note in their file. From their they would serve the MPs charges for murder and be handled in the game. The victim in this instance would be revived if there was no medical assistance already being given by medics. It should also be noted that if multiple notes about this issue exist for the offending player, they will be banned.
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? Use MOOC to remind the marines that mutinies must receive a go ahead and should not be attempting one without permission.
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. Inform the individual creating the ahelp that it will be handled and ban the offending individual. Further more I will invite them to read the rules again, paying special attention to Rule 3.
A marine opens fire at round start in briefing killing multiple marines and instantly logs off. Heal affected marines and ban offender, making a note of the event on their file. Maybe MOOC explaining that the situation is being handled.
You see a player playing a Xeno larva/chestburster run towards the frontlines straight from the Xeno hive the second they burst and die. Much like the lost and naked marine I would check to see if they are new to CM and if so, point them in the direction of our numerous guides on being a xeno/marine. If they are someone who has played often enough and are just being difficult then they get a note in the file and possibly a job ban if it is a recurring issue.
You see a Xeno memeing, saying AYYLMAO, REEEEEE etc in hivemind chat, as well as insulting the Queen. I would remind then with a warning that netspeak is not allowed and invite them to read the rules again, focusing on Rule 2. Also a note in the file.
A Xeno player calls the shuttle a "dropship". A different Xeno player ahelps that it's low role play to call it a "dropship". I would explain to them that xenos are, under the current version of rule 2, able to understand human English in the hivemind. Therefore this is acceptable behavior.
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. I would make a note and remind the CO that they cannot possible know what terror awaits them on the planet, meta gaming is not allowed or encouraged.
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. I would investigate the logs and maybe interview the surviving marines to determine whether it was appropriate and in character for the marine.
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'. Chat ban for several hours, note in the file, I would then attempt a conversation with the individual. I would remind them their behavior was forbidden and they can make a report if they feel the need to. I would also invite them to read the rules again, focusing on rule 0.2.
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 would explain that I cannot do anything about their character catching SSD or fix whatever happened when they fell asleep.
You see a fellow staff member give wrong information in an Adminhelp or incorrectly enforce a rule. I can talk with the staff member about it in moderator chat and bring it up to their supervisor. Other than that, if they answered the ahelp, then they will be responsible for their response to it.
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 remind everyone that we can disagree without breaking our own rules. Further more if I believe that the response truly wronged an individual, I would remind them that they can make a complaint in the forums using an appropriate form.
Why would you like to become a moderator? I would like to be a moderator to give back to this absurdly weird group of people. Events and funny qoutes are fun, but the reality is that dealing with all the events you asked about above is probably really irritating and stressful after a while. I am hoping that I can help spread some of the nonsense out so that we can continue to improve our community one round at a time. I also really would like to be able to help players feel more involved with faxes/QM speak.
In your opinion, what is the most important quality for a moderator? My answer would be flexibility, you can see by now that some of my answers talk about responding according to information found in notes and similar. I believe that no amount of training or quizzing will prepare anyone for this roll, BUT if you know a person is level headed and flexible? That is a whole different ball game right there, because they can roll with the punches and salvage even the worst messes. I mean for heaven's sake, I once watched an RO strap C4 to chairs and supply drop the active bombs ON TO THE PLANET SURFACE.
No one is ready for this, but if your flexible enough, the player base may never catch on to that fact,
Anything else you I have always enjoyed AvP games and when I first saw this thought it was insane, after watching a few rounds I started playing and it has blown my mind how creative people get when they are bored. I actually have a degree in game development and this game just keeps pulling me back in for some reason, I woudlnt trade it for anything!