Ongoing Concerns

[empressdonna]

Over the past few months, I've seen people talk in the chat / in PM / elsewhere about issues they have about the chat / stream as a whole. This is just a small list of what I know of thus far (anyone that has spoken to me about this, feel free to chip in with your own issues if I didn't cover everything).

Rules

This was mentioned before in Stu's post. So, I'm not going to repeat what was said there, but some people feel as if we follow the rules sometimes and don't others or we follow them too strictly and don't use our own judgement.

Some people also feel that the mods let rule-breaking slip a lot and only get involved if its something serious (instaban worthy) i.e porn links, direct flaming towards mods or similar issues rather than enforcing all the rules and using said mods own judgement (i.e trolling which a lot of the time has to be down to the mods own judgement).

Multiplayer Games (mostly MKWii and L4D)

People have spoken out in chat and PM about the fact they are fed up of seeing MKWii / L4D / TF2 etc a lot. Some people are so bothered that they want all multiplayer games banned from the stream entirely.

Others want to limit L4D/MKWii to one night a week (say L4D on friday night during GO, and MKWii during saturday night for GO since those are non school nights).

While I recognize that this is ultimately Tom's decision, I felt it would be a good idea to mention this since if there is no communication, Tom nor the mods will know there is a problem or complaints over what is shown.

Half ops

People feel that the current half ops aren't doing their job. This has been brought up to me, while I've been AFK and something goes on in the chat and there are no full mods around to deal with it.

I've been told that some people want Hops gone completely.

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This is listed in most seriousness to less serious as I personally feel that one of the main issues is the issues with the rule enforcement. A lot of the time, I don't ban when I think I should because I see other mods (I won't name anyone in particular) in the chat but not bothering either which makes me think if I decide it is breaking the rules and ban them (after a warning of course) that I might get into trouble. I know that this may seem more of a personal issue, but it really does lead back into the rule enforcement for the mod group as a whole.

[Stuart444]

I would agree with most points myself, especially the first point however I won't tread over that since most people know how I feel though whither* they agree or disagree with how I feel is another story (and I won't name names here either though I have spoken to people in private myself about this stuff)

The second point is a point I understand and agree with however I did enjoy that the game the other night was Who Wants to be a Millionaire. It's a good way to get people involved because it's a question based game that people in the chat can post answers during it.

I understand why the MP games chosen are, it's because a lot of people have them and can play a long (MKWii is really evident of this) however it's nice for some variety either with MP games OR with games that aren't MP but can still get the community involved.

The 3rd point I do agree with however I don't find it too much of a big deal due to point 1. Why should the half op get involved when regular ops don't.

*side note: I always get confused about which whither/wither/weather/whatever to use >_<

[Pelord]

As one of the 'Half-Ops', I'd have to ask exactly what our 'job' is supposed to be. According to the Chatroom Member Ranks and Titles thread, "A Half-Operator is a probation status operator. They are able to voice, devoice, kick or ban any chat member who is not a Half-Operator, Operator, Administrator, or Founder. Half-Operators who meet the approval for full Operator will be granted such status at the appropriate time.". That description doesn't really specify that we have to take actions like a full Op would. Besides, I haven't seen anything in the chat that required my immediate attention if that was the case. I think I've also seen it more on the level of being given the ability to kick or ban, but being trusted to only use it if absolutely necessary.

On the subject of Multiplayer games, they should definitely not be discontinued. I just feel that there should be a wider variety of what games are played, and that there isn't constant repetition of the same game several nights in a row. Playing the same multiplayer game constantly only caters to the same group of users who play/own that specific game, making everyone else feel a bit left out. When it reaches the point where that game isn't being played, those users will then feel left out. This is one reason I encouraged games like Family Feud, Millionaire, etc. as the entire chat is able to participate without even having the game. I still think Wi-Fi Night is a significant feature to the community, but the multiplayer aspect in general should be open to rotation of more games and more people able to play them. I can understand Mario Kart being popular as it allows for a large amount of players, and a lot of stream members have it. On the subject of L4D2 and TF2, I think more of the concern was over Wyvern playing those games with his own group of friends on Tom's stream while not allowing members of the stream to join. It does seem that when it comes to streamed multiplayer games, people want to play, not watch.

[Stuart444]

I will agree with you Pelord in that half op jobs aren't really specified. My take on it would be that if you can kick/ban people then you should be trusted to help keep order in the chat however I do concede that the job description doesn't really specify that (though I personally believe it should).

I completely 100% agree with you that MP games shouldn't be discontinued (hell, I'd say that for any game that doesn't break the Twitch ToS anyway) and that there should be a larger variety of games being played on rotation.

And yes it does cater to the same group of users who own those games as if you look at the stream during any particularly game (in this case MKWii) then you'll 9 times out of 10 see the same group of users playing. Not that it's a bad thing but it can get pretty boring seeing the same game being played, not being able to join in because you don't own said game not to mention the commentary is a bit dry during MKWii the few times I've actually watched.

It's usually the people playing talking and there isn't much of a feel of interaction with the chat. The interaction is one of the bigger reasons for people coming to the stream after all but when you get this several nights in a row, it can put people off coming because they expect it to be the same thing.

[empressdonna]

From what I'm getting from people that have come to me is that they expected something similar to a forum situation i.e Operators do most of the work, but if an OP isn't around, a Half-OP steps in to fill the position.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that when the Operators are AFK / Away From Computer and a half op is online and typing that if they see something against the rules, they would deal with it.

It's usually during the times when the chat is quiet (i.e early morning - afternoon my time) that it happens but it's not very common. I've just seen people wondering why we have hops since to them, you guys do nothing (not saying this myself... just passing the message).

There is no offense intended here on my part. People tend not to want to bring forward stuff such as this on the forums themselves because of how quiet they can be.

As for MP, I completely agree that there does need to be more variety where people can join in chat without owning the game ala millionaire, scattergories etc. I don't have anything else to add because Stu summed up some of what I wanted to say XD.

[yuki_fox_demon]

Stu: you were close. it's "whether"

as for the MP games, again, i completely agree. for someone like me (who can't really play any of the games, but can get involved with the family fun night games), it's only fun to watch for so long. What if we did for WiFi nights what we do for game over? Make a list of multiplayer games, as well as games like 'Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?' and 'Family Feud', and have a random script that pops up four of them to vote on?

[empressdonna]

Stu: you were close. it's "whether"

as for the MP games, again, i completely agree. for someone like me (who can't really play any of the games, but can get involved with the family fun night games), it's only fun to watch for so long. What if we did for WiFi nights what we do for game over? Make a list of multiplayer games, as well as games like 'Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?' and 'Family Feud', and have a random script that pops up four of them to vote on?

I don't see any problem with this at all, since tom does own a few multiplayer games (though some have issues with connecting / stream problems like Brawl or AC:CF iirc) but it would allow for a mix up.

[Stuart444]

Stu: you were close. it's "whether"

I always get confused about those words.

[TomBobBlender]

Multiplayer
There are lots of people who play Mario Kart Wii, and it's fun. We always have large crowds whenever it's announced to be played, and the game slots tend to fill up quickly, so I don't really see the problem. A few members even expressed interest in purchasing the game just to join us. It's been our go-to for those reasons, and not many other multiplayer games can cater to 12 at a time. If people don't want to see the game, then come back in a few hours/another day. A randomized selection like Yuki has suggested would be fine, but the same mysterious people who complain will just find something else to complain about. It would be helpful if these people came forward and expressed these issues themselves, otherwise, how am I supposed to know? If I see people having fun with what's going on, I stick with it. Otherwise, I'll switch it up.

HalfOps
I'm still on the fence as to whether or not we still need any additional (effective) permanent moderators, so I'm leaving this issue alone entirely. Basically, I monitor their demeanor, rapport, etc., and provide specific features I believe I can trust them with, and eventually welcome them to a more permanent situation if and when it's needed. If halfops have concerns, they should contact me about it.

Moderating
If nobody is around to moderate (it happens) and the decisions are up to me, I'll usually issue the heaviest consequence just so I don't have to deal with it. I can't host a show and pamper them at the same time. Moderators, however, can be a bit more lenient if they so choose. As long as they have ample proof and reason, I don't see the problem. Banning someone because they disagree with you or make you upset are not legitimate reasons. Unless I specifically come to you about it, you shouldn't have anything to worry about.