Interview Nuke

CnaymToday at 09:07
Okay, let's start with the first one then.
In your own words: What is the goal of the aurora server? What do you think we are looking to provide with the server?

NukeToday at 09:10
Aurora is a HRP server first of foremost. It's main preamble is to provide an environment where us, as players, can freely create a character with creative expression, place them on the station if its reasonable, and have them react to certain things that may happen in normal interaction or other antag related stuff. Staff mainly try to provide this environment and operate it with executive force, discussion, and other means possible.

CnaymToday at 09:12
Allright, what do you think are the biggest issues with the aurora currently? What do you think you'd try to improve or remove if given the possibility to do so?

NukeToday at 09:21
I think the biggest issue, and perhaps something that can never be fixed, is the balance between antagonists and security. You could nerf one, nerf the other, buff both. Enforce new standards in antag relations and general crew interaction perhaps, but there will always be gray areas that come naturally with things like this. To be honest, it's been an issue since I've been here, but perhaps someone will make something revolutionary someday. I think a big issue is the APC malf bombing, which could easily be reduced by adjusting a equation. I would reduce it while giving malf the ability to still cause issues if they decide to SMES bomb for a destraction. Instant gibing should be a scarce a solution. This is something that can be held at standard via staff intervention, and don't get me wrong, there are malfs who do use it correctly and with reason. I also feel like there are too many security officers that deduct from general antag enjoyment by being the most perfectly loyal officer NanoTrasen has access too. Of course, I haven't ended up in the brig for a long time and I think it's been better with the contractors. Other then that, if I really thought there was beaming issues, I would move to another server.

CnaymToday at 09:26
The dynamic between security and antags is one of the most often ahelped about, you'd be able to influence in round decisions given a staff position.
Good lead to my next question:
What do you think about self-antagonistic actions? Can characters have buildup to them? Do you think it should be possible for characters to do things that may be against the "believable characters" rule?

NukeToday at 09:29
Short answer, Yes, Yes, and Yes. Self-antagonistic behavior should be something that exists. It is rarely done, but given enough tension and buildup, even poor head of staff behavior could cause a mutiny and end with IC issues. For example, if sec officer McBald and ValidBald shoot each other up and had reasonable multi-round tension and hatred towards each other, I feel like it would be reasonable.
To quote: You wouldn't suddenly want to bomb your workplace.
But if you have something going on, and get it cleared, you could I guess.

CnaymToday at 09:31
Fair enough. I'll get the list of moderator powers together and we'll run through two scenarios.
Admin PM -> PM a player, your  basic bwoink
Toogle Wind -> Freeze someone to stop them from interacting with the game itself, but still be able to respond to PMs
Notes -> You can add and see notes for every player
Warn -> Your  standard Warning comes in standard and severe. People get a popup, can review them in the admin tab and have to acknowledge them
View Variables -> You can see variables, those include attack logs, damages, current equipment and so on. If you aren't  sure if you might see something you can always ask me.
Check round info -> Gives you the round type, all antag names and types

Any question to any of those?

NukeToday at 09:35
Nope

CnaymToday at 09:36
Forgot the ban, but that one is pretty self explaining. Usually comes in steps of 1, 3 or 7 days. Anything bigger is a perma ban. Okay, let's  get into the scenarios.

NukeToday at 09:36
:thumbsup:

CnaymToday at 09:37
While playing you get the following message:
Barrack Obama, Janitor, has awoken from cryogenic revival!
How would you handle it?

NukeToday at 09:38
I think I can check their new status on the server
(which they probably are)

CnaymToday at 09:38
Yep, you can see the ckeys age ingame, it says 0 days.

NukeToday at 09:39
Anyway, I'd mostly look at their ckey too, new person, no problem. I'd casually bwoink them and refrence them to the rules while explaining the main jist of the server.

CnaymToday at 09:39
They don't respond and walk around the Odin.

NukeToday at 09:40
I'd tell them to click onto my name to respond. (and they're probably very new) and inform them of some basic name believability rules and how the server they joined is a HRP server on the game they may have installed in one of the YT tides.

CnaymToday at 09:42
They wander a bit before asking ICly how to play this game. Another player ahelps for this, letting  you know that a new guy is wandering around the Odin in need of a hand.

NukeToday at 09:46
I'd point them to LOOC, do a quick note check of course which will probably be empty. Explain the difference between IC and LOOC and still casually telling them to click on my name to respond after getting an admin on to be prepared for the name change. I'd offer them to make up another name. The big thing I'd tell them though is to ask questions via LOOC and not in IC chat. If they're cooperative, I'd point them on how to enter the station and the ahelp command. I'd acknowledge the person who ahelps.

CnaymToday at 09:48
The player finally responds to your PM giving you a new name that fits the rules, telling you that they just installed this game and are figuring out how to play it. One of the admins changes the name for the player. Anything you want to add before or after you finish the ticket?

NukeToday at 09:49
I'd acknowledge that everyone starts somewhere and to make sure to read up on all the rules. I'd give them a note and watch them for a bit.

CnaymToday at 09:50
Great, let's move onto the next scenario:
While playing a round, you notice a bunch of logs of someone stabbing someone else in the eye with a kitchen knife. You're the only non-afk staff on at the time, what would you do?

NukeToday at 09:51
I'd get to somewhere for myself to aghost as quickly as a could to investigate. I'd first run a check to see if there was any antags involved.

CnaymToday at 09:54
You jump over to one of the two players and see one of them is bleeding out on the floor. Your round type info shows you that it's voted extended and there's around 30 minutes left before a crew transfer vote can be started.

NukeToday at 09:58
Then i'd start investigating. Doing the normal checks on both notes and ckey plus server time while watching the other to make sure they're not going around stabbing anyone else. Since I'm the only staff, it would be best if there was a chance for medical to rescue the other person. After I do the checks, I'd start bwoinking them to ask what happened.

CnaymToday at 10:03
The guy with the knife wanders around for a bit, his ckey shows you an age of one day and only a single warning for disconnecting during a staff PM.
The guy who's currently bleeding out has three months on his ckey and a couple of notes about delivering more RP as an antag and the usual "was informed about the name rules".
You notice that an EMT has arrived on scene and is treating them, looks like they'll survive it  after some surgery.
They answer their PM with: "Guy just stabbed me over only having spaghetti and tacos in the kitchen."
While the guy with the knife responds with "Guy was trying to poison me with tacos, had to defend my borders, you know?"

NukeToday at 10:07
I'd check to see any attack logs on both for abnormalities. I think staff logs also indicate if someone ate poison. I would VV the tacos. Clearly the guy with 3 months on the server with little note history would be a bit more reputable, but I'd still ask him if there was any mention of poison. I'd also ask the newer guy the same thing to deduct if the food was actually poisoned.
And to see if there was any reason for the new guy to stab the other guy

CnaymToday at 10:12
Attack logs pop up pretty one sided, a dozen stabs to the eyes, three to four disarms that the cheff tried. Tacos and knife guy are poison free. Cheff responds with, "I am new to cooking, but the things I learned so far are poison free. They kept yelling for something else so I offered spaghetti, but they attacked me."
While spectating the attacker you see them yelling for the cheff in the medical lobby and starting to  bash in a window.
They respond to your PM with, "Don't you find it super strange that they only offer mexican food? I had to defend myself!"

NukeToday at 10:18
It looks pretty one sided, I'd acknowledge the chef and confirm that the food he was serving is poison free. The disarms are pretty understandable. I'll move my attention to the new guy. Firstly, if he's bashing at the windows, I'd toggle his wind to inform the other players to temp cease any interaction with him. The new player is pretty new, and may come from a LRP environment. I'd inform him why I winded him before telling him that only offering mexican food isn't a reasonable cause to try and murder someone. I'll also inform them of the rules that they may have not read yet.

CnaymToday at 10:22
You start writing your answer, but as soon as the character sprite drops to the floor they log out.

NukeToday at 10:22
Then it's shut. They show a habit of disconnecting to escape staff intervention and they'll be pointed to the fourms if they wish to be unbanned and have a discussion.
It'll be noted of course
I'd also tell whomever is around to free up their job slot via cryo.
and tell the chef that it was handled

CnaymToday at 10:26
Perfect. You enter a reason for the ban and set it to perma (during your trial another staff member has to do it for you).
We never hear from that guy again.

Let's move to the final part.
What prompted you to post your third moderator application and what do you think makes you stand out from the other applicants?

NukeToday at 10:28
Experience really, something to help the server and give it another shot because it does teach you a lot of general life skills and practice with dealing with people. I may not stand out a whole lot from the other applicants, but I've never forgotten Aurora as a community. I've been around for around three years at this point. This was three years of linear improvement for me regardless. The first application was failed, second was a test, and why not go for a third and give it another shot?

CnaymToday at 10:32
Okay, going to be a bit blunt here. In your previous two applications, you were denied for what was a lack of the desired  maturity level we were locking for in a moderator.
how do you feel you have changed in the last years, and do you feel  like you are now at a point where you can moderate effectively?
Keep in mind that as a member of staff there'll be much less  room for shenanigans, since you'll be expected to uphold our rules and act as a role model for the  community.

NukeToday at 10:39
Of course, being blunt is what helps people improve. You can't exactly improve someone if you're coddling them. I've been punished heavily before on the server, and at the end of the day, alb giving me a perm synth and antag ban made me pull my stuff together. The first application was a flop, I was new and stupid. Same with the CCIA. The second application is better, but I still had some issues and I understood and moved on. I was 16 without a view of the world itself. I've learned a lot since in general (partially with me putting myself through a military school). Can I moderate effectively? That's perhaps a question best learned then straight up told. I may meme a lot and shitpost, but when in position of authority (which I have been), I do feel like I can put on the different face and do the job. Yes, I've had my issues. I've had my experiences. I've had my disagreements with other members of the community. I'm perhaps far from perfect, but no one is ever truly perfect. We can only hope to strive for it.

CnaymToday at 10:43
While we are on the topic of handling people.
Your current discord name (I Abuse IE) in combination with the recent incident that involved a shock circuit going toe to toe with a raider team left a sour taste in the mouth of some of the current staff. Would you like to explain more about this situation from your viewpoint, maybe give an Idea how you would have handled it from a staff position?

NukeToday at 10:54
Yes, I understand it, and I feel like the removal of the shocker circuit, at least a nerf, is completely warranted. I can understand how it may leave a sour taste in both the staff the the raiders. I never really thought how effective the shocker circuit could be until directly used as a suppression device and quickly realized during that particular round how it could leave someone stun locked (Which I did somewhat avoid by wheeling the device away a little).  It is a gray area. There has never been something that allows someone to remote into a weapon such as a drone from across the station and suppress antags with. Immediately after, I did put a suggestion on the forums. It was somewhat silly of me and I understand memeing a glaring issue may cause some lash back. Perhaps I did take it a bit too far, but what's done is done, and I tend to keep discord names around until I decide something needs to take its place. IE is weird, give it a purpose, you can make something that you're deeply proud of. I personally figured out how to use the ranged sensor through the cameras to do such a feat. In a staff perspective, again, it's a complete gray area and may just warrant an immediate nerf due to the difficulty that followed in trying to process if it was actually warranted or not. Since then I've only scarcely did control runs of the drone concept while antag once or twice while refusing to simply hand over the design details willy nilly unless hinted via IC means. Before that particular round, I did give security the same type of drone, but since then, I never gave them it. I think my PR is still floating around to nerf shocker circuits, and I'm honestly half tempted to shut it to avoid a possible can of worms to open up. I may put it under community review on the fourms because if I try and do anything else with it, it'll fall out of my coding skills.

CnaymToday at 10:57
Solid answer. Let's shoot the last two questions and wrap this up then:
You have the power to change one thing on the server. What do you change?

NukeToday at 11:05
By no means am I frustrated to the core with anything. There is nothing that I despise to the core that makes me completely refusive to play. Perhaps add more RP mechanics to some of the antags such as malf, ling, ninja, and vampire. The top I feel like are notorious for being mechanically bound is ling which many other people voice their disagreements on. By no means can I actually code it, but if I could change it, I would. Ling and vampire are both gamemodes that rule under a same meta of get power and run around. To be fair, just doing the same seeking power play with both gamemodes feels extremely dry when you get actually pretty robust at it. No antags should be exclusively mechanically bound to an extent that it begins limiting RP potential in silly ways, such as bound traitor borgs unable to change their laws and unsink from the AI unless they either kill the AI or convince robotics of a reason to do such suspicious actions. I ahelped about twice asking and both responses kind of just stated 'that's how borg works'. That's why I made the PR to give traitor borgs a buff because since playing borg again, I've found that boundary very frustrating. Stating broken laws as a borg is something that adds to the round. It isn't just stating the standard lawset and toggling the 0th law statement to be off.

CnaymToday at 11:07
Okay. Do I have your permission to post this interview on the forums?

NukeToday at 11:07
Feel free