Interview Naelynn

CnaymToday at 19:17
First of all, for the record, please state your ckey

NaelynnToday at 19:18
My Ckey is Naelynn

CnaymToday at 19:20
Good. If at any point of this interview you have questions, feel free to ask away.

We'll start with some question about the server in general, then go into a few simulated situations and then I'll shoot a question or two about your personality.
First one I got for you is this one:
In your own words; what is the goal of the aurora server? What do you think we are looking to provide with the server?

NaelynnToday at 19:22
Goal of the Aurora Server ... Tl;dr: To have fun and create an enjoyable thing for the community.

Expanded version coming next with more detailed thoughts

NaelynnToday at 19:35
As far as I know, Aurora is the only HRP server for SS13, and has this particular niche well covered. The code may not be the most up-to-date-rip-of-all-features-from-other-servers, nor it has the best sprites ever made by humanity, but it's undoubtedly a passion project. One that strikes a chord with a particular type of people who look to have an experience the other servers just don't cater to. 2.5 hours a round average? Insanity when compared to what I've seen from other servers yet.. That's just how Aurora is, and personally I wouldn't have it any other way.

Because of this niche that Aurora fills, and the fact that the server has been around for a long time, it's reasonable to say that the server is a staple -> A well established thing that has it's adoring users. This in turn serves to point to the first important thing to realize when it comes to your question: Aurora is NOT some whim or a mere experiment. It has gone BYOND that point and is now a proper thing.

Thus 1) Goal of Aurora is not some whim. It is something more focused on the long-term simply because the server survived the first few years of it's existence.
Second point that serves to show what aurora is about is to look at the environment it and it's staff tries to foster - Roleplay above Mechanics. Talk above Bullet. The pen actually is mightier than the sword here. Aurora looks to create stories - ones that people will look back to. These stories foster connections between people - like all multiplayer games do. But because of the focus on stories, there is more than one could expect there.

Stories are brought about by characters, and characters have charms, thoughts and feelings that probably differ from those who play them.  This is a strange and interesting psychological phenomena - as a person may love another one's character, but not like the player.

Thus, second point that helps me identify Aurora's goal and identity is..

2) Connections between characters and their players.
This needs a little addendum: These connections serve to create a rather invested community that wants to see this little corner of the world flourish.

Finally, there is the third point - I've outlined my believes on the server itself, the players and characters.. but there is the mechanical construct carrying those two missing.

The mechanical skeleton of aurora is different. Aurora doesn't focus on empowering it's players, nor providing DeepestExperienceEver[TM] via it's gameplay. Rather our mechanics focus on customization - expression in more ways than just text. Our characters have the ability to set descriptions of their own items, we have the ability to choose to belong multiple factions, create detailed records that people actually read...

Things like these are one of the two main pillars of Aurora's mechanics.
The second pillar is..

.. lack of lethality.

My favorite example is the Energy Axe - this item is acquirable from the vault's safe, but on other servers it deal [I think] 140 damage per hit, which can further be amplified by syndicate force gloves.

On aurora, these tools have been reduced to smidgen of their 'kill' power. Yes, 60 damage per swing is still a lot, but it's not one shot. Our gloves do not mult. damage [anymore]... Our tasers and batons are not 1-hit powerhouses. If it comes to combat, it's already gone wrong somewhere, and Aurora emphasizes this greatly.

Thus, 3) Aurora's mechanical skeleton exists as a support to the stories created by players.
Taking all of this into consideration, it is clear to me that Aurora is focused on providing a unique service other servers simply don't offer - an environment focused on creating stories with other people. Connections. A more human form of fun than the power fantasies commonly encouraged elsewhere.

CnaymToday at 19:47
A long one, but that is not a problem. Detailed answers give us a better insight. Next question I have for you is this one, take your time: What do you think are the biggest issues with aurora, presently? What do you think you'd work to improve, or remove if that's the case?

NaelynnToday at 19:48
Aurora's core issues & What would you change to fix them... oof that's a complicated question.

Tl;dr: Aurora faces 2 issues that I can think of right now that have the potential to derail it.

1) The 'peak' of everything in the game is 'weapon'.
2) The server lacks the ability to undertake large-scale professional projects.

How to fix
1) Change the game so the epitome of everything arn't weapons or weaponized implements.
2) Community donation for something huge in the works with public updates - potential to outsource work to professionals.

Long version incoming

This question is very, very hard for me to answer as I'm not privy to the direction where the head staff wants to go with the server - I don't know the mission statement and the vision of Aurora.

As such, I'm going to blindly guess at what that is based off my previous answer.
 (Vision) Creating the best character-driven stories on BYOND.
 (Mission) We look to provide players the best tools and abilities to express themselves within the bounds set by our lore.

Now that I've established what I believe to be the two core values for Aurora, I can provide an answer to the question asked. >>>
1) The 'peak' of everything in the game is 'weapon'.
   - This may not seem intuitively obvious right away, but it is mechanically encouraged. The peak of research is weaponry. The peak of security is armory. The peak of cargo is ordering guns. The peak of chemistry is grenades and syringe gun. The peak of surgery is planting explosives inside someone. The peak of engineering are flamethrowers and fortifications.
         - You may disagree with me on this point and point out the few exceptions that exist - like using surgery to insert a live rat into someone's chest. Or bartending - but these are far less common.
   - Aurora thus walks a very fine line - looking to encourage character driven role play, when a gun or a sword can solve the issue as well while being faster. This manifests in multiple ways on the server - the aforementioned fact that the highest tier of research provides exclusively weaponry... and the fact that 'self-antagging' exists. It is both a cultural and mechanical phenomena that is slowly being chipped away by the lore and coding teams.
   - A solution to this issue exists in the form of large-scale changes, which without question would have many detractors and could endanger the server. This is not an optimal solution. >>
- Thus, taking a clue from team [Rework, don't remove] there is the possibility of changing this in a different way without upsetting the balance. Give research cool and interesting items at the peak of RnD. Give security more interesting non-lethal [ex: A wrist item [ring accessory] that each officer can ping from their PDA and tells them location of the wearer and the name on the id worn + warns if removed] options unlocked via blue-armory, and keep all lethal options in red-armory. Allow chemists to create wild things in style of mad scientists from the sci-fi stories they all secretly want to be. [Ex: a recipe that randomizes every round that is uncovered by clues of how other substances react, allowing for creation of a panacea that can mend bones and cure internal bleedings] and so on and so forth.
  - Characters whether they want to or not all strive for greatness in the field they operate - this is simply because the player piloting them becomes more proficient at the task and it becomes repetitive. When the mechanics become repetitive, a chore so to say, that player will look elsewhere to have fun. In good cases this will be RP. In bad cases, this creates people who bumrush the 'peak' items and try to have fun with those. Which is an issue, because most 'peak' items are weapons. >>

The second issue I pointed at in my Tl;dr is:
2) The server lacks the ability to undertake large-scale professional projects.

Aurora is an enthusiast-driven project - this has it's merits and downsides, as all things do.

The primary downside is simple: There is no binding thing making sure that something gets done.

If Aurora wants to undergo some huge project... say, if we wanted to resprite every single machine object in game to be of a unified aesthethic for it's faction and have faction variants for the commonly used items, this project would take months if not years. This could be avoided by having a community driven 'pot' to which people can chip in.

However, to not disrupt the playerbase, this would have to be handled extremely carefully. The pot would have to be visible to public, but not pushed on them like some Free2Play cash shop - that would only work against the server's interest. Furthermore, due to our enthusiast nature, I would recommend a 'bounty' system rather than outright hiring people to do the work.

Instead of saying 'Here's $100, now do this', I would recommend this to be 'I want this done, and whoever delivers will get $100. Currently working on this is: Person X'

CnaymToday at 20:26
Sounds good. The next one is more about the task of moderator itself. Assuming you make it to trial, you'll have to deal with people who disagree with you, or who you consider friends. How exactly do you think you will handle this?

NaelynnToday at 20:31
Ah, I'd love to say that it's not an issue and that I can always be impartial... alas, I'm but a human, and unable to divorce myself from emotions altogether.

Thus, I'll split it into categories and provide best answer I can:

1) People who disagree.
   - This I believe will not be a big hurdle for myself as evidenced by the very first character complaint against me by Mogelix, or the recent Vaurca app I've had declined.
   - I would listen to their opinion, attempt to understand their reasoning and if I can't figure it out ask for clarification. I don't have to agree with their position to understand where they are coming from.
   - When I do understand where they are coming from, then I believe it would be right to handle the issue at hand.
   - This has the added advantage of learning in case I am wrong.
   - Since I am making an active effort to understand their frustration, I find that people are more receptive to my own critique and tend to behave better after I recommend something.

Tl;dr: I strive to abide by the creed: "Make friends, not foes." Where possible anyway. As such understanding the other party is critical. Only when they are understood can the situation be resolved.

2) People who are friends.
   - This.. is more complicated than I'd like to admit. Friends are people who you have a connection with and don't want to see troubled.
   - Pointing out that a friend made a mistake is not an issue for me, the issue comes at a point where I have to convince them that they need to change.
   - Thus, if I have to seriously BWOINK a friend over something important, I will close my eyes and take a moment to collect, before being as formal as possible, thinking of it as writing a document at work - something utterly impersonal and yet polite.
   -  If  I will ever feel that I am unable to get the point across due to said friendship, I believe I have no issue passing the ticket to someone better qualified to handle it.
3) People who are malicious/willfully ignorant
This category wasn't mentioned, but from experience I know it'll be the group that will drive me up the wall.
   - Being someone who's focused on doing my best to always understand where other people are coming from, and fighting my own emotions if I don't think they are helping is the core of this issue for me.
   - This is because people who 'just don't care' about how their actions impact others, people who just don't care to learn.. they are essentially my anathema - antimatter to my matter.
   - If I have to deal with such a person, I would once again resort to the overtly polite work document approach, but there's a limit to my patience - from experience this is about 45 minutes of stubborn non-interrupted confrontation with the other person.
   - Once again same rule apply. If I believe I am no longer fit to handle the issue, pass it to someone who will do better.
Addendum: assuming there is no one else to take over and I have to resolve the issues by myself, yet I do not feel fit to handle the issue for whatever reason, the solution is simple: Stand up from the computer, take a five minute break - cold shower, walk outside, anything. Clear my head, return, and try again.

CnaymToday at 20:44
Allright let's head to the example scenarios. Those are typical situations that we have to handle almost every round. The names may change, but most situations are either mechanical questions or default issues like someone picking a wrong name and so on. First of all a list of powers you get as mod, read them carefully and ask away if you need details on something.

powers:
Admin PM > You can PM a guy, bwoink them
Toggle Wind > Comes up on right click, you can freeze a guy and they won't get back up
Add Note > Adds a note to their record
Warn > Can add a severe or normal warning
Kick > Disconnect someone from the server and gives them a message you entered
Ban > Self explainatory. Our usual escalation is in days, 1 to 3 to 7 to perma, as a trial you cannot permaban and a moderator has to do it for you
View Variables > You can view a mob's variables. Their HP, their combat logs, their status, and so on and so forth. If you aren't sure if you can do something with it you can ask me
Check Antagonists > Check all antagonist characters and their roles

First one is a classic, while playing you see the following: George Bush, Corporate Reporter, has awoken from cryogenic revival! How do you handle the situation?

NaelynnToday at 21:03
The rules clearly state that characters should not be references or nonsensical.

If the reference is obscure, or at least there is a hint of an attempt to veil it behind something usually from what I've seen the player is given a chance to show that there is more to the character than just shouting catchphrases.

However, George Bush is a famous and more importantly POLITICAL figure. There is approximately a snowflake's chance in hell that this is going to go well.

As such, the process I believe should be as follows:
Admin PM > Hello, got a minute? I was curious about your name, can you tell me why you chose it?

Here we get into multiple possible outcomes depending on how the person choses to reply, but I'll try to sum them up for the most common expected outcomes

1) Don't you know who George W. Bush is? I wanna spice the round with some political commentary!
   - Yeah no. This player would be asked to rename the character.

2) Umm... Idk.. I'm new here and couldn't think of a name... is this a problem?
   - I feel the player and don't harbor any bad will. Take some time, explain them what's the issue and help them out with character name that would be better suited.
3) IT's just a joke, chill your tits.;. .fucking mods I swear to gods...
   - Suuuure it is buddy. Abide by the rules, hardline.

4) Hey Naelynn! Let me have this buddy, I have a plan :D
   - Sorry friend, rules are rules and I have to be aware of the fact that I'm friends with you. Probably be more of a prude than normal just to make sure.

5) Hello! I thought the name sounded cool, I'm not going to do anything weird...
   - This is probably the hardest one. I would ask the player if a non-referential name would do the trick, but I'm not gonna force it right away.  This player has not shown any inclination towards using the reference as a reference. I would recommend they change the character name at the start of next round.


Consider winding if the player is uncooperative.
Apply notes where appropriate. Apply warning if this is a repeat issue.
Apply kick or ban should the situation escalate beyond any reasonable measure. [extremely unlikely]

CnaymToday at 21:07
Okay, let's take a step back here. For the first question this is okay, but the others are more meant to be a back and forth. You basicly shoot me a first Idea and I let you know how the situation continues, what and how they respond and so on. Let's try that with the seccond one: You are playing a round as you suddenly see an ahelp pop up, "This guy just killed me without any reason!", what do you do?

NaelynnToday at 21:12
Okay, so I just recieved an Ahelp that says "This guy just killed me without any reason!". Being the type of person who I am, I prefer my chat to go by slowly so I most likely had attack logs, aooc and all that jazz off. As such, I need to figure things out alternatively.

Reply: "Hey, can you tell me what happened? I'd like to hear your side of the story first"

While the player types it out, I would check antag status on both the victim and the killer + scout out their notes to figure out their behavior pattern.

CnaymToday at 21:15
The victim in this case has a couple of notes about the usual stuff, talked about the naming rules, talked about using cryo when they have to leave and that kind of stuff. Just a couple notes, no warning.
The offender has no notes at all on his account.
After a minute you get this as reply, "Yeah uhm, I was just delivering some materials to science as a miner and the cheff jumped over the counter and killed me with his butcher knife. There was no RP or so, just walked up and started whacking me apart."

None of the players involved are antags, in fact it's a rather calm round of voted extendo.

NaelynnToday at 21:18
Reply to Victim: "Alright, thanks. I'll look into it."

Bwoink Killer: "Hey, there, what happened between you and the miner?"

At this point there's an urgent need to aghost over to the kill scene and check out if the scene looks appropriate to what was described to me.

At this moment, I'm very suspicious of the killer - new account that has no notes yet is somehow knowledgeable enough to know how to vault tables and kill people is a very bad sign.

If I see chef charging someone else, wind them.

CnaymToday at 21:21
You jump over and see that the cheff is back in his kitchen cooking something in the microwave. They don't respond to your bwoink.

NaelynnToday at 21:28
Right. That's... That's not a good approach to things.

Reply to miner: "Issue is dealt with. The interaction is not cannon, but please join as a different character during this round. Thank you!"

Log the CKEY of the chef and - if possible - their ip.

As I'm not familiar with the correct procedure, I would seek to ask someone more experienced with situations like these for feedback - an admin if possible.

My recommendation to my senior would be to permaban this Ckey/Ip, as they obviously are not interested in actually playing by our rules - clearly familiar with the game. Probably throw away account.  However, as I'm not experienced, I'd like recommendation on how to act in a situation like this where I'm advocating for a serious punishment.

Finally, get someone to cryo the chef's body out of the round.

CnaymToday at 21:30
An admin does the perma and the cryo part. If they want to interact with our server again they can let us know on the forums.
Let's move to the last one.
While playing a round, you notice a bunch of logs of someone stabbing themself with a broken lightbulb. You're the only non-afk staff on at the time, what would you do?

NaelynnToday at 21:32
Oof, this one is personal, as I was once on a recieving side of such a bwoink.
Right, suicide is essentially a taboo thing on Aurora. If people want to exit the round, there are cryobeds available almost everywhere.

Immidiately aghost over to said location and take in the scene. Speed is the key with this one.

CnaymToday at 21:37
You jump on over and see a prisoner in one of the isolation cells taking their life with a broken lightbulb. They have smashed in the camera and the light and are now busy killing themself.

NaelynnToday at 21:38
Wind played into bwoink -> "Hey, can I talk with you for a moment? Why are you trying to kill yourself?"

CnaymToday at 21:40
They answer rather quickly with, "I'm antag and got caught, my gimmik was that my character needs to steel something from the vault or their family would be killed so since I failed and can't cryo I'm now ending it myself."
As you read over that an officer jumps into the cell and drags the wounded body of.

NaelynnToday at 21:42
As I thought, the player is missinformed about their rights in security. It's not that they are malicious, but they probably just don't know better. I should give them benefit of the goodwill.

At this point, I would quickly verify their antag status just to be sure, and the account's notes. I expect to see small-ish amount of notes indicating a new-ish account.

[I would check the notes first, then reply. So I need to know what I see]

CnaymToday at 21:44
Notes are harmless, a bit of a troublemaker as antag, a note or two about killing to quickly as cultist, nothing that raises an eyebrow. Their antag status shows that they are a traitor. The body is getting treated in medical now.

NaelynnToday at 21:47
Reply: "Alright, everything seems to check out. The reason why I winded you is because suicide is pretty much against the rules. The characters on aurora worked their assess off to be where they are today. Antagonists ontop of that have responsibility to drive a conflict. From what you told me, you tried to do that and that's really great! You as a prisoner have the right to ask to be transfered to a cryo cell - security has them in their brig. This way you can exit out of the round without committing suicide and play a new character faster than if you went the suicide route because you don't need to break cuffs or anything! :) I'd like to unwind you now, but before I do, what do you plan on doing next?"

CnaymToday at 21:49
They replay with "Well they treat me now, so I will ask to get put into cryo. Just for the next time, because this would have made much more sense ICly, can I just ahelp for suicide or so?"

NaelynnToday at 21:51
Reply: "Sorry, I don't think any admin would allow your character to commit suicide. But you can always ask security to put you in a cryo cell if they catch you. Anything else I can help you with? :)"

CnaymToday at 21:52
Final reply is "No, thanks for letting me know." You wish them a good round and close the ticket. Anything else you want to do?

NaelynnToday at 21:53
Assuming I'm not in the round myself, I would hover over the player and make sure everything goes well. If someone would try to give him hell for cryoing out of being HuT [a.k.a: Isolation] I would bwoink that player.

Also, add a note to the player's account describing the incident. I don't believe warning is necessary or appropriate here.

CnaymToday at 21:56
That sounds fair, yeah. Okay situations handled, let's move to the  personal questions which mark the last part of this interview.
What prompted you to decide to submit a moderator application, and what qualities do you feel you possess that make you a good choice for us to pick?

NaelynnToday at 22:02
Why did I submit a mod app? Well... Some of the friends I've made on Aurora said that they think I'd do well. I've.. been sitting on that nugget of thought for several months now, thinking about it. What finally made me do it? Honestly it was spur of the moment decision, but writing the app felt like taking a rock off my back - felt right. So I went with it and submitted it.  I'm afraid I don't have some grand reason..

Why should we choose you? I think of myself as a very patient person who's good at listening to others. Furthermore, I believe one of my best qualities is how I handle crisis situations. - I can make quick decisions on the spot, even if it's not my preferred thing, and I'm not afraid to own up to mistakes that rise up as a result of said decisions. That exactly is the most important quality of someone in a quasi-managerial position I believe - the ability to accept responsibility.

CnaymToday at 22:05
True, that is one of the most important parts of being staff. We do make mistakes and there is not just one or two people searching for them. Onto the next one.
From the recent complaint against you and the feedback on your app, it sounds like a lot of people have an issue with your antag playstyle. Do you think it will in any way influence your abillitiy to make decisions as a staff member?

NaelynnToday at 22:07
I'd lie if I said no.

Here's what I expect my status as 'really dangerous antagonist' or whatever is an appropriate term to call it would do to me in my mod career:

1) Some people will not be happy with me handling their tickets because they will feel I will be biased against them. I will do my best to not be biased of course, but if a person requests someone else to handle their ticket, I have no issue fulfilling their wish.
With the exception of me being the only available staff - in which case I'd explain the situation and ask them to bear with it as there are no other options left.

2) I believe myself very mechanically-knowledgeable player. I believe I will be able to use my knowledge to help players sort out situations that otherwise might require admin intervention. Example: "Help, I was following a guide on cracking the safe in the vault, and I'm pretty sure i've done it right, but my friend said it's now glitched." - being in this situation myself many times, and knowing the intricacies of the issue, I would be able to walk them through resolving the issue through in game means despite the supposedly 'glitched' item. This has the bonus of not requiring the player to ahelp about the issue in the future.

3) I'm aware of the fact that I really like playing antagonists. This... will always be at the back of my mind. An inherent bias I will not be able to be rid of. As such, I believe I might end up 'overcompensating' for the bias and be more strict towards antagonists or security personnel, or on the other hand too lenient.

4) Having this status is also a big boon in the fact that I've been bwoinked many times myself about a miriad of edge cases and as a result i'm very familiar with the the do-and-don't list of what antagonist players can do. As a result, I believe myself very suited to handling antag related tickets despite the aforementioned bias.

5) I firmly believe that with due time, people will see that I'm improving at everything I do. I make mistakes, but I own up to them and learn from them. Because of this, if someone points out a flaw in my reasoning, I will know better next time. As such - Even if my reputation may hamper me at first, I will rise up to the occasion and allow time and quality speak for itself. I'm sure people will end up accepting me because of this, even if right now they might be afraid due to said reputation.

CnaymToday at 22:17
Allright, that completes the interview. Last question as usual: May I publish this on your application?

NaelynnToday at 22:17
Of course! Thank you for your time!