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Author Topic: Server Status  (Read 1282 times)

Masterjack

Re: Server Status
« Reply #20 on: October 11, 2010, 06:36:21 pm »
How about we add a spot on the server status page where a GM can click on it to show a GM is present and available. It does not need to show the actual name of the GM or what server they are on. GMs would not need to use the feature if the did not want to, for what ever reason.

At the same time we could add a spot for individual players to click on to show they are available for some action / RP.

The way I am thinking is that you would have to be logged in to layo and then access the forums server status page. Click on the buttons by your name and presto people know what you are doing. I have no idea if it is feasible or if it is possible. It does sound like a good compromise to quite a few threads and yes I would use such a feature as both a player and a GM.
 

Hellblazer

Re: Server Status
« Reply #21 on: October 11, 2010, 07:56:05 pm »
I like the idea you brought to click for player who are available/feeling like rping.

Lynn1020

Re: Server Status
« Reply #22 on: October 11, 2010, 10:42:33 pm »
Doesn't work for GMs and not sure how difficult it is to set it up... but I have seen where after logging in you can add yourself to "Looking for a Party List". It shows the character and the level.  It is wonderful when looking for a group!
 

jrizz

Re: Server Status
« Reply #23 on: October 11, 2010, 11:31:05 pm »
This information is already available, so all of the "against" statements dont make much sense. All that is really be asked is to make it a bit easier, anyone right now can log off and log back on to check for GMs or look at the player list, I think the request is just to add this same info to the server status page.

A much more useful item of information to show to all players on the server status screen would be location. That would save a heck load of Tells ;-)
 

Hellblazer

Re: Server Status
« Reply #24 on: October 11, 2010, 11:41:50 pm »
I can't agree with that jrizz sorry. For one thing on the IC side of things. I've had been part of RP a few times, where people were looking for one of my chars for a contract or an other. If the information was available, then it would make things even harder for me to be able to avoid being caught/killed. Just for that I have to disagree with showing the location of PC's to other pc's. Yes it would be easier to group up to rp and hunt. But for the nefarious type of characters, it's also going to make things impossible for them to rp.

darkstorme

Re: Server Status
« Reply #25 on: October 11, 2010, 11:47:33 pm »
Quote from: jrizz
This information is already available, so all of the "against" statements dont make much sense. All that is really be asked is to make it a bit easier, anyone right now can log off and log back on to check for GMs or look at the player list, I think the request is just to add this same info to the server status page.


The point that the "against" individuals are making, Jrizz, is that putting it on the Server Status page means
[list=a]
  • it's even easier to check, if you're so inclined - if you have to activate your client and log in, you might as well play anyway, GM or no, whereas if all you have to do is refresh a webpage, you might not, and miss out on playing with other people already in game.  
  • as Carillon mentioned, some bad apples would doubtless use the page to keep checking if a GM is watching before they go ahead and do something against the server rules.  Trickier to do that if you have to log all the way out and back in - and even then, you have no way of knowing whether a GM has logged in WHILE you're perpetrating whatever it is you're doing.


Quote

A much more useful item of information to show to all players on the server status screen would be location. That would save a heck load of Tells ;-)


In the past, there have been players who have done things that were borderline griefing, by pestering people with Tells to find out where their character is, or actually searching through areas in the hopes of "bumping into" someone they know to be online - but at least the victim had the choice of not telling them.  Imagine if they knew where to go.  As you say, it just takes a Tell to join up with someone if they're feeling like joining up with you - that isn't so onerous.
 

jrizz

Re: Server Status
« Reply #26 on: October 11, 2010, 11:49:49 pm »
@HB that is a very good point. The first good reason I have ever heard for not showing PC location. Too bad you have such a good reason :P because it would be great OOC info to have in order to group up or make play no play choices :)
 

Hellblazer

Re: Server Status
« Reply #27 on: October 11, 2010, 11:54:13 pm »
Well if it was a turn on/off option. Then I'd have no objection with it at all. That's asking more coding though.

jrizz

Re: Server Status
« Reply #28 on: October 11, 2010, 11:54:15 pm »
Quote from: darkstorme
[LIST=a]
  • as Carillon mentioned, some bad apples would doubtless use the page to keep checking if a GM is watching before they go ahead and do something against the server rules.  Trickier to do that if you have to log all the way out and back in - and even then, you have no way of knowing whether a GM has logged in WHILE you're perpetrating whatever it is you're doing.

For the very very few that want to use the information for breaking rules it is available to them and they will go the extra yard to get it. So using that as a reason to not show it on the server page is vilifying the whole community on account of the very very few.
 

Rowana

Re: Server Status
« Reply #29 on: October 12, 2010, 02:04:51 am »
Quote from: jrizz
For the very very few that want to use the information for breaking rules it is available to them and they will go the extra yard to get it. So using that as a reason to not show it on the server page is vilifying the whole community on account of the very very few.

Actually, I think this may be a matter of perspective, and you are certainly welcome to yours so don't think I am telling you are out right incorrect here. However, as a previous GM yourself, however, you are doubtlessly aware of the amount of our collective time goes into policing. In fact it has been cited in the past as one of the reason not as many quests are going on, which has been true for some time. I believe darkstorme's just-as-valid perspective is not an attempt to vilify the whole community, it's stating a fact (by his measure) that there are -enough- of those kinds of people out there that it will impact the ability of the current and active team to do their job with any accuracy and allow them to get back to the stuff they are supposed to be doing more of (questing). It would place the team at a disadvantage and jeopardize the community as a whole for the price of folks being able to ask a GM to run something for them the moment a GM is noticed on the server status page. The vast majority of the server populace is completely innocent for such necessary concerns but unfortunately there are a fair number of players who do cause a significant amount of work for the team by pushing the rules or outright breaking them. Plopping our presence on the server status, regardless of it's update delay, would make it that much easier for "them" to circumvent detection/witnessing and make the community that much more susceptible to crimes/injury. It's really not an issue of what "those people" already do to go that extra mile to avoid detection, it's about making it just that much easier for them and as a result, hurting the rest of you guys who are perfectly innocent and undeserving of having to deal with the more serious of consequences such as lost opportunities and goods. It would be a shame for a pretty pure intended feature (gods, did I just say Pseudo had a pure intent?) to be perverted (oh that's better) into a tool for "those guys" to use to hurt the rest of us.

Back to the topic matter at hand.... For my personal opinion of having GMs be made apparent to all via Server Status... With the amount of tells I get from players when I log in as a player with GM related things that are non-emergencies (and also excluding the very nice, very polite 'hey, howarya?'s) I would never, ever, ever be comfortable with a feature that forces me to reveal my presence. 90% of the time I am on the server it is because I already have something going (set up, policing, assistance non-quest, etc, etc, etc) and am already in process. It is absolutely fantastic that people want GM attention but like Dezza says, I'm already strapped for time, so much so that I don't get to log in as a player more than about once or twice a month if I'm lucky. Hopefully no offense is taken by this but I don't want someone to stalk my presence and then ask me to pay them attention jus' cause. I appreciate and can absolutely relate to the desire! I really do. It's just a simple fact that I already have so much on my plate for Layonara that gets squished in between when RL allows. The last thing I want to have to add to my list of Layo duties is to constantly disappoint any number of someones on the server that "Sorry no, I can't because I'm doing X,Y,Z already," to my duty list.

If there are GMs out there who would like the option to reveal themselves then that's great and I fully support those guys. For one thing each GM has a particular style and maybe a life of impromptus is how they best run their events. An optional clicky to reveal is fine so long as no one expects/forces me to use it. That would be a preferable way then say letting go a shout to say "Hey GM on board, let me know if you want anything!" as it tends to break immersion for RPers.

On another side of this idea that some of the others have touched on lightly... I still have this vision of Layo being all about RP before anything else. Sometimes (actually a great many times) just I want to log in and reward people sticking to that. This means the other 10% of my time is me trying to log in all stealthy like and just whack people for some exp for doing the stuff they were doing without any need for me to interfere, jump start, goad or force with my presence. To me -that- is where the magic is. I know there's a dwindling populace issue and it makes it harder to find that amongst (y)ourselves, much less having it happen in my 10% time margin. RP begets more RP as they say and I hope we can all work together to find great ways to be-getting more. I just don't think putting GMs on the constant spotlight (where the only refuge is to not be logged in) is a good way to do this. Letting GMs put themselves out there when they are ready is fine, but forcing them to be on the spot is quite possibly counter-productive for the intent of this feature.

~row
 

orth

For what it's worth, 4 years
« Reply #30 on: January 23, 2015, 02:52:38 pm »

For what it's worth, 4 years later, GMs can now easily toggle whether they wish to be shown on the server status or not.  If a GM shows on the server status it means they may have the time to help with anything, may be looking for some fun RP or are just hanging about.