The GM Policy

[Shaman]

This is an honest question, and I know plenty of others who are wondering as well, so leave it open for discussion - what does the GM team do at this point aside from run events? I've noticed that there's an "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" thing going around now, where basically, if anything you ask for doesn't include a bug of some sort, they won't do anything to help you. Sometimes it isn't even that, and they tell you to /die to fix your bug. Well, if that's the case, GMs really do nothing but run events. They can't fix bugs, that's not their jurisdiction, so is that what else are they really responsible for?

Edit: To throw out the obvious, I made a petition reporting someone for drawing in Hydlaa by dropping items - an honest report, isn't it? My petition was answered back saying that he wasn't the one dropping the items. Uh...I happened to be standing there for a few minutes watching him do it, so the only way that it COULDN'T have been him doing it, is if the GM took his side when he used the dead-horse of an excuse "it wasn't me!", which of course, still means he was doing it, but no action was taken.

[Vannaka]

They're automatically advisors on the help channel now, so they probably spend a lot of time answering questions.  They also move people quite a bit (if everyone has the same 'map not found' issues as i do), and i believe they deal with the naughty little children that break the rules 

[Raa]

GMs watch for player misconduct and respond to petitions. Other than that, I don't think they do anything else.

[Shaman]

Maybe I worded the question wrong. At this point, it doesn't really seem like petitions are answered (I've gotten a lot of responses that are hastily written or not looked into, as with my player report just earlier today that was closed because the GM took his side over the witness), but I couldn't say anything about the help channel since I never use it. That's one thing. However, with the policy the way it is, answering is one thing, but solving doesn't seem to be the case so much anymore, unless solving is writing a quick reply and going on your merry way to the next one.

One thing that bugs me is the "newer players are required to have a last name" rule. Is this even a rule, written in the actual policy, or just something GM's say to not have to change the last name? Yes, flame me, I'd love that. However, plenty of NPC's don't have a last name, and older players don't either (note, some of those older players started playing after last names were required in character creation, but they requested to get them removed and the GM's did so). Is there a reason for this (and I've heard everything you can possibly say in response to me that'll change the subject and attack me personally) recent string of lazy responses?

[Kerol]

Aside from restoring dozens and dozens of players from map problems a day, rename bad names, help players with quest issues, forward bugs to the tracker and test them thoroughly, help settings to actually fix the quest issues and engine to fix engine issues, help players with game play problems and advices via help channel, we don't get to do much.

Edit: And last names are not removed anymore - simple as that.

[Shaman]

Telling them to /die, telling players to remake their characters, and telling them to use the bugtracker. The rest get handled from what I've seen, but the three I just mentioned are the actual general responses I've gotten from petitions.

[neko kyouran]

Aside from restoring dozens and dozens of players from map problems a day, rename bad names, help players with quest issues, forward bugs to the tracker and test them thoroughly, help settings to actually fix the quest issues and engine to fix engine issues, help players with game play problems and advices via help channel, we don't get to do much.

Edit: And last names are not removed anymore - simple as that.

[Kerol]

1. Since the introduction of the death curse, the only times a GM tells someone to /die is when the GM is not able to help, which can be the case when it is a GM prospect being on their own, since they don't have the power to move people.

2. The only times I can think of a GM will tell someone to remake their character is when they complain about having taken an undesired branch in a quest, which is their own fault and responsibility.

3. GMs will always advise people to use the bugtracker for code issues to get them accustomed to it. However, in most cases we help with the issue and in the past I personally have transferred many reports to the tracker and referred to them in my replies so people would see where to look.