Admin Policy & Conduct: Difference between revisions

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Conduct we expect from [[Administrators|admins]] acting in an official capacity both in and out of the servers. If you have concerns with an admin violating any of these, make a [https://tgstation13.org/phpBB/viewforum.php?f=23 complaint] or PM a Head Admin.
Conduct we expect from [[Administrators|admins]] acting in an official capacity both in and out of the servers. If you have concerns with an admin violating any of these, make a [https://forums.beestation13.com/c/player-input/admin-reports/21 complaint] or PM a Head Admin.


==Rules==
==New Admins==
* You must apply on the forums following the rules and template to have a shot at being an Admin.
* You may not apply for Admin while server banned from either server. You may not apply if you are Discord banned either.
* New Admins must be at least 18 years old.
* Trial Admins may vote from +1 to -1 on an Admin application. Admins and above may vote from -2 to +2.
* The Head Admins may accept an application even if it doesn't have a positive tally. This also applies vice versa, applications that have a positive score may be rejected.


==Senior Admins==
* Senior Admins are selected by the Head Admins.
* There is no limit to how many Senior Admins there can be at once.
* Senior Admins have the added benefit of being able to vote on Trial Admin Promotions.
* Senior Admins can approve events but cannot approve their own.
* Senior Admins can not overrule other Admins.
==Head Admins==
* The Head Admin role is an elected position. Only Admin and above may apply. The ones that apply will be voted on by Trial Admins and above. Each candidate will be given a score between 0 to +5. The vote will end 1 week after it starts. The candidate(s) with the highest score is elected. Candidates may vote for themselves.
* Head Admins have a 1-year term. They must give up the position for another election to take place after their time is up.
* Ex-Head Admins may apply for Head Admin again, given that they're eligible.
* Head Admins that do not resign after their term is up will be given the Senior Admin position.
* Head Admins are automatically considered to be within the Council.
* Head Admins must deal with everything from Admin Reports to New Rulings among many other things.


* '''Be in IRC if you're going to admin on the servers.''' 
==Impartiality and transparency==
* Do not resolve tickets/reports about you.
* In addition, do not punish a player who broke a rule against your own character and instead leave that to another admin.
* Ensure tickets and situations are handled equally across all players.
* Any form of bias in dealing with players is not tolerated, favoritism from players or other staff should not weigh in the decision making process.
* Any and all bans/notes/strikes/basically ADMIN related issues, whether from Discord, the server or the forums, are to be discussed and carried out on Text/messaging instead of VCs in order to log whatever is discussed/talked * about. Under no circumstances are issues regarding ban appeals, strikes or note appeals be discussed in a public nor a one-on-one text/VC chat, and when an agreement/result is reached, it shall be posted for the public in order to maintain transparency and consistency/coherence with the admin team.


==Banning Policy==
* If someone breaks the rules, and they get punished IC by another player or in-game by coincidence, do not take that into account. IC and OOC punishments are not comparable, and notes should be handed out regardless as a record. Unless the normal punishment would be done IC, in-game consequences for broken rules should have no bearing on the outcome of a ticket.
* Job bans are to be given out when a player has shown to be too incompetent or non-compliant to play as a role properly without compromising the game for others.
* Server bans are to be given out when a player has shown to be non-compliant with our rules or is activity malicious towards the server, the staff, or other players.
* Regarding repeat violations: With each record of a violation the severity of the punishment escalates to the next degree of punishment (IE: Note > Minor > Major > Perma). However, if a ban is appealed the punishment should not escalate. You should also not ban people simply because they have a lot of notes, they are only there to adjust the punishment on a new offense.


* '''Privacy is expected by the players. Do not publicize IP(s) and computer IDs (cids) anywhere in game or outside.'''
==Trial Admin Policy==
===General Conduct===
* Trial Admins must have their tickets reviewed by an admin to issue a server ban. This rule does not apply to job bans. Trial Admins may apply job bans at their own discretion unless a higher ranking admin rules otherwise.
* Trial Admins are to put who authorized the ban in their server bans. In the event the ban does not include the banning admin, it must be edited and put in.


===Trial Admin Promotions===
In order for a Trial Admin to be promoted to the full admin position the following conditions must be met:
# Trial Admins must have served at least 30 days within the administrative team and been active in that time.
# They must have dealt with a minimum of 100 tickets.
# There must be no active admin reports against the Trial Admin.
Upon these conditions being met, a vote will be held among the Head Admins, Senior Admins and Host.
* Before being promoted in this manner, it is likely that questions regarding tickets will be asked, which can be unique to each time.
* In the event this vote fails, Trial Admins must serve another month. If the Head Admins decide you are unfit, you may be demoted and forced to reapply within a month.


* '''Trial Admins are expected to follow the instructions of Game Admins. If you have a problem with what a Game Admin is telling you, ask the adminbus for more opinions.'''
==Notes==
* Read the notes to determine if they’re relevant to the player’s current misconduct. To ensure a consistent record is kept for repeat offenders, include the number of similar notes in your note.
* When writing notes, describe the misconduct and how the player responded. Be sure to include the rules broken, how cooperative the player was in the ticket, and any information or warnings given to the player.
* Do not show a player someone else's notes, be it through Discord or in-game means. If they want to share it, they can do so through the OOC tab in-game.
* While notes expire automatically after some time, it is encouraged to manually set the time for them anyways.


==Playing the game==
* When in-game as a player, it’s advised to de-admin while playing essential roles. Essential roles include: Antagonists, Heads of Staff, Security, and Silicons. Though this rule is not strictly enforced it is recommended to follow to avoid any incidental metagame. If you’re the only admin online feel free to ignore this rule to maintain activity in tickets.
* Inform the other admins online if you are going to deadmin in order to play. This rule is simple common courtesy to keep the admin team informed and coordinated. While not heavily enforced if caught abandoning admins during a busy round to avoid tickets you may be punished.
* If you are alone and wish to play, stay adminned.


* '''Don't cheat. Never use admin powers on yourself if you are playing or planning on playing the round. Do not use your admin verbs to gain yourself an IC advantage.'''
==Messing with the criminal==
* Messing with rule breakers must result in a punishment equal to the crime, if any action is to be taken at all.
* Admin favoritism is not acceptable, giving boons/punishments must be the result of actions within the current round and independent of OOC factors.


==Events and proper protocol==
Admin Events are large-scale modifications to the round that would dramatically affect the typical flow of the game. When doing an admin event, you must do the following:
* Before the event even begins a player vote must be held (OOC Tab) with a majority in favor of participating in the event.
* An admin announcement must be made explaining that an admin event is occurring, any information or expectations from the players must also be included. If a part of the event requires the exemption of any of the server rules, those rules must be stated as well.
* The admin(s) holding the event and managing it’s construction are responsible to make sure the event and round are done properly.
* Events must have the approval of a Senior Admin or higher before occurring.


* '''Don't be a hypocrite. If you're doing something you'd normally ban someone for doing, you're breaking this.'''
==Innocent until proven guilty==
* Do not issue a punishment unless you can prove their misconduct through logs
* Same goes for accusations of lying in tickets, you need proof that it was intentional and not misinformation.


==Ticket Conduct==
* Admins should reply to every ticket even if it’s not relevant, inform the player of why before closing it.
* Do not intercept another admins ticket without asking them first, if you need to correct them or change their ruling use asay or PM the working admin instead.
* If a ticket becomes too complex or another issue prevents you from resolving it inform the other admins through asay and provide the ticket number.
* Obviously, handle tickets respectfully and do not be condescending or aggressive in admin PM’s. It is only an atmospherics simulator game for clowns.


* '''Don't handle adminhelps involving your own character. A simple "valid" for someone adminhelping about you, an antag, killing them, is fine, but don't debate your side of something with someone over admin PM's, have them make a ban request if they feel it's a major enough issue, or have another admin online at the time handle it.'''
==Rulings and Precedents==
* Head Admins can overrule other Admins.
* Senior Admins may not overrule other Admins. Their only added privilege from being an Admin is the ability to approve events.
* In edge cases or more complex rulings that you are uncertain about, refer to #precedent-zone in the Discord or ask for direct input through #adminhelp-help.


==Admin Strikes and Demotion==
* Admin strikes are issued by a Head Admin as a "punishment" for breach of conduct.
* When an Admin receives a total of three active strikes they are to be demoted from their position immediately.
* Violating the Admin Conduct will be judged based on what happened, how it happened, and external factors; with the introduction of admin notes.
* Admin strikes are removed by a Head Admin by a unanimous agreement to appeal the strikes.
* Trial Admins need only 1 strike to be removed from their position.
* The demotions of Senior Admins are to be handled by the Head Admins. Depending on the strike(s), they may be demoted to Admin or removed from staff completely.


* '''If you have a complaint against a player while you're playing yourself, adminhelp it like a player would. Let the admin handling your complaint deal with it impartially and don't demand or pressure them to rule in your favor. If you don't like their judgement then come talk to a Head Admin. Do not attempt to handle your own complaint.'''
==Behavior==
* Maintain a decent standard of professionalism when operating within the community. Insulting, harassing, or intentionally offending anyone in our community is not tolerated.
* If you are being insulted or harassed, don’t provoke or retort their behavior as it will only escalate hostility. You can choose to ignore them if they do this, but you should still attempt to resolve their ahelp or forum post in an efficient manner.
* Do not spam ping members of the community or staff.
* Remember that you set an example for the community and are expected to follow the same rules as strictly, if not more strictly, than standard members of the community.
* Do not leak admin channels without expressed consent from all parties involved and head admin+ approval. Even if the information has zero sensitive information in it, always get approval before posting from restricted channels.


 
==Antagonist Tokens==
* '''Do not touch another admin's ban without prior permission / talking to them. Exception to this being if the ban was placed by a Trial Admin or Admin Candidate.  If you do take over another admin's ban, be sure to provide explicit reasons why you have done so.  In the event that a ban issued by Game Admin is brought up and the issuing admin is no longer present it will be handled by a Head Admin.'''
* Antag tokens can only be given out when a server crashes because of an Admin (misuse of commands etc.) Host related server crashes do not count.
 
 
* '''If you are playing the game at all, you're expected to only use the admin panels when absolutely necessary. There's no reason to go and check the round type and the antag list the moment the round starts.'''
 
 
 
* '''Don't spam sounds and events. If you're queuing sounds one after the other, or if you're running an event every day, you're doing it too often.'''
 
 
==Guidelines==
 
* If you're unsure about something, ask your fellow admins for opinions in game and on adminbus. If there is lots of disagreement over an issue, ask a Head Admin for clarification.
 
 
* Adminhelps should be answered in a timely manner. Let the ahelper know you're looking into his complaint to acknowledge that you're looking into it.
 
 
* Let the ahelper know once you've resolved their complaint. You shouldn't tell them what the resolution was as long as the round is still ongoing as they could infer meta-information from it, but a simple "It's been resolved" can go a long way for them to know you're doing your job. If they insist on knowing what the resolution was, just tell them to adminhelp after the round ends, when it would be safe to tell them.
 
 
* Don't defer players to creating a forum ban request if you can help it. It's a lot easier and quicker to deal with it while the players are still online where you can question them.
 
 
* Maintain professional conduct both in game and outside of the game. It is expected that you take the position seriously. This doesn't mean you can't talk casually to the playerbase, but remain professional on the forums, as well as on other Space Station 13 communities.
 
 
* The adminPM BOINK sound is often startling to players and starting a PM in a hostile or threatening tone will often cause them to lash back at you. Starting the dialogue with a friendly and professional tone will make it more likely that the player will cooperate with you instead of escalating the situation into something nasty.
 
 
* Check notes of players being adminhelped for warnings and past aggressions.
 
 
* If you warn someone, use the notes function and actually type out "warned for x" so everyone else knows when you warned them and what for, in case of future aggressions.
 
 
* Do not interfere or try to add your own spice to events run by other admins.
 
 
* Please be careful if you choose to ‘test’ something you have little idea about.  If someone asks something like “How much damage does a stunbaton do”, that can be checked easily, but more outlandish questions, like pertaining to var editing, should be investigated on your own local server and not the thunderdome, as you risk crashing the server.
 
 
* If one player is acting like an asshole/spamming OOC feel free to mute them from OOC instead of just turning off OOC for everyone.
 
 
* You do not need to be anal about minor IC in OOC violations being performed by new players, things like references to the fact they've been disposaled 4 times this round. A warning will usually suffice. Players who do it with recent warnings/bans should be given a much harsher ban to get the point across to them.
 
 
* Don't perform actions just to intentionally piss off players, e.g. spamming buttons or editing sprites.
 
 
* Bans are either to teach a lesson, punish malicious behavior, or remove shitty players from the community. Banning for mistakes doesn't really serve any of these purposes (an honest mistake can be explained and in the future avoided without having the players experience ruined with a ban). Of course a jobban might be warranted if a mistake is repeated multiple times.
 
 
* Always try to consider what you'd have done in the players place. They don't have the luxury of piecing it together from attack logs, infinite time to make a decision, knowing every antag, etc. They'll act on incomplete information, they'll act on emotion. Don't judge them vs. perfect actions, but based on reasonable ones in their place.
 
 
* Upon banning someone, you are placed in charge of ensuring they understand why it is they were banned and are in charge of responding to any ban appeals they should make. Ignoring a ban appeal may lead to the person being unbanned by a headmin. At least have the courtesy to tell them "denied", and WHY. They don't have to agree with you, they just need to know why.
 
 
* Unless you're the only admin online, you're expected to de-admin while playing a sensitive role like security, the Captain, or the AI. You get to avoid the barrage of metainfo, and we can avoid player suspicions of admins cheating (Yes, we've had this real issue before). You also won't have to take a break from the action to answer adminhelps (and players won't become frustrated because you're too busy playing to help them).
 
 
* Do not stack sound files, or split long songs into smaller parts in order to play them. This creates a lot of slowdowns to the players especially in foreign countries, and those with bad internet connection.
 
 
* Don't be afraid to punish grief harshly. Have no mercy for those who deliberately try to ruin the game for others. Same goes for players who ignore warnings or otherwise repeat bad behavior.
 
 
* If you need someone to fill a role in-game, such as an event character or someone who is AFK, prioritize players over admins. We're here to create fun for them, not for ourselves. If you are killing or otherwise acting as an antag as an event character yourself, think twice.
 
 
* A good litmus test for whether the event/badminning you're doing is appropriate or not, is to think about whether you would have found it appropriate as a player or not.
 
 
* '''Above all, you're here to keep the game fun and fair for the players.'''

Revision as of 17:59, 25 September 2020

Note: This page is moderated and can be referenced in OOC issues, such as ban appeals, complaints, reports, etc. This may not apply to the pages this page links to.

Conduct we expect from admins acting in an official capacity both in and out of the servers. If you have concerns with an admin violating any of these, make a complaint or PM a Head Admin.

New Admins

  • You must apply on the forums following the rules and template to have a shot at being an Admin.
  • You may not apply for Admin while server banned from either server. You may not apply if you are Discord banned either.
  • New Admins must be at least 18 years old.
  • Trial Admins may vote from +1 to -1 on an Admin application. Admins and above may vote from -2 to +2.
  • The Head Admins may accept an application even if it doesn't have a positive tally. This also applies vice versa, applications that have a positive score may be rejected.

Senior Admins

  • Senior Admins are selected by the Head Admins.
  • There is no limit to how many Senior Admins there can be at once.
  • Senior Admins have the added benefit of being able to vote on Trial Admin Promotions.
  • Senior Admins can approve events but cannot approve their own.
  • Senior Admins can not overrule other Admins.

Head Admins

  • The Head Admin role is an elected position. Only Admin and above may apply. The ones that apply will be voted on by Trial Admins and above. Each candidate will be given a score between 0 to +5. The vote will end 1 week after it starts. The candidate(s) with the highest score is elected. Candidates may vote for themselves.
  • Head Admins have a 1-year term. They must give up the position for another election to take place after their time is up.
  • Ex-Head Admins may apply for Head Admin again, given that they're eligible.
  • Head Admins that do not resign after their term is up will be given the Senior Admin position.
  • Head Admins are automatically considered to be within the Council.
  • Head Admins must deal with everything from Admin Reports to New Rulings among many other things.

Impartiality and transparency

  • Do not resolve tickets/reports about you.
  • In addition, do not punish a player who broke a rule against your own character and instead leave that to another admin.
  • Ensure tickets and situations are handled equally across all players.
  • Any form of bias in dealing with players is not tolerated, favoritism from players or other staff should not weigh in the decision making process.
  • Any and all bans/notes/strikes/basically ADMIN related issues, whether from Discord, the server or the forums, are to be discussed and carried out on Text/messaging instead of VCs in order to log whatever is discussed/talked * about. Under no circumstances are issues regarding ban appeals, strikes or note appeals be discussed in a public nor a one-on-one text/VC chat, and when an agreement/result is reached, it shall be posted for the public in order to maintain transparency and consistency/coherence with the admin team.

Banning Policy

  • If someone breaks the rules, and they get punished IC by another player or in-game by coincidence, do not take that into account. IC and OOC punishments are not comparable, and notes should be handed out regardless as a record. Unless the normal punishment would be done IC, in-game consequences for broken rules should have no bearing on the outcome of a ticket.
  • Job bans are to be given out when a player has shown to be too incompetent or non-compliant to play as a role properly without compromising the game for others.
  • Server bans are to be given out when a player has shown to be non-compliant with our rules or is activity malicious towards the server, the staff, or other players.
  • Regarding repeat violations: With each record of a violation the severity of the punishment escalates to the next degree of punishment (IE: Note > Minor > Major > Perma). However, if a ban is appealed the punishment should not escalate. You should also not ban people simply because they have a lot of notes, they are only there to adjust the punishment on a new offense.

Trial Admin Policy

General Conduct

  • Trial Admins must have their tickets reviewed by an admin to issue a server ban. This rule does not apply to job bans. Trial Admins may apply job bans at their own discretion unless a higher ranking admin rules otherwise.
  • Trial Admins are to put who authorized the ban in their server bans. In the event the ban does not include the banning admin, it must be edited and put in.

Trial Admin Promotions

In order for a Trial Admin to be promoted to the full admin position the following conditions must be met:

  1. Trial Admins must have served at least 30 days within the administrative team and been active in that time.
  2. They must have dealt with a minimum of 100 tickets.
  3. There must be no active admin reports against the Trial Admin.

Upon these conditions being met, a vote will be held among the Head Admins, Senior Admins and Host.

  • Before being promoted in this manner, it is likely that questions regarding tickets will be asked, which can be unique to each time.
  • In the event this vote fails, Trial Admins must serve another month. If the Head Admins decide you are unfit, you may be demoted and forced to reapply within a month.

Notes

  • Read the notes to determine if they’re relevant to the player’s current misconduct. To ensure a consistent record is kept for repeat offenders, include the number of similar notes in your note.
  • When writing notes, describe the misconduct and how the player responded. Be sure to include the rules broken, how cooperative the player was in the ticket, and any information or warnings given to the player.
  • Do not show a player someone else's notes, be it through Discord or in-game means. If they want to share it, they can do so through the OOC tab in-game.
  • While notes expire automatically after some time, it is encouraged to manually set the time for them anyways.

Playing the game

  • When in-game as a player, it’s advised to de-admin while playing essential roles. Essential roles include: Antagonists, Heads of Staff, Security, and Silicons. Though this rule is not strictly enforced it is recommended to follow to avoid any incidental metagame. If you’re the only admin online feel free to ignore this rule to maintain activity in tickets.
  • Inform the other admins online if you are going to deadmin in order to play. This rule is simple common courtesy to keep the admin team informed and coordinated. While not heavily enforced if caught abandoning admins during a busy round to avoid tickets you may be punished.
  • If you are alone and wish to play, stay adminned.

Messing with the criminal

  • Messing with rule breakers must result in a punishment equal to the crime, if any action is to be taken at all.
  • Admin favoritism is not acceptable, giving boons/punishments must be the result of actions within the current round and independent of OOC factors.

Events and proper protocol

Admin Events are large-scale modifications to the round that would dramatically affect the typical flow of the game. When doing an admin event, you must do the following:

  • Before the event even begins a player vote must be held (OOC Tab) with a majority in favor of participating in the event.
  • An admin announcement must be made explaining that an admin event is occurring, any information or expectations from the players must also be included. If a part of the event requires the exemption of any of the server rules, those rules must be stated as well.
  • The admin(s) holding the event and managing it’s construction are responsible to make sure the event and round are done properly.
  • Events must have the approval of a Senior Admin or higher before occurring.

Innocent until proven guilty

  • Do not issue a punishment unless you can prove their misconduct through logs
  • Same goes for accusations of lying in tickets, you need proof that it was intentional and not misinformation.

Ticket Conduct

  • Admins should reply to every ticket even if it’s not relevant, inform the player of why before closing it.
  • Do not intercept another admins ticket without asking them first, if you need to correct them or change their ruling use asay or PM the working admin instead.
  • If a ticket becomes too complex or another issue prevents you from resolving it inform the other admins through asay and provide the ticket number.
  • Obviously, handle tickets respectfully and do not be condescending or aggressive in admin PM’s. It is only an atmospherics simulator game for clowns.

Rulings and Precedents

  • Head Admins can overrule other Admins.
  • Senior Admins may not overrule other Admins. Their only added privilege from being an Admin is the ability to approve events.
  • In edge cases or more complex rulings that you are uncertain about, refer to #precedent-zone in the Discord or ask for direct input through #adminhelp-help.

Admin Strikes and Demotion

  • Admin strikes are issued by a Head Admin as a "punishment" for breach of conduct.
  • When an Admin receives a total of three active strikes they are to be demoted from their position immediately.
  • Violating the Admin Conduct will be judged based on what happened, how it happened, and external factors; with the introduction of admin notes.
  • Admin strikes are removed by a Head Admin by a unanimous agreement to appeal the strikes.
  • Trial Admins need only 1 strike to be removed from their position.
  • The demotions of Senior Admins are to be handled by the Head Admins. Depending on the strike(s), they may be demoted to Admin or removed from staff completely.

Behavior

  • Maintain a decent standard of professionalism when operating within the community. Insulting, harassing, or intentionally offending anyone in our community is not tolerated.
  • If you are being insulted or harassed, don’t provoke or retort their behavior as it will only escalate hostility. You can choose to ignore them if they do this, but you should still attempt to resolve their ahelp or forum post in an efficient manner.
  • Do not spam ping members of the community or staff.
  • Remember that you set an example for the community and are expected to follow the same rules as strictly, if not more strictly, than standard members of the community.
  • Do not leak admin channels without expressed consent from all parties involved and head admin+ approval. Even if the information has zero sensitive information in it, always get approval before posting from restricted channels.

Antagonist Tokens

  • Antag tokens can only be given out when a server crashes because of an Admin (misuse of commands etc.) Host related server crashes do not count.