bugstep - a plasmaman walks into a bar

[Bugstep]

Hi there. I'm bugstep.

(If that name isn't familiar, you might know my static, Palladium XIV (pictured above))

Who am I?
I've been on TG since 2020. I'm a plasmaman security officer. I've always liked helping people ingame. I've figured out, over the years, that the best way to have a good round is to make sure that people don't have a reason to hate you. It's crazy, but when people like you, they tend to not wordlessly kill you when given the chance. I genuinely strive to be the most reasonable person on the sec team. (and i've been told (or overheard) by many people that this is the case.). If you see a (handsome) red-suited plasmaman with a blue beret in the halls, wave and say hi! The street of respect goes both ways. Anyway, I applied for admin back in March to try and help with the Sybil admin shortage. I've since discovered that adminning is both a ton of fun (pressing buttons to keep the round fun), and also a drag at times (dealing with horrible griefers and IC conflicts). Which bring me to...

Why am I running?

I'm throwing my hat (not the helmet, just the beret) into the headmin election ring to try and quash some issues that I've identified (both as a normal player and since getting to really know the inner workings of the game as an admin). I really do love the game and the server, but I always seem to inevitably run into things that are anti-fun for a majority of players that are really only still around due to old thinking, bureaucracy, and an unwillingness from headmins to really "rock the boat" when it comes to policies. I'll summarize my "big three" problems that I will target if elected as headmin.

Rule 1 is not enforced nearly as much as it should.
(Rule 1. Don't be a dick)

If you've played any time, well, ever, you've run into the "big" powergamers. There's always at least one playing during any given time period. I'm talking about players like Paris Konets, Reider Meza, Korol, etc. These are people that do EVENTUALLY get permabanned, but it seems most of the time that it's like like catching Al Capone on tax evasion while ignoring the whole mafia issue. These are players that often have MONTHS of multiple rounds every day, powergaming, NRPing, griefing others, soft antag rolling, thinking the round revolves around them, all the while ruining tons of other player's rounds. If elected headmin, I will ensure that policy is changed so that people who wordlessly tide, grief and generally ruin rounds for others will be handed out more warnings and more bans.

The separation between humans and non-humans is antifun, pointless, and bad for roleplay.

Between (what is basically) the banning of the use of "L****r", and rule 11 just existing, it's becoming increasingly obvious that TG is moving away from the older, purposefully "offensive" for the sake of it style we used to have. (remember what meatballs used to be called?) But despite this, the dichotomy between humans and other races is still rooted in "lolracism". The humans are the dominant species who get the AI to do whatever they want and play whatever head role they want. This is old, stupid and shit design. How many times have you been dead or dying in medbay, with a useless human CMO sitting around, clueless as to the job he's doing, clearly just picking the head role for extra access and gear? How many times have nonhumans been simply ignored on simple requests just because they want to play another race? How many people have just settled to become ANOTHER human static, despite liking other races, just because it's more convenient, giving up roleplaying as a character that they can connect with? Genuinely, why can someone like Mothblocks not play as a head? It's just plain bad for the game and the people who play it. The issues facing nonhuman players are multifaceted, and many things will need to be worked on (ie; should asimov be default crewsimov? this issue would get discussed with the community later as it's a pretty radical change) If elected headmin I will immediately enable nonhumans to take head roles (I am, however, consdering keeping Captain as human-only to appease the human statics(for the time being)).

There is not enough focus on game balance and fun from the coderbus.
(warning: this one is dumb)

When was the last time you saw a nukie team without an L6 SAW? Do players enjoy a cultist walking up to them and stunning them for upwards of 10 seconds insantly? Is it good gameplay when an antag on speedchems runs at you faster than many can react and cuts your head off? How many limbs have you had knocked off from wizard fireballs? This issue is a bit minor compared to my 2 others, as I don't want to force coders to be balance-slaves, but there are a lot of glaring unfun strategies that have been around for much, much too long. A swift round removal is rarely fun or interesting. This isn't something that just affects victims of antagonists either, dominant methods like the L6 nukie or the stun arm on cultist make it so if you aren't just picking the best stuff, you might just find yourself with undertuned, unfun items and weapons that coders also forgot to balance to make interesting. If elected headmin, I will work on creating a "balance tester" role, an opt-in role meant to give the community a means to collaborate on solutions to balance issues within the game.

Peace out.

[TheFinalPotato]

You have a lot of "if elected I will immediately X". How can you be comfortable promising that? You're a part of a team, not a one man ruler.
Frankly most of the things here (except rule 1) seem like they'd be just as achievable as policy threads.

I think the idea of a balance tester is a bit silly, this is entirely possible under the current system, but few people actually DO it. The only thing codifying it with a role would do is setup a false powerstructure next to the maintainer team, which I think is a real bad idea.
Similar to your opinions on non humans, I think this is something you could just do now if you wanted.

[Bugstep]

You have a lot of "if elected I will immediately X". How can you be comfortable promising that? You're a part of a team, not a one man ruler.
Frankly most of the things here (except rule 1) seem like they'd be just as achievable as policy threads.

The only thing I'm promising to do instantly is to make nonhumans eligible for head roles, which is just a config switch. Normal admins (very much likely) don't get to change things like this by just making a policy thread about it. It's up to headmins, who have been, largely, agnostic or actively hostile towards the concept of nonhumans trying to be nonhuman instead of subhuman.

I think the idea of a balance tester is a bit silly, this is entirely possible under the current system, but few people actually DO it. The only thing codifying it with a role would do is setup a false powerstructure next to the maintainer team, which I think is a real bad idea.

The idea of a tester role is a bit silly, I admit, but how else do you propose balance changes should be acted out? There are balance issues in the game that have been glaring for a long time (looking directly at the entire cult gamemode) that just don't get touched because the precedent for tweaking balance just isn't there. Your average player isn't going to have the resources to come up with comprehensive balance ideas on their own, let alone getting things merged. Your average maintainer either doesn't play, or doesn't care. Also, if maintainers want to make a huge, balance changing PR, something like the PH addition to chem, why shouldn't people who... play the game have a say on that?

[CMDR_Gungnir]

It's up to headmins, who have been, largely, agnostic or actively hostile towards the concept of nonhumans trying to be nonhuman instead of subhuman.

The thing is, that's what makes non-humans interesting. I made my original Roboticist static a Felinid specifically because I liked the dynamic of her being unprotected by Asiimov, but treating the silicons with such kindness they'd try to go out of their way to help her where they can anyway.

Things are also somewhat balanced around Asiimov being the default, and humans being the only true Command. Every species has something that they specialize in, their own thing they do Good, and for Humans that's the fact they can be Command and benefit from Asiimov.

This would just remove a lot of the flavour that makes non-humans different from humans, and fuck the balance over.

[Bugstep]

Things are also somewhat balanced around Asiimov being the default, and humans being the only true Command. Every species has something that they specialize in, their own thing they do Good, and for Humans that's the fact they can be Command and benefit from Asiimov.

The human race's strength is that they have no real weaknesses. Lizards can't even handle a cryopod. Moths can (basically) always be flashed. Ethereals have their stupid charge mechanic. Plasmamen... well, need I say more? Humans have no particular strength and no particular weakness. Asimov favoring humans isn't something I'm trying to force to change. I think it makes sense as the default, seeing as literally just Asimov's 3 rules of robotics. I just think that crewsimov should be an option for players to choose to upload. Humans being the only ones allowed to be head roles, however, is a stupid holdover from when SS13 was just humans and lizards (and the lizards were canonically enslaved by humans). Keeping the dichotomy this way is not good for players, it's not good for the game, and moreover the QM is already a head role that can be played by a nonhuman. Why can't the other head roles follow suit? (i also have my compromise of human-only captain)

[TheFinalPotato]

You have a lot of "if elected I will immediately X". How can you be comfortable promising that? You're a part of a team, not a one man ruler.
Frankly most of the things here (except rule 1) seem like they'd be just as achievable as policy threads.

The only thing I'm promising to do instantly is to make nonhumans eligible for head roles, which is just a config switch. Normal admins (very much likely) don't get to change things like this by just making a policy thread about it. It's up to headmins, who have been, largely, agnostic or actively hostile towards the concept of nonhumans trying to be nonhuman instead of subhuman.

I know, I also think it's a bad idea, but this doesn't respond to my question. You are not going to be the only headmin, and this problem you have with policy of having to convince people would still apply.
I don't see how you being headmin changes that.

The idea of a tester role is a bit silly, I admit, but how else do you propose balance changes should be acted out? There are balance issues in the game that have been glaring for a long time (looking directly at the entire cult gamemode) that just don't get touched because the precedent for tweaking balance just isn't there. Your average player isn't going to have the resources to come up with comprehensive balance ideas on their own, let alone getting things merged. Your average maintainer either doesn't play, or doesn't care. Also, if maintainers want to make a huge, balance changing PR, something like the PH addition to chem, why shouldn't people who... play the game have a say on that?

Make a pr! If you think something is wrong and can convince us of it, make a pr changing it. The average player doing this doesn't matter, because we get a steady stream of contributors over time. You could be one too, if it's something you care about.
I'm not sure what you mean by having a say. Nothing in your platform would change who actually decides on what prs get merged (you can't, it is not the power of the headmins to do this)
The only difference is there would be an... admin sponsored dude who has opinions? People can already post on prs, people can already develop reputations. Making a role that you push people into doesn't... do anything.

Unless you mean to give them yes/no say, or push soft power over the codebase, in which case no. You don't have the power to do that, and the mechanisms you have that would give you that power just lead to a schism (or us ignoring you).
I feel like you're trying to solve code problems by being headmin. If you want to make things better, contribute yourself. S what we all do.

[Bugstep]

I know, I also think it's a bad idea, but this doesn't respond to my question. You are not going to be the only headmin, and this problem you have with policy of having to convince people would still apply.
I don't see how you being headmin changes that.

Nonhuman heads is a config change. Headmins get to change config. Obviously, I would still need the other 2 headmins to not outright disapprove of the change. Trying to change 3 current headmins opinion on an issue as a regular admin compared to changing 2 headmins opinions (to not outright disapprove, not even having to fully agree with) an issue while being a part of the same headmin team is a night and day difference.

I'm not sure what you mean by having a say. Nothing in your platform would change who actually decides on what prs get merged (you can't, it is not the power of the headmins to do this)

Headmins have sway in what does and doesn't get merged. Look at mothblocks and circuits/nanites or timber with rev round-ending. It's not a de facto power over the codebase, but it's most of the way there. My current idea with the balance tester role is that it would be a collaborative role, drafting, building and testing issues that would be a lot harder for a single person to bring to fruition. I also think they should have similar input to PRs like headmins get.

[TheFinalPotato]

Headmins have sway in what does and doesn't get merged. Look at mothblocks and circuits/nanites or timber with rev round-ending. It's not a de facto power over the codebase, but it's most of the way there. My current idea with the balance tester role is that it would be a collaborative role, drafting, building and testing issues that would be a lot harder for a single person to bring to fruition. I also think they should have similar input to PRs like headmins get.

They don't. There is soft power, and advice, but that primarily applies to stuff that impacts policy, cause we consider em experts in that. Headmins have no influence over the repo.
The examples you are listing, moth and timber are maintainers as well as admins/headmins. Your idea is built off misconception.

viewtopic.php?f=38&t=12617

[Bugstep]

Soft power is still power. I'm not going to continue arguing this because it's really not at all relevant to my headmin application anyway. The balance tester role is envisioned as a program to identify, come up with solutions to, write code for, testmerge balance changes for and overall deal with balance issues. It's not a junta for lording over maintainers or to wrest power over the codebase. My initial post doesn't imply this, but I've updated it to be explicit as to what I'm trying to accomplish.

[Somepan]

Rule 1 is not enforced nearly as much as it should.
(Rule 1. Don't be a dick)If elected headmin, I will ensure that policy is changed so that people who wordlessly tide, grief and generally ruin rounds for others will be handed out more warnings and more bans.

How do you intend to do that ? Exactly ?

Also for balance testers, yeah coders are right ultimatly they get the last say and unless you become a maint you can't do much about it.
Also the idea is inherently flawed, people don't like losing, which is understandable, but salt shouldn't impact code that much ? Trying to get an objective perspective on the issue should be better, which is funny because you are appealing to salt to make people like your idea.