[Suggestion] The Politics of Supporter

Discussion in 'Suggestion Box Archives' started by FirstJugBurgerz, Feb 22, 2014.

  1. I will agree with you FirstJug, to a certain extent. When I was a non-supporter, I once did /p to myself, and I saw I was 365 days old on EMC. I then, to make sure that I was a year old on EMC, I asked in chat. The first time was ignored, the second was replied with a rude; "What do you think it is? Of course it's how old you are."

    Then when I became a Gold Supporter, I could instantly see that I seemed to be treated better by other players. Supporter ranks DO affect your credibility, just enough to a noticeable degree. Do I believe it affects whether you or a non-supporter gets banned? Yes. There will ALWAYS be favoritsm, no matter how mature or old you are.
  2. I must reply, even though this subject has been satisfactorily discussed.

    I was a part of the Staff Team back when PTHaggard was here, and I vehemently fought for his banning and full on punishment, regardless of his status. I pointed out his coy, smooth-talking methods to many of the other Staff.
    I managed to catch many people on this basis. I won't name players directly, as I haven't a strong memory of the situation now..

    Many do not know the story of the Staff Member who was demoted for breaking the privacy practices of EMC.
    I was the one who sniffed out and verified the extent to which the information leak went.. It hurt to do it but it had to be shown to all Staff that we have a certain set of principles and rules to follow above and beyond our player base. The current Staff Application is directly linked to this case, as well as the PTHaggard incident.

    I stepped down, as I can't handle the level of stress and dedication to being a Moderator and honestly, I was crushed when I was passed up for Senior Staff while other Moderators, with less time as Staff and presence on EMC, were promoted. However, I do not regret stepping down, even if my motivations were convoluted by my emotions rather than practical thought alone.

    I miss it most days, especially since I visit the forums on a daily basis... I don't miss the recognition; I miss the participation in providing a wonderful and enjoyable experience to players all over the world.
    I love to read the personal experiences and memories of current Staff; many of them I still consider my friends.

    As has been stated, Supporter vs. Free player does not exist in how the rules are enforced. It is all based on the severity of the individual infraction(s) committed. If a free player uses illegal mods and sufficient evidence is uncovered, they are permabanned. If a Supporter of any level uses illegal mods and sufficient evidence is uncovered, they are permabanned.
    I personally banned several "high-profile" Supporters and Free players in my tenure as Staff. I never once thought to myself "Oh, this player is 'high-profile' on the server, ok I will take leniency." Nor have I ever had a personal friend or family member tell me "I use illegal mods." and then said, "Ok, just don't let the other Staff catch you but I won't do anything to you." Instead, I told them, "You know the rules. You also know I am a Staff Member." and then I did my duty. The most blatant evidence being that I walk in on them using them, see it with my own eyes and must then take appropriate action...
    It matters not your relationship to the Staff Member, they either take appropriate action or pass the information to another Staff Member to handle the situation. No one is immune for any reason. It matters not if you start Supporter today and break the rules immediately after; if you Support 300 days and then break the rules, or if you never Support and break the rules at any time. You suffer appropriate consequences based on your infractions.
    Hash98, 607, FirstJugBurgerz and 4 others like this.
  3. Everyone keeps bringing up PT and I hope my post didn't seem like I was being rude, when asked for an example that was all I could think of at the time and the only one I remembered. After thinking on it, he's not the only supporter banned.
    There was jlopez the JT griefer or whatever, Roblikescake- He liked to start drama, Laurencem, and I'm sure many others, just like free players are banned.
    Twitch1 likes this.
  4. jlopez - I CAUGHT HIM!! :D
    I am so very proud of that moment. I could not, for the life of me, remember the name. The "JT Griefer", I personally found the evidence and fought the uphill battle to prove it. He was also extremely good at smooth talking, playing coy and could be very convincing at times. Thanks to Square and our non-disclosure of tracking methods, I got him from a simple action. :)

    Thank you so much, I now won't sit here and rack my brain all night.
    jacob5089 and PandasEatRamen like this.
  5. After hearing these stories I think we really need those aforementioned chronicles.
    607, 72Volt, SkidzGaming and 2 others like this.
  6. I have little respect as a normal player even though I am constantly active and have a gigantic forum presence.
  7. How do you think you have little respect?
    607 and FirstJugBurgerz like this.
  8. I think the problem here lies within the community. If supporters are talking down to normal players, then they should stop. It's that simple! If you are being talked harshly at, /report it! A staff member can review the situation and punish accordingly.

    And to follow up with what has already been stated by current and former staff:

    Being a supporter makes absolutely NO difference in the eyes of the Staff. To be honest, it makes me more upset when you break the rules and you are a supporter because you don't have the decency to respect the server that you support. I treat everyone the same. Money makes no difference to the staff. Bribes won't work, though many have tried.

    Long story short, if you feel unjustly treated due to your status on the empire, /report.

    That is all...
  9. I'd like to present my opinions on this matter. I believe that the chief reason why regular players are "intimidated" by supporters is the differing colors. They stand out in chat, and therefore their messages are more likely to be read and responded to. While holding the rank of supporter, one might feel a sense of superiority, but in reality, this is not the case. As several staff members have mentioned in this thread, supporters receive precisely the same punishments as do regular players. I share sentiments analogous to krysyy; it makes me cringe slightly when I witness a supporter (someone who donates to express respect and passion for the server) violate the rules. In my view, supporters represent EMC, and such a violation devalues the community, even if only small. In a perfect world, everyone would follow the rules, and be kind and courteous to fellow players.
    Hash98, PandasEatRamen and Twitch1 like this.
  10. I can see where you guys are coming from. However, that does not solve the problem of various levels of respect based on supporter status.
  11. Constantly ignored and nobody listens to my thoughts.
    FirstJugBurgerz and Hash98 like this.
  12. So I said Hi in my main account(this) and I got many Hellos and I said Hi on my alt(Secret) and no Hellos.....
    Hash98 likes this.
  13. I'll add my 4 cents to this discussion.

    From my own experience the new players will listen to the people who are in color, because they might think they are a staff member or someone who is more important to the community.

    This really depends upon what server you are playing on, and the type of players on it. If you've built a reputation up on the server or talk alot even as a non supporter you will get people saying hi to you.
    Twitch1 likes this.
  14. But that is because your main account is known and your alt isn't.
    Heh? Are you sure? I really really like you and loved your input on so many threads
  15. I don't ignore you but I also don't "listen" to your thoughts. I am not psychic after all. ;)
    I do read your posts, when I see them.
    I usually like to jump in on theory/opinion threads as I thrive on non-linear discussion, especially when I have facts to support my position and/or a strong opinion on the subject. If you post on those types of threads, I will most likely quote your post(s); if they hold significant opposition and/or agreement. :)
    PandasEatRamen likes this.
  16. Meant in game
    Twitch1 likes this.
  17. I can understand that. :) White on white makes it really difficult to identify free players vs. continued messages if someone is not actively watching chat...
    I don't play much these days.. Too much school and not enough internet... Many people don't recognize me in game if they aren't actively observing chat, as my name is no longer Green. I make it a point to talk with old friends and familiar members often. This is usually met with positive responses. On occasion, I get a confused response and then a long-running conversation with players. I also make it a point to find newbies and chat with them a while. Nothing like a new name in the servers to boost your "importance" factor. ;)
    Plus, I usually give away anywhere from 2k - 50k in rupees, tons of seeds from my farms, etc.
    This always makes them remember you more than an occasional "Hello."
    PandasEatRamen likes this.
  18. I'd do that, but I'm barely floating with the money I have.
  19. Don't spend it all in one place. Also, I don't buy friends with it. ;)
    I do it as a favor and sign of appreciation for certain players. Not everyone gets my money. lol
  20. Let me express my opinion,

    When I first joined EMC, everybody treated everyone by their business associations. About 800 days ago, they didn't have supporter ships or auctions. So, in order to become popular with the community, you had to grow your small business. Now, I feel that it is different. If you logged onto Smp-1 about 800 days ago the chat was booming with people trying to expand their business and increase their popularity. But now, their are practically no sales transactions in the town chat. It is as if EMC was a ghost town when it came to business. I mean if I try and sell a diamond pick with Unb 3 Eff 4 Fort 3 enchants in the town chat right now it would be a struggle just to find someone that would actually be interested in just looking at the pick. And I think the main reason for this is supporter ships and auctions.

    Now, I'm not arguing against supporter ships. Obviously, the people that pay out of their own pocket to benefit not only themselves but other players in the community deserve a lot of respect. Without supporter ships, I don't think EMC would be where it is today. I don't think we would have nearly as many servers. I don't think we would have nearly as many plugins. I think we would have a lot of bugs, and it would probably take ages to update the Minecraft version. BUT, in my personal view, supporter ships have just handed the supporter a free "popularity card". Meaning, they don't really have to work hard with their businesses in order to receive public popularity. Although most of them do, they don't have to own shops, they don't have to create major business earning at least 50,000 rupees a day. I have been a Gold Supporter two times. Every time I logged on I instantly got at least 5 "hello's". The thing is, at the time, I didn't own a major business. I didn't have any major corporation/projects. I literally had my crap house, my collection of rares, and a Gold Name Tag. Now, I log on with a white name. I maybe, at most, get 1 "hello". Right now, I am a co-owner of a major business earning at least 3-13k a day. If I were to own this business back 800 days ago, I would be the Jack Biggin or the Todd_Vinton of today's EMC. It just shows how much support ships have changed businesses and popularity statuses throughout EMC.

    Now with auctions. I think auctions have greatly benefited the EMC economy. I remember when Eclipsys auctioned off the first beacon for 80,000 rupees. Now they are worth what, 9,000 rupees? I remember when someone auctioned off a DC of Enchantment Bottles and it went for about 280,000 rupees. INSANE. But, the people that auctioned this off, deserve popularity. They worked hard in order to get the materials for these auctions. That is what was happening over 800 days ago, only via forums. If I auctioned off a DC of Emeralds, I instantly gain the popularity of a moderator or a supporter for at least two weeks. That's life. Suck it up buttercup.

    Overall, I don't think supporter ships or auctions are bad. They are great. I just think people need to realize that the EMC economy has rapidly changed over the past 800 days because of supporter ships and auctions. I think people, in order to grow their small business and popularity without a supporter ship or major auction, need to come up with new and innovative idea's to grow their businesses.

    Thanks for reading.

    Hash98, Official Owner of the Shop that over 800 days ago sold a torch for 10 rupees. Economy has changed people. Realize it.
    fireshadow52 and Twitch1 like this.