.DT
liaison_policy
$MUDNAME$ creator help
liaison_policy
This document is a list of liaison policies. It includes the rules
of liaising and some tips and suggestions to help you be more effective in
your job. Remember that people are there to help you, and if you can't
solve something, asking or posting and telling the player you're looking
into it is usually enough. Also, if you don't know what to do, ask a more
experienced liaison if one is on.
.SH General Player Interactions
The cardinal rule of being a liaison is not to interfere in the game if
you can possibly avoid it. This means if a player can fix something for
themselves, let them do that unless there are extenuating circumstances.
Some "do nots" of being a liaison:
.SI 5
*Do not give directions.
*Do not manipulate their inventory on request.
*Do not hold things for players or transfer items between players. If you
find a player's inventory, do not collect it and give it back to them at a
later date.
*Do not give out money or items, with the exception of replacements
(covered later) or liaison toys (suggested to be given out only as a thank
you for service to the mud or as a reward).
*Do not update rooms or quests for players unless there is a bug involved.
*Do not teach or learn skills from players.
*Do not lose your temper and yell or swear at a player. If a situation
starts looking bad, keep your temper and try and end it as quickly and
civilly as possible. You can always tell the player that the discussion
is getting too heated and you are going to cool off before rediscussing
it.
*Do not hide from players or go invis unless it is truly important.
Liaisons are important public figures in the player-character interaction,
and part of your job is being easily accessible to players.
.EI
The less interference in the game, the fewer charges of favoritism and
the more self-sufficient (and, one hopes, happy) the players will be.
.SH Privacy
As a liaison creator, you have access to information about players that
normal players do not. Do not give out any personal information you know
due to your creator status. This includes who a player is, email
addresses, and IP addresses. This applies to player characters of other
creators, too.
.SH Access to Information
As a liaison creator, you also have access to information about
$MUDNAME$ in general that normal players do not. Do not give out any
information you know from creator boards or the creator channel. Do not
give out information you know simply because of your creator status unless
it is supposed to be given out as part of your duties.
.SH Multiplaying
If you are unfamiliar with the $MUDNAME$ rules on multiplaying, read
help multiplaying and help multiplechars.
.SI 5 The basics are:
*A player can have more than one character, but they can never be logged
on at the same time. This applies even if one character is netdead, or
one character is a newbie.
*Allowing a friend to play one of your characters is not allowed- one
player per character, please.
*Exchanging any information, money, or items between characters owned by
the same person is not allowed, no matter how it is done (via mail,
physically handing it from one character to another, or passing it from
one character to a friend and then having that friend give it to a
person's other character).
.EI
If you suspect multiplaying, first check the email addresses of the
suspected characters. If they are the same, inform the player of the
rules, do a showhelp multiplechars, and stat both characters for a "read
multiplay" property.
If one character has a "read multiplay" property set, add both to the
multiplayer handler (by typing "multiplayer <playername>"), make them log
off down to one character, and warn them that they will be suspended for
three days.
If neither character has a "read multiplay" property, please add it to
both (call add_property("read multiplay",1)<playername>), make them log
one character off, warn them that future multiplaying will result in
suspension, and add all the involved characters to the multiplayer
handler.
If one or both of the characters' email addresses are not set, send a
tell to the character asking them to please use the 'chfn' command to set
their email. If they ask why, explain that it is standard procedure to
request that if another character is coming in on the same IP address.
Try to avoid telling them which other player to keep irl locations
of other players confidential.
Make sure you ask them if they are familiar with the multiplaying
rules, and tell them which help files to read, generally in a
non-confrontational manner. (One possible tell would be: "You are
familiar with our multiplaying rules, aren't you? If not, please read
help multiplaying and help multiplechars now.") If you suspect they did
not read them, do a showhelp multiplechars on them. If they are upset at
the insinuation that they are multiplaying, explain that it is standard
procedure to make sure everyone knows those rules and not an attack.
Once both emails are set, check them against each other. If you are
still suspicious, you can either use the arcane instrument to compare
their idle times to help you decide, or you may choose to simply ask, "Are
you multiplaying?"
For those without the "read multiplay" property, please do the
following: For the first offense, give them a firm warning, make sure they
have read "help multiplechars", add the "read multiplay" property, post,
and add them to the handler as stated above. For a second offense, make
them log off down to one character, tell them they face suspension, and
post on liaison the details and request a suspension by an admin. Any
offenses after the second one may result in banishment by admin.
For those with the "read multiplay" property, skip directly to the
directions for the second offense.
.SH Replacements
Liaisons are often asked to replace items for players. If the player
has receipts, ask them to please hand you the receipts. Then stat the
receipt and see what pathname it gives you. If it is an item on Presto's
wand (read the wand), simply 'replace (item) for (name).
If it is not, try searching the appropriate directories for the item.
(For example: /obj/weapons/old/slingshot is the pathname. ls /obj/weapons
and look for what you think it would be under... then ls
/obj/weapons/misc... there it is under /obj/weapons/misc/slingshot).
Clone that item and give it to the player. Then dest the receipts. If
you cannot find the file, feel free to ask others where it might be. If
you still cannot find it, explain to the player that you cannot find it
and return the receipt, saying you can look again for it at some later
date in case it was moved. You do not need to post about replacements for
receipts.
For items without receipts (for example, a player telling you that when
they logged off they had their sarilak and now they do not), ask them for
the specific circumstances. If they have a log proving it was a bug,
that's wonderful. Replace it. If not, make sure you understand the
circumstances and try to figure out what could have happened.
Check the player's inventory and the inventories of any containers they
are carrying (inv player and inv backpack in player, for example). If you
can't find it, check their level.
If it is a non-quest item that they can easily retrieve, politely tell
them that it is easy to replace and comfort them and apologise for the
loss, but do not replace it. If it is an item that is difficult to gain,
take their level into account.
If they are middle or high level, they can get another one without your
interference. If they are low level, do not have one in their inventory,
have done the appropriate quest (pquests player is the command to check
this), and have a plausible story that you honestly believe and do not
have a history of lying, replace the item and apologise and then post
about what was replaced. Please remember to check if the player is pk in
case the item was stolen.
If you replace anything without a receipt, post on the playerhelp board
that you did so. Include the player's name, what you replaced, and the
circumstances around it. Even if it is a tiny amount, post so we can keep
track and notice if someone seems to be abusing the system.
.SH Gagging, Meteoring, and Calling Quit
Gagging, meteoring and calling quit on a player are some of the last
commands to which you resort. You should always warn a player and explain
what is wrong with their behavior before gagging them, and gag them only
if they continue. Then have a talk with them and explain why you did it.
Once you've secured their understanding and they know they cannot
continue, remove the gag and tell them that if they continue, you will gag
them again. Do not leave a player gagged indefinitely. If a player seems
to constantly be a problem, then a discussion about what to do to solve
the problem can be held.
Calling quit is used when a player does not respond to repeated
requests to stop offensive actions or if a player's character is stuck
somehow and they cannot su or do any commands (including quit). It may
also be used in cases of multiplaying to get the player down to one
character if they will not or can not log their characters off of their
own accord.
Meteoring is used to prove a point about a player's actions. It is
used to stop offensive actions after repeated requests to do so. Keep in
mind that many people do things merely for the attention, and in many
cases simply calling quit achieves the same means without giving them the
attention they are seeking.
All three of these are powerful commands. Do not use them as a joke or
for fun.
.SH The Newbie Channel
All liaison creators should have the newbie command, but they are not
responsible for handing it out. If a player asks you for the newbie
command, tell them you will ask for them and then ask or mail the lord of
liaison and let him or her decide.
Some rules for using newbie:
.SI 5
*General banter on the newbie channel should be discouraged. If it is
being used to chat, gently remind people that the channel is for newbie
questions only and that it needs to be kept that way for optimum
effectiveness. Alert them to the existence of the talker stick, and
suggest they read the voucher that should be in their inventory for more
information on obtaining a talker.
*If someone asks a guild-specific question, you can either answer very
generally and thus keep it a newbie question (for example: "How do I get
steal?" response: "Commands can be learned from guild npcs and other
players if you have the necessary skills.") or direct their question to
guild members (Suggest that they type who <guild> or get a talker and ask
over the guild line, since guild-specific questions are really not newbie
questions).
*If someone says they are lost, suggest help am-map, exploring and
mapping, and the cheap-looking book in their inventory.
*If they ask something that they can figure out on their own or that is
located in a help file, give them a push in the right direction and try to
encourage them to work it out on their own. For example: Someone asks how
to use something that is labelled with how to use it. Response: "Often
the first step to figuring something out is looking at it." (You haven't
told them how, but you have given them an inkling and an important lesson
in how to survive the disc.) If they can't figure it out after several
hints, telling them is okay.
*If the information can be found in a help file, direct them to the
appropriate help file rather than just telling them the command. A player
familiar with using help files will be more self-sufficient and more
likely to check help file possibilities the next time.
*It is a good idea not to give specifics on how to join a guild,
especially the assassins' guild. Try telling people that once they have
chosen a guild to join, they should look around for an obvious place to
learn more about that guild and explore it thoroughly.
*If the question is how to join the assassins' guild, say that we do not
help people join the guild because it is very difficult, and figuring out
how to join it is good practice for what they'll face later in assassins'
guild training.
.EI
Basically, try to keep your information broad but helpful, and always
be polite and as warm as possible. Do not make fun of new players. Also
remember that you can always talk to a person in tells if it looks like it
could be a spammy conversation full of questions.
.SH General Tips on Liaising
.SI 5
*Follow and be active on the guild & domain boards, helping to keep the
ideas and discussions flowing.
*Take down the best ideas in a well-organized and developed file for the
lords and creators to read. This is especially important if there is no
lord of the domain or if the lord doesn't log in very often.
*Continuously keep in contact with the:
.EI
.SI 10
-Lord (chat or mail) on the developments and projects in the domain.
Check if there's anything you can help with, such as surveys, etc. (not
bug/typo fixing, unless you want to).
-Creators' projects. Keep them happy and enthused and give ideas and
comments on their work.
.EI
.SI 5
*Continuously keep in contact with the players in the guild (and domain)
collecting ideas, comments and suggestions.
*Walk around and play (preferably with a player char) in the
domains/guilds you're assigned to, especially if you have no or very
little experience with them. It's important that you know how it all is,
how the quests work (to know if something is a bug or not), etc.
*If your lord does not assign you something to do, take the initiative and
ask for projects.
