Player Councillor Applications

[moonbearonmeth]

Can I suggest a more inclusive weighted voting system where you vote for all candidates but (in the case of the current list of candidates) the earn 1, 0.75, 0.5, 0.25 and 0 votes in order of preference.

[biass]

In this post I address some points:

Tutorials:

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The poster asked about in particular, outdated guides in the learning FAF wiki page, there is two ways of going about this:
1. I wish to update and rewrite guides (as i have done in the past and continue to do) and centralise them. This means tutorial tab, updating the wiki page, a web page, etc.
2. The second point is that a majority of players do not want to read a strategy guide in order to hop in, an issue with training new players is that they just don't play enough to make any of the training worthwhile. A number of ways around this exist in early stages, tutorial missions, challenging coop levels, etc. I discussed this in my application. Also of note is improving the trainer team, to work in tandem with these tutorials.

Player Retention:

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Unfortunately not everyone is going to be here to begin a 1v1 career, and we need to be tearing down the barrier of the entry so that people can get into the rotation without having to dedicate years of play.
I do believe that when for example planned modes like GW and technical fixes are implemented then player retention will slowly improve. However that's out of my reach.
It would be nice to attempt to defeat some toxic elements in lower level FAF culture that might turn players away, like map elitism, rating obsessions, etc. It's a huge stretch, but something to work towards.

Rating System:

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Numerous proposed systems already exist, and all have the same goal of removing the focus on a arbitrary point number. I can agree with them, because even for me the rating number can dominate my desire to play and influence my play midgame. I plan to work with the devs on helping to flesh out a superior concept, but that's something for the soon™ bin. As noted in my application, i want to focus on things that can be done now, and then work on the large items when they're feasible.

Gathering feedback on multiple platforms:

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Yes.

The Ladder pool:

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While it's not up to me to shape ladder to my absolute opinion, my opinion is that 1. We should accommodate new maps in both the 7.5 and 15km subcategory, and we should manipulate the true random system to make sure players play a variety of maps in the pool. I've always favoured a big pool, however im very okay with changing it to player demand.

Tournaments:

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It's worth noting that it is not the PC's job to host tournaments, as it is to direct and organise the Tournament Directors team themselves. Hosting tournaments as PC is out of their own free will, not a duty obligation. While i would like to both expand the team and allocate them tournaments, my timezone may impact my actual hosting ability. Also to clarify, the TD document is made by Gently.
Low level rating tournaments are tough because they're also a huge barrier to entry. It would be worthwhile experimenting with both improving the ease of access (making the pool the maps that are in ladder at the time) and removing the pressure behind them (unranking games, Swiss style tournies, etc.)

Keep 'em coming.

[SilentWarrior]

Hi all applicants,

I wish you well in your application for the role of Players Councillor.

I have a few questions on toxicity and harmony;

Do you have any ideas for how we can bridge the gap between those that interact with the faf community and those that do not? Are there reasons for them to stay away? Brandishing words like Elitism and Toxicity seem commonplace now, do you have any thoughts on this subject?

Also, when are we going to deal with the gap between the Russian community and the rest of the faf community?
I don't care who did what and why? If you're a player then you are the same as everyone else.

I know the player's councillor in the past has dealt primarily with the ladder pool, but the title is the Player's councillor, are the Russian players not players? Do they not deserve the same level of respect and inclusion as the rest of the community?

The Player's Councillor holds a very special position as the only position that involves the vote of players themselves. Well, this seems like the perfect opportunity for that community to have their voice heard.

I call upon the Russian community to come forward and not be afraid to involve themselves in this process unless they have solid reasons as to why they cannot. We cannot improve our community if barriers remain to hold down people because of their background or culture. I have seen first hand the effects of toxicity and elitism and have decided I wish to no longer turn a blind eye to it any longer.

I wish all the applicants the best of luck.

[Rowey]

Tutorials
The way I would like to address the tutorials is make sure all the guides out there are up-to-date with the latest patch (3696) and have a collection of videos to lean from and written guides as every learns differently, but also using the tutorial like heaven has made for part of the balance that has no changes (If he agrees is ok). Players should not have to go looking around the forum and wiki to find what they are looking for we have a Tutorials tab bui8lt in to the python client already and it’s about time I get utilised more.

Rating in game
There are 2 rating systems in FAF ladder and global. I feel that with having a sub 1k global ranks is hard for players to just have fun without getting kicked from games because they are not a high enough rank. Everyone started as a low rank this is normal i feel away of helping this is to give pointes on how players can host a good loby to get a ballace game so they are able to gain there rank more fairly and make it more obviouse on who new players can contaact to be able to get help on playing the game better(trainers).

Player Retention & feedback
FAF is not an easy game to play to begin with especially with the chances from steam to FAF. Galactic War will be a huge feature for the community when it is complete but this a long time off. new players should not feel they can’t play ladder and make it friendlier to play, I’m not sure how hard it is to bring back 2v2 ladder it could allow new player to auto match with another play and this can grow friendship with in the community and keep them wanting to play. Gaining feedback is a huge part of this position being able to know how people are feeling about certain part of the community. I’d like to have it so across multiple platforms plays can submit their view on the forum, discord, google form, PM in faf it les and any other media.

[Evan_]

Rating in game
there are 2 rating systems in FAF ladder and global. I feel that with having a sub 1k global ranks is hard for players to just have fun without getting kicked from games because they are not a high enough rank. everyone started as a low rank so I do see why it an issue to let lower rated people in as the only way new players are going to learn how to play the game is by playing with in team for support and giving pointers. I don’t see why we can’t have a system that show you’re an experienced player but no make is so that it’s hard for new players to learn the game a play. everyone has a difference experience level but their ability to play should not be hindered based on their rank.

I disagree. Shouldn't have to let someone in when chances are (no offense) they'll die in 10 minutes to mercies or t1 and ruin the game for everyone. Don't get me wrong, I'd like to play with new and lower rated people, and help them improve. But it just isn't on the average 1200 ranked player to let them in and "give pointers". I'd rather see the situation improve between newbs so that they don't have to try and join higher rated lobbies for something other than gap. And new players flock to all welcome/sub 1k lobbies on different maps when they are actually hosted, where they can learn the game at their own pace.

Question for PC applicants: New players frequently host "Noob Only"/"sub 1k" lobbies, but they are frequently plagued by horrible imbalance, toxicity, and disconnects, as well as being hosted by the same people. I think these lobbies are very important to keeping good diversity of play at the lower ranks, as well as creating a learning environment for new players. It seems that a lot of problems are caused by lack of information regarding how to name, setup, and balance a lobby. Do you have any plans to address these issues?

[Morax]

I second Evan's words. My time is fairly limited with IRL stuff, so when I play I don't want to have to teach people unless it is agreed upon beforehand.

[FtXCommando]

Do you have any ideas for how we can bridge the gap between those that interact with the faf community and those that do not? Are there reasons for them to stay away? Brandishing words like Elitism and Toxicity seem commonplace now, do you have any thoughts on this subject?

I'm not really sure what you qualify as interacting in this situation. If you mean contributing through development, donations, and testing, then a guide already exists on how to get started as well as who to talk to. It would be best to make that guide easier to find through the client and discord. If you are asking how to bridge the divide between the two communities, I don't really see the PC as having the authority to force people to play with one another. It isn't my responsibility to force the Seton's community to play a different map and it isn't my responsibility to force people that do not want to play with Russians to play with Russians. I'm not going to demand people police their language any more than they already are required to in #aeolus. If there's a problem with toxicity, it's a problem to deal with through moderation. I also can't require people to learn Russian or English in order to get around. As this is ultimately a client that has defaulted to using English between international players, unless people are willing to assist me in translating a fair bit of information located around FAF into Russian, I can't exactly make it easier for someone only able to speak Russian to help contribute to FAF.

Also, when are we going to deal with the gap between the Russian community and the rest of the faf community?
I don't care who did what and why? If you're a player then you are the same as everyone else.

I do care who did what and why. And no, some players are not the same as everyone else. I will always kick players that are known for abusing the client such as Shado or Super while being completely willing to play with Russians such as Bravo_ and Inspektor_Kot. This is a similar opinion that is held by most of the people that I play with. With regards to lower rated Russians and whether they feel alienated or not, I'm really not seeing the PC role being able to launch a campaign to change the hearts and minds of FAF. There are players that kick Australian players because of some strange idea that ping will cause lag when a constant ping under 500 or so does not really cause an effect on a FAF game. Likewise, if people have had bad experiences with Russian players and have had games purposefully desync'd, huge lag issues, or teamkilling, well it's impossible for me as PC to force them to play with a group they have associated antagonistic actions with. I feel there are a lot more manpower efficient problems to address prior to sinking hours into what I see as a ridiculously monumental task.

I know the player's councillor in the past has dealt primarily with the ladder pool, but the title is the Player's councillor, are the Russian players not players? Do they not deserve the same level of respect and inclusion as the rest of the community?

A Russian player is still a player. However, people don't just forgive and forget. They don't do it when it is in their best interest in the real world. They won't do it when it is in their best interest to enjoy their freetime on FAF. The only thing that can be done to influence a gradual change in attitude is change from within the Russian subcommunity itself. If Russians feel someone is going well beyond reason and is being racist, then they can report that individual to the moderation team. Ultimately, a host is allowed to kick people from his lobby and it isn't the PC's responsibility to force him to play with others.

Question for PC applicants: New players frequently host "Noob Only"/"sub 1k" lobbies, but they are frequently plagued by horrible imbalance, toxicity, and disconnects, as well as being hosted by the same people. I think these lobbies are very important to keeping good diversity of play at the lower ranks, as well as creating a learning environment for new players. It seems that a lot of problems are caused by lack of information regarding how to name, setup, and balance a lobby. Do you have any plans to address these issues?

Well, I'm not exactly sure how to make the process any easier to understand with regards to naming and setting up a game. When it comes to balancing a lobby, it could be possible to code a [?] icon next to the game quality that gives a brief description of what game quality is supposed to represent. But, as most coding tasks, they revolve around whether people want to do it. Other than that, there is the wiki page that explains hosting and joining games. I think a solid idea would be adding a FAF FAQ document to the top of #aeolus where it could replace the Ban Appeal Manual (which would become a question in the FAQ).

[moonbearonmeth]

Do you have any ideas for how we can bridge the gap between those that interact with the faf community and those that do not? Are there reasons for them to stay away? Brandishing words like Elitism and Toxicity seem commonplace now, do you have any thoughts on this subject?

While I am not running in this election I feel the need to answer this question.

I have been in FAF for about 2 years now but have only been vocal within the community for the past ~8 months and in that time I have gone from nothing to directing tournaments, writing what basically amounts to a weekly news column and participated (albeit in a limited capacity) in the progress of the Nomads faction and campaign.
I have watched people go from nothing to developers in the client.
I have watched people go from nothing to moderators.
I have watched people go from nothing to producing their own maps.
I have watched people go from no experience at all to making their own mods no matter how small.

And while there may be elitists and toxic people within the community I can safely say this, there is not a damn thing in this community barring someone from contributing short of contribution not being offered on a silver platter.

[Louvegarde]

I can't say I completely agree with moon on this point. However, I agree with FtX that the problems related to toxicity itself are also supposed to be treated with and by the moderation team more than by the PC.
Although I reckon that on this specific point, it is unclear as if the PC is supposed to be a community manager, an ambassador, a tournament director, or a bit of all three...?

[moonbearonmeth]

Would you like to elaborate on the parts you don't agree on?