The Future: Summer '16 & Cracking Down, Again

[Owl 192]

Hello everyone, it is both my pleasure and displeasure to announce some upcoming changes to xG's CS division.

 

 

Summer '16

 

Over the next month or so, xG will be introducing many new changes.

 

Minigames

There will be a new minigames server! As many of you know, I have been in development of our new MG server with the help of Bleed, Lithium, Silence, and a few beta-testers. As of now the server is currently locked and definitely not finished. Do NOT beg Bleed, Lithium, Silence, Chrono, myself, or anyone else for the password.

I will be taking suggestions for gamemodes/maps/plugins/features/etc, so please give any input :)

The IP is 72.5.195.149 and there will be an announcement thread when it is officially open to the public.

 

Jailbreak

Based on player feedback, predator day will be completely reworked.

There also will be some changes to the current JB maplist. Feel free to make suggestions!

I've also considered improving the JB rules - less changing specific rules and more clarifying the rules already in place.

 

Hub

Soon™

 

Surf(s)

Due to the introduction of minigames, it seems like one of the surf servers will have to be removed. Feedback is welcome about this, although most seem to lean more towards removing Skill Surf. Keep in mind this is 100% uncertain.

With the possible removal of one of these servers, we will also be looking to improve both (or whichever one stays) immensely. This includes a rehaul of maps and plugins.

 

Staff

We are looking for more and better staff members, whether its old staff, current staff, or completely new staff. If anyone's interested, please contact any of the DM/DLs of CSGO or apply yourself. (it's also encouraged to apply for member!)

 

 

All changes will be announced when they come - may it be through the promo/demo, announcement threads, or the current ongoing patch note thread.

 

Cracking Down, Again

 

Lastly, I will reinstate what Chrono posted in January about admin abuse. This is not directly targeted at anyone, and if you have any questions please contact me (I'm on forums, steam, and ts pretty much always). I expect all staff to take this post into consideration, and failure to do so will be reflected in the upcoming Promo/Demos.

 

In the last few weeks I've personally witnessed and heard reports of staff doing the following:

 

• muting/unmuting themselves to speak when they are normally muted (start of round, dead) (also see: all chat abuse)
  

-this is one of the big offenses here. muting/unmuting yourself interrupts the flow of the round, and 99% of the time can be resolved in either all chat (@), admin pm (@@user), or speaking when it is convenient to everyone else. everyone is still permitted to speak when they feel necessary, but please take the rest of the server into consideration.

• ignoring players or vocally dismissing them - also disrespecting others
  

-I know that some players can be frustrating, but staff are expected to help all players on the server, no matter what your opinion on their maturity is. Staff may absolutely never be ""toxic"" to our players.

• banning xG members/staff for no reason
  

-kicking is fine, I want you guys to have your fun, but random teambans/bans does not look too attractive in sourcebans (I will restate do NOT kick others at random)

• breaking server rules because you feel staff are above the law
  

-speaks for itself, seen a lot of this too.

• poor knowledge of rules
  

-if any of you are unsure about rules, please either double check or simply ask Bleed, Lithium, Chrono, or myself. We do not want there to be confusion about the rules. It is completely fine if you happen to forget things, just make sure you are 100% correct before acting on it, whether this is banning people or telling others what you think the rules are.

• inactivity
  

-this isn't abuse, but its clear that at least half of the mods literally never get on. Originally, the policy was "if the server is well then all is well", but we're currently looking to go above and beyond that. Having half of the staff roster completely unknown to the playerbase is nowhere near ideal. There won't be an hour requirement or anything, but cmon... 1 hour in 4 weeks?

Essentially, staff are meant to take care of the server and ensure that everyone is able to enjoy their time playing on it. Keep in mind, we aren't gonna go super nazi admin on everyone. Feel free to have your fun, just use common sense. You are not above xG, its players, or its rules.

 

Quick note to everyone: the current cs staff roster is being heavily reconsidered. Take that as you will.

 

@Bleed @Lithium @Chrono @Duke @xGShadowSpy @orangejuice @Athrun @Shadow @Oden @SyrJirk @Sojodak @Hidingmaster lol @BlackWidow @SolairefAstora @DMTwired @DrPepperPhreak @Rabid @Cristo @DrLee

Edited June 10, 2016 by Owl (see edit history)

[Charles 56]

Just to add towards Cracking Down, I went on JB today to seeing a certain moderator not wearing tags while other staff were present. When I confronted him about it, he added xG to his name, but cleverly disguised his moderator tags, an example is: xGMom

^ Being the moderator tag.

I feel as if staff should be easily distinguished from members, and it is silly to be "undercover" when other staff is on.

 

This certain staff member also was talking over the warden while he was rebeling, further more delaying the round.

 

Now, I don't know if any of these statements are or aren't against the rules, but I feel as if they should be looked into.

Edited June 10, 2016 by Guest (see edit history)

[Jadow 194]

I'm am going to be very inactive since my focking computer died not as in like it keeps crashing but now it's just won't start up (probably going to get a new one hopfully...)hopfully.... :( fml

[Jadow 194]

kz maps?

[Tomahawk 156]

NOT beg Bleed, Lithium, Silence, Chrono, myself, or anyone else for the password.

Password pls? -Pink guy

[Egossi 1017]

I feel as if staff should be easily distinguished from members

Why? So that people can know when to break rules and when to not? I don't really see the logic behind that

[Charles 56]

Why? So that people can know when to break rules and when to not? I don't really see the logic behind that

 

Well here's the thing, I guess I didn't make it clear enough for you. There were other staff on at the time, like I had said. And with more staff being on WEARING TAGS, he should be distinguishable from other members.

[Owl 192]

Staff should be wearing proper, clear, tags unless there are no other staff on and they choose to go undercover.

[jaygoki 237]

if I come back for minigames do I get DM instantly

[Forest 309]

Why? So that people can know when to break rules and when to not? I don't really see the logic behind that

Think of it this way; Staff are there to ensure that the Server(s) foster(s) a friendly and fair environment for players, not to specifically weed out the rule breakers. That is to say, they're there to moderate any issues that arise at the time to prevent any other issues from popping up. The tags are more of a deterrent than anything else. Even if people are less inclined to break the rules in the presence of Staff, their (Staff) primary duty is to, like I said, maintain a fun and enjoyable environment, not to specifically target players for the sole purpose of getting them banned. Of course there are exceptions such as a player hacking (required video evidence) or repeat-offenders who [intentionally] only act out when no Staff are present.

 

Their position is more of a passive one, and while an aggressive one can be just as effective, it tends to dampen the mood and results in players who are less likely to try something new out of fear of being banned. That being said, I'm not dismissing the "undercover" status as unnecessary so much as I am saying that it should only be in effect when it needs to be.

 

Mind you, this is all just personal opinion. Whether or not it is to be enforced this way is up to the Higher-Ups :coffee:

Edited June 10, 2016 by Guest (see edit history)

[Egossi 1017]

alright, thanks for the feedback @Forest @Owl , it makes more sense when you look at it that way

[lilbleed 78]

Hey an admin says kys to me and nothing happens but when I say it I get gagged...helllllll yeeeah!

[Insane 2]

remove the DM surf and keep the skill surf :D

[ThePenguin 9]

just give me dm back hehe xd

[Pepper 35]

This "reformation" of the staff needs to happen before Hub comes out and we get an influx of people on our server. We don't need half of our staff incompetent during the busiest time of the year. I believe other steps need to be taken too to ensure that our staff is fit for the position before they are promoted. Something like the MOTD test we had before to make sure they have an understanding of the rules. Our mods also need to have a brighter face in the community and be able to be recognized as a mod by the regulars of the server and also trusted by them. I have seen plenty of mods/admins who don't know how to deal with people of the server and are disrespectful/abusive to the players. This needs to be met with a kick to the rear end by higher ups to put them back in line and possible demotion if there is no change in the mod/admins attitude.