The GM staff is spread thin throughout all of WarpPortal's games

RO is your longest running game. It should hold a special place of attention over the other games you have adopted. Your staff however is spread too thin amongst all of the games, leaving the RO community feeling like a prom night dumpster baby.

Since you guys lack the financial resources to continue effectively managing this game on your own, you should adopt a model of in-game management that many of the higher grossing games do: select in game GM's to assist with in game duties.

You should obviously be VERY cautious about who you select, and stringent checks would need to be placed on those accounts with access to GM powers.

Checks such as:
Only a player that has NEVER received any form of punishment on any of their linked warp portal accounts could be eligible.
Only a player that has a character of level 99 or higher on their account should be eligible.
Only a player that has had an active account for at least 5 years should be eligible.
Only a player that lives within the United States of America would be eligible for the position.
Only a player that has passed a questionnaire with questions about in game knowledge, other personality questions, and situational questions, should be given this position.
If its possible, Temporary GM's should have their power/commands limited. (I have been told this is not possible on iRO)
Temporary GM's should have frequent IP checks, game chat logs and GM command lists monitored. (Temporary GM's would be warned not to access from multiple IP's such as both at home, work, and internet cafe's.)(punishment for some other IP accessing this temporary GM account would be bans and item wipes for both IP's, and accounts related to those IP's.)
Temporary GM's should only be allowed to send players to a GM jail(not ban them), where their case will then be reviewed.
Temporary GM's must save chat logs, and use RO Replay when on the Temporary GM accounts, and must submit both to a proper "GM forum", as well as a written statement as to what was accomplished during the access time.
Temporary GM's must maintain secrecy about their posiiton on their main accounts, and vice versa.
Temporary GM's must log a certain amount of time assisting within the game each week. This is a non-paid, volunteer position. If they cannot fulfill their commitments, then their position should be revoked. (I'm not saying put a jail quota on them.)


An in game ticket system, or if that is not possible, an in game "report" npc should be created where players can access and report a problem, and the temporary GM's can review and assist with applicable situations.
(This could be a special mailbox or npc, for example, where a player will speak to it and write their report. When a Temporary GM accesses this "mailbox", they can view, determine whether this is a legitimate problem and if they can help, and they can send a reply to the submitter when the problem is resolved.)
(I have been told that an idea like this would not work with current coding and would require kRO implementation. So any other better ideas that could work similarly to an in-game ticket system to make problem solving occur faster would be welcome.)


With the right players (selected through a restrictive interview process) in these volunteer positions, this could work, creating a much more enjoyable community/game. <shouts> For the betterment of RO!

I know this has been suggested before as well, however in light of recent cheating events, and the server merge (making it more feasible to monitor cheaters) it has become more of an applicable suggestion than before.



If there's any other restrictions or rules you think should be added to the list, then speak up.




I would be willing to help the GM's select questions and expand upon these ideas as well. I also want to point out that I am not suggesting this for my own benefit. I would like to assist in a position like this, however I am not certain I could make the time commitments and would therefore not be eligible.

Edited by Tkwan, 30 December 2012 - 02:14 PM.

It has been suggested time and time again, and it is just not feasible. They are a business, and there are a whole mess of problems that could potentially arise by allowing players to hold GM power. Even GMs that have worked for them in the past have occasionally been biased and done some pretty bad things such as handing out free items to players, so it's extremely difficult to trust someone that's hundreds of miles away.

Even for moderating here on the forums we have a contract we had to sign. They have a lot of our personal information should anything go awry, but that's only going to help scratch the surface if someone with in-game power went on a power tripping spree.

I see the complications, but thats also why I suggested that if they even get a hint that the temp GM's might be going "out of the box", that they ban all associated warp portal accounts and wipe all items related to the incident and associated accounts.

Example, if a temp GM was going to give an item to a high end woe guild member, the threat of that woe member having their account completely wiped would be daunting enough to not accept the handout.

It's a position with alot of power, a position with alot of responsibility, and hefty consequences for not following the rules associated with the position. That's why I say they should allow volunteers, but with heavy restrictions on them. Someone volunteering would realize the weight they carry, and what it could mean if they get power hungry.

I sometimes wonder if headquarter reads what we post on forum.

I see the complications, but thats also why I suggested that if they even get a hint that the temp GM's might be going "out of the box", that they ban all associated warp portal accounts and wipe all items related to the incident and associated accounts.

Example, if a temp GM was going to give an item to a high end woe guild member, the threat of that woe member having their account completely wiped would be daunting enough to not accept the handout.

It's a position with alot of power, a position with alot of responsibility, and hefty consequences for not following the rules associated with the position. That's why I say they should allow volunteers, but with heavy restrictions on them. Someone volunteering would realize the weight they carry, and what it could mean if they get power hungry.

If this even was possible don't you think it would be better that the GM's create an account with a GM type character seperately with a character that has no inventory or item holding capabilities or attack abilities. Would eliminate any chance of item related mis-behavior. But even then it goes to the possiblity of having a grudge against another player. They can't get any powers to be trusted with which limits them to exactly the same as any player.

Think we forgot when there were fungineers and they started charging new players for elevator passes.

Edited by IronPlushy, 30 December 2012 - 01:48 PM.

No

but with heavy restrictions on them. Someone volunteering would realize the weight they carry, and what it could mean if they get power hungry.

still wouldn't stop them from going out of control

I sometimes wonder if headquarter reads what we post on forum.

I wouldn't expect to get any sort of official response, or for them to even read this right now. It's sunday.


RO needs to take a pro-active approach to this game, its community, and economy. Not a re-active approach.

Assistant/Temporary GM's would help take an immense load off the understaffed CM's and GM's shoulders, and allow them to police the few assistants instead of policing the thousands of players.

they really need to stop adding games when they cant successfully manage the games they have... all it does it run off the older and more loyal players

If this even was possible don't you think it would be better that the GM's create an account with a GM type character seperately with a character that has no inventory or item holding capabilities or attack abilities. Would eliminate any chance of item related mis-behavior. But even then it goes to the possiblity of having a grudge against another player. They can't get any powers to be trusted with which limits them to exactly the same as any player.

I didn't mean create it on the same account. No way. They would need a separate account and the staff is aware of that. The GM's would however have to have a main account linked to the Temp GM account. It gives the Temp GM something to fear if they would ever decide to go rogue.

still wouldn't stop them from going out of control

I think the threat of complete item/character/account deletion is a pretty solid deterrent. It ruins EVERYTHING that person has worked for in their RO life. It's the real "guillotine fist".

Edited by Tkwan, 30 December 2012 - 01:55 PM.

According to Oda and Heim in past comments regarding these "volunteer GM" suggestion threads that have appeared over the course of these years, it is mostly a matter of legal issues that can surface if in case even one "volunteer GM" is found abusing their given powers. It is also not possible to give them limited powers without giving them the entire thing. They have to be an official employee that is being paid at their offices to even receive such a position. There is no such thing as "volunteering" to be a GM.


I'd love to cite this post, but these answers have been given long ago and they remain true to today.

Edited by GuardianTK, 30 December 2012 - 01:56 PM.

wipe all the stuff from a persons accounts seems fine and all but if they cant keeps bots at bay how would they keep a abusive GM in check? before you go crazy as a gm... sell all your stuff transfer the zeny to a totally free standing account and then go hog wild destroying and ruining everything you can... by the time the tickets regarding the abuse got read so much damage could be done that it would take month and months to sort it all out in the mean time the former GM collects his zeny and resumes playing on his new character...

According to Oda and Heim in past comments regarding these "volunteer GM" suggestion threads that have appeared over the course of these years, it is mostly a matter of legal issues that can surface if in case even one "volunteer GM" is found abusing their given powers. It is also not possible to give them limited powers without giving them the entire thing. They have to be an official employee that is being paid at their offices to even receive such a position. There is no such thing as "volunteering" to be a GM.

That's what I had heard as well, which is why I said "if it is possible". The legal issues can be gotten around by having them sign a contract, just like Ralis said they have to do to even be mods.

Through a tough eligibility and interview system, they could find trustworthy people. Adding in the threat of basically ruining their RO life, as well as bringing real life legalities behind it, should altogether keep the Temp GM's in line.

I'm not saying just "anyone" can volunteer to be one. It would basically be a process closely related to selecting an employee, only its unpaid, subject to intense moderation, and very closely monitored.

If other top grossing games can do it without paying their GM's, then I see no reason why RO cannot as well.

this is an INTERNATIONAL game... if youre from someplace outside of the US legal jurisdiction the legal repercussions are not something to worry about

this is an INTERNATIONAL game... if youre from someplace outside of the US legal jurisdiction the legal repercussions are not something to worry about

They could just get Americans to volunteer then.

I wish we had Americans in the support staff period. They never know what you're saying no matter how literally you word things.

wipe all the stuff from a persons accounts seems fine and all but if they cant keeps bots at bay how would they keep a abusive GM in check? before you go crazy as a gm... sell all your stuff transfer the zeny to a totally free standing account and then go hog wild destroying and ruining everything you can... by the time the tickets regarding the abuse got read so much damage could be done that it would take month and months to sort it all out in the mean time the former GM collects his zeny and resumes playing on his new character...

That's the point of monitoring all of the GM's commands and actions and requiring an RO Replay of every session. Anything spawned is logged. HQ would be able to track where it is sent and enforce restrictions/bans on all complicit accounts. On top of that, like Ralis and GuardianTK mentioned/hinted, they would be subject to signing a contract that could financially ruin them in real life.

Ruining someones game life is one thing, ruining their real life is another. If someone truly cares about helping this game and community, then they would have no problem signing a contract that subjects them to possible legal penalties/fines if they should abuse their powers. It put things into perspective if you realize you could be forced to pay $100,000 in fines and spend a year or more in prison if you are found to have broken the contract.

"With great power comes great responsibility."

this is an INTERNATIONAL game... if youre from someplace outside of the US legal jurisdiction the legal repercussions are not something to worry about

I assumed they would have to be in the US anyway, figured that would be a given without me posting that as a requirement. The more local to HQ the better, obviously.

Edited by Tkwan, 30 December 2012 - 02:13 PM.

It really isn't possible unless they are given the full powers that designate them as a GM. Regardless of whether there's a process that requires a contract or not, they must be paid and be considered an official employee at their HQ. You can't call them volunteers after that happens. They are also not willing to pay more people to work for them, which is why we're stuck in this situation at the moment.

I actually foresaw this happening long ago when they started adding several new games that they had to spread out to manage. This is the result of spreading their GM's too thin and having too few of them. It'd have worked out if they could hire new people, but that won't happen with the current state of the US economy.

It really isn't possible unless they are given the full powers that designate them as a GM. Regardless of whether there's a process that requires a contract or not, they must be paid and be considered an official employee at their HQ. You can't call them volunteers after that happens. They are also not willing to pay more people to work for them, which is why we're stuck in this situation at the moment.

I actually foresaw this happening long ago when they started adding several new games that they had to spread out to manage. This is the result of spreading their GM's too thin and having too few of them. It'd have worked out if they could hire new people, but that won't happen with the current state of the US economy.

Some may call me a pessimist, or cynical for saying this, however: the economy is going to get worse than it is now. It WILL get to the point of global famine, possibly even as soon as april as european researchers suggest in http://www.shtfplan....l-2013_08242011. And when people are forced to choose between feeding themselves and their families, or paying for games, they will obviously choose to feed their families. The only way RO, and gravity will remain around is if they can by some miracle, manage to weather the storm of collapse. If players don't see an improvement in RO management, they wouldn't even consider spending any money on it during a collapse. It will be seen as a complete waste without a hope of survival, the RO doomsayers will more easily be able to sway public opinion and will be like a very fast cancer to the game. This time is critical to them improving their customer service and game management, if they don't, gravity and warp portal will likely not survive.

That's the point of monitoring all of the GM's commands and actions and requiring an RO Replay of every session. Anything spawned is logged. HQ would be able to track where it is sent and enforce restrictions/bans on all complicit accounts. On top of that, like Ralis and GuardianTK mentioned/hinted, they would be subject to signing a contract that could financially ruin them in real life.

Ruining someones game life is one thing, ruining their real life is another. If someone truly cares about helping this game and community, then they would have no problem signing a contract that subjects them to possible legal penalties/fines if they should abuse their powers. It put things into perspective if you realize you could be forced to pay $100,000 in fines and spend a year or more in prison if you are found to have broken the contract.

"With great power comes great responsibility."



I assumed they would have to be in the US anyway, figured that would be a given without me posting that as a requirement. The more local to HQ the better, obviously.

all this monitoring you're talking about would likely take up more gm time than it would save.

and even if they signed a contract gravity likely doesnt have the resources to get a lawyer to prosecute corrupt people. i dont even think they did anything when their servers were getting ddos'd for like 2 months.

Edited by Easly, 30 December 2012 - 02:39 PM.

Which is why they wouldn't want to take risks that could potentially involve lawsuits. xD

all this monitoring you're talking about would likely take up more gm time than it would save.

and even if they signed a contract gravity likely doesnt have the resources to get a lawyer to prosecute corrupt people. i dont even think they did anything when their servers were getting ddos'd for like 2 months.

If they win a lawsuit (which they would if it were under a broken contract) then the defendant pays for the lawyer fees as part of the judge's settlement ruling. That is generally how courts work. They would have no reason to NOT prosecute someone if they broke the contract.

Player GM's = Horrible idea..
closest thing would be the volunteers.. and their power in itself is v v limited. this is a business not a democracy or a private server.. people have just been "spoiled" more-so lately than in the past

If its bots you're worried about, one person could handle them ALL. I've proved it.

I already offered Heim/Oda my services but they declined. The deal was;

- Hourly rate (to be discussed)
- No special GM powers - just my normal account
- Exemption from the "no 3rd party programs" rule to help find bots.
- I find the bots, give them a list of names, they ban them.
- Any names that were long-term players they were free to investigate on their own terms.

I even did a free test service for them, where I was reported 20-40+ bots per day for 5 days to prove my capabilities. (Yes it was kinda sad I reported near 200 bots and Ymir's population was ~600 at the time)

But, they still did not take up my offer. Bottom line, they really don't care. *insert cash cow pun here*

lol. get out.

my answer for the bot problem:
add a captcha in the log in.
For the cheaters problem:
every WoE a GM checks some random castles in GM cloak. He will see a bunch every day. Or maybe... they can actually investigate the reported cheaters and permaban them? it's not so hard.