It seems I have some things to clear up after this weekends drama. But firstly I apologize for not being here when it happened, I was busy all weekend so had no time for work.
I am aware that a group of users find my moderators unfair and in certain cases abusing. Now this is not uncommon and whoever moderates and however it is done there will be people that do not agree. Yet I feel the need to clarify certain things for future reference. To make it easier on the eyes I'll do it in a simple Q&A fashion.
Q: Moderators favorize their friends and don't warn/ban them where it is needed.
A: The mods are not allowed to moderate threads where they participate, they leave it to whoever is impartial in the situation. If all mods are involved it goes to me to do the moderation. I often see this accusation being thrown around yet never receive confirmation on where this favorization actually happens.
Q: This user was warned/banned and I don't understand why.
A: The forum is still in somewhat of a beta stage, that means all rules are not yet completed and we're working on our systems to get them up and running. I agree that transparency on decisions could improve and I have added a moderation rule to always include reason in the "User was warned/banned for this post" massage as a direct response to your complaints.
Q: Why are moderators trolling/being mean/acting like normal users?
A: Because they are normal users. When a moderator is not writing in green text then that person is just like anyone else. No special powers, not above any rules, no nothing. That means moderators also go under normal rules when posting non-green so if you feel a rule has been broken simply report the post and I will look at it personally.
To make it super simple (forgive my bluntness, mods) they are an extension of me, five extra pair of eyes, only here to enforce rules. No customer support, no representing SeaTribe/Paradox, nothing else than modding.
Q: Then why have normal users as mods? Why is this forum not run like -insert MMO- forums?
A: Because that is the way it has to be done. This is a small project and there are no funds to have non volunteers as moderators at this stage.
Q: I still don't agree with how things are done.
A: Then bring it up in PM to me or in the rules thread. Spamming it around the forums is considered just that: spam.
Q: The H&H mafia is running Salem! My suggestions and ideas get shot down instantly. The mods and chosen few are conspiring behind my back in the hidden forums!
A: This forum has a rough attitude towards new players and their ideas, yes. Why? Because we have seen them posted countless times. This game has been in development for a long time and SeaTribe have a very set idea on what they want it to be -- end product wise. The simple truth is that suggestions regarding drastic changes in core gameplay will most likely be overlooked by Jorbtar. We can't have too many chefs in this soup, give it time to evolve into what Jorbtar has envisioned and if you still feel the same once the product is launched, then go ahead and suggest changes.
Also, for content ideas: please check if it has been posted before.
Q: Mod X abuses bugs, hacks and is a general meanie.
A: Game is in beta, we want the users to find bugs, hacks and exploits to fix this game. Stax for example is active on the bug tracker and reports everything he finds as far as I know. Once again, game is in beta.
Q: Mod X uses his/her super-powers in-game to get an advantage over normal users.
A: The moderators have no super-powers in-game or out of game. They can simply enforce rules set by me, that is it.
If anyone has any other related question, please ask it here and I will add it to this list. Consider this the megathread to get all rage out and set this situation straight -- then we can return to being happy Salem and kill eachother.