Regarding the Elections

[Flori]

I absolutely love the fact that people are getting involved in such a large server-wide RP scenario. 

Now, my personal opinion on this matter is, I really don't like politics, and IRL I have no choice but to get involved because obviously I want the people that share my values to represent me. Do I want to be involved in this kind of thing in a game? Not personally.
Again, I am very happy that the community is having fun, what I wouldn't like to see is that I am forced into this RP situation and that whatever actions are taken under this new role aren't just the whims of some power tripping fellow community member (not talking about any actual candidates).

Mostly due to time zones I haven't even participated in nearly any interactions regarding this election, and I have no idea what I am voting for. And like in RL: Let's hope for the best!!

And regarding the discussions that have been happening on discord, I think people need to be open to discuss, not fight. If every opinion shared there will be taken as an act of war then we are doomed. Let's be friendly and accept ALL opinions and points of view without judging =)

[BrandonM]

Politics are a polarizing topic.

Let me be clear, my intentions in creating this role play was strictly to make something that everyone could be a part of. At this time, there are no added perks for being mayor, there are no punishments for choosing not to engage in the role play, and there are no consequences to avoiding the subject all together. Those were paramount in my intentions from the beginning.  After putting collective hundreds of hours into this role play from campaigning and people showing up to "Q&A's with the candidates" and debates and twitter wars, it's evolved into this beautiful RP that sometimes involves 90% of whatever server it's occurring on with everyone excited and interacting with it.

The in character intention for this role was simply to create a more realistic appearance of a "government" in the city when things go great or go poorly.  People can take things that they know are out of character coding issues or issues they have with the rules and put that blame on a government figure. Personally, I think that'll be fantastic.

"The new cars the Government promised us haven't been working correctly. Maybe if the Mayor would pull his head out of his ass, things would be better around here!"
"These new affordable housing options are great! That Mayor may get my vote again!"

Things like that.

The out of character implementations of this role is to create a liaison between the players and the staff, to improve role play throughout the city, and to interact with new players and make them feel welcome.  Something along the lines of a community representative who can approach other people who have shown themselves willing to possess those traits and ask them to be a part of the "Cabinet."  There's been a lot of talk recently about a Neighborhood Watch Committee, and this could totally work in conjunction with that where cabinet members could be the members of the Neighborhood Watch Committee.  The idea is that this role could take care of problems that shouldn't typically involve staff intervention, and to just generally benefit the overall environment of the server.

Eventually, at some point, there will be a couple perks to being the Mayor. Currently there are none.  These ideas have been submitted and are being discussed and reviewed by the staff, as far as I know. These are not game breaking perks, and they have restrictions to them. They also only last for the duration of the Mayor's terms.

 

Hopefully I've been able to address some of your concerns, and I'll be happy to answer any more questions you have regarding it.

Edited March 26, 2018 by BrandonM

[speed]

I’m low on time so this is going to be short.

We are opposed to forcing anyone to RP against their will. We’ve demonstrated this in the past with things like zip ties for civilians, and we have no plans to change. Whatever happens with this, nobody will be forced into anything they don’t want to be a part of.

This first round of elections is entirely unofficial, and all within RP. The mayor will have no power, perks, or otherwise be any different from any other player.

Depending on how this works out, if people remain interested, and it doesn’t become a source of toxicity in the community, we may make it an official role with a real impact on the community (ie: communication liaison as Brandon has described it), but there will still not be anything forced upon you. At the end of the day, we (the staff team) will still have the final say on any changes that are made.

[Flori]

Clearly the Forced RP wasn't meant for the staff, after all this time I would like to think I know how you guys work.

My post was mostly directed to the player base, to whoever is involved in this situation and will interact with the rest of the community, let other players deal with these "problems" in their own ways without having to be part of the committee for example.

I get what is happening RP wise, but if you make this a democracy and you make people choose a liaison based only on who they reached out to In-game is tricky imo.

I will drop this, I didn't mean to be a party pooper, I just gave my opinion and expressed how i felt about the whole thing. 

[Anton]

I'm totally fine with the mayor role to the point where it would become an official role and would turn from a 'role play' into an actual IRL role. I just really don't feel like one person could/should represent the needs of the community and convey everyone's voice. This is why we have the forum.

[TiLLeR]

It's also why we have community meetings, etc.  I don't think the role of Mayor, even if an officially staff sponsored roll, would assume the sole roll of feedback.  This is as much your community as it is ours.  However from and RP perspective wouldn't you want your elected officials representing your needs?

[Fat Stacks]

I'm fine with the idea of a Mayor role however I strongly feel it should something that stays within RP. I don't think the Mayor ever should be afforded any special perks or power. I envision that the mayor would sort of act as a community manager, they would listen to what the community wants and then make it their duty to make them things happen, specifically RP things.

For example, say people want events. A mayor could run on that they would bring events to the city. They would then organize these events, advertise etc. Perhaps another Mayor wants to make another place "the new Legion", they would run on that and then, in RP, would try to persuade people to come to their new spot, however they might do that. Perhaps they would also take a more active role in community meetings, voicing peoples concerns.

Once you start offering people money, cars, power etc for the role that will be the point where the mayor role will become more toxic and people will start to get upset. However if it stays entirely within RP I think it could be something good for the server.

[BrandonM]

As stated previously in the actual election thread, there will be no perks this time around.

That being said, I think that anyone willing to dedicate their time and energy into a role such as this, and adhere to the regulations of the job, should be treated exactly like any EMS or Police officer doing their job as well.  This is one of the most RP intensive roles that has been suggested to the server, so it doesn't seem fair to ask that person to do it without reward.  It's a job. It requires focus and energy to be spent on it. It's detail oriented, and requires someone to really, truly care about the well being of the server, as well ask accepting responsibilities to go above and beyond to make sure people feel like their opinions matter.  Considering it's for 30 days and is non-stop, why wouldn't we reward that person.

And before anyone wants to say "Well, thats easy for you to say, you're running."  This session of the Mayor's office will not include any of the proposed perks of the job. No pay, no extras. Nothing.  Once/if the rewards do come around, I will not run for reelection. I want this to be a good, working mechanic for the server that will entice people into better role play and promote better congruity with the staff and citizens.  I'm not in this for the rewards, I'm in this because I truly enjoy the server.

Edited March 26, 2018 by BrandonM

[Anton]

35 minutes ago, TiLLeR said:

However from and RP perspective wouldn't you want your elected officials representing your needs?

Regarding politics based on the US, where a schmuck like Trump could become the President, my answer is a confident no.

27 minutes ago, BrandonM said:

it doesn't seem fair to ask that person to do it without reward.

People involved in this are having fun with it and it is a great thing and i'm truly happy that you found something entertaining to do. However, nobody asked you to represent the community, you were not chosen, therefor its your responsibility to do it on your own expense. You cant just come up with a role you like and demand a pay because you think its important. There are people more dedicated in doing something good for the community than any of the people involved in this RP and they never even considered asking anything in exchange. 

[BrandonM]

1 minute ago, Muroko said:

Regarding politics based on the US, where a schmuck like Trump could become the President, my answer is a confident no.

People involved in this are having fun with it and it is a great thing and i'm truly happy that you found something entertaining to do. However, nobody asked you to represent the community, you were not chosen, therefor its your responsibility to do it on your own expense. You cant just come up with a role you like and demand a pay because you think its important. There are people more dedicated in doing something good for the community than any of the people involved in this RP and they never even considered asking anything in exchange. 

 

Nobody here is demanding pay or rewards, and everything proposed is merely a suggestion to the staff who has the final word on everything, so I'm not entirely sure where this idea that there's some sort of entitlement to it is coming from. You should probably reread my statement again.

[Anton]

i literally quoted where it came from, Brandon. 

[BrandonM]

You cherry picked one line, completely disregarding

59 minutes ago, BrandonM said:

And before anyone wants to say "Well, thats easy for you to say, you're running."  This session of the Mayor's office will not include any of the proposed perks of the job. No pay, no extras. Nothing.  Once/if the rewards do come around, I will not run for reelection. I want this to be a good, working mechanic for the server that will entice people into better role play and promote better congruity with the staff and citizens.  I'm not in this for the rewards, I'm in this because I truly enjoy the server.

 

but, I'm not going to argue with you anymore about this. I've told you and everyone else has told you, if you don't want to be in the RP, it's not going to be forced on you. That being said, please don't try to step on other people's ideas or roleplays just because you don't agree with them.

Edited March 26, 2018 by BrandonM

[TiLLeR]

I think the confusion is a comment made in RP  of representing constituents vs being the sole voice for the BadlandsRp community.  So to keep it simple I'll say again... the elected mayor will never be the sole voice for the community.  They can RP to be the voice for their constituents but that does not mean that it's real.

If we adopt this concept of a Mayor from a Staff perspective and put some real structure, rules, and even code around it the same will still be true... the mayor will not be the sole voice for the community.

So with that let's all take a breath and get back to a unique (optional) rp opportunity.

[Gambino]

This role could be very beneficial, more of a direct link to communicate directly to the staff team. If an EMT has an issue they can talk to paramedics etc and it can go higher, then be discussed openly at the EMS meetings for everyone to discuss. This is the same for the police. The mayor could act as this intermediary role for the civilian faction, settling questions etc, a presence in the server/discord/forums and another person officialy recognized as someone to reach out if in need.

The mayor should be one like Kotas, with the ability to add things to the calendar. They can run on these ideas instead of lowering prices etc. This also will enhance the RP/relieve the banality of legion. The mayor could be a player that others can go to with any concerns/spend enough time in the server top understand the psyche of the active player base.

I think there needs to be more community involvement about what constitutes the role of mayor.

Brandon @BrandonM has made the first few steps, and already things are fracturing. We all need to know exactly what the mayor as a role. The requirements to become mayor e.g need to be discussed between all players, an equal playing field. There is nothing to stop people from doing their own race if they feel one race is biased, then we have two mayors, I strongly feel official structure from the staff would really help aleviate many of these problems and the structure could tie in to @Str84it idea of a business index.

The current race I find somewhat farcical because of the previously stated points, even though it is a trail race, if some candidates feel left out, or people are not 100% exactly whats going on/ there is little point in trialing a system designed with these flaws. It needs to be well prepared and established for everyone before even preceding with the trail. Everything has seemingly happened so quickly its been a bit of a shock, there is real potential for this toxicity so I think more planning is needed before just going headstrong into it.

That being said, the intention to benefit the community experiance is great. We just need everyone on the same page.

[TiLLeR]

This is a great example of how the community can drive our direction.  The staff is closely watching this to determine if this is something we should support in a more structured format.

As far as the comments of 2 mayors - sure someone could do that but it would be a crappy move IMO... I'd rather see people try to build off the RP... you think the election was frauduelent?  Start a campaign for impeachment maybe... I just hope that people remember rule #1 "Don't be a dick".

Quote

This role could be very beneficial, more of a direct link to communicate directly to the staff team. If an EMT has an issue they can talk to paramedics etc and it can go higher, then be discussed openly at the EMS meetings for everyone to discuss. This is the same for the police. The mayor could act as this intermediary role for the civilian faction, settling questions etc, a presence in the server/discord/forums and another person officialy recognized as someone to reach out if in need.

I hear what you are saying here, but I really encourage people to follow the chain of command within the factions.  It's there for a reason and I think using an in game position like the Mayor would only add complexity more than convenience.  Honestly it sounds more like you are advocating for a community manager which I think should be separate than an in game roll such as mayor (just my opinion).  Still as a faction lead myself, I feel more able to help people when they come directly to me or through the staff for help.  It simply enables more direct dialog to get to the root cause and solution.

Quote

The current race I find somewhat farcical because of the previously stated points, even though it is a trail race, if some candidates feel left out, or people are not 100% exactly whats going on/ there is little point in trialing a system designed with these flaws. It needs to be well prepared and established for everyone before even preceding with the trail. Everything has seemingly happened so quickly its been a bit of a shock, there is real potential for this toxicity so I think more planning is needed before just going headstrong into it.

The toxicity you are referring to concerns me.  There is a noticeable trend and undertone on the community that if you don't like someone for XYZ reasons that you'll do what ever you can to disrupt it.  I'm not saying that anyone against the election is doing that but from an overall community perspective it's there.  People are mixing in game characters with real life personalities and just creating a disruptive environment around all of it.  I simply hope people step back and try to separate the IRL from the RP and to give unique RP a chance.   This would be the same as getting upset with someone who claims they are a drug lord for all LS.  If someone has a story line and you don't agree with what their character lays claim to then through Rp dispute it.  For those that want to run, the election I think is open for  a week.. have any of you messaged Brandon asking to be added to the ballot?  People are quick to get their feelings hurt.  I would suggest that you try trusting that people for the most part here are trying to do the right thing... they are trying to RP and if they miss a mark with you find a constructive way to provide feedback or better yet, join in the RP and influence it that way.

- That was a lot and hopefully not too disjointed.. I'm in a meeting and trying to type and listen at the same time.

[BrandonM]

19 minutes ago, TiLLeR said:

I think the confusion is a comment made in RP  of representing constituents vs being the sole voice for the BadlandsRp community.  So to keep it simple I'll say again... the elected mayor will never be the sole voice for the community.  They can RP to be the voice for their constituents but that does not mean that it's real.

If we adopt this concept of a Mayor from a Staff perspective and put some real structure, rules, and even code around it the same will still be true... the mayor will not be the sole voice for the community.

This is exactly my sentiments. The Mayor is not the sole representative of the people to the staff, at all, and was absolutely never the intention.  I believe what we have here is a bit of miscommunication and a bit of people's personal feelings clouding the message behind what this is intended to create. The Mayor role is there to address the general sentiments and to interact with the city as an RP tool for changes made/needing to be made to the server.

 

I've made it pretty clear that I am willing to add candidates to the ballot, but there is a general expectation of the candidate to agree to the rules set forth that the other candidates have agreed to. My general concern is that if someone wants to enter this race and isn't willing to follow up on the expectations that go along with it, it'll be a fun RP scenario for a week and then die when that person loses interest.  In my opinion, this can be a great tool for community building and for creating quality role play that can extend further on. The ideas of elections and community involvement get me super pumped up to think of what this could build for all of us. I don't think this role should be given to someone who isn't going to care about it, and then have this die on the grapevine.

If anyone wants to be added as a candidate, I'll be happy to help you in any way that I possibly can. I'll take headshots for you so we can list you on the ballot, I'll help you build a website, I'll even get you in touch with people to help you actively campaign against me, not a problem. I just want to see this thing work.

 

 

[Gambino]

I am 100% with you, I want this to work, it could be great.

I have no confusion about the mayor being the sole voice for the community, that much is clear from many of the previously discussed points raised.

8 minutes ago, BrandonM said:

agree to the rules set forth that the other candidates have agreed to.

The requirements for the role, from what I have heard, I think people want more involvement with this. Having to be a candidate to establish the requirements seems somewhat unfair. The entire community should be involved with this process.

17 hours ago, BrandonM said:

•  

• The Mayor must make his or her best attempt to engage civilians at all times, in an effort to further RP.

• The Mayor should not drive his/herself around. Attempts to obtain a chauffeur should be made before driving/flying themselves.

• The Mayor must dress professionally at all times. If the event being attended is a casual affair, an attempt to look Mayoral should still be made.

• The Mayor may not attempt to push laws benefiting specific players while alienating others. All decisions must be made in the interest of the entire server, not towards a minority of players.

• The Mayor shall remain in character at all times while in the city.

• The Mayor will be required to be able to record at all times while on the server (replay buffer is acceptable.)

• All decisions of the mayor will be in request form to the federal government, whom can

For example ^ , to my knowledge the only people that have been involved with creating these requirements have been Brandon and the other candidate, with the staff teams go ahead (please correct me if I'm wrong), If you are going to be a mayor for the people (I do not mean all the people in the server, just the expression), I think the wider playerbase needs to be involved with what constitutes the role of mayor. 

Precisely my point previously, more preparation and organisation for everyone to be on the same page and have a level playing field. I share your passion for implementing this role.

Ive spoken to pretty much every regular player I've come accross in game about this election, one of the concerns is that Brandon is one of only two people running, and has put together all the requirements/substance behind the role, and called the vote. Obviously one person has to kick it all off and take the first step, credit where credit is due. As we explore this process I think a more independant/separate approach is needed.

[BrandonM]

I get that, I do. I understand that the rules are going to need tweaking and changing.  The whole point is that it's going to evolve, and this is just the kickoff.  As it goes, it'll be handed off more to the citizens. I've put in a ton of work for this, and I'm not looking for anything in return. I just want to create something good that the whole community can rally behind and come together, rather than be driven apart by personal differences and the development of cliques and gangs.  What I've come to the table with is a giant block of clay that needs to be shaped and molded.  I've got the rough idea all laid out, but it's up to everyone else to make this what they want it to. Everything is moldable, nothing is concrete. 

[TiLLeR]

Staff has just said that this is within RP and fine by us... We did not draft the rules no endorse them. This is not a staff sanctioned activity.. this is a community member driving an interaction the same as any of you can.  We are however watching with a potential to formalize it for the community some time in the future (I feel like a broken record :D)

[Bret Prozekt]

#NotMyMayor

[Fat Stacks]

26 minutes ago, BrandonM said:

I get that, I do. I understand that the rules are going to need tweaking and changing.  The whole point is that it's going to evolve, and this is just the kickoff.  As it goes, it'll be handed off more to the citizens. I've put in a ton of work for this, and I'm not looking for anything in return. I just want to create something good that the whole community can rally behind and come together, rather than be driven apart by personal differences and the development of cliques and gangs.  What I've come to the table with is a giant block of clay that needs to be shaped and molded.  I've got the rough idea all laid out, but it's up to everyone else to make this what they want it to. Everything is moldable, nothing is concrete. 

If you wanted to develop it you shouldn't of just dived straight into the polls giving nobody a chance to enter the race. There should of been a thread before where the idea was discussed, give people a chance to get their campaigns together and so you could get an idea of exactly who is running. Why immediately execute a "rough" idea?

[TiLLeR]

He talked about this for a week... the election isn't for a week.  Still time to join in.  Why get RP bogged down in thread discussion... let RP be fluid and dynamic. 

[Dont Eat The Iris]

Im not sure why anyone feels forced into Roleplay or is so thoroughly upset about this. Its a great RP opportunity. Everyone has been repeatedly told they dont have to participate or even acknolege the RP. Ever one has heard it from Tiller and speed that this is just people having fun and is being watch by admin. 

 

Why are you upset?

In what way is the RP being forced upon you? 

Are you just mad that this is what ppl are talking about?

What power do you think this RP mayor has over you thats so upsetting, when youve been told you dont have to participate?

[BrandonM]

Again, this is the first time an RP of this scale or interest has been undertaken. There is still a week left in the polls.

There are going to be hiccups, it's going to be rough at first, no matter how much extra work gets put into it. Lets just roll with it, fix it dynamically, and see where it goes rather than complain about it.

Edited March 26, 2018 by BrandonM

[Dont Eat The Iris]

5 minutes ago, Fat Stacks said:

If you wanted to develop it you shouldn't of just dived straight into the polls giving nobody a chance to enter the race. There should of been a thread before where the idea was discussed, give people a chance to get their campaigns together and so you could get an idea of exactly who is running. Why immediately execute a "rough" idea?

Its RP. We were having fun. If others want to join our fun great. If not, great. Its not sanctioned by admins and we were just going with the flow. People can still join and participate. Or people can wait for the next one.  

There is no need to be this upset about it. Its just RP