Unholy Nation from a staff member's point of view.
 

I think will probably have a negative effect on my position, but still feel this needs to be said. My fellow staff members on Unholy Nation are possibly the laziest, disinterested, and self-centered people I have ever worked with. There's 40 people on the staff list, 1 of those is an Uploader, 4 of those are part of the FAQ team, 6 of them members of the Events Team, and 9 of them are GPs. That is the PR side, half of the team, but it's still only 20/40. What are the other 20 members of staff doing? The developers? The managers? The people in charge of the server and its content? This isn't exactly hot news, but they're doing nothing at all.

The server has boasted for a while that its holiday events are the things to be around for. When it came to December nothing was planned. When it came to mid-December, people were reasoning that there was a lack of developers on the server. Now I've just gone over the staff list again, and with 5 people having the title of "Developer" amongst the other members of the development team, you might wonder just how many developers it takes to get content out on this server. Days went by and nothing was done. In the end it came down to myself and Door, members of the PR team trying to get content released. Apparently trying to get help from the development team was like pulling teeth however, and a lot of help was sought from developers that we knew rather than people "working" on the server. Not everyone was above doing their jobs however, both GK and especially Jazz helped out a lot, but that's still only 2/20.

The quest didn't get finished in time, but the presents system did. Jazz rescripted it all and I spoke to a lot of the graphics community left on Graal, and got a lot of new content made to put in the presents. Players did enjoy the system, but in my eyes, it simply wasn't enough. Nothing big is usually done on New Years Eve, maybe a hat or two, but again those were made by people outside of the staff team and employed by Jazz. Now I don't expect everyone to drop all of their work in favor of holiday events. They're short term side-projects, and they're things that the players have came to expect. When nobody is working on anything however, you expect them to do something, but it's all left for a member of the Events Team to direct?

We have these deep-rooted staff who nobody will remove, because for some reason they are respected and treated like Gods of the server. That means they can get away with doing nothing, or rather, doing whatever they like whenever they feel like it. Other people who actually do their jobs are expected to *****foot around, struggling to get the rights to do their actual job. That also includes members of the PR Team.

Now it's January and there are no projects planned for the future. I'm sure someone will disagree with this and come up with things off the top of their head, but there really is none. Management here is terrible, both Manager and Admin, but because people think there's no one on the staff team that could "handle" the position it looks like it's going to be a struggle to replace. Someone really needs to cut this horrible cycle of UN MANAGERS WHO DO THE SAME THING OVER AND OVER and get someone from outside of the staff team with the right ideas, motivation, and support. Only then will the server start to see some positive changes.

If I could +10 rep this I would.
It isn't just UN either. A lot of servers have those, "Original" staff that people only keep because they feel that since they have been there a long time they are somehow, "Untouchable". People need to realize that no staff is above work, as you said. Very well stated Rufus.

The PR team should jail the development team, erratic behavior is the only way to stir up the pot.

UN was a pain in the ass to "help" out. I kind of freelanced there for a while, but besides the pile of 10 year-old scripts clogging the server, most of the staff was no help and in fact hindered you more than anything. Even the head scripter wouldn't even bother to direct me to the right scripts, and in fact I was the one scripting stuff that needed to be done hastily for Halloween, while the head NAT screwed around on RC.

It's a joke, it really is.

too bad the PWA don't do their jobs

I got nothing more to say considering Rufus stated it all, it's a joke...

If Rufus gets fired, demoted, or even glared at for posting this, I am going to riot through the streets, and if I must, the jail, of UN.

I second that motion.

I don't think you quite understand how hard it is to get the current scripters to focus on long-term projects at all. Yes this means GK and Jazz also. Why do I say this? Because I've tried to get both their help on long-term projects before I said **** it and quit.

I wouldn't completely blame the current depression on the manager since we've basically went through four different managers in 2010, though GK managed to get a couple releases going, not to mention **** after **** after **** placed on top of all the other problems through subsequent managements. It's more of lack of staff unity that serves the problem.

UN is in a spiral of failure, and another management change will do nothing to alleviate the problem. This thread is pointless.

This post is coming from a former staff members point of view who has been staff through said 4 managements.

You're saying something about how it's a problem with getting "current scripters" to focus on projects, but then saying it isn't the manager's fault for enabling this behavior?

We are currently (and have been for a few days) looking into what has been happening lately on Unholy Nation. While we cannot promise any immediate change, we are reviewing what can be done to improve the situation and if a solution is found, we will execute it.

It is not our job to motivate people to be active nor push releases on individual servers.

I should have stressed the word "completely". I only said that because I've seen four managements where the same core problem is at hand.

What's the difference between a long-term and short-term project? It's projected usage? I don't see how that implies anything, considering the only two members of the development team that helped out during Christmas were scripting staff. Had this effort been placed into another project, it would have been just the same? I think it's more about motivation not being provided and not selling project so they seem attractive and important. That's what got the presents system done, it wasn't a requirement.

I said in my opening post that it has been like this for a long time now, and nobody has done anything to stop it. In my opinion, it is the passing on to current members of staff that has continued the problem, because it's like they know no different.

You may have given up on the server, but that doesn't mean my thread is pointless. There is still a playerbase, and there is still interest from both developers and players, but nobody is taking advantage of it. We've gone over this so many times now with the current guy, who doesn't seem to care at all. Don't need people like that.

I agree for the most part with Rufus.

Development is terrible on UN. I try to do the best I possibly can. Its hard when i'm literally one of two developers actually working on the server...

I have no scripting team, no matter how much i've tried to hire. People come to me expecting to just be automatically added to the staff team because they worked on the server 6 years ago, or possibly know Skyld.
Then when I ask for examples, they act as if i'm stabbing them in the neck, then run off and complain how I never hire, and how the scripting team sucks.

Currently, I am a one-man team. I try to do as much as I can, but I am still only one person.

As far as "long-term" projects go, I tend to avoid them, I admit that. Its hard to work on a project for a long time, when your the only one working on it, day after day.
I don't know where this 20 man dev team is tbh...we have no graphics team...I think we have 1 person who is ever on who is a levels team?
I just don't get it.

For the most part, I don't work on long term projects because I am forced to come up with projects I can do on my own. Since I have no graphics help, no level help, barely any gani help...and GK is the only other person who can help.
Currently, we have our uploader working as a temporary GAT for some projects. Its bad.
I mean, yes, we have had big help from shane, aeko, dusty, etc...people not on the staff team...-_-
But, they can only do so much, and I can't force them to work constantly on a huge project.

I have been coming up with ideas about what needs to be done in 2011.
But, once again, I have to come up with these ideas expecting to be the only one to work on them.

Now, let me talk about christmas...
I began work in late November on a project. I worked on it for a few weeks, the system was pretty much done. But, I had no graphic help. And this system was heavily reliant on looking good...so, last minute, I Had to cancel and postpone. I am hoping to release it next year, since its all there...all I need are graphics.

Once that was done, weeks went on...not a word was spoken about christmas. I had enough, and I went to Door about help on a quest.
I worked for about a week on the quest. It was almost finished, looking really good. But the players wanted the present system back....and that system was a mess from last year.

I had two choices...keep working on the quest, or give it up and work on the present system. Well, obviously you know what I did.
Players wanted the presents. =/
I got more pms a day asking when santa's grotto would open more than anything else. So, I thought my choice was obvious.

Once christmas was over, I was now left with a quest heavily based around Christmas themes...so, I had no choice but to cancel that too.
I could have spent a week redoing the quest, but then it would no longer be the same quest...I would essentially be making a brand new quest, and it would take some time.
However, I did learn some things from scripting that quest that I will be using in the future (on future quests, hopefully).

Along with the quest, me and Door were going to release something special that we both have worked very hard on.
This is still in the works, and is very close to being finished. It will be released as a winter system, rather than Christmas, since it is still winter, and will be for months to come.

Now, before I write a novel on the forums, I will end here.
I just want to re-iterate, I am working alone as far as scripting. I try my best, and I think i'm doing a pretty good job. Once again, like I always say, if you have any ideas, criticism, comments, anything. Please, pm me, forum mail me, in-game mail me.

Because, tbh, I am sick of seeing people talk about how nothing gets done, problems don't get fixed...well, i'm not able to see everything on the server. Things will not magically fix themselves...so, stop complainign about it, and actually tell me. Then maybe we can get some stuff done.

That is all. Oh wait, I have one more thing....if you want to apply for my team, just show me some examples of your scripting abilities, I have a small application that would take a decent scripter 2 seconds to do...but please, if you apply, don't expect to get full NC, unlimited rights, and get to do w/e you want. Its not going to happen.

Now, that is all.

tl;dr? Stop being lazy and read the post already.

I want to learn, but if I try to do it on my own I'm not going to get anywhere...trust me, I've tried.
Maybe if there were people willing to show people how to do things hands-on more people would be interested in learning and working. 0.0

It sure used to be. I suppose PWA is more of a support group + occasional management swap position or something now?

Yes it's projected usage, and also something UN doesn't have very often. Constant development is always put on seasonal projects, and while that's not a bad thing at all, it's always the case where little is sought for long-term. I would love to think any staff member's motivation would be trying to provide some long-term playability for the destitute UN. I wanted to get CastleWars done for the longest time, literally since May. I wrote up a big comment sheet trying to list the ideas, dev progress, current developers on it, and even urging constructive criticism of the ideas, but that wasn't even enough for the scripters.

As jazz said, he is practically the only scripter on UN, and with that said, it's very hard to get multiple projects going.

I'm not sure where this "doing everything myself" stance derives from considering I tried to provide level support for whatever project was underway that I knew would get the necessary scripting support, whether it was disregarded or even entirely discredited (sup door).

Level support has never been a huge problem, and probably will never be.

Just to be clear the past week and a half or so Cron has been sick with pneumonia. I thought he notified the administration (team admins (rufus)) but I could be wrong. Take that into consideration when you evaluate his 'inactivity' over that time.

Being said, I think I can speak on behalf of Cron when I say that he's appreciative of the extraneous amount of work that staff members like Door and Rufus have done over the holiday season. There were plenty of ideas that 'management' had thought of but staff members took the route of developing their own projects instead of doing what 'management' wanted. Because of that Cron asked me to evaluate what the teams were doing and improvise by trying to see that their projects were actually completed on time. I 100% supported staff working on projects that they were intrinsically motivated to work on as opposed to forcing them to work on something they didn't like. It's more gratifying to see a project completed that you planned out.

When I addressed the teams working on them (Jazz & Door specifically (Door specifically)) I was greeted with intense hostility. As opposed to forcing my presence onto them, I just expressed myself and told them what was going on. Rest assured with a promise that they would try to do their work as they planned to, they made it clear they didn't need any "management" but their own. That was clearly wrong. Jazz was acting like stretch-arm strong and reaching from corner to corner scripting all the projects.

Being said, it is also Jazz's job to hire scripters. He can't find any and is compensating for it by scripting a lot more. He's not scripting everything, though. Let that be known lol. Crono's management can't do anything to change that. Each admin is in charge of handling their respective teams. Since Mystic quit, potential candidates to replace him have already been discussed. The Graphics team has been undergoing the same problems as the scripting team. Fortunately for UN though, graphics aren't as in a high of demand.

There are projects being worked on though. Rufus, you probably aren't privy to them because you are a "PR" team member and not a member of the development team. Your job is to appeal to players with events and manage the events team. Teams have been given projects to work on but they are constantly forgetting about them or working on other things. The last I knew about development projects, Jazz was supposed to be scripting a boss for the quest plan Crono had. Levels team was working on Castle Wars and levels for the quests. Graphics were to be supplied as needed. As for the Developers you brought up: Gamerkid is working on Tower Defense. Bane is working on the hat abilities and planning the quest to release it. I was supposed to be handling the holidays but stepped back to let the people who were motivated enough to work take the lead and glory for the hard work they put in. Rage is still working on in-game forum updates and recently released "Neetris" updated with multiplayer compatibility.

I think I can speak for Crono again when I say that he hasn't been vocal to the PR staff team or players about what's going on because he's been friending the side of caution. I was fired for making too many promises about content and not being able to deliver. Crono doesn't want to fall victim to that same mistake.

As for the development team members who claim they don't have anything to do they are absolutely full of ****. Crono had administrative meetings about plans and was constantly pushing his quest project onto staff prior to the holidays. It's just a "coincidence" that they're forgetting about it when the manager is put under the microscope.

There is nothing wrong with Crono's management. The staff members choose not to do the work they've been assigned. As opposed to firing them, they've been given leeway to work on projects they're more self-motivated to work on. That's a management technique being used to try and at least assure some content to the player base. It's to my understanding that after the holidays staff were to resume actively working on the quest plans that Cron discussed.

This is completely contradictory to why I was fired. There's no need to dance around what you really do.

Edit: Any of the development staff that hop on this bandwagon and say they have no direction directly because of Crono need to get bent. Also, PR staff should now be focusing on their jobs more since the holidays are over.

Would just like to say....'management' did not have any plans for Christmas what so ever.
That is a total fabrication, lie, and is just so far from the truth, its agrivating.

Crono had no involvement what so ever with Christmas, and Streety, neither did you.
You got involved later December after everything was already being worked on and close to being finished. Why were you greeted with hostility? Because you barged into projects that me, Door and Rufus had been working on for weeks that you had no part what so ever in.

And actually, I am not the only one scripting everything. GK does too.
So, let me rephrase...me and GK are the only ones scripting anything.

And this 'quest' that Crono asked me to make....was a boss...a copy of a boss from LTTP in which he said he wanted to do as a joke, and nothing more. If you want to defend yourself and other management..please, be my guest. But actually have something to stand on instead of lies.
If you want me to work on useless things that Crono came up with in 2 minutes that he himself admitted was all for a joke on Luca's and Khyber's expense, then i'm the wrong guy to do it.

If you want to say you and Crono had ideas for Christmas, then i'll sit back and laugh.
The only ideas ever presented were quest ideas that were come up with in a matter of seconds after I had posted in the staff discussion forums that nothing was getting done.

So please, stop with the lies, stop with defending the defenseless. I'm sick of it.
I had to deal with this on N-Pulse, and I don't want to deal with it all again.

Can we all just calm down?
Dammit I don't want to listen to you guys throwing mud at each other.
How about you all sit down, take a few damn deep breaths, and work things out in a freaking civilized manner?

i liked it better when the manager produced rap

Then don't.

I wouldn't be if I didn't care about the server. UN was the first PC server for me, and I don't like seeing this happen to it.
Maybe if you all stopped insulting each other and blaming other people and talked about how you can improve in a more civilized manner stuff would get done. And yes, that means you actually have to listen to everyone else's advice. The amount of work YOU think you're doing and the amount of work OTHER people think you're doing are two totally different things.

Everything is wrong with Crono's management from the way he mocks staff publicly on RC to the way he essentially gives the reasoning "because I said so" when he almost invariably refuses to let staff pursue any development projects they propose to him. I have run into this, Jazz has run into this, Mystic has run into this, and Rufus has run into this. I haven't met a single person (Other than Streety, who happens to be close friends with Crono) who has proposed a development idea to Crono without having to kick and claw just to get it accepted by him. The only time I ever appreciate Crono's management style is when he has pneumonia and isn't online to block any attempts at development.

As far as me being "intensely hostile" to you when you decided to tell me and Jazz when to have our independently designed and created holiday project finished and not to flake off our duty to release it--without offering the least bit of assistance to us, even after you were specifically asked to help out with graphics. (As a side note, I remember once asking you what you actually do on this server and your answer was "I make holiday projects.") I got real mad, just like I'm real mad right now, because it was the most hypocritical pile of slop I'd ever read up till this. You have done nothing since Halloween, and I heard that was 90% Jazz working his ass off too--how much have you actually done since then, anyway? Oh, that's right, you built a corrupt self-inflating island all to yourself on the overworld, including a giant Streety statue and NPC "Followers of the Red Helmet." I suppose there's no other way for you to get followers but to script them. Pity you couldn't help any of us out this Christmas with our holiday projects. Saying "Have your project [you know, the one that you've planned out, and worked on all by yourself on your own time without having any responsibility for it--unlike me] done by December 23d and don't drop it, the players don't deserve that" is not management. That's being a hypocrite trying to relieve your own guilt for not lifting a finger for us or the players in a long, long time. What was it you said to me while we spoke, by the way? I should be thankful because I've been given a long leash to work on my own--sorry, to work on your projects.

Wow, silly me. Sorry about all that Streety. Thanks for the long leash.

I'm sick of pretentious staff members who are using older, established staff members AS AN EXCUSE to be pretentious.

Crono's quest plan as a whole was described as a serious of quests that will ultimately replace the current heart quests. To try and get it done bite at a time he was assigning individuals bits and pieces of the development to get done as opposed to handing them the whole project. You were privy to the ultimate goal and what he was trying to achieve. I'm not sure if he told you that's how he was handing out the development.

If you weren't so hotheaded and read through the post in no way did I say that Crono or more importantly myself had any involvement in Christmas festivities. I said that I was told to make sure that the projects you were working on actually got finished and weren't put to waste.

I'm not going to sit here and insult you because you deserve an enormous amount of respect for the work you've put into the server scripting wise. I don't want to deprive you of that. I also don't want to feed it to you and watch your ego blow up as significantly as it has lately. You are a scripter, your job is to script, I'm not entirely sure why there's so much *****ing involved. It's a pain in the ass to do it on your own but you're the one who is in charge of the scripting team. Crono cannot pursue individuals for hiring and assure that you have sufficient number of people to get projects done in a manner that will not stress you out.

Being said you and I both need to calm down. I dislike that you came into an argument that boils down to Crono's removal because of how much you've been scripting and how overworked you probably feel. I came in incredibly defensive because this is exactly how my removal escalated. Player proposed, staff hopped on boat and ultimately I was fired. Since then there has been 3 useless managers who had no management skills whatsoever. Crono has the experience and innate ability to lead the team. He's probably the best candidate for manager that UN has seen since before I was even playing Graal. If you specifically have a problem, express it to him and don't add to this concoction of bull**** that's boiling on the Graal forums: Home of out-of-place drama.

That sure seems like your saying you had involvement...

Btw, don't get offensive just because I'm speaking the truth. Im not hotheaded, im not even egotistical.
Ask anyone who has worked with me, I do work given to me, I work hard.

And if Crono had a grand scheme to have a plethora of quests to replace the current heart quests, well, it would have been nice to actually tell someone about it. Because I think I speak for everyone when I say, I have no idea what you are talking about.

He asked me to make a single boss based on a joke about Luca and Khyber quitting...if you want to make it out to be something it isn't, thats on you.

I'm done posting in this thread though, so, continue posting lies if you like.

I'm not entirely sure how this turned into flame-Streety. Nowhere in my post did I ever say I was doing anything. In fact, I said the complete opposite and said that I wasn't doing anything at all because individuals were working on their own projects. Projects that unfortunately have not seen the light of day yet. (Jazz's snowmen and your quest)

I suppose that you're right in saying Jazz did most of the work for Halloween. Only because it is his job to script and I'm not a scripter. He scripted what needed to be scripted because that's his job. I do recall saying that Crono is having me work on holidays and not saying that I make holidays. I've never taken glory for work that other people did. I would never say that I make holidays, implying that I am the sole reason holidays happen. As a "Developer" I have much less of a direction than you do. I guess what I "do" for the server is based on what is happening during the week that I can actually help with.

I'm fairly certain I offered to help with the quest you were working on, by the way. I typically do that. I wasn't the ******* you are making me out to be. I was just inserting myself to try and help you guys organize your time a little better.

Get off your high horse, Door. I hate that you let your eloquence turn you into a pretentious, defensive pig.

I did the whole split-into-quotes thing, but I got bored as most of it has been addressed. Just going to be blunt here, what have you been doing on the server for the last 6 months? What has been released since Crono became Manager? Who are they attributed to?

What I have done is irrelevant. I never said I did **** for this server in the past 6 months.

My entire point of posting was an incredibly inflated way of saying that Crono is the best candidate for manager UN has seen in a very long time. This topic shouldn't take the route of removal but should take the route of adjustment.

Im also sorry for pulling a few people out on the rug. I didn't mean to offend anyone or start any arguments whatsoever. Pretty sure Door and I resolved that hostile encounter we had over the holidays when it happened so I'm not sure why it needs to be brought back up to the surface now.

I was using it as means of creating a timeline.

Okay so you have done nothing at all. The fact that Crono has his friends on RC with full rights, while they do absolutely nothing for the server, shows a lot about his Management style.

Now, what has been released in his time as Manager? Who are they attributed to?

Would just like to clarify the Crono in question for the past 2 pages is not me ok guys~?

As was said, this is being looked into. There is no need for a mud slinging staff war, nor is it even allowed on the forums.