The Overwatch Catastrophy: A Compilation of Issues and a call for Resolution.

[Equinox]

I think the community as a whole deserves a resolution. It is absolutely no secret that the Overwatch faction is in flames. Many players can see clear as day that there are many issues, indicated by a complaint nearly every day involving the Overwatch. A very good number of the staff are also clearly miffed by this faction's performance. It has gotten to the point where we are having to consider certain functions within other factions such as the Vortigaunt faction and other factions (evidenced by how they're constantly being fucked with by Overwatch) because we have to ask: "What about the Civil Protection? Can we work around their current issues?" This is not something we should even have to ask.

I know that talks have happened. I know CMs have discussed things with the faction leads. I know that "promises" have been made to those who make the decisions. At this point, it isn't enough. The community needs answer. This faction is basically shooting our entire server and community in the foot. It is unfortunate that I have to, to put it bluntly, put the faction leads on blast. There is no personal malice I have with these faction leads, and I hope nobody else takes it personally. It's simply a reaction to what has been observed as an objective failure.

So, I'll be presenting these issues. All at once, in one thread. We'll get through all that first, and then what I, and what I can easily assume everyone who shares these issues ask of you, the faction leads.

The Issues
1. "The Civil Protection/OTA are too harsh. They don't roleplay enough."
Evidence:
Case 1 (Thread)
Case 2 (Thread)
Case 3:

Case 4:

Case 5:

Case 6:


Case 7:

Case 8:

Consensus:
The Civil Protection faction is too harsh. They are intolerant of Citizen RP, and resort to excessive responses for relatively minor situations. Examples include a heavy beating just because someone ran, stripping citizens of clothes and other non-consequential items, beating someone because they simply rounded a corner into them, excessive searches for minor reasons, etc.

This goes against the purpose that was constantly spoken of for Civil Protection. They were meant to be antagonist, but not antagonists that interrupt healthy Citizen RP, or ultra-zealot antagonists where their only interaction with citizens is that of uber punishment and judgement. This also falls into the issue of Civil Protection not roleplaying enough, which I feel is minor enough to be placed here since without roleplay, all you have left is a Judge Dredd type CP force that simply acts instead of roleplays.

Perhaps some good solutions are to actively train CP, as well as introduce ranks that have an OOC purpose over an IC one. Have certain units act as examples that are more numerous than RLs (who act as the leaders as they should). This way, you promote those who are your GOOD units to a certain rank, give those ranks more power, and have the lower rank that is essentially new/inexperienced follow them so they can see how it is meant to be.

2. "The Civil Protection application is too excessive."
Evidence:
Primary Case
The actual application.
Consensus:
The faction application is simply far, far too involved. I personally have never seen a CP app of this size before. Obviously, other people agree. This has led to the very logical observation that there simply isn't enough CP's on at times. People find that the info needed for this app is spread out over far too many threads. Another is that it is simply too difficult, with too much information needed.

A good solution brought up at one point was to change how new CPs are looked at. Instead of holding them to an incredibly high standard that assumes they already know how to utilize WN's CP system- lessen the standard to that of your average HL2RP server, and then train those units in-game, through experience, by those who have shown to be good CP players. This will not only allow for much more into the faction, but also work to fix the previous issue mentioned of CPs that are too harsh or not experienced enough.

3. "The OTA are powergaming."
Evidence:


Consensus:
OTA are simply too powergamey. They often carry out actions and whatnot that people cannot reply to, because there was nothing to reply to in the first place. It usually involves carrying out actions without roleplay. This is a short one because it is such a simple issue, but one that is detrimental nonetheless. This can also be construed as OOC disrespect, in which players OOC words are often ignored or refused in situations.

4. "The OTA are used too often."
Consensus:
The OTA are used very, very often. They are seen at guard posts when they aren't needed, and have been seen almost every day of the server.

This goes against what was expected of OTA. They were meant to be an entity that you rarely saw, because the conditions they were called in for were relatively uncommon. Originally, it was meant that OTA were to be used when responding to a RESISTANCE threat in the sewers, to handle situations that the Civil Protection have failed (read: died off to) to handle, and to act as a bodyguard for the City Administrator when they appear in public (an event which was meant to be uncommon). They are seen almost everyday. Either some of the plans just mentioned need to further be reduced (so CP are used more) or OTA are simply hopping on for reasons they need not be on for.

What the Community Expects from this Thread
1. The Civil Protection/OTA are too harsh. They don't roleplay enough.
2. The Civil Protection application is too excessive.
3. The OTA are powergaming.
4. The OTA are used too often.
​

These are the main issues that I, along with other members and staff, evident through the forums, discord, and actual in-game evidence, have compiled. There are many sub-issues that may fall under these, or are a result of these issues, that may not be mentioned here.

What we want, are answers:
- We want to know what has been done, in detail, if these issues have been resolved.
- We want to know what you as faction leads are planning to do, in detail, if these issues are not resolved.
- We want to know if there is no plan, or if a solution has not been thought of, if this be the case.
- We want all of these answers within this thread.
I am sure many can agree on these terms, and if not, they can list them below.

This is not a complaint. This is not meant to primarily be a suggestion. This is meant to be a discussion, and to a degree, a demand for action.

What the Community doesn't want to see from this thread.​

For this thread to be locked by the Overwatch (CP and OTA) leads.
I don't even want to suggest what might happen if this thread is locked...

To hear "We are working on it." followed by no further response.
This doesn't tell the community anything, and is partially the reason this thread is being made.

To receive answers, and then for the thread to be locked.
This is a discussion, from the community to you all, on a thread with all the main complaints compiled.

To witness any personal attacks of character.
This goes for both sides. This is not where you call someone retarded, dumb, stupid, idiotic, or any number of ad hominems. Remember the guidelines.

To hear "We have discussed this with the CM's." or anything of equal avoidance to the topic at hand.
The community wants to hear what the faction leads have discussed.

Be Civil​

 

[Light]

Massive fucking Pogchamp. Thank you @Equinox, I love you. Cheers!

On a serious note: I was asked beforehand by Equinox and other members of the community that contributed to this OP what was my personal experience with the CP/OTA faction in-game and in RP, and they gave me the opportunity to write it down in the thread myself, so here it goes:


"Overall? Good roleplayers, but they seem to not know what they're supposed to do or what is expected from them from an OOC perspective, and I believe that's because the leading roles are currently occupied by either A. incompetents or B. inexperienced CP players. The way to fix this would be a complete replacement of the CP leading team.

As for OTA, I had zero experiences so far, but from what I've seen from others, they seem to be veeeery powergamey and I believe the way they're told to operate is wrong, but not sure on that one."

 

[Equinox]

Calling the Civil Protection and Overwatch faction leads:
@Spine
@Manio
@Ron Goodfella

 

[Ron Goodfella]

Hello, some of you who are viewing this statement, of which holds no associations to the beliefs of other leads as I have been presently missing for two weeks, fourteen days in total. You might be wondering who I am.

I have been an Overwatch co-lead since Spine had been given the role, and before then when the leads had switched hands.

From what I have seen, my official stance is this.

1) Overwatch is being used excessively.

This is completely true. I have seen screenshots of which have to be investigated where Overwatch Transhuman Arm is interceding against citizens during guard routines when Civil Protection is readily available in the area. No, this is unacceptable. The Transhuman Arm is permitted to escort valuable members of civil society on a case by case basis. It depends who needs the guards. I have seen images of OTA in numbers of four or five escorting a single person. I have been told OTA has been used by members of CAB to go to street vendors. OTA should seldom pose a threat to citizens and non-combatants because they are not there to intervene and act as police when on their objective.

2) Civil Protection acting up.

This can extend to the OTA, but I have heard that Civil Protection members are whispering or saying stupid things, actively inhibiting citizen RP, and shooting the place up. I have heard Civil Protection killed members of CAB by bhopping and spraying during a hostage scenario. CP are supposed to fulfill the game's fantasy of intimidating, ruthless thought-police. Actively being a detriment to other roles in the game breaks immersion, especially if you are saying things like 'gaylord' and the N word randomly.

Things definitely have to be changed, corrected, and criticized.
I ask of people to be considerate of how busy some moderators and faction leads have been in real life. All issues should be reasonably talked upon by all members of the community so that we can move forward and correct erroneous behavior immediately.

Screenshots, video, and other proof of misconduct whether it directly infringes upon faction rules or simply ruins the playability of the server should be posted.

 

[Ron Goodfella]

1) Overwatch is being used excessively.

This is completely true. I have seen screenshots of which have to be investigated where Overwatch Transhuman Arm is interceding against citizens during guard routines when Civil Protection is readily available in the area. No, this is unacceptable. The Transhuman Arm is permitted to escort valuable members of civil society on a case by case basis. It depends who needs the guards. I have seen images of OTA in numbers of four or five escorting a single person. I have been told OTA has been used by members of CAB to go to street vendors. OTA should seldom pose a threat to citizens and non-combatants because they are not there to intervene and act as police when on their objective.

I would like to add onto this, as well.

issues with OTA should also be associated with the civil administration faction, as they have the power to bring overwatch transhuman arm into areas extending outside of the nexus, which is where the roleplay for the faction is supposed to be its strongest.

ah yes,

i do not think anyone is to blame, however, there are glaring issues (restated again) that have to be looked over and solved.

 

[M!NT]

• Fantastic work compiling everything here.
  
  I would like to say that I believe whole-heartedly that there are two things that we can do to help mitigate these issues and in time, eradicate them.
  I have suggested these things many times only for them to be shot down. However, I do believe that these two relatively small changes will make a big impact.
• 
  Applications
  I strongly advise that we move all civil protection applications to be in-character. This will allow us to capture people who are good at roleplaying not filling out a form. If one is competent at roleplaying, and proper approach and character motivations are put forward during the process, it makes it much easier to rule out the type of roleplayers who just want to play harsh, edgy, and ruthless cops.
  This can be done, it can be done easily, it can be implemented quickly, and it can be set up to accommodate players of all timezones. I have personally done this as lead on servers with a much larger civil protection than the one we have currently. It can be done. Stating that it is impossible because of difficulty or timezones is an excuse.
  
  Training
  We must have training. No exceptions. This process of dumping loads of textual information onto new civil protection players then just dumping them into the whitelist is bound to fail (and it has). If we have training for all units it will allow new players to the faction to learn the ropes while simultaneously teaching both new players and veterans how our community wishes for civil protection to act. At the moment, units mainly fall back on what they know- to no fault of their own, causing behavior that is seen as unfair and disruptive to roleplay.
  I am not saying that units should all act the same or be restricted at all on how they should play their CP characters. I am merely stating that, when running civil protection in the past, I have seen that standardized training, if implemented correctly, has fixed issues like this very quickly.

 

[Equinox]

I elaborated a little on this in the OP, but I personally want to suggest a ranking system that can help address the main issues:

Instead of this weird "00 - 75" system, have your ranking system be a method of ensuring quality. Have:

A newbie/inexperienced player rank. This is for all new CP members.

Your official ground units. This is for CP members who have proven that they roleplay how we expect CP to roleplay. They are still numerous, and essentially act as examples for all units beneath them. At any point, they may be the smaller or more numerous than the newbie rank. They are meant to be examples for those below, and while they can't order lower ranks around, they can force a unit to stop in the case where they are doing something shitty.

Rank Leaders, who act as the actual leaders, and unit observers. Basically what they are now.

Dispatch, basically what they are now.

 

[Madcombat]

@Equinox

Thank you, you get it.

TL

Did they tie you up and keep you hostage in a basement?

This is the kind of admission to the situation I want to see, admission that there is a problem and why there is a problem and then to go on and talk about how to solve it rather then just saying 'We're working on it.'

 

[M!NT]

I elaborated a little on this in the OP, but I personally want to suggest a ranking system that can help address the main issues:

Instead of this weird "00 - 75" system, have your ranking system be a method of ensuring quality. Have:

A newbie/inexperienced player rank. This is for all new CP members.

Your official ground units. This is for CP members who have proven that they roleplay how we expect CP to roleplay. They are still numerous, and essentially act as examples for all units beneath them. At any point, they may be the smaller or more numerous than the newbie rank. They are meant to be examples for those below, and while they can't order lower ranks around, they can force a unit to stop in the case where they are doing something shitty.

Rank Leaders, who act as the actual leaders, and unit observers. Basically what they are now.

Dispatch, basically what they are now.

I think that internal ranks are very important as it helps newer units have someone to look up to the entire time they are playing the faction.
There should be a recruit rank, then 4-1, then rank-leader. Say what you will about ranks, they work and they work well.

 

[Ron Goodfella]

• Fantastic work compiling everything here.
  
  I would like to say that I believe whole-heartedly that there are two things that we can do to help mitigate these issues and in time, eradicate them.
  I have suggested these things many times only for them to be shot down. However, I do believe that these two relatively small changes will make a big impact.
• 
  Applications
  I strongly advise that we move all civil protection applications to be in-character. This will allow us to capture people who are good at roleplaying not filling out a form. If one is competent at roleplaying, and proper approach and character motivations are put forward during the process, it makes it much easier to rule out the type of roleplayers who just want to play harsh, edgy, and ruthless cops.
  This can be done, it can be done easily, it can be implemented quickly, and it can be set up to accommodate players of all timezones. I have personally done this as lead on servers with a much larger civil protection than the one we have currently. It can be done. Stating that it is impossible because of difficulty or timezones is an excuse.
  
  Training
  We must have training. No exceptions. This process of dumping loads of textual information onto new civil protection players then just dumping them into the whitelist is bound to fail (and it has). If we have training for all units it will allow new players to the faction to learn the ropes while simultaneously teaching both new players and veterans how our community wishes for civil protection to act. At the moment, units mainly fall back on what they know- to no fault of their own, causing behavior that is seen as unfair and disruptive to roleplay.
  I am not saying that units should all act the same or be restricted at all on how they should play their CP characters. I am merely stating that, when running civil protection in the past, I have seen that standardized training, if implemented correctly, has fixed issues like this very quickly.

while i agree with some of your points, i also have a few things to contribute that move in the opposite direction.

i think, most importantly, out of character maturity and your comportment is far more useful to see if you are willing to play the role you are given.
being able to speak to us, any staff, actually, and show us your interest in writing and roleplay gives us a clue that you can:

1) adapt
2) understand what's expected
3) allow others to help guide you into playing the role immersively and enjoyably for the server.

forcing people to stare at a guide and memorize everything does not mean you will contribute to the server and use that information positively. applications have this issue, too, though i completely understand why they have been apart of the gamemode for a long time.

i think that factions should be readily accessible based on your interest and maturity, your ability to learn and be humble, and follow the rules.

training is agreeable, should be done on a case by case basis, whitelist leads and game masters/staff should review peoples behavior and how well they function to see how much help they need. i dont think it should be mandatory where you sit in rp boot camp in nexus as events. people have varying schedules.

 

[Equinox]

• Fantastic work compiling everything here.
  
  I would like to say that I believe whole-heartedly that there are two things that we can do to help mitigate these issues and in time, eradicate them.
  I have suggested these things many times only for them to be shot down. However, I do believe that these two relatively small changes will make a big impact.
• 
  Applications
  I strongly advise that we move all civil protection applications to be in-character. This will allow us to capture people who are good at roleplaying not filling out a form. If one is competent at roleplaying, and proper approach and character motivations are put forward during the process, it makes it much easier to rule out the type of roleplayers who just want to play harsh, edgy, and ruthless cops.
  This can be done, it can be done easily, it can be implemented quickly, and it can be set up to accommodate players of all timezones. I have personally done this as lead on servers with a much larger civil protection than the one we have currently. It can be done. Stating that it is impossible because of difficulty or timezones is an excuse.
  
  Training
  We must have training. No exceptions. This process of dumping loads of textual information onto new civil protection players then just dumping them into the whitelist is bound to fail (and it has). If we have training for all units it will allow new players to the faction to learn the ropes while simultaneously teaching both new players and veterans how our community wishes for civil protection to act. At the moment, units mainly fall back on what they know- to no fault of their own, causing behavior that is seen as unfair and disruptive to roleplay.
  I am not saying that units should all act the same or be restricted at all on how they should play their CP characters. I am merely stating that, when running civil protection in the past, I have seen that standardized training, if implemented correctly, has fixed issues like this very quickly.

I highly agree with the applications. It shows what we need to actually need to look for in new applicants: That they are able to roleplay, and that they are actual human beings instead of Judge Dredd Robocop tier.

As for training, I'm all for it if it is streamlined. I feel this can be addressed better by having most of the training be "on-the-job" type, with a quick but important training session to start them off. This has worked wonders for ensuring quality, but it is important that they do not advance rank just by this short training session, and that they actually receive experience in the field.

 

[Equinox]

I think that internal ranks are very important as it helps newer units have someone to look up to the entire time they are playing the faction.
There should be a recruit rank, then 4-1, then rank-leader. Say what you will about ranks, they work and they work well.

They work well when they have an OOC purpose. Rank bloat is a common issue that leads to misunderstanding of who can do what and the general issue of "filler" ranks that serve no real purpose. Units aside from RL will always have a rank to look up to anyways, whether it's 1 rank, 2 ranks, or 10 ranks.

Essentially, trim the fat. Don't place more where you don't need more.

 

[Madcombat]

• Fantastic work compiling everything here.
  
  I would like to say that I believe whole-heartedly that there are two things that we can do to help mitigate these issues and in time, eradicate them.
  I have suggested these things many times only for them to be shot down. However, I do believe that these two relatively small changes will make a big impact.
• 
  Applications
  I strongly advise that we move all civil protection applications to be in-character. This will allow us to capture people who are good at roleplaying not filling out a form. If one is competent at roleplaying, and proper approach and character motivations are put forward during the process, it makes it much easier to rule out the type of roleplayers who just want to play harsh, edgy, and ruthless cops.
  This can be done, it can be done easily, it can be implemented quickly, and it can be set up to accommodate players of all timezones. I have personally done this as lead on servers with a much larger civil protection than the one we have currently. It can be done. Stating that it is impossible because of difficulty or timezones is an excuse.
  
  Training
  We must have training. No exceptions. This process of dumping loads of textual information onto new civil protection players then just dumping them into the whitelist is bound to fail (and it has). If we have training for all units it will allow new players to the faction to learn the ropes while simultaneously teaching both new players and veterans how our community wishes for civil protection to act. At the moment, units mainly fall back on what they know- to no fault of their own, causing behavior that is seen as unfair and disruptive to roleplay.
  I am not saying that units should all act the same or be restricted at all on how they should play their CP characters. I am merely stating that, when running civil protection in the past, I have seen that standardized training, if implemented correctly, has fixed issues like this very quickly.

^ This
Hell, I wouldnt even mind have graduation ceremonies and promotion ceremonies again like we used to... - in the day...

while i agree with some of your points, i also have a few things to contribute that move in the opposite direction.

i think, most importantly, out of character maturity and your comportment is far more useful to see if you are willing to play the role you are given.
being able to speak to us, any staff, actually, and show us your interest in writing and roleplay gives us a clue that you can:

1) adapt
2) understand what's expected
3) allow others to help guide you into playing the role immersively and enjoyably for the server.

forcing people to stare at a guide and memorize everything does not mean you will contribute to the server and use that information positively. applications have this issue, too, though i completely understand why they have been apart of the gamemode for a long time.

i think that factions should be readily accessible based on your interest and maturity, your ability to learn and be humble, and follow the rules.

training is agreeable, should be done on a case by case basis, whitelist leads and game masters/staff should review peoples behavior and how well they function to see how much help they need. i dont think it should be mandatory where you sit in rp boot camp in nexus as events. people have varying schedules.

The problem with the applications was that they were looking for a -VERY- specific type of player and I don't feel it was for the right reasons either. This is why I outlined the needless focus on grammar and awnsering pointless questions.

"i think that factions should be readily accessible based on your interest and maturity, your ability to learn and be humble, and follow the rules."
And this is the biggest important thing here, we shouldnt be gate keeping. Sure there needs to be quality control but we don't need to be anal about how we go and do that quality control. Remember whilst we're sitting at 70 players, we should be trying to run this place as if we had 20 players. We want to keep attracting new membership and new players into the community. If someone is missing afew of the key-standards we want for our units we can always keep them in a recruit position and actually help them evolve.

We don't need to poop people out of the system and tell them "Come back in 2 weeks." Why would we even tell someone to reapply for something in 2 weeks anyway? What's the point- it's very arbitrary.

 

[Manio]

Case 1 (Thread)
Case 2 (Thread)
Case 3:

Case 4:

Case 5:

No evidence nor names provided. As I wrote this numerous times, we really can't help you if you don't provide us with any evidence or names of people that did that. I'm sorry, but as much as we would like, there is no way of finding out who did it if we have nothing to work with. If you see a faction member doing something they are not supposed to, make sure to document their tagline and collect evidence & send that evidence directly to us instead of talking about it on discord general. A lot of false rumors started just like that that we had to later deal with.

Case 7:

Case 8:

Same as above.

3. "The OTA are powergaming."
Evidence:

This situation has been revived for no reason I'm afraid, it's been already resolved and the player in question dealt with accordingly. I'm sorry this happened, but do understand that we also have players that make mistakes from time to time and shouldn't be lynched for them. This is one of those mistakes.

Consensus:
The OTA are used very, very often. They are seen at guard posts when they aren't needed, and have been seen almost every day of the server.

They are guarding the nexus front because there are no forcefields present due to the bug in which they crash the server, you should know that. They keep the gate secure so people won't try to minge-run inside as they did before. So far I'm really impressed with their dedication because some of them stand hours there. Can't stress my thanks enough.

This goes against what was expected of OTA. They were meant to be an entity that you rarely saw, because the conditions they were called in for were relatively uncommon. Originally, it was meant that OTA were to be used when responding to a RESISTANCE threat in the sewers, to handle situations that the Civil Protection have failed (read: died off to) to handle, and to act as a bodyguard for the City Administrator when they appear in public (an event which was meant to be uncommon). They are seen almost everyday. Either some of the plans just mentioned need to further be reduced (so CP are used more) or OTA are simply hopping on for reasons they need not be on for.

And their purpose hasn't changed. The frequent OTA appearance is strictly tied to server and players' needs, examples - City Administrator requesting escorts often, other CCA members do too. Nexus forcefields are not functioning therefore someone needs to stand guard there. We are not making Civil Protection stand on a gate so they can actually walk around the map and roleplay for themselves instead of doing guard duty 24/7.


Again, we are more than happy to answer any of your questions regarding the faction or its future, we might be late with answers, but it's because we currently have many things on our hands such as Dispatch guide rework, Rank Leader intake, and Dispatch intake. Personally, I have off-duty models that I was supposed to finish this week although due to the amount of work required on-server I had to postpone them even further. This is what we are working on currently while also doing something that is an utmost priority - actively monitoring the faction.

 

[Madcombat]

This situation has been revived for no reason I'm afraid, it's been already resolved and the player in question dealt with accordingly. I'm sorry this happened, but do understand that we also have players that make mistakes from time to time and shouldn't be lynched for them. This is one of those mistakes.

Didn't the overwatch blow off every CEC members knee caps today with the overwatch?

 

[Stevebot]

I'd like to note, it seems counterintuitive to ask players to document something they are unable to get ahold of by normal means (OTA taglines). I'm sure a lot of us are happy do to that if we were able to ourselves. It's almost as though the current system (as it is today) doesn't allow us to do it.

 

[M!NT]

while i agree with some of your points, i also have a few things to contribute that move in the opposite direction.

i think, most importantly, out of character maturity and your comportment is far more useful to see if you are willing to play the role you are given.
being able to speak to us, any staff, actually, and show us your interest in writing and roleplay gives us a clue that you can:

1) adapt
2) understand what's expected
3) allow others to help guide you into playing the role immersively and enjoyably for the server.

forcing people to stare at a guide and memorize everything does not mean you will contribute to the server and use that information positively. applications have this issue, too, though i completely understand why they have been apart of the gamemode for a long time.

i think that factions should be readily accessible based on your interest and maturity, your ability to learn and be humble, and follow the rules.

training is agreeable, should be done on a case by case basis, whitelist leads and game masters/staff should review peoples behavior and how well they function to see how much help they need. i dont think it should be mandatory where you sit in rp boot camp in nexus as events. people have varying schedules.

In character applications are vitally important. Guides can be learned over time and can be taught. The basics are quick to pick up on when learning from someone on-the-job, the in-depth specifics of the guide will take some time to sink in regardless of application type. Absorption of the information in the guide is very important and will take time.

Just knowing the information from the guides is fine but does not show the ability to roleplay effectively in the faction. However, roleplay and mentality is a different story - as Equinox said,
That they are able to roleplay, and that they are actual human beings instead of Judge Dredd Robocop tier.

This is by far the most important quality we must look for in cops. Not the ability to regurgitate the guide, but to be able to roleplay cops that provide quality character development for citizens. This can be found through In Character applications. It is nearly impossible to filter through OOC means.

Allow me to provide a bit more specifics on what I mean by training, as it is a very broad topic.
Training is so important because it shows units how we expect them to act before they go out into the public. That means that training can be very short and can be done by all units who present the qualities we are looking for. I do not wish to waste people's time. Units will learn most of what they need to know through their first hour or so on patrol, but we can really focus on what is expected of them by giving them examples. Aka, short training that walks them through the basics. During this training the attitude and behavior presented to the trainees heavily influences how they will act. It is then that it is followed up by a bit of time as a recruit to learn the ropes before they are made standard civil protection officers.

This will prevent them from falling back onto instantly becoming robocops- let them first see how the community expects them to act before expecting them to act that way.

 

[Manio]

Didn't the overwatch blow off every CEC members knee caps today with the overwatch?

The situation occurred today, yes. I'm not sure about blowing-off kneecaps, but I do know that Transhumans were used to injure some members of CEC or CRU, I'm not quite sure. It was an event hosted by both Abe and Rad-X and as far as I know, none of the players partaking in it complained, though it's what I heard, and don't quote me on that.

Edit: Actually from what I'm hearing the feedback was positive.

I'd like to note, it seems counterintuitive to ask players to document something they are unable to get ahold of by normal means (OTA taglines). I'm sure a lot of us are happy do to that if we were able to ourselves. It's almost as though the current system (as it is today) doesn't allow us to do it.

Each complaint directed towards transhuman members is known by me, even something a simple as chat logs will help us locate the suspect and find out more about the situation. Any evidence helps.

 

[Light]

This is how -I- put in my own MPF document back in the day for how CP IC training should be:

"Training will be as follows: You will join the force as a Recruit (RcT rank), and from there you will await for further orders in the NEXUS, more specifically, for someone experienced to 'adopt' you to a Patrol. You will be taught the necessary main things you need to know to work almost autonomously, but still as a team worker, and once the higher ranking units believe you're ready to assume a more autonomous rank of i4, you will be given your sidearm, and will be allowed to lead patrols on your own or clamp HAPs as you please, as long as you're in a team of two or more of course. Also, if you deem necessary, you may request another experienced unit to give you a more specific training or crash course on how to do specifics. We encourage this. Don't be afraid to ask, it doesn't hurt."



Regarding applications, in my personal opinion, there's only 3 main things that we need to be evaluating with an application format: 1) Capability to write proper English; 2) Willingness to learn and adapt to the faction's standards and rules; 3) Proper ability to roleplay.

How do I suggest addressing these?: Well, let's get to it.

1. Can be handled by simply looking at the answers. It's easy to spot who can and who can't.

2. Provide some minimalist, yet specific questions.

I.E:

"What do A, B, C, D radio codes mean?" <- This evaluates the applicant's capability to dig the forums and find the guide so he at least shows effort to find the necessary for info. Make it be the main necessary need to know all-time codes.

"How should a Ground Unit react to X scenario, according specifically to the CP Handbook?" <- Again, this evaluates the applicant's capability to dig the forums and find the guide so he at least shows effort to find the necessary for info. Two of these should be enough. Don't expect big answers either, just straight to the point answers.

3. Ask the applicant to provide a Charcater backstory. This is the best way to evaluate A. Creativity; B. English Writing Skills; C. Effort; D. Capability to Roleplay (to some degree, less accurate than actual in-game performance). You can also ask the applicant to answer 2 or 3 specific Scenarios they find themselves in as -CITIZENS-, not actual units. That's a good way to see what they'll think of in a role they are already familiar with.

 

[M!NT]

This is how -I- put in my own MPF document back in the day for how CP IC training should be:

"Training will be as follows: You will join the force as a Recruit (RcT rank), and from there you will await for further orders in the NEXUS, more specifically, for someone experienced to 'adopt' you to a Patrol. You will be taught the necessary main things you need to know to work almost autonomously, but still as a team worker, and once the higher ranking units believe you're ready to assume a more autonomous rank of i4, you will be given your sidearm, and will be allowed to lead patrols on your own or clamp HAPs as you please, as long as you're in a team of two or more of course. Also, if you deem necessary, you may request another experienced unit to give you a more specific training or crash course on how to do specifics. We encourage this. Don't be afraid to ask, it doesn't hurt."



Regarding applications, in my personal opinion, there's only 3 main things that we need to be evaluating with an application format: 1) Capability to write proper English; 2) Willingness to learn and adapt to the faction's standards and rules; 3) Proper ability to roleplay.

How do I suggest addressing these?: Well, let's get to it.

1. Can be handled by simply looking at the answers. It's easy to spot who can and who can't.

2. Provide some minimalist, yet specific questions.

I.E:

"What do A, B, C, D radio codes mean?" <- This evaluates the applicant's capability to dig the forums and find the guide so he at least shows effort to find the necessary for info. Make it be the main necessary need to know all-time codes.

"How should a Ground Unit react to X scenario, according specifically to the CP Handbook?" <- Again, this evaluates the applicant's capability to dig the forums and find the guide so he at least shows effort to find the necessary for info. Two of these should be enough. Don't expect big answers either, just straight to the point answers.

3. Ask the applicant to provide a Charcater backstory. This is the best way to evaluate A. Creativity; B. English Writing Skills; C. Effort; D. Capability to Roleplay (to some degree, less accurate than actual in-game performance). You can also ask the applicant to answer 2 or 3 specific Scenarios they find themselves in as -CITIZENS-, not actual units. That's a good way to see what they'll think of in a role they are already familiar with.

^^ This