On bad admins and admin gimping:

Author Topic: On bad admins and admin gimping:  (Read 1965 times)

This deserves a topic mostly on account of if I don't give it its own topic other ones will eventually be filled with me telling people to loving off themselves so they can't breed.


Why the forget do people keep telling modders not to give admins power? In the discussion of every single large-scale server modification - whether it's CityRPGs, DRPG, trench wars, or anything else - you will see users saying "Don't give admins the ability to do X thing because they will abuse it".

This is nothing to do with the modder. Modders, when developing mods like this, where admins will have some system other than building or being an starfish to manage, should give those admins the tools to do so. Granting money in CityRPG and items in DRPG, instant digging in trench wars - these are important tools to help deal with the everyday bullstuff you bunch of loving handicaps inflict on each other whenever you play these things. If you're running a server, someone, somewhere is going to find some way to forget with the systems in it and ruin someone elses time on the server. It is an admin's responsibility by wont of them being a loving admin to deal with this stuff and try to ensure that the server runs smoothly, and with game servers this includes making sure that people who abuse the system are removed.

Sure, that's reactive, not proactive measures. If the person doesn't have a prior reputation, you will only know they're going to forget with others once they do it. The administrator can then remove them from the server - but systematically they have probably caused damage. If the player is removed, it's only fair to roll back the damage they inflicted. People constantly scream to not give admins the tools to do this, based on the fact that bad admins will abuse it. And note the choice of words there - the fact. They will abuse it.

People are so concerned with bad administrators that they refuse to acknowledge there is also good administrators. Admins who will, if the tools are made available to them, use them to help others when stuff goes foul. And it will go foul, as for every bad administrator there's also a handful or more of bad players who are often every bit as capable as the administrator of ruining your stuff.


You cannot fault a modder for people abusing administrative tools, as that is the fault of the administrators, not the modder. Blaming the creator of a mod for servers using it sucking is blaming entirely the wrong party - because if a server is run by capable people who actually know what they're doing and aren't loving around, people will enjoy it even if it's running something as ungodly loving terrible as Jorgur's RPG.

And if a bad admin wants to forget with you, they'll always be able to kick or ban you. There's no loving point in removing their other tools.


Note that this entire rant is also cross-applicable to Badspot's blocking of access to script functions. There are bad modders who will only break things - intentionally or not. There are troll modders who will deliberately abuse script to forget with others. And there's still modders who just want to make mods, and they're getting punished for the stuff others do.

Frankly, I have absolutely no idea how the term badmin even came to existence. I do not understand how the host is able to give admin to the wrong people. It seriously is not that hard to sift through people. Dear lord, people are complete idiots.

Concerning the levels of "admin-power". I can't cope with people who rather distribute loads of "moderator" posts instead of just giving the people a bloody administrator-grade. To give away power to a fellow blockhead you seriously should be able to actually trust that guy, so just give him his Admin or don't give him anything. What's the point of all these middle-grades. Blockland is seriously paranoid.

This thread was needed.


Title needs to convey more of your apparent rage

Most people think admin is some sort of fun little award which you get for things like completing a challenge, people WANT admin and they will ask for it on servers. The thing is that admin isn't fun, its a job, and that job has no income for you. Being admin makes you responsible for banning rule breakers, fixing abusable things and pretty much scouting the server for things that aren't meant to happen. For some reason people want to be admin so that they will look like they have higher power, and so they can abuse things THEMSELVES. It's like asking a policeman "Hey, can I join the police?" and then just using the police's advantages for their pleasure. It doesn't matter if admins are allowed to shutdown the server and steal the hosts BL key (ok I'm exagerating that a bit...), because the admin should have the hosts trust, to keep an eye out on the server, and not abuse his advantages.

Basically if your admin just got admin so he can F8 around then take out his adminship, because he is not playing the role of an admin properly.

/SUPPORT DEES

Def agree with this. On jasa's crp mod admins have no real abilities other than default admin abilities and they can build admin lots for city structures. Sure there would have been some admins that would have abused, say, a /give command but other admins would have used it so they could have actually helped the server. I remember countless times on Yorktown's server where I was helpless to players that accidentally put their lot off the 16x16 grid. I would have to wait for an SA to get on just so they could move it even though it was legitimately an accident because we couldn't give a refund. Sure jasa added something later on that an admin could use a dwand within a certain amount of time to refund a lot but there were tons of other times where I couldn't help regardless. If you can trust a person with admin you should trust them to be able to manage your server while you're off. Whether that means not mucking with the environment settings, keeping the quality of builds/players up while not getting rid of the quality ones, etc. When you give someone admin you're basically saying "I trust you to keep my server running", not "lol here you go you're admin now enjoy your title and prestige". That's the one thing I hate about most people who want/have admin on servers. They use their admin as some sort of godlike status and act as if they're holier than thou and only they are deserving of the rank of admin.

I would say I think this is correct. It is the Hoster's fault for not banning admin abusers.

~From a Goodmin, Swat

I am in agreement with this, although I will note that some people can be trusted with some things and not others. Regardless, this is a very good point, and I also support RTB prefs to choose what admin level is required for these sorts of things.

Its true. The server owner is to blame for administrator actions. If you give power to the wrong people, they will abuse it. People have to think before granting another player admin. Unfortunately, this player stupidity is also the reason why Badspot has to "childlock" the game with the launcher restoring files to default. I miss having free reign on game files.

Frankly, I have absolutely no idea how the term badmin even came to existence.
Bad+Admin=Badmin

Bad+Admin=Badmin

I'm rather pointing at the fact that it never should had been, if the host wouldn't had been such utter fool. Not at the actual naming.


I'm with you on the badspot handicapping modders part.



I agree with every character (letter) in this thread. Basically be careful who you admin, all mods can be abused in some way, shape, fashion, or form.