Make AI whitelisted/blacklisted

[TheNewTeddy]

I doubt this idea will be popular, but I personally feel it's needed.

Make the AI a whitelisted job like HoS. Much lower bar to get in though. Why? Simply because I'm getting a bit sick and tired of AI's going braindead halfway through a round. Perhaps if we only allowed people who have shown they can do a round or two without going braindead to even become an AI we might lower that failure rate.

EDITED TO ADD
after more thought and feedback, I now think blacklisting is a better option

[Grifflez]

I'm not a huge fan of the concept of more whitelisted jobs.

[Roomba]

Here's the thing about whitelisted roles: people who submit applications not only have to be able to play the role well, but have to care enough to write up a full application and submit it here to the scrutiny of others. A lot of people who could be very good mentors aren't simply because they don't feel like doing that, which is perfectly fine. But speaking as someone who plays AI the majority of my rounds, I doubt there would be very many people willing to put in that much effort just to play AI. That reduces the overall AI pool to a small number of people, who would probably get burnt out on playing AI very quickly.And if none of those guys are around, then you get no AI at all.

What we need is an in-game method of being able to resolve this issue. An easier method of telling if the AI is braindead or just very quiet, and a way to construct backup AI cores. Solving issues like this by relying on the forum just opens up the potential for drama and gets very little done.

And all that said, applications are no guarantee that someone is going to be able to stick through a whole round - real life stuff happens, and mentors/HOS's are one of the most common groups I've seen suicide midround on account of boredom. I'd rather not turn every job with the potential for misuse into a popularity contest/'who's more dedicated to this dumb game'.

[Grayshift]

No. Instead of braindead AIs we'll get no AIs at all.

[TheNewTeddy]

Here's the thing about whitelisted roles: people who submit applications not only have to be able to play the role well, but have to care enough to write up a full application and submit it here to the scrutiny of others. A lot of people who could be very good mentors aren't simply because they don't feel like doing that, which is perfectly fine. But speaking as someone who plays AI the majority of my rounds, I doubt there would be very many people willing to put in that much effort just to play AI. That reduces the overall AI pool to a small number of people, who would probably get burnt out on playing AI very quickly.And if none of those guys are around, then you get no AI at all.

What we need is an in-game method of being able to resolve this issue. An easier method of telling if the AI is braindead or just very quiet, and a way to construct backup AI cores. Solving issues like this by relying on the forum just opens up the potential for drama and gets very little done.

And all that said, applications are no guarantee that someone is going to be able to stick through a whole round - real life stuff happens, and mentors/HOS's are one of the most common groups I've seen suicide midround on account of boredom. I'd rather not turn every job with the potential for misuse into a popularity contest/'who's more dedicated to this dumb game'.

We should be allowed to nominate people, even if they say nothing at all about it. In addition, we could simply grant this status automatically to anyone who has been an AI on or before the day when we make the switch over. As well, we could autogrant to anyone who has played for over a month; and only remove it from those who go braindead.

Perhaps whitelisting is not the proper method; perhaps we should "blacklist" by auto-whitelisting everyone and having those who vanish without a trace get that whitelist removed.

[Roomba]

We should be allowed to nominate people, even if they say nothing at all about it.

I didn't think anything would top regular whitelisting for drama potential, but here we are.

As for the 'blacklisting', you're essentially talking about jobbanning people for something that isn't really against the rules, which in addition to being a kinda bad idea in itself, multiplies the workload of the admins in two ways: they have to deal with jobbanning people who go braindead, and then they have to deal with jobban appeals from angry people. I can't imagine it's worth the hassle.

[TheNewTeddy]

We should be allowed to nominate people, even if they say nothing at all about it.

I didn't think anything would top regular whitelisting for drama potential, but here we are.

As for the 'blacklisting', you're essentially talking about jobbanning people for something that isn't really against the rules, which in addition to being a kinda bad idea in itself, multiplies the workload of the admins in two ways: they have to deal with jobbanning people who go braindead, and then they have to deal with jobban appeals from angry people. I can't imagine it's worth the hassle.

It's rule 3.
http://wiki.ss13.co/Rules

• You are playing the AI, which is one of the few important positions, and have to leave.
  

[Roomba]

Traditionally, that applies to AIs that leave immediately at roundstart, without informing anyone. Your proposal impacts any AI that leaves at any point in the round, regardless of whether they inform admins or not.

[TheNewTeddy]

Traditionally, that applies to AIs that leave immediately at roundstart

This has not been my experience, nor does the rule itself say it only applies at roundstart.

[Roomba]

Traditionally, that applies to AIs that leave immediately at roundstart

This has not been my experience, nor does the rule itself say it only applies at roundstart.

If we're going to quibble over the wording of the rule now, then it should be pointed out the damn rule is about when it's appropriate to adminhelp - it's saying that it's appropriate to inform the admins if you're going to leave as an AI, which it is.  The only time I've seen the admins step in is when someone joins as an AI and leaves at roundstart without a word, rarely later.

I don't like AIs going braindead any more than you do, but trying to solve the problem at admin/forum level is going to cause more problems than it solves.

[Gannets]

It's saying that it's appropriate to inform the admins if you're going to leave as an AI, which it is.

Yup.


It's hard enough to find AI players as it is. I don't think putting another wall up infront of new AI players is a good idea. Nor do I think having the threat of ending up on a blacklist would help matters.

Encourage good/new AI players, ahelp if one's terrible/leaving before the round ends, leave the rest to us.

[TheNewTeddy]

should others a-help if they notice a braindead AI? ghosts can read the freeform, and can see if the AI has been destroyed, for example.

[Erik]

I'm with Gannets on this one, there is no need for a whitelist, nor a blacklist, if you don't want to play AI? Set the job to unwanted, see a braindead AI and want a AI? Put a new brain in there.

This topic is nothing more than a default knee-jerk reaction imo.

[TheNewTeddy]

Unsure knee-jerk fits noting over a month; but sure

[Marquesas]

I think this is conclusive.