Dev Team Update - Voting Rules & Player Addition

[DezNutz]

Ahoy Mateys!

Before I get into the meat and potatoes of the announcement, I would like to say that I have been somewhat distant in the last several weeks due to work in real life. Real life takes precedence. The time I have spent has been short and lackluster of what is needed. There is still lots of things that need to be done and my distance has left somewhat of a rudderless ship. For those members of the team that have stepped forward and continued with their duties, I thank them. For those that have offered to help out or have taken the initiative to help out, I praise and thank them for any work done and for the patience with my absence. That being said, I am trying to make an effort to allot more time for my game duties and be on a little bit more.

Now for the reasons for the announcement.

I would like to announce and recognize a new member to the Player Dev Team. A long time player who has come back to the game, Wazz. Please welcome Wazz to the team.


The second part of the announcement is a result of discussions from both Dev and non-Dev players. Development is and must be a community driven effort. The Player Dev Team is a means to push or move things along, but with that input and support from the community as a whole is still needed. In effort to get more involvement and input from the community, a more open and defined set of voting rules for suggestions is being implemented. This will allow any non-dev team member a visible stake in suggestions and the process.

Overview of Rules
Every player can submit a suggestion for review.
Every player will have an allowable vote.
Votes only apply to topics under "Review"
A minimum of 8 vote points is required to either approve or disapprove a suggestion.
2 Dev Team Members Must Review and Vote in majority (Minimum of 4 Votes) (Prevents a suggestion from being approved without an official review)
A suggestion is susceptible to a veto. Veto's can be overturned.

Submitting a Suggestion for Review
Any player in game can request a suggestion to be reviewed.
To submit a suggestion for review players need only to bump the topic stating "Requesting Dev Review"
Additionally, a PM to myself (#54689) or one of the other Dev Team Members requesting to update the topic should be sent, but is not required.

How To Vote
For a vote to apply, the suggestion must be under "Review". Votes (+1 / -1) cast prior to the review will not be counted.
All votes need to be marked using the format: "Vote: [+1/-1] [Optional Status]"
Optional Status refers to moving a topic to discussion or archive. For instance "Vote: +1 Discussion" is a vote to move to discussion.
If you do not use an optional status, the vote will be considered a straight approve/disapprove.
Failure to properly mark you vote may result in the vote being missed.
Votes can be changed. If you change your vote please make note of it in a new post.

Voting Power
- Captain Jack - Has authority to outright approve/disapprove regardless of votes (Obviously but stated for convenience)
- Dev Team Coordinator - 2 Vote Points - 2 Votes for Dev Team 4 Vote Rule (See Veto)
- Dev Team Member - 2 Vote Points Normal Voting - 1 Vote for Dev Team 4 Vote Rule (See Veto)
- Non-Dev Team Members - 1 Vote Point

Veto
The Dev Team Coordinator holds veto power to any suggestion approved/disapproved using these rules.
The Veto forces an internal Dev Team discussion and the original Dev Team 4 vote rule.

Ties
In the event of a tie, the Dev Coordinator will review the suggestion and arbitrate one of 2 options: VETO or Break the Tie
The decision will be on a case by case scenario.



Updates may be posted here afterward. I will make sure all updates and changes are noted. I may reformat this.

If there are any questions, please let me know.

If there is interest in joining the Dev Team, please PM myself of one of the other team members.

If there is interest in working on the Wiki, please PM myself or Meliva.

Please join us on Slack in the #Dev Channel.


UPDATE 1: Clarification of Dev Member Voting. 2 Members must vote in the majority at minimum (A minimum of 4 Vote Points towards the final decision) For example if the suggestion is disapproved, 2 Dev Members must have voted to disapprove.

UPDATE 2: Updated Voting power. Dev Cooridinator will have 2 vote points under normal voting. If the Dev 4 Vote Rule is applied, still retains 2 Votes.

UPDATE 3: Updated Veto Rules and Added Ties

Thank You,
Dez
Player Dev Team Coordinator

[sXs]

Well....... I was going to come back to the dev team, but i completely fdisagree with new format of voting., I have been part of many "teams" in my life. HS sports, college sports, several different team settings in the professional world. In no case has 1 team members vote been more valuable than another. In this case, it seems we no longer have a reason for a dev Team. All we need is CJ and Dez. Those two can override any suggestion...... and on top of that..... veto power? Are you serious?

Development Team is dead.

[PFH]

You can disagree all you want

But a dev team is a dev team to develop

Also every dev member has 2 votes EXCEPT the coordinator. He is our coordinator so he naturally has more power.

Do you want only the dev team to have the power? And with your “break” do you truly think we will move any faster? We are on skims already before this announcement. Me kang and dez were handling most of it

If cj and dez both agree on a vote so be it. Dez was chosen go be coordinator for a reason and cj owns the game. Who cares?

The team isnt dead, as shows this post to show we are still active. If you refer to dead as not being what youve seen and liked im sorry about the disappointment. Im fine with what stands as the goal is to allow the community to have more leisure into the process of voting. These little conspiracies wont happen with how dez is. Hell there used to be a running joke of dez and dos planning to raid the USA treasury.

Aside from the speculation, I congratulate wazz into the team. That will be made in our PR papers. Good job mate!

Thank you for your work dez. Keep it up!

[sXs]

Will post this here only because I wish to VETO this suggestion for the following specific reasons.

1. Dez voting point total of 4, by itself, fulfills the requirement of the 4 point dev team requirement. In essence if Dez likes a suggestion and can get 4 votes from the community, a suggestion passes. So none of the rest of the dev team is required to pass a suggestion. The only vote that matters is Dez vote.

2. Veto power gives further power to one person. # development team members could vote for a suggestion for 6 points, community support can fulfill the other 2 point requirement. Dez could simply Veto the suggestion. With only 3 dev team member voting for the sggestion, even with 100% support from the community, the suggestion fails. In order to override the veto requires 4 votes from the dev team. not possible with only 3 team members voting for the suggestion.

Those 2 reasons alone make the "team" irrelevant and not needed. All we need now is Dez and the community.

That type of power should be CJ's alone.

3. Each vote from non-dev team members counts as 1. So in essence a suggestion is approved with Dez and only 4 members of the community. Even if community is 90% against a suggestion, only Dez and 4 other people need to be for it.

[sXs]

Thank you for your work dez. Keep it up! I kneel before my king and pledge my loyalty to him.

ALL HAIL KING DEZ!!!

[Grimrock Litless]

Ew, it's clearly unfair.

[Grimrock Litless]

What was it called again? You know how in USA in some states, their votes are bigger than others because of how they split the regions?

Well, it's like that, but worst and on a personal level.

[Grimrock Litless]

Member when everyone each has only +1 and -1? I member.
Member when +1 and -1 from people just makes CJ notices the suggestion? I member.
Member when +1 and -1 from CJ basically decides the suggestion? I member.

[Most Lee Harmless]

I think we should not lose sight of the ultimate veto every player has : the choice to log-out and not return if/when they feel the game is no longer worth logging into.
If you feel certains developments are not of interest, or seem flawed (in your opinion) then avoid them. As long as there are other features in the game you can enjoy it dont really matter much if you do/have or dont do/have this or that or the other.
But when there is no reason to stay as there is no pleasure left in being here.. then go. No amount of votes or vetos or comments in forums speak louder than falling player numbers and failing retention rates.
Thats no kind of threat being made : just the reality of how online games work : 99% who go never post a reason.. they just dont come back. For the devs the hard bit is figuring why.
So.. lets not worry too much about this arcane voting system : if the votes/vetos get it that wrong its unbearable then leave : the ultimate decision does rest in our own hands.

[sXs]

So that's what you want for the game. Wait and see. Wait for people to leave.