If you play on your server, would you say it’s better for the players to know who the admin is or not? On the one hand, knowing who the admin is may make players more aware of suspicious activity that could be admin abuse, so that may put them more at ease. On the other hand, that could lead to unfounded accusations of admin abuse just because you beat/raided a player. Also, knowing that you’re the admin may deter players from raiding you out of fear they may be unjustly banned/wiped. I’m personally leaning toward not letting the players know who I am in game, but I’d like to get some consensus on the matter.
I suggest using 2 steam accounts. One for admin only work and the other for playing. So they know who the admin is and they can’t accuse others for admin abuse.
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If you’re admin you shouldn’t play… I know it’s a little harsh, but that’s what I think. Either you’re an admin or a player.
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This sounds as stupid as saying: “If you’re a working in a supermarket, you shouldn’t go shopping there.”
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That’s exactly what it is.
Admins not playing is ridiculous. And there’s a reason why none of the top servers have a rule like that. The best admins are the ones enjoying themselves by playing the game.
Usually when someone says admins shouldn’t play on servers they admin on, its because they are shady players who like to rule lawyer or fib when something becomes scrutinized. When you’ve done something shady, its harder to get away with it if the person you’ve done it to, or around is an admin. They want to reduce the admin presence around what they’re doing.
In the two years I have been adminning on various servers. I have not had to ban many people. But these people make up 100% of that short list.
I’ve played on servers where the admins can’t play, only admin. You know what happens? Abuse. Because what in the Godamn hells else are they going to do with their spare time? Even on a 70/70 (and now 80/80) server, you don’t need to admin 100% of the time. So now you have admins, who are bored, nothing to do, and now they’re going to stir up crap because they literally have nothing else to do.
Here’s what normally happens. They host an event. Not many show. And they get irked and start dropping events on people’s bases who aren’t participating. No one likes having 3-5 Pippi Meteors dropped on them and a few dozen Landslides spawned in their base sending them into deathloops just cause you got bored.
Admin abuse is incredibly easy to spot. There’s a file on the server for the Server Owner to view and they can see when someone’s spawning items or adjusting stats. So there’s no reason for this restriction, which is going to cause more problems than solve.
I don’t think hiding who you are is the way to go. It doesn’t help building the trust in the admin team or your server. Having two accounts is not really helpful either. Unless I share the admin logs, noone can tell if I am in admin mode or not. If I want to spawn stuff, all I need is the admin password.
Normally, the admins are also server owners, why would you pay for a server if you can’t play on it and enjoy the game? PvP servers are expensive. The only reason for you to do so is if you are in for the money (from donations, etc.) or if you are part of some gaming community with servers for multiple games which I am not sure works well for pure PvP servers because they need a lot of admin attention and knowledge about the game.
If you want to have a successful PvP server, you have to earn the trust of your players (no shady stuff, no admin abuse, no hiding) and you have to show that you are capable of running that PvP server (good performance, mitigating ddos, etc.). If your server is a laggy mess with preferential treatment for friends, it will never be successful. You will also have to compete with all the established servers for players.
Oh it definitely is.
So on the last few servers. We used a second ‘admin’ account. Now we can do our day to day stuff handling player issues on our main player accounts. As you said all you need is a password (or a Pippi role). But when we build things for adminstration purposes (thespian quests, admin built hub, admin made dungeons) we need a second account so that it is built in the ‘admin’ clan.
Wouldn’t do us much good if we built stuff in one of the player clans which would contribute to their building limitations (for servers that have it).
But if two players have a dispute, or a player gets stuck, loses something due to a bug. We can easily address that on any character we’re on.
But you’re absolutely correct in the fact that communities are built on trust. Admins do have to act like paragons as an example. Players will act in the same manner as admins. So sometimes if playing an admin, you have to just take things you normally wouldn’t. If you don’t want players rules lawyering, you can’t do it yourself. You have to enforce the rules without being overly strict. You have to set and live the standard across the board. You have to roll with punches.
Especially on some of the RP servers with permadeath as a thing. As an admin, expect to go through characters like socks. You’re there basically to get beat up on. I don’t mean emotionally, but you’re there to help stories get pushed forward and sometimes you need a character that is going to be on the receiving end of nasty stuff. If you want players to not be afraid to step up to the plate, you have to step up yourself.
I’ve admined on PVP servers, RP-PVE, and RP-PVP. And RP servers are the hardest. Since you have to deal with hurt feelings, just like you do on PVP (RP-PVE has ‘pvp’ sometimes in the form of RP’d fighting, and that too needs moderation). But you also have to keep the players engaged so they feel like they’re in a living world.
Its tough, but from the people who enjoy it, its fulfilling.
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I’ve played on servers where the admins play. You know what happens? Abuse.
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Did it? Or was it just rumor mill of toxic players?
I’m reminded of a previous friend who was running a server. Great server owner and admin, that I can honestly say. But they told me a story of why they moved to own their own server. They had gotten banned off a server because of ‘abuse’. Pretty much your standard story of it was a PVP server, they were ‘overly aggressive’ told to tone it down, they did, and then they got attacked. They counter attacked, and that’s when the drama happened.
From what I knew of their character as an admin and server owner. I believed the story. They were a great admin, fair, just, and never abused their position.
Long story short, the server went down and I won’t go into any reasons other than RL sucks sometimes. So they joined another server I was playing on. This is when I saw Dr Jekyl and Mr Hyde.
A friend whom was a great admin, turned out to be a pretty terrible player. They rule lawyered, they were jerks to other players for the sake of it, and just downright were hated by the entire server. And then when they got caught with their pants down, and were about to get beaten, they threw a tantrum and broke just about every server rule in a childish display. And got banned.
Of course they claimed admin abuse, admin information being given to enemies, and all kinds of stuff. Here’s the problem. I had played on this server before. I knew some of the people that played and admined here. I had access to information my former friend did not know I had. Suffice to say, I ended the friendship over them being dishonest with me.
And this is something I’ve seen many times over. People get caught doing the wrong thing. And then claim abuse. The sad thing is, some of these players believe in their own delusions.
Not saying you are doing this. But I’m letting you know you are going to have a hard time convincing me otherwise. I will say this though. If you’re talking about a small server that only has 1-5 people online during primetime. I might believe you.
If you’re talking about one of the 50-60 or higher primetime servers. Nope. They don’t get communities with hundreds of players by abusing admin privileges’. A half a dozen players claiming abuse are not some enlightened few over several hundred players in a given community.
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Multiple Admin accounts is as useful as having more than one Admin/Moderator on a server. If one login generates Admin-content then that keeps things easier so that the other login can play the game. If the players know who is Admin, it is useful.
On the off chance players abuse the accepted server rules, and the rules are clear what can and cannot be done, then consequences are expected.
If it’s a PvE and the rules tell players to secure bases and containers, but they don’t and lose stuff, then run to Admins to complain, well then…
I agree with @Narelle and @Taemien: it is regrettable when Admins abuse the role, and it happens occasionally. Players vote with their feet. If the Admins are abusive they will lose players and if they keep things balanced or step in to reward positive actions and mediate negative ones, then things remain nice and easy. I do not agree that servers should be a democracy, but absolutely not an autocracy or dictatorship 
A useful engine for disputes can also be made positive too. Two players/clans create a bad space so the Admin(s) set up a tournament or challenge with the winner getting a reward from the loser, or some other such thing.
My players know I am but a low level underling that sometimes is able to attract Crom’s attention. Crom usually couldn’t care less, but is still quite evenhanded in judgements. If the players accept the serber rules, and the rules are not too tight, I have found there are minimal levels of abuse.
So saying, most Admins do have occasional classic abuse by newer players/clans. As these incidents usually attract Crom’s direct attention, it’s more of a 'bring popcorn and the dancing thralls ‘cause this is going to be an FX Extravaganza with much screaming and wailing’ moment.
Too many Admins on a server = ‘Ragnarok’, so not recommended.
Have fun. It’s just a game.
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I really admire you for your courage to be admin in so many servers. In the past I co admin a lot, still it was tirefull and painful. Hundreds of hours to prepare and operate the server, still I got sick and tired of this. Yes, there were some people that really make you feel proud for your work, but the rest made you feel like their butler, criticizing your work and blaming you for their mistakes. Omg, I play solo pve, or with friends now and I am so relaxed and happy. Still, I will congratulate you and every decent admin (because not all of them are decent) once more, Bravo my friend 
.
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Coming from a Roleplay boardgame and world-creation gaming, I have always loved watching player interaction, especially within a customisable and challenging world-platform. Obviously Conan Exiles (for me) is absolutely perfect - I love the genre and the amazing graphics and action moves.
So, I enjoy servers that have additional, contextual content that add elements of challenge and the unexpected. I always feel that admins are there to remain in the background, add content that enhances, and to remove/affect stuff that messes with the game. BUT, not to ‘be’ the limelight like a deity or command figure (how else can I get to enjoy playing the game?).
In cases where players ‘abuse’ the game, and breach the loos ‘rules’ for a server, then moderate where possible. I have always believed that any behaviour can be encompassed without being too heavy handed. In my view, Admins are just underpaid, unrecognised proxies for Crom/Derketo/Mitra/Ymir/Yog/Zath/Jhebbal Sag/Xotli/etc and help move playing on-wards.
I think we need to also be a bit forgiving to PvP. PvP is not easy. The whole premise is to survive and to make your stuff my stuff. In many cases this results in really clever campaigns that are stream-worthy. We have to remember that this was what the original game was aimed at: PvP Community (many FC staff play on PvP). I personally don’t think that this gives players the right to trash servers, but all games have a bell-curve of playstyle. As has been stated, vote with feet. There are servers for all styles and all platforms/consoles - and can be rented by anyone.
I do love that Funcom adapted the Admin settings last Update so that Admins now can even add PvP to PvE servers wherein players can battle other players but cannot damage building structures - and within variable times.
(and again, a huge Thank You to all modders for taking the time t further enhance this game - and FC Devs for giving the tools and support for it)
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Actually it would be more line owning a supermarket, then not paying for anything you grab from there. Your inventory team has to make those adjustments with accounting for profit taxing purposes. Servers don’t have the check and balances of monetary businesses, thus it not really as comparable now is it.
So let us change it to a party you throw at your house, and you have open invites and people are mingling in groups… But anytime you can decide the conversation should be about what you want or the people who disagree have to leave… Now let us add in what seems to be happening more and more with privates, and that is discord donations. If someone at your party paid for the chips or drinks, you will inherently want them to have more control of conversations than the ones there “free”. See it all comes down to trust on privates, esp. PVP servers. Frankly with the way people exploit and troll on CE thru in game mechanics alone, makes me not trust in admins on any private PVP tbh. They have nothing to really lose if they really are running it and participating. Most that do that usually have a twitch or youtube channel and they just want to “show” off their “skills”.
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There are so many variations of admin style too. The party analogy is a good one in relation to some private servers.
Although I personally would be (very) unlikely to sponsor to play on a server, obviously there are real costs to renting a server. Some admins run their servers without recouping costs and some don’t. Some servers are set up with a group getting together and all contributing to the rent - and then some admins move on and you have one or two carrying the load. Then it is a call: close down server or increase the contribution pool.
Some servers offer complex game evenings, questlines, challenges and continual enhancements, rewards and game incentives. In my opinion, fees in those cases would be understandable I guess?
And you have the converse: players jumping on private servers to stream their builds and then move to the next server. In these cases the player can monetise their feed for free and not contribute to the running of that server.
If a player doesn’t like a server then move on. If they like the server then stay. If they like neither, but want to enjoy the game, but do not want to just play Solo, then look at renting a server and running it the way you want.
I personally like seeing great builds so stick to PvE servers that encourage that. I don’t like having players strip-mining my base so I build accordingly. I like to know that admins will keep spam-builds under control, but not too authoritarian. I won’t pay to join a server unless I get some excellent content. I would never play on a server that had admins that acted like some petty, vengeful deity and abused players or tolerated hate-speech, etc.
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Yes, but how to dig thru the mass of private servers to find the good ones.
It is easy to advertise your server, but the few I tested turned out to be the opposite.
Even the one my friends started after release was a nightmare, since I did not realize they would go crazy with power…lol.
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You are so true on this one, I might enter since now more than 100 different servers by now, private and official. 80% of the servers had issues, or things I didn’t like. I cannot say that I am a very difficult person, or that I ask too much, still investing time to a crappie server is painful. However this helped me to create a crazy run, that lasts about 5 hours, before I decide if I 'll play in this server or not 
. Ofcurce this run is helpful because before you even start to build, you have seen more than 60% of the map and you already have made your decision where to build, plus in 5 hours you are more than lvl 30 . However the next days that you try to level up you find out that some mechanics of the server do not work properly, but in the general view, it’s OK to play. For example, 8 months ago I decided to go and play that Zeb was playing(official) , fantastic server, fantastic buildings, helpful environment it was an oasis for me. Later on I find out that the werewolf in Den was bugged, after 100 slaughters the inventory always empty 
. Now I joined @sestus2009 and I find out that the tower of bat’s is bugged, you cannot open the inventory of the altair to place the rod and the albino blood. Still I don’t care, I am there just to play with friends, good server or bad, official or private, it doesn’t matter, all it matters is to have fun and if you have friends it’s even better .
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There’s a simple way of doing this. It doesn’t guarantee you find the server that matches you perfectly, but it helps. This is to open the server browser in the region’s primetime that you wish to play on. Sort by number of players and find the ones with the highest number of players.
As someone else said, people vote with their feet. So well admined servers will have larger playerbases. This isn’t 100% foolproof, but its good enough to narrow some down.
Another way is if you’re using mods, is to join those mods’ discord channels. Most of them have server ad sections you can browse. You can then find some servers you think look interesting and join their discord.
That’s a shame. One thing I’ve experienced is the exact opposite lol. A great server admin/owner, but very toxic player when not on their own server.
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Yep, as @Taemien says, drify over to the Discord groups and have a look around. As many modders have discord channels, and allow people to advertise servers running their mods, it’s a great way to cherry-pick a server for you. You can also check the player volumes during the hours you usually play and let that be a guide.
I have always found that the re-education of toxic players, though sometimes a challenge, and take a couple of tries, can get through and allow for some really fun playing. Balance and fairness is key.
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