We have to get the server back in line.

[Pingster]

There are what, maybe 10-15 scripters/developers spread through entire Argonath community, when you have no reason to treat it as anything more than a hobby to pass the time and so many requests all over the place, how can you expect SA:MP to move a damn inch from where it is?

Everyone's spread so thin and without direction from division or community leaders, or the owner(s), developers are constantly burning themselves out, getting bored, tired and annoyed by the shit they're getting, and doing random projects willy nilly with no prioritization. And please, do prove me wrong here, I want to hear the master plan Gandalf has come up with to keep Argonath alive and growing, or Devin's plans for the future of SA:MP for that matter, but that deserves it's own paragraph or ten.

Devin, what on earth have you been doing? In past half year you've started two topics, PR about DDoS and White Knight post, and other posts are mostly unban requests, random crap and defending the HQ or whatever, NOTHING to indicate in any shape or form that anything is going forward.

That rank of yours says LEADER on it, you accepted it knowing that you might be expected to actually be a leader, so why are we not seeing any of it? I know you're all cuddly and bubbly with all the HQ staff, but grow a pair and get this shit together, feelings might get hurt, but that's your position. If you don't like it, find someone who will, because I can't be the only one who noticed that this server is standing still. Only person to initiate any new additions has been Gimli, and he's being an immigrant right now, so I don't expect loads of attention from him now.


Seriously though, don't get your feelings hurt here, but upper HQ right now seems like a bunch of kindergartners, who can't do jack without Gandalf looking over their shoulders. Please prove my expectations wrong and actually provide an answer to at least some of the questions raised here, not just say "Busy with RL, doing what we can, you don't play how can you know anything, blah blah generic response to anything that puts us/me in bad light".

Prove to the community that you've earned the rank of a leader, because far as I can tell, you're just a glorified manager.

[CBFasi]

How upper HQ seems to you and reality are rather different.. and your words could be considered quite insulting to those that brought you RS4 and RS5 ...

However some of what you say has some valid points, your just directing your anger at the wrong level.

This is something some of those even higher than Devin are aware of and have been trying to find a suitable solution, we work in secret so if we make a mistake no-one knows, and if we find the answer, it just works..

Devs etc ARE just persons who have lives outside of Argonath, some have given years of time, and many have given far too much.

[Devin]

Devin's plans for the future of SA:MP for that matter, but that deserves it's own paragraph or ten.

Devin, what on earth have you been doing? In past half year you've started two topics, PR about DDoS and White Knight post, and other posts are mostly unban requests, random crap and defending the HQ or whatever, NOTHING to indicate in any shape or form that anything is going forward.

That rank of yours says LEADER on it, you accepted it knowing that you might be expected to actually be a leader, so why are we not seeing any of it? I know you're all cuddly and bubbly with all the HQ staff, but grow a pair and get this shit together, feelings might get hurt, but that's your position. If you don't like it, find someone who will, because I can't be the only one who noticed that this server is standing still. Only person to initiate any new additions has been Gimli, and he's being an immigrant right now, so I don't expect loads of attention from him now.


Seriously though, don't get your feelings hurt here, but upper HQ right now seems like a bunch of kindergartners, who can't do jack without Gandalf looking over their shoulders. Please prove my expectations wrong and actually provide an answer to at least some of the questions raised here, not just say "Busy with RL, doing what we can, you don't play how can you know anything, blah blah generic response to anything that puts us/me in bad light".

Prove to the community that you've earned the rank of a leader, because far as I can tell, you're just a glorified manager.

What you and other users see is just the surface of things.
You do not see the constant work going on in administration and HQ boards behind the scenes nor do you see the time spent to make sure things stay in order and servers stay online.

So your opinion of me and the rank is not working as you don't feel I am leading things may correctly to you as you don't see what I am doing, so be it.
I don't see why you would think I am going to get offended by your post, it's aimed at me yet it is about matters that are out of my control.
One being that I am not a scripter so I don't see how I am supposed to "add" new things to the scripts as you explained about Gimlis additions.


I make the most with what we have at the moment, I assist the development team where I can and the rest of my time is spent helping the players and administrators to ensure the server stays in operation each day.

See me as a glorified manager, be my guest. I will still spend my time here doing what I can with the access I have to ensure the server stays online for the players.

[Crassus]

Throwing mud at each other is never the answer. The answer is going to be found when there is an actual dialog between players and administration.

[Pingster]

@CBFASI

HQ, SA:MP related anyway, has shown no direction or anything, only ones to do that were Gandalf and Gimli, others always waited for Gandalf to tell them what to do and look to him for answers. Most everything that has moved forward has been a result of their actions. Neither anything I've seen on forums nor the brief period on the HQ skype chat has led me to believe the contrary, and I'd love to think things have changed in that respect, but it probably hasn't.


I'm not insulting developers, you got me wrong there, god knows they're taking on too much and spending too much time here, but it's all willy nilly, because there's no direction or priorities with a bigger plan behind that, and that's not developers fault. That's the lack of leadership. I don't want to put down the work or time invested in the various projects, but if you have a dwindling population in your community, you wouldn't or shouldn't put technical innovations ahead of innovations to repopulate your server, but since there's no clear leadership, valuable developers like Teddy find such projects more interesting to them, and do those instead (as is their right).


And a lot of the time the 'work in secrecy' involves getting hold of Gandalf, am I right or am I right? But damn, when there is no leadership, someone HAS to step the hell up, and who better than someone who's actual title is leader? Said it once before, forget about Gandalf and his plan, the server and the community is literally dying while leaders wait for leadership, do something that YOU want, knowing Gimli, I don't think he waited for Gandalf to approve of his trucking script, and if that wasn't a welcomed addition that possibly (re)gained you some members, then fuck me.

@Devin

So instead of a division leader you're a technical leader then, well done. How about asking around the community if they would like the job of keeping the server up against DDoS and other things? So you could actually focus on being a division leader?

While I appreciate the server being kept up, it's just a crappy division of labour, and I'm not expecting you to script new things, I'm expecting you to come up with a plan, a plan on making the server better and more appealing to players, and get your team of scripters to work towards that. Kind of sounds like leading, silly isn't it?

So yes, you should be offended, because you're doing things you should, as a division leader, be telling others to do. Pretend that this community is a strategy game, and you're the player. Do you jump into a platoon of troops and march on towards the next battle, while the rest of the war is 'beyond your control' and is getting fucked by no one doing anything about it? No, you take the reigns and tell everyone what to fucking do. Seriously, that's what you should be doing as a division leader, not worry about every little thing that you could be getting others to do instead. And if you lack the people to do that, ASK AROUND THE COMMUNITY. Despite what you might think, people actually do care about Argonath, we are not having these arguments just for the pleasure, everyone you see 'hating on RS5', we actually fucking care. So ask around, you'll find new people to add to your HQ team, have people do one thing, do it good, instead of 1 person do 5 things and be shit at it. All the while you LEAD THEM.

[Pingster]

Throwing mud at each other is never the answer. The answer is going to be found when there is an actual dialog between players and administration.

You only get to have that if you somehow get to the HQ forums or HQ chat, sadly. Stupid, but true.

If HQ were willing to put trust in new people to join the HQ and help with things (scripting, technical issues and so on), as well as communicate with the rest of the community to let know what is actually going on, why nothing is happening, we might see a movement forward. The trend with Argonath is that you start with something small like server moderator or board moderator, and by the time you make it to the HQ, you have 12 jobs, 20 projects and no interest, time or patience for any of them. How's that for division of labor?

Why not just say "Okay, you're going to help us with X, we'll get someone else to do Y" instead of "You're good at Y, here, do X as well! And Z and all the other letters of the alphabet while you're at it!"

[Crassus]

Pingster, you have some decent valid points I must give you that. I must admit that I don't know much about this entire situation since my main focus is at the MTA server. People just need to focus on their objective and try their best, and if the best is not enough I am sure that someone else is willing to try his best. It's common logic that a person that has been entrusted with a certain title he should live up to that and not start projects here and there. A scripter should script, a leader should lead, as simple as that.

[CBFasi]

I am locking this topic as I do not believe further words need be said, senior staff have read, and its being discussed even more than before.