Contacting DMs: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 04:37, 3 July 2024

Any player can get in situations when there will be need of an assistance from a Dungeon Master (DM). Remember to always keep your requests polite and be patience when asking for assistance. You can request assistance, report rule breaks, offer compliments and recommendations, or ask technical or story questions.

In Game

You can send a message to the DMs in game by switching your chat to the DM channel, found by clicking the box to the left of the text bar. You can also type /dm prior to your message to send it to the DM channel. If you are looking for assistance, it is also recommended you turn on your DM Badge via the text command -badge dm so you are flagged to be reached out to.

In Game contacts are best for the following:

General Questions.
Rule Clarifications.
Character issues. (Bugged Crafting Points, etc.)
Informing the DMs prior to a Raid
Head model PC edit
Tail/Wing (For Tiefling/Red Dragon Disciple/5%).
Requests to spruce up an outing or occasion. Remember a DM may not be available.

Please remember DMs are not DEVELOPERS. Suggestions about areas/content should be posted on the forums. Make sure your messages are clear, polite, and to the point. Make sure to state what you need assistance with or as much context as possible in a single request. For a few examples;

Note: Players will not see the text appear in Chat window, since only DMs can see what is written on DM channel.

It is preferred to include reason for request in your short message.

Examples

Good Examples, Short and clear for intended purpose;

"Hello there, I was hoping to get clarification on the Be Nice rule, I might have witnessed something strange! It involves the character Bilbo Baggins and Fox McCloud."
"I'm stuck in a wall on the Surface Server in [Name of area]."
"This character is headed towards the Cordor Iron Mines with a party if a DM is available to partake and add some fun."

Bad Examples, vague and unhelpful;

"Anybody there?"
"Anyone got a few minutes?"
"I just got killed! I'm angry!"

DMs will deal with the requests according to their urgency and how long each requires. For example: "Stuck in wall", rule breaking and "quick question on alignments" would likely be handled before PrC quest. If player gets no reply, then it is recommended to try again in 10-30 minutes. Keep in mind that no DM can be online at that time or that they can be occupied with some other of those 74 players on server.

"If you have a legit DM question, "I am stuck", "My fixture is stuck in the wall" and such, just keep trying, every ½ hour or so. It will not be considered spamming the DM channel. It's our job to fix those issues. If we are on, we'll normally answer if we got time or not." - Qizzia

Be patient. Especially if asking help with a complex situation or a minor request. It may take few days before they are completed. Contact over the Astrolabe Help Page is encouraged for most issues you are unable to reach out for a team on a particular day.

Astrolabe

The Astrolabe Help Page is generally the best method for official communication. Do give the team time to respond, upwards to a week depending on the topic, before requesting an update. Tickets are used for automated systems which DMs can fulfill remotely using staff tools, making these generally quick and streamlined. If the opinion you are looking for is not under New Tickets, instead use the New Request/Report button instead. Further options are available, from questions, general requests, and reports. This requires you to login via your forum account to use, with the same username and password as the forums.

Use the File Upload for adding screenshots. External hosting is not always reliable.
Use the drop downs to pick the subset of the report, and fill out the subject line.
The Description section comes prefilled with useful formatting and information.
Reports regarding Rule Breaks or other violations.
Event Requests, inquiries, updates particularly those requiring more work.
PRC application requests.
Player praise/RPR watch.
Ban Appeals.
Concept Questions.

Support Ticket

Many requests have been automated via the Support Ticket System and are generally faster for DMs to handle.

Retake a level
Alignment Shift
Redeem Class Token
Change Soundset
Change Portrait
Name Change
RPR Evaluation
Relevel Token

Writing a Good Incident Report

To help us on the DM team be able to quickly and efficiently investigate reported rulebreaks:

Screenshots can be very useful, but DO NOT use Discord-hosted screenshots in your report. Discord is not designed as an image-hosting service, and these links break quickly. Use the image upload option. Put another way: if you send all your evidence in Discord-hosted screenshots and we can't completely resolve the case before the link expires, we no longer have any evidence!
Provide approximate dates and times with your timezone. Time doesn't mean anything without a timzeone.
Provide specific location information when relevant. Use the "-area" command to get the name of the map you're in.
Provide a list of character names for everyone involved, including your own. Disguise names are fine.
Provide context when relevant. A one-off encounter between strangers can be quite different than the tenth encounter in a feud.

You do NOT have to have all of this information to submit a report, and we do look into every report that is submitted. But the more of this information you can provide, the less time it will take for us to get a complete picture of what happened, and the more likely we will be able to respond accordingly in a timely manner.

Poor Examples

A) I was wandering around with some friends when a group of orcs attacked us and killed us without provocation.

B) The screenshot speaks for itself: (discord image link)

Good examples

Aragorn (me), Legolas Greenleaf, and Gimli son of Gloin were running through Rohan (East Emnet) when we came across three disguised orcs: "Smelly", "Stinky", and "Yucky". None of us had seen them before as far as I know. They attacked us without any interaction and killed us (see attached screenshots). This all happened between roughly 10 pm and 10:05 pm GMT on 1 Jan 2024.

E-mail

E-mail is another method to contact the DMs, and is the only access of communication for those also with forum bans. You can use the email arelith.dm@gmail.com for this method. Ban appeals and general questions is the recommended topics for this method if the Astrolabe Help Page is not an option.

Misc

Bugs/Errors/Module Problems

Bug reports should be posted on the forums in the bug section.
Sensitive bugs (Exploits, duplication, etc) should be sent to the Contributors group via a forum PM.

Discord

Discord is mainly used for the community to interact with each other outside of the game.
Discord is fine for general questions which may be fielded by other players or staff, however all official requests, reports, or communication should be done by other means.

Requests for PRC tokens

Revised by Titania

PRC Token requests are only needed for assassin, harper, and shifter. It is highly recommended you use the Astrolabe Help Page, rather than ping in channel/e-mail. PRC Tokens are usually completed within twenty-four hours. If you do not receive an approve, deny, or follow up questions in that time frame, please add a reply requesting for an update, or ping the channel.

Shifters take slightly longer, as they are kept to limited amount, but we do our best to have these done within the week.

When player witnesses rule violation

If possible, take screenshot or note the time and names of those involved.
Ensure that it is indeed a rule violation by rereading the rules in your Journal.
Player can try to send POLITE short tell to offender. Some players can be new to server and not aware of all server rules. If you disagree on interpretation of rules, it is often wiser to submit the case to DMs, rather then argue at length in tells and spoil the game for both of you.
Try to contact a DM in game.
If you can't get one in game, send it to a DM via the Astrolabe Help Page or e-mail Arelith.dm@gmail.com. Do not post about the incident publicly on forums! It will be locked and/or deleted!

"Please include the character names of whomever was involved, including the rule-breaker, the victim(s) and any witnesses; also, any screenshots you have of the event typically help." DM Watchtower

If you have exhausted that path and do not feel as if the situation was handled fairly, send a PM to the head DM, via forums.

If the complaint is about the DM, please only contact the Head DM, and not Active DMs.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-{{stub}}
+Any player can get in situations when there will be need of an assistance from a Dungeon Master (DM). Remember to always keep your requests polite and be patience when asking for assistance. You can request assistance, report rule breaks, offer compliments and recommendations, or ask technical or story questions.
-<!-- Note: I have started to write this a long time ago. It is intended to explain when to contact who (DM, Dev or jjj) and how (short, to point, no 3 page essay). Two forum wipes destroyed the quotes I wanted to put there before I got around to it and I may not know the procedure exactly enough to word this properly in my English, so I keep postponing this article. One of you could be more able to review this one. OnMyWay 05:53, 19 March 2009 (UTC) -->
-Any player can get in situations when there will be need of an assistance from a Dungeon master (DM). Remember to always keep your requests polite and be patience when asking for assistance.
-<!-- '''To do''' on this topic:
+== In Game ==
-* When to contact Jjjerm
-* When to contact DMs
-* Sort info -->
-== When player witnesses rule violation ==
+You can send a message to the DMs in game by switching your chat to the DM channel, found by clicking the box to the left of the text bar. You can also type '''/dm''' prior to your message to send it to the DM channel. If you are looking for assistance, it is also recommended you turn on your DM Badge via the text command '''-badge dm''' so you are flagged to be reached out to.
-# If possible, take screenshot or note the time and names of those involved.
-# Ensure that it is indeed a rule violation by rereading the rules in your Journal.
-# Player can try to send POLITE short tell to offender. Some players can be new to server and not aware of all server rules. If you disagree on interpretation of rules, it is often wiser to submit the case to DMs, rather then argue at length in tells and spoil the game for both of you.
-# Try to contact a DM in game.
-# If you can't get one in game, send it to a DM via the PM on forums or other private channel. Do not post about the incident publicly on forums!
-:"Please include the character names of whomever was involved, including the rule-breaker, the victim(s) and any witnesses; also, any screenshots you have of the event typically help." DM Watchtower
-:6. If you have exhausted that path and do not feel as if the situation was handled fairly, send a PM to the active DM group in the forum.
-== Consider before you contact a DM ==
-''(supplied and confirmed by Jjjerm)''
-https://i.imgur.com/rGdgl2h.png
-== In game ==
+In Game contacts are best for the following:
-This is preferred and fastest way to contact DMs that are currently online.
+* General Questions.
-Send a polite short message on DM channel.
+* Rule Clarifications.
+* Character issues. (Bugged Crafting Points, etc.)
+* Informing the DMs prior to a [https://wiki.nwnarelith.com/Rules#Raids Raid]
+* Head model PC edit
+* Tail/Wing (For Tiefling/Red Dragon Disciple/5%).
+* Requests to spruce up an outing or occasion. Remember a DM may not be available.
-Either switch to DM channel on left side of window where you type text or use /dm before the text you wish to send. For example:
-::/dm If anyone has a moment, I have a token request.
+Please remember DMs are '''not''' DEVELOPERS. Suggestions about areas/content should be posted on the forums. Make sure your messages are clear, polite, and to the point. Make sure to state what you need assistance with or as much context as possible in a single request. For a few examples;
-Players will not see the text appear in Chat window, since only DMs can see what is written on DM channel.
+'''Note:''' Players will not see the text appear in Chat window, since only DMs can see what is written on DM channel.
 It is preferred to include reason for request in your short message.
-* "I've found a bug", "I'm stuck in a wall", "I'm looking for a PrC Token"
-But when asking on the DM Channel
-* Bad way of trying and get DM's attention: "Anybody there?" or "Anyone got a few minutes?"
-That way DMs can deal with the requests according to their urgency and how long each requires. For example: "Stuck in wall", rule breaking and "quick question on alignments" would likely be handled before "PrC quest".
+===Examples===
-If player gets no reply, then it is recommended to try again in 10-30 minutes. Keep in mind that no DM can be online at that time or that they can be occupied with some other of those 74 players on server.
+Good Examples, Short and clear for intended purpose;
-:"If you have a legit DM question, like token, alignment change, "I am stuck", "My fixture is stuck in the wall" and such, just keep trying, every ½ hour or so. It will not be considered spamming the DM channel. It's our job to fix those issues. If we are on, we'll normally answer if we got time or not." Qizzia
+* "Hello there, I was hoping to get clarification on the Be Nice rule, I might have witnessed something strange! It involves the character Bilbo Baggins and Fox McCloud."
+* "I'm stuck in a wall on the Surface Server in [Name of area]."
+* "This character is headed towards the Cordor Iron Mines with a party if a DM is available to partake and add some fun."
-Be patient. Especially if asking for [[:Category:Classes#Prestige Classes|Prestige Class]] quest, it may take few days or even weeks before player gets lucky and both player and a DM have time at the same time. If player doesn't succeed in few weeks, or have some important issue to report (rule violation or exploit), then is possible to try contact them over forums.
+Bad Examples, vague and unhelpful;
+* "Anybody there?"
+* "Anyone got a few minutes?"
+* "I just got killed! I'm angry!"
-===Requests for PRC tokens===
-If you are asking for a token for prestige class, try to send you request regularly when you are online (once per 1/2 hour). Start out nicely, like "If anyone has a moment, I have a token request." You can [[quickslot]] your request. If a DM is online and doesn't have time, (s)he'll likely send you a tell that says "Sorry, really busy" or something along those lines. (You will at least know who is in your time zone for future requests).
+DMs will deal with the requests according to their urgency and how long each requires. For example: "Stuck in wall", rule breaking and "quick question on alignments" would likely be handled before PrC quest. If player gets no reply, then it is recommended to try again in 10-30 minutes. Keep in mind that no DM can be online at that time or that they can be occupied with some other of those 74 players on server.
-Should you not manage to get hold of a DM for several weeks, you can try to send a PM to the Active DM Team in the forums. Still, asking in game should be the first thing to try. To get the token, you will need to meet a DM in game anyway.
+:"If you have a legit DM question, "I am stuck", "My fixture is stuck in the wall" and such, just keep trying, every ½ hour or so. It will not be considered spamming the DM channel. It's our job to fix those issues. If we are on, we'll normally answer if we got time or not." - Qizzia
-Some players get their token instantly, some wait for weeks, even months. Yes, it's just not fair. But at the bottom line stands that one of the DMs got to be online, and have the time for it.
-===Not this way (bad example)===
+Be patient. Especially if asking help with a complex situation or a minor request. It may take few days before they are completed. Contact over the [https://astrolabe.nwnarelith.com/help Astrolabe Help Page] is encouraged for most issues you are unable to reach out for a team on a particular day.
-:''written by Iron]''
-"Well since Jack put this out on the public, I suppose I should respond publically in the vain hope that others will learn from this and avoid doing such childish actions:
+== Astrolabe ==
+The [https://astrolabe.nwnarelith.com/help Astrolabe Help Page] is generally the best method for official communication. Do give the team time to respond, upwards to a week depending on the topic, before requesting an update. Tickets are used for automated systems which DMs can fulfill remotely using staff tools, making these generally quick and streamlined. If the opinion you are looking for is not under New Tickets, instead use the New Request/Report button instead. Further options are available, from questions, general requests, and reports. This requires you to login via your forum account to use, with the same username and password as the forums.
-During my first day back,
+* Use the File Upload for adding screenshots. External hosting is not always reliable.
+* Use the drop downs to pick the subset of the report, and fill out the subject line.
+* The Description section comes prefilled with useful formatting and information.
+* Reports regarding Rule Breaks or other violations.
+* [https://forum.nwnarelith.com/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=37570 Event Requests], inquiries, updates particularly those requiring more work.
+* PRC application requests.
+* Player praise/RPR watch.
+* Ban Appeals.
+* Concept Questions.
-* I am running a quest of goblins assaulting Cordor with two parties of at least 8 ppl each.
-* I am punishing a kobold and his human companion as they can't understand why they are not allowed in Wharftown
-* I am finding the bloke that spelled Dracula backwards and explaining to him why he can't have that name.
-:And
-* Jack has a chest that won't close.
-So, as a DM, I am trying to see what impacts the server the most: Is it the 16+ folks that are scouring the city looking for the elusive portal that the goblins are getting through? Or is it the 5+ folks in Warftown that are trying very hard not to kill the kobold and his human friend because they 'simply don't get it'? Or is it the bloke that is running around in cordor with a 'famous name' impacting the 10 or so folks that are shooting me tells about it?
+=== Support Ticket ===
-or is it the lone individual in a room that is being impacted by a chest?
+Many requests have been automated via the [https://astrolabe.nwnarelith.com/help/support/create Support Ticket System] and are generally faster for DMs to handle.
-it's all about time management folks, I try and give the most bang for the buck. I try and impact as many people as I can with the limited free time I have on the server to make this place as enjoyable as I can.
+* Retake a level
+* Alignment Shift
+* Redeem Class Token
+* Change Soundset
+* Change Portrait
+* Name Change
+* RPR Evaluation
+* Relevel Token
-In the midst of running a quest, dealing with jollbles the kobold and Alucard the half vampire, I get this tell:
-:'''Jack Skeptikism: [Tell] DM DM HELP I opened a chest and then wrote something with the chest still open and now it won't close, the items probably will disapear if we reset or crash.'''
+=== Writing a Good Incident Report ===
-And about a minute later I get this one:
+To help us on the DM team be able to quickly and efficiently investigate reported rulebreaks:
-:'''Jack Skeptikism: [Tell] help'''
+* Screenshots can be very useful, but DO NOT use Discord-hosted screenshots in your report.  Discord is not designed as an image-hosting service, and these links break quickly. Use the image upload option. Put another way: if you send all your evidence in Discord-hosted screenshots and we can't completely resolve the case before the link expires, we no longer have any evidence!
+* Provide approximate dates and times with your timezone.  Time doesn't mean anything without a timzeone.
+* Provide specific location information when relevant.  Use the "-area" command to get the name of the map you're in.
+* Provide a list of character names for everyone involved, including your own.  Disguise names are fine.
+* Provide context when relevant.  A one-off encounter between strangers can be quite different than the tenth encounter in a feud.
-and then this one a minute later:
+You do NOT have to have all of this information to submit a report, and we do look into every report that is submitted.  But the more of this information you can provide, the less time it will take for us to get a complete picture of what happened, and the more likely we will be able to respond accordingly in a timely manner.
-:'''Jack Skeptikism: [Tell] OMG YOU NEED TO HELP'''
-and a minute later:
+==== Poor Examples ====
-:'''Jack Skeptikism: [Tell] HELPHELPHELP'''
+A) I was wandering around with some friends when a group of orcs attacked us and killed us without provocation.
-And another minute:
+B) The screenshot speaks for itself: (discord image link)
-:'''Jack Skeptikism: [Tell] don't ignore me this is srs'''
+==== Good examples ====
-:'''Jack Skeptikism: [Tell] HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP'''
+Aragorn (me), Legolas Greenleaf, and Gimli son of Gloin were running through Rohan (East Emnet) when we came across three disguised orcs: "Smelly", "Stinky", and "Yucky".  None of us had seen them before as far as I know.  They attacked us without any interaction and killed us (see attached screenshots).  This all happened between roughly 10 pm and 10:05 pm GMT on 1 Jan 2024.
-So I have not responded to him just yet as I was dealing with kobolds, vampires and goblins. However at this point, I can see that this person doesn't understand patience as I do. I have found that giving my children time outs usually work in teaching them patience. Any kind of sympathy I had for this bloke and his plight evaporated as the numerous tells started coming into my window.
+== E-mail ==
-Understand that you and me, for that matter have to deal with a set list of priorities. if it is impacting the server AND numerous folks, I will deal with it first. If it is not, then you are on the bottom of the list.
+E-mail is another method to contact the DMs, and is the only access of communication for those also with forum bans. You can use the email '''arelith.dm@gmail.com''' for this method. Ban appeals and general questions is the recommended topics for this method if the [https://astrolabe.nwnarelith.com/help Astrolabe Help Page] is not an option.
-If you learn from this child's plight, and do not spam me with numerous tells over a period of less than five minutes, then I will get to you as soon as I can. And if you allow me to respond to your tells in a resonable time limit, we can effectively communicate.
-Or you can be a child and I will give you a time out. Your choice, of course.
+== Misc ==
-Iron"
+=== Bugs/Errors/Module Problems ===
+* Bug reports should be posted on the forums in the [https://forum.nwnarelith.com/viewforum.php?f=12 bug section].
+* Sensitive bugs (Exploits, duplication, etc) should be sent to the Contributors group via a forum PM.
-(The player from example earned temporary [[ban]].)
-== On forums ==
+=== Discord ===
+* Discord is mainly used for the community to interact with each other outside of the game.
+* Discord is fine for general questions which may be fielded by other players or staff, however '''all official requests, reports, or communication should be done by other means.'''
-=== What? ===
-Any uncertain issues, possible rule violations or exploits belong to Private Messages (PMs). Do not post any of those on open forums.
+=== Requests for PRC tokens ===
+;''Revised by Titania''
-Questions are best posted in [http://www.arelith.com/phpBB3/viewforum.php?f=19 Questions & Answers forum] where also other players can provide assistance.
+PRC Token requests are only needed for assassin, harper, and shifter. It is highly recommended you use the [https://astrolabe.nwnarelith.com/help Astrolabe Help Page], rather than ping in channel/e-mail. PRC Tokens are usually completed within twenty-four hours. If you do not receive an approve, deny, or follow up questions in that time frame, please add a reply requesting for an update, or ping the channel.
-Players can also post on open forums request for PRC if they are unable to contact a DM in game for many weeks.
+Shifters take slightly longer, as they are kept to limited amount, but we do our best to have these done within the week.
-Don't expect a reply from a DM at the same day. You may get lucky, but DMs are people too, they have their lives and may not be online every day.
-=== How? ===
+== When player witnesses rule violation ==
-Keep it short, truthful (facts) and simple. [[Screenshots]] or quotations are often better then long descriptions.
+* If possible, take screenshot or note the time and names of those involved.
+* Ensure that it is indeed a rule violation by rereading the rules in your Journal.
+* Player can try to send POLITE short tell to offender. Some players can be new to server and not aware of all server rules. If you disagree on interpretation of rules, it is often wiser to submit the case to DMs, rather then argue at length in tells and spoil the game for both of you.
+* Try to contact a DM in game.
+* If you can't get one in game, send it to a DM via the [https://astrolabe.nwnarelith.com/help Astrolabe Help Page] or e-mail Arelith.dm@gmail.com. Do not post about the incident publicly on forums! It will be locked and/or deleted!
+:"Please include the character names of whomever was involved, including the rule-breaker, the victim(s) and any witnesses; also, any screenshots you have of the event typically help." DM Watchtower
+* If you have exhausted that path and do not feel as if the situation was handled fairly, send a PM to the head DM, via forums.
-List of all DMs registered on Arelith forums can be found on list of [http://www.arelith.com/phpBB3/memberlist.php?mode=leaders The team].
+If the complaint is about the DM, please '''only''' contact the Head DM, and not Active DMs.
-The best way to contact a DM is sending a PM to the Active DM group.
-[[File:CC38SYi.jpg]]
-[[Category:Arelith community]]
+[[Category:FAQ]]