I'm a former administrator. Ask me anything.

[crenel]

Hey guys, I decided to stumble my way back over to check out what's been updated since I've been gone. I'm crenel, and I was a member of the PWO staff from September 2008 until around February 2013. I turned in my formal separation letter at the end of August 2013 after being inactive for the majority of the year.

As a member of the PWO staff, I was a GML (old rank) from September 2008 until December 2008, a GM from December 2009 until August 2011, and an ADM from August 2011 until February 2013 (technically August 2013). I helped to flesh out the current staff structure/framework, and I'm responsible for many early tweaks (such as the original introduction of surf spawns).

As a dinosaur from days past, I thought it might be nice for some of those who joined within the past year to get an inside look at some of the game's history, from a fresh perspective than that of the current staff. To be clear, I have no idea what the current event(s) or update(s) is/are, and I'm not going to air dirty laundry. I'm more than happy to talk about my personal failures here, abandoned projects from years past, how I (someone with no programming experience) became an administrator, and so on.

I'll be here for a day or so but then it's back to work for me. Ask away!

 

[MrFlare2]

...Since I do want to ask a serious question,

What do you think you did that had the biggest impact on the game?

 

[crenel]

...Since I do want to ask a serious question,

What do you think you did that had the biggest impact on the game?

By and far the early staff revamps.

The original development team was firmly against delegating tasks to a wider group of people. It was to the extent that the Spriting and Mapping teams weren't even consulted or invited to project discussions -- they basically just were told "do this" and that was that. The Spriting team fell apart five times because of that, and while the Mapping team was active and strong, they found themselves in a situation where they were more or less constantly unprepared and flying by the seat of their pants.

By May 2009 we had a new staff structure in place, but it came at the cost of me constantly fighting with the developers. Fennikusu left around this time, noting burnout and an ultimatum from a girlfriend; I personally believe that he was dissatisfied with the growing number of those on staff and the game moving away from its small town roots.

Zammbi was a major proponent of improvements and support during this time, and it was with his permission that we started overhauling the structure. The staff ranks at the time were Developer [DEV], Game Master [GM], GMling [GML] (this was a GM-in-training role), Moderator [MOD], Spriter (no formal recognition), and Mapper (no formal recognition). After the changes, the staff ended up with the same ranks, but with a fresh internal structure that actually integrated everyone into the same communication system. Additionally, [MOD]s and [GML]s were granted additional responsibilities.

This system evolved several times over the years (most notably after implementing the structure we as a team discussed and fleshed out, but that was originally proposed by Chelion), and I'm sure will continue to grow and evolve. It's a vanity, but I'm most proud of introducing the concept of using Pokeballs to represent staff ranks. Jinji and I had a lengthy discussion regarding that before settling on the ones we're using today.

The current staff culture and structure couldn't exist today if not for the early battles to improve communication.

 

[PhantomsCV]

Will PWO be around in 5 years?

Will you ever come back?

What will make PWO succeed the most?

What is something you miss about PWO?

What is your least favorite thing about PWO?

What things would you change?

What is your favorite memory of PWO?

EDIT: added 1 more. Why are more things happening now that were said they couldn't be done? TMs / Escape Ropes / Revives / things like that happening with the current staff that were said were "Impossible"

 

[Arnie]

GM halp, How i r heal pokemanz?

seriously its good to see u alive and kicking

 

[Stank]

Why don't you call me Beautiful any more?

On a side note, glad to see you are still alive crenel. how have you been?

 

[crenel]

Will PWO be around in 5 years?

Without having any real information about what's happening behind the scenes it's hard to say for certain, but I don't see why not. It kicked off its alpha client in January 2008, so it's already survived for six years. Back in 2008-2009 we were just one of around ten total Pokemon MMOs in development, and from what I understand PWO is currently the only one still kicking from back then. I know that the staff is passionate about the project, and that they aren't going to give it up without a fight.

Will you ever come back?

I've tossed the idea of reapplying for an entry level role around in my head a few times already. I don't think that it'd work out, as my old computer melted. The one I'm currently using isn't up to snuff. I wouldn't be very useful. If that changes, then I might more seriously consider reapplying. I have no problem with being an apprentice, and would prefer that due to how long I've been away. Beyond that I have real world work constraints eating up my time.

What will make PWO succeed the most?

This first bit is a side note and not the direct answer to the question, but it's something that's stuck with me: A focus on customer service. I fully disclose that I have not been around to see the way in which the staff has interacted with people over the past year, so I am unable to fairly comment on the way things currently are. However, when I was here the staff was a little bit too eager to find trouble and act on it. The attitude was one of shoot first, ask questions later, and to me that's not really the best way to go about it. I personally feel that, when it comes to customer service relations, generating results is not the same as generating good results.

The real and honest answer is finding more quality staff members. I would say that about 90% of the people that we've had on staff have been great, and I'm very proud of the fact that the PWO staff has a knack for quality. The only regret is that many of those same quality workers are bogged down with heavy schedules, and so either don't last very long or can't commit as much to the project as they'd like to. Finding people that can consistently produce satisfactory results 3-5 times a week, several hours per day, and for no pay is a huge undertaking. I feel that when I was in charge of staff recruitment in 2009 that I did a fantastic job giving people a chance and taking risks, and the majority of the time the people that I gambled on really pulled through for us and proved their salt.

I'm proud of the staff and how well that they work as a team, but admit that after a certain point I wasn't fit to be our recruiter anymore: my personal standards for new folks took a side seat to nepotism from the team. After a while the people that were sent my way all ended up being friends of current staff members, and at that point I really had no say anymore. Just as long as the current staff remembers that their friends might not be the most reliable coworkers, and as long as they're willing to take risks on people like I did in the past (such as making a certain controversial European Guild Leader a [MOD]), then things will be more than fine.

Again I'm over a year removed from things so I have no idea how much things have changed (and I'm always going to assume that things are constantly improving), but I have and always will have full confidence in the team.

What is something you miss about PWO?

Watching the team work together to realize a goal.

I liked sitting down and brainstorming with people on an open and equal basis. Sure as the boss I had the final say, but a lot of the time the team would come up with something really unique or great and we'd run with it. I really miss being in a situation where fictional Jane has an idea and then watching the team run with it. I'd call it an art form, but in a way it was too scientific for that. Some of our better events came from that, such as the haunted Halloween maps a few years back. I had almost no say in that event and it's still one of my favorites.

What is your least favorite thing about PWO?

It's a fantastic game for what it is, but it's never felt authentic to me. As much as I poured myself into polishing the game, while I was here it never had that same charm to me as the Nintendo titles. A large part of that was the client interface that Shane sort of just threw together with one other staff member, but if we're still using a variation on that client interface then it's still going to feel more like Runescape than Pokemon to me.

The biggest problem to me was global chat. I really want the chat system to be overhauled if it hasn't been already.

What things would you change?

Never, ever would shiny Pokemon have different stats. Never, ever would I change the experience formula. Never, ever would map development support have ended.

These three things were the biggest thorn in my side and the biggest detriment to balance, aside from the broken battle system obviously. They were just as bad, and directly prevented us from implementing Hoenn (which directly prevented us from implementing a ton of new content and Pokemon).

To clarify regarding maps, I don't mean the introduction or creation of maps by the team. I mean the development of the back end of the mapping system.

What is your favorite memory of PWO?

A few years ago we had our first Christmas event. It honestly wasn't very good, but it was a labor of love and something that the entire team, from top to bottom, poured into.

When I say first event, I don't mean Fennikusu's Mewtwo raffle that ShadowWolf won. I mean Festive Town. It was a bit ugly and a little bit of a nightmare for the server to handle, but it was one of the most enjoyable experiences I've had. The players gave great feedback and I feel as though we were more than rewarded for a great first attempt.

EDIT: added 1 more. Why are more things happening now that were said they couldn't be done? TMs / Escape Ropes / Revives / things like that happening with the current staff that were said were "Impossible"

Because I am not a programmer (unlike Teck and Bluerise), and for a long time it was Jinji and I sailing the ship. While Jinji is more than competent, he wasn't as available as he'd have liked to have been. Introducing more quality, reliable programmers into the staff opened up a ton of doors that weren't available before. It's as simple as that -- personal limitations prevented us from doing anything that we really wanted to do, and kept us mired down in small potatoes, if not appreciated/needed, projects such as map updates, spawn changes, and move updates.

 

[crenel]

GM halp, How i r heal pokemanz?

seriously its good to see u alive and kicking

You don't, once they are injured too much they die. You will need to discard them and make a new one.

 

[crenel]

Why don't you call me Beautiful any more?

On a side note, glad to see you are still alive crenel. how have you been?

Sup beauts, you doin anything tonight?

I have been fine, just very busy. I basically work for an indoor carnival, and three of our teams are being rebuilt from scratch. I'm the only trainer for two of the teams, so they have me working a ton of hours.

 

[CheckeredZebra]

:0! Hi smexy. It's nice to see you around.

Soz, it took me a minute but I think I have a question:
In what ways have you changed since being introduced to the project and then retiring from it? I did the same and I've found in retrospect I'm a completely different person in both good and bad ways.

 

[crenel]

:0! Hi smexy. It's nice to see you around.

Soz, it took me a minute but I think I have a question:
In what ways have you changed since being introduced to the project and then retiring from it? I did the same and I've found in retrospect I'm a completely different person in both good and bad ways.

I used to be incredibly rash and immature, but thanks to my experiences here I've grown a lot as a leader. I still use a lot of the lessons that I learned from working with the PWO team in my current work. The biggest thing was learning to listen to people better, and realizing that being friendly is more important than being friends. For a long time I had it stuck in my head that I was the only thing holding the game together, and whether it was true or not the attitude was wrong.

While getting flamed and angry was useful sometimes, in retrospect it did a lot more damage than good. Toward the end I was experiencing heavy burn-out from being angry all of the time, and even when I was trying to be helpful or productive I had so damaged my relationships with certain members of the staff that things went no where. Simply put, I've become more mature and professional.

Edit:

It's also worth pointing out that a lot of the past staff that has left due to burn-out did so because they heard nothing but complaints all day, not just from players but from staff as well. While I did try to take time to congratulate and recognize staff members for doing a good job, I simply didn't do it often enough. In that respect, I failed.

 

[Orean]

Hi,

While I was not one of your staff contemporaries, thus I do not know you as acutely on a personal level, I have been made well-aware of your past contributions and overall impact on the project in your heyday—much from reading up on what forum posts are extant (including what's behind the scenes), and from hearsay by those who've worked with you in the past. Since this is an area of administrative work that you've put prudent thought and effort into, I am curious to ask the following question:

What is one thing about the staff structure that you would have liked to have seen head into a better direction/improve the last time you were on the staff?

I know that you mentioned that you've not been in the loop for most of the past year, so I'm not necessarily asking for your opinion on the present staff compared to the past. Moreover — judging from the last time you had behind-the-scenes knowledge about the staff, in the waning days of your staff tenure — what is something that you wanted to see be refined with the staff structure and focuses in general?

 

[LunaticJames]

I'll be here for a day or so but then it's back to work for me. Ask away!

Would you rather:
Fight 10 Duck sized horses?
or
Fight 1 horse sized duck?

 

[crenel]

What is one thing about the staff structure that you would have liked to have seen head into a better direction/improve the last time you were on the staff?

I know that you mentioned that you've not been in the loop for most of the past year, so I'm not necessarily asking for your opinion on the present staff compared to the past. Moreover — judging from the last time you had behind-the-scenes knowledge about the staff, in the waning days of your staff tenure — what is something that you wanted to see be refined with the staff structure and focuses in general?

In many ways, I don't feel as certain roles are taken seriously or as respected as they should be. The apprentice process is dragged out and training people isn't a priority as much as time spent in the position is. I don't feel as though the guides are thanked enough when they do a good job, and I don't feel that they're always provided with the tools they need to be successful.

I don't believe that placing one or two people into a small chat box with hundreds of others and telling them "okay have at it" is a good policy. It can be overwhelming, and it is mentally draining. It's not something that I would ask somebody to do if they were paid to do it, and I'm sure many of the staff that were around at the time will recall that I am of the opinion that guides need to be more hands-off and not as involved, specifically for those reasons.

As time went on, the staff culture became one of expecting the chat to be monitored at all times. I feel that is unrealistic and unfair, and I feel that it's one of the bigger factors that contributed to people leaving the staff. On more than one occasion I had to take people aside and more or less order them to leave for a week because of how stressed they were.

Additionally, the attitude developed that the guide position was unneeded and that they "didn't do anything." I don't believe that was a fair evaluation of the position or the people in it. I was in favor of bringing more guides aboard and scaling down their individual responsibilities. This is our service team we're talking about: it needs to be twice as large as our development teams. At the time it was almost an afterthought, and they were being treated as sub-par GMs.

The biggest problem that I had with the staff structure leading up to my departure was easily that. It's as I mentioned before: there needs to be a better focus on guest services -- to add to that, there needs to be a better focus on getting people the tools they need, and training them to be effective while using them.

So much time has passed that it's assuredly improved by now, but that's easily the answer.

 

[crenel]

I'll be here for a day or so but then it's back to work for me. Ask away!

Would you rather:
Fight 10 Duck sized horses?
or
Fight 1 horse sized duck?

10 Duck sized horses.

I am all too familiar with the mating habits of the male duck. I do not want to encounter one that is eight feet tall.

 

[SapphirePhoenix]

Hello, nice to meet you!

If you had to give a piece of advice to new players in 5 words or less what would it be?

What are some of the funny things/stories that happened on PWO over the years?

What is your favorite Pokemon, and why?

What is/are your favorite pizza topping(s)?

 

[Dovee]

Serious Question: Where have you been all my life?

 

[crenel]

If you had to give a piece of advice to new players in 5 words or less what would it be?

Be excellent to each other.

What are some of the funny things/stories that happened on PWO over the years?

Here's a few short ones, lol.

Zammbi gave me permission to ban him during a staff meeting, so I did. He didn't realize what had happened until later.

Mantis and I were working on a side quest that fell apart, but it involved exploding lemons.

I think it was Tenfold, Bis, Teck and Dovee, but a few of the staff members made NPCs of doom that would put you into an infinite loop of random teleportation when you talked to them. Then they'd trick people into talking to them.

Mangoz spoke English as a secondary language, and during staff meetings would sometimes accidentally say things that were inappropriate out of no where. (example: "my underwear are made of skin")

Let's just say that Xanatus is a huge fan of Jackie Chan and leave it at that.

CheckeredZebra talked about real southern sweet tea so much one week that I ended up addicted to cheap Arizona brand sweet tea for a month.

After the maps had been updated one day, Kestheba found himself lost in an endless black void where the map had used to be. This caused the server to crash until he was moved manually, through the database.

What is your favorite Pokemon, and why?

Xatu. I am really into the individual symbolism and canonical mythology surrounding the individual Pokemon species, and Xatu's is really neat. It stands still and stares straight ahead out of fear of losing its grasp on reality. It sees the past in one eye, the future in the other, and only when it looks straight ahead does it see the present... or so say the legends.

What is/are your favorite pizza topping(s)?

Chicago style with onion, green pepper, chunk tomato, green olives, spinach, and shredded swiss mixed in with the mozzarella.

When people give me free reign to order pizza that's what I always get. A solid alternative is deep dish cheese and pepperoni from Tortorice's.

 

[crenel]

Serious Question: Where have you been all my life?

'cago.

 

[Saurus]

I have a question.

Who created this wonderful game and who is responsible for the delayed progress of it? You mentioned something about 2008-2013. That is 5 years. From then till now, has the PWO application surpassed game-play/GUI expectations?

P.S (Where do I think Shane is too blame??)