Some things that really need to be discussed....even if it's not my place.

[TwistedSorrowzz]

I am very glad you stood up for this Azura!
I've been awaiting someone to speak up for mods not actually doing their job and sort of slacking.
As new players come in more people will act in certain ways. And we have a lack of mods on the FH community, And I would adore you or even me to become a mod; And petrol the FH community.
I wish good luck to the FH community and the new players to come.

[ArcticGalaxy]

I'm really glad you guys are keeping this civil. Makes me proud of some of the members in this community!

But mainly why this thread is honestly going "in circles" is because of the issues being addressed. However, why not suggest new ideas besides the two I had? FeralHeart needs all the ideas it can get honestly. However....what other ideas are their besides opening registration? We can't do another update. And....what else is there?

I'm not saying there isn't any other ideas, but I'm simply not thinking hard enough for them. xD

But all of your opinions are valued, and I appreciate all of you.

[Insoholic]

Thank you for bringing up this topic, Arctic. +floof

Not a day goes by where I am not faced with the fact that there there is a bunch of rulebreakers online and no mods at hand to deal with them. It's not like the staff haven't considered some people but there are usually a few reasons why potential MIT's do not actually become MIT's. Being a mod is not a full time job and you don't get paid for it. They work for free to help everyone and make the game a better place fo everyone to play on. They deserve their freedom to play the game before everything, but I'm not saying that this is an excuse to don't monitor the game at all.

[TheOneAndOnlyy]

I personally believe that once when registration is opened once again, then things will change for the better. It's the fact that ever since November of last year with the unfortunate events that occurred, requiring the introduction of the login tab, it has been a big part of the lack of members. Although I know that the login tab is of course implemented for our safety, it has caused a lot of members problems connecting to the servers. Now with the registration being closed there is no way for new members to join. Once when the registration is back up and running however it should be up to us, the FH community, to introduce anyone who could be interested to the game. Tell our friends, post it every where online. Whatever we do, if we want FH to become as active as it used to be along with friendly members and watchful new faces of the staff team, we need to promote FH as best we can. On to the topic of the lack of online staff, I do as well see very little activity of staff members online, but we all know that they have lives behind the screen, as we all do. To fix this it would be nice to see new faces to the staff team, faces that can be trusted, responsible, and active. No matter, I still do enjoy FH and it will always have a special place in my heart. I hope it will last for many more years to come!

[greenart6]

I know I haven't posted on here in awhile, but I almost 100% agree.

FH definitely needs some new staff. Even if all the current staff ARE working hard, and I'm sure they are, a lot of them don't really... publically display that, I suppose. Obviously staff don't need to keep all of their moderating duties out in the public, since I'm guessing a lot of the staff deal with more reports and technical things instead of being out in the maps moderating. (Keep in mind I don't know the staff, so of course I don't know what they're doing, so these are all just assumptions). But, I feel a lot of things need to be looked at from the perspective of an average player or even just a person who just learned about Feralheart. If someone were to come on here and see that the staff were rarely on and that people are breaking the rules left and right in-game (as I've read earlier in this thread), it gives off the wrong impression. Though people like the regular forum-goers might recognize that the staff are just dealing with more 'behind the scenes' things, its possible a random user would just see that the staff are inactive or don't care about the game. This might even make them more likely to break rules. From there, rumors can spread, and I know a lot of people think the game is completely dead already or that the staff have just left/don't care.

I've been on some other game websites lately, so I've been able to see some staff systems that are run differently than FH's. I really think that some new staff need to be added to the team, especially some people who have different time-zones and could be on when the other mods aren't. Heck, I think mod applications might even need to be a thing, instead of just the staff occasionally picking out someone. Maybe even helpers, though I understand why that's been shot down in the past, so that's probably not likely. But I guess I just feel like the current system used to pick staff members might need a bit of changing in some way.

One more thing I'd like to bring up, albeit maybe a bit controversial... I'd really like to see more communication between the staff and members. I think that the opinions of the playerbase need to be paid more attention to, and that we should know about big changes being made before they're implemented, and have enough time to voice our opinions on it and argue against it if need be. And even now, I know a lot of players feel like they're just being kept in the dark, and it makes a lot of people feel powerless, like that they don't really matter. I don't think the staff have any malicious intent here, but it just feels like the members don't really have a say in what happens or that they can do anything about it. And I feel like this is why a lot of the negative opinions and rumors surrounding Feralheart have gotten started. I was pretty happy to see that FAQ thread on the FH deviantart, though, that's kinda what I'm talking about. Letting members know exactly what is happening like that before it's finished is definitely a step in the right direction!

Sorry, this is kinda a ramble and jumbled mess of my thoughts, but basically I just think that more staff would be nice and that there needs to be more communication between staff and members on what's actually happening, and pay more attention to the concerns of the playerbase. Hopefully this isn't taken the wrong way, I respect the staff and what they're doing, though I just feel a few things could be improved.

[XeekyXeek]

I'm afraid there's not a lot I can say about this other than that I agree with Azzy (Azura). All the way.

tbh all I can suggest here is a mass Signal Boost, since The People Up Top need to see this!!

[Warriorstrike]

I've been watching this thread for a while and decided to drop my thoughts in here. I think it's important to say first that as far as a few of your concerns,

You are not wrong.

While I have to disagree with a few of your points, I agree with others. I think you've brought this up in a very mature manner, which I respect and appreciate. The concerns you've brought up are very valid and not something I, or any of the other staff members, take lightly. I feel like much of what is written here is with good intent, but I hope I'm able to clear up or at least shed a bit of light on your worries.  I will probably skip around on a few points but try to address this as thoroughly as possible. I can only speak so much for the other staff members, but here's what I know to be true.

Yes, we do need active staff. Members of the community are what everything is surrounded by, but the truth is that we are always looking for a helping hand. We always are, and this isn't breaking news. As for actually choosing someone to be part of the team-- there is a lot more that goes on behind the scenes that is not always shining in bright lights. We have discussed members in the game and on the forum who we have considered to be potential MITS. There are reasons why we choose not to offer this position to just anyone-- even people you may think deserve it. The position of a MIT is not an award that is given to people who deserve it, it's about keeping our eyes on a person(s) whom we believe will be able to uphold the responsibilities, principles, and the weight of taking care of a community as a staff member. These are two very different things, and it can be hard for some people to see this. Whether you believe yourself to be a qualified member to join the team or see someone around the game/forum whom you think should be given the position, this does not make them qualified. Simply being nice or friendly does not always qualify. There are discussions about a user's background, maturity, activity, and other things that go beyond simply seeing someone and thinking they would do good. You should know that no MIT is chosen by approval of one staff member-- all of this is carefully discussed, while one user may be suggested as a potential MIT, it's out of the best interest that most of the team agrees that said user might be a good addition. I will say this in the most honest way that I can, but there are things that we take into consideration that may have never even crossed your mind. If you step into a staffers shoes and think "what would I look for in a staff member, to represent this community and uphold its values?", you may find yourself spending time thinking about a large list of things-- perhaps things you hadn't really thought about before. Perhaps you have, but that is one way to look at it. You may find that "active" and "friendly", even "helpful", aren't the only things on the list. You might find a few other qualities on that list, and of course, the list will be different for everybody. Obviously, this general "list" is not completely realistic, and there will always be flaws to everyone, but there's a different way to look at it. I don't look at potential MITS in a list-format, but if that helps anyone put it into perspective a bit, you may find this helpful. I think the first step to understand where we-- the staff- is coming from is to look at it in a way where you can see yourself in the same position. We carefully consider potential MIT options. This is not something we take lightly. We spend much time keeping tabs on users we think would have a good shot at joining the team, perhaps even as we speak. I cannot ask for you to look at this in the way that I do, but if you are taking it merely at face value, not much effectiveness will come from it. While I cannot speak for myself on this (I have not experienced much of this, myself, as I have not been a staff member for all of these situations), we have had many staff members in the past who have joined this team with seemingly high hopes who have turned out to do quite the opposite of good for the community, people whom were trusted with the responsibility of a staff member. I will say that we are probably a bit more strict in choosing MITS in recent days. If you allow people you don't know well enough or trust on the team, however, it can end up doing you more worse than good. EVEN IF someone if very active, this doesn't necessarily qualify them to be a good potential MIT. We are willing to give people chances, but they have to show us that they are capable. In most cases, we aren't looking for people to try and be what we think a good MIT would be, some of it is just natural qualities, things that aren't always done intentionally or with a mind to become a MIT. This is not just about activity, and this is a point I'm going to nail through. Activity is important, but it's not the only quality we look for when choosing a MIT. I would, personally, rather have a lower staff count than have a staff team filled with people who I do not have faith in. In all regards, this hopefully does not have to be an either-or situation, and we can find a nice balance in between.

Staff need to understand that not all of the people that actually volunteer to be staff are just looking for power. Many of us genuinely care for this game and just want to see it succeed again, and they want to help the game achieve that. If you all are so worried about being short staffed, I would think you would appreciate it anyway.

Here is the thing-- a staff position is not something you volunteer for. On other games and websites, this may be how they do things, but from how things have gone in the past, the last thing we need is people whom we aren't sure about joining the team. I understand that many truly are just wanting to help, but that does not mean we are going to go around and just give powers to take action in game to people we are not certain if they would be responsible to utilize properly. The only thing worse than having few staff members is having many users abuse their responsibility and powers in a way that hurts the game. While I'm sure that the majority here has everyone's interest at heart, this is something we simply cannot take a risk on. It's not pointed and it's not a nab at offending anyone, I'm simply stating how, realistically, I don't think this is a good option. A few comments here and there have suggested that we change the way we choose MITs-- I would have to disagree. There is nothing bad, in my eyes, about having a system set up where we feel confident, or as confident as we can, about the people we offer the MIT position of. There was some talk of offering "mini-mod" positions, and I believe there was some use of this in the past, and it didn't turn out well. The problem with mini-modding is that it gives people the power a staff member would have (or limited power) without being properly trained or monitored. If we are giving such a position away, we might as well offer them a MIT position. The cycle circles back around-- it's not about not wanting new people, it's about carefully choosing those we think would be capable of the position. Those who will be offered the position must prove it, even if they are not trying to prove anything at all. We're looking for people who are capable, reliable, dependable, active, friendly, yes, but we don't offer MIT positions if we do not see this in someone. For those who may not know about the thread, we have a general guideline for what we look for in a staff member here.


I do think the Registration is a contributing factor. It's well known that the Registration brings in new users, and as soon as that is cut off, there are no new people joining. I think that once we are able to open it up, there will indeed be new members who join. I feel like I have already made the point on a few other threads that we're still looking to fix the Registration, so I will not regurgitate that onto you. I chatted with Raz a while ago, and he has said that we (or rather-- he) physically has to rebuild the Registration in order to open it. Raz needs time to build it.

For those of you who are concerned with the lack of staff activity: Yes, we have a few staff members who are MIA or have taken time off. It is their responsibility to inform the community if they will be absent (one week is one thing, but if we're talking 2-3+ weeks, they need to take the decency to inform our userbase of their absence). If you have messaged a staff member and they have not responded back, and if they are MIA but have not properly left a note in the Leaving board or in their profile, this is a concern, and you have every right to message an active staffer about this. The active staffer you message will bring up this concern with the staff members who failed to properly inform people about their absence, and it will be addressed.

For those who are concerned about troublesome offenses in-game without staff being online, we have said before, yes, we cannot be in every map 24/7. This seems to be generally understood, so I won't repeat it again. Indeed, it would be helpful to have active staff patrolling around to keep an eye on things whenever possible. As I said before, some of our staff team is MIA-- whether it be for vacations to spend with family during the holidays, time for work, etc.) which is why you have been seeing fewer of some staff members. I make a point to log into the game every day, to the best of my abilities, so if one were to say that no staff is ever online is just not true. We could always use more helping paws, and active staff will always be better than inactive staff. For those who think that the behavior is worse off than it was before the update, I should bring up a point that The Grounds is now quite the most popular map-- whereas, the activity was a bit more spread previously between Fluorite, Bonfire, Ficho, etc., you will naturally notice more noise in The Grounds because all of those users who used to be spread out are now in one map. Three maps worth of chatter and bursting energy into one is going to be something. This doesn't mean that there are more trouble-makers, you just see them a bit more, y'know? This doesn't mean that there aren't more, but this doesn't mean that there are.

I never insinuated that we should call out people publically I said you can intervene, so don't assume so, by intervening, I implied many things, but NEVER did I say that intervening implied calling people out or starting and argument or "going about it calmly" that is up to YOU to decide how YOU intervene. (Reporting, screenshots, etc) I said it was your duty as a member to ensure that the environment we are all in is taken care of. By reporting by INFORMING STAFF.

It seems that there is quite some talk of reporting, so I want to talk about that. To make it very clear, the best way to handle a situation, if you actually want something to be done for it, is to screenshot and send a report to staff. Whether some simply don't know about this or feel like it is not direct and to the point, a report is always better (or I should say effective) than acting on your own. Whether you choose to screenshots and then proceed to say something in the chat, that is fine. But if you genuinely want the best for the community-- for that user to be taken care of-- a report will always be best. If you believe that your report is being overlooked, we are never disregarding it. I have never looked at a report and turned my head away. If you send in a report, I will either thank you for the report, ask questions if needed, etc. If I don't reply to a message you've sent, I either have a very good reason for not responding, I'm away, or your message didn't send through. I personally don't know other staff member's policy on responding to messages, but I would hope they take the time to respond and thank you for your report, as well. If you have reported a user and see them running around the next day, it's possible that we did not find the action deemed enough to take action. Sometimes we message the user personally, you cannot ascertain that we have done nothing beyond the report. To say that we have looked at the screenshot and done nothing is usually not true, from everything that I know. We always view our reports with care and carefully analyze them. If you are wanting a staff member to tell you whether or not the report you sent in is report-worthy, we will either inform you or say thank you, and leave it at that. Some staff members prefer to be more detailed about it, but you must understand that a lot of what a staff member decides when it comes to a report is not to be shared with anyone but the user who was reported.If you feel like you are in the dark in terms of how long an action is placed on them or even if you ask, "did you do anything about the user?", this is not something we should be sharing with you, as it is considered private information. If you send in the report, we will assess it and take care of it from there. Just doing that is a BIG help. It is considerably more helpful to us than someone telling someone what they did wrong in the game. We appreciate it significantly. You can help besides having the position of a staff member. We really do appreciate you taking the time to send in reports. You do not have to send in a report if you don't want to, but we do appreciate it.

If your concerns are with the fact that you shouldn't have to send in a report and that no staff members are online to message, this is true at times. I have to agree that I would like to see more staff member active and in those maps. While some offenses are best met with immediate action (a staff member dealing with the situation as it happens) rather than waiting until a few hours to a day or so until receiving a report, usually, a report does just fine. We take care of the situation, whether we are choosing to place limits that keep them off of the game, and if the situation needs attention, it WILL be handled. Please don't hesitate to send in a report. Most staff should respond to their inboxes in a reasonable amount of time, but moving onto that...

Bringing up the concerns about staff members who do overlook your reports or don't look in their inboxes-- that worries me. It's one thing for a staff member to be busy or away (as mentioned before, they should clarify this in their profile asking to message other staff members or in a thread), but it is another to neglect their duties. If you are very certain that you have sent in reports to a staff member and notice that they haven't been online for weeks, this is troublesome. Staff have a right to take time off, but they should properly inform you if this is the case. If you notice this happening, I would ask that you do two things. 1.) Message an active staff member concerning your report. If you know that a staff member is away, there is no use trying to message them instead of someone you see active, although it is your choice. 2.) Let an active staff member know which staffer you messaged and have not heard a response from. A matter of days is one thing. Please don't message another staff member about a report if it's only been a few days since you've reported, unless it has been weeks. If it has been weeks, nudge an active staff member, and we will address that concern with the staffer who is neglecting their inboxes (which I hope is not the case).

To sum everything up-- yes, we always need new staff members. It's not as simple as it looks. We are still looking, so please don't think that we have disregarded this thought. The Registration does need to open. The staff team physically cannot do this without Raz physically building it again, so we're just as stuck as you are, until we fix this. I've probably forgotten a few other points, but I'm happy to address any other concerns here. I might look through some of the comments and respond to those, as well. I appreciate you bringing up these concerns, and I hope you understand that we do consider them. Sometimes we cannot speak much about things if we aren't sure where it's headed yet, or when it comes to matters such as the MIT process, as that is more private info, only to be discussed with the MIT. I believe most of you have best interests at your heart, and I know it's hard to see things come and go in the community, some good and some not so much. We're doing what we can with what we have, and I don't want you to think that we are neglecting you or anyone-- whether it's purposefully or without knowledge.


Guys, I want to mention something, too. You can message us, personally. If you feel like a staff member is not doing a good job (and this doesn't mean if you have harsh feeling toward a staff member and simply don't like them), if there is a valid concern about a staff member's activity, or something you want to bring up that is probably a bit too personal/private to mention in a thread, you can address this concern to us. You don't have to make a big thread about it. Threads are fine, too, but the idea that we will only respond if it's in a big thread is not true. We do care about your thoughts and we do listen.

[TheSmileGiver]

I have to say, I agree so very much to this.
We need new faces. We need more staff.  I know its hard for them to pick new people, as to be fair.  But by doing nothing, they look even worse.  The game needs more players for all the hours. 
Whenever this topic used to get brought up, someone would always shut it down and change the topic.  And by a good person to be chosen, I mean someone who works hard, has put good hours into the game and wants to see this game continue to prosper.  Not just someone that is a friend to the mod.  Because then that's just unfair when they only choose their own friends.  We need more people like you.  Flat out honest on that.  I've seen how you are in the game, and you are astounding for what you do.  We need more players like you.

[ArcticGalaxy]

I have to say, I agree so very much to this.
We need new faces. We need more staff.  I know its hard for them to pick new people, as to be fair.  But by doing nothing, they look even worse.  The game needs more players for all the hours. 
Whenever this topic used to get brought up, someone would always shut it down and change the topic.  And by a good person to be chosen, I mean someone who works hard, has put good hours into the game and wants to see this game continue to prosper.  Not just someone that is a friend to the mod.  Because then that's just unfair when they only choose their own friends.  We need more people like you.  Flat out honest on that.  I've seen how you are in the game, and you are astounding for what you do.  We need more players like you.

I'm very glad you think that Cas. Actually honored. But I am not what this game needs apparently. I'll continue being there but.....eh.....

[Kastilla]

Hmm, if I had a dollar a FeralHeart user brought this up, on-site and off, I would be wealthy.

Sometimes the community and it's userbase can be fake. I am talking about the users who blame the staff for being "corrupted." Once in a rare while, it is a user who was active and well-liked within the community. You will see this EVERYWHERE. People who were ashamed of what they did and were punished for, so they go straight to blame.

FeralHeart is not necessarily dying down if you think about it. We still have an open forum that is constantly posting new things everyday, and there is still an abundance of players running around and spitting out lines right and left. The server hasn't crashed or been hacked lately, people aren't having major problems, and if they do they will either stick around the forums or find a solution.

 However, there will always be those who grow out of the game. Yes, that happens, whether you like it or not, you will too. It is a part of growing up, and it will happen eventually. Even the staff will, knowing from prior staff members that left to pursue collage and whatnot. Honestly, everyone needs a break once and a while, even if they do not come back in years time. Speaking for those who joined back in 2011 and made a newer account in 2015, there will always be a time where you need to refresh yourselves.

Though, the community isn't as healthy as it could be. There can be the occasional disagreement, quarrel, or nonsense about. Yet, like I said, that sort of thing happens and will happen no matter where. We should only focus on ourselves, meaning FeralHeart as a whole. If there happens to be a traitor in the bunch, then so be it. Do not fuel the fire and it will die out.

Ahh, there is my two-cents.