Staff Expectations & Rules

[Ash]

Universal:

These expectations apply to ALL staff members. Before ever even applying for a position among the staff, you should be commited to obey these rules. They are the basis of order. Without order, there is only chaos, too much of which is never a good thing.

Overview:

[li] All staff answer, first and foremost, to me.
[/li][li] Staff also answers to higher-up staff.
[/li][li] Keep Arguments at a minimum.
[/li][li] Use the randomizers 80% of the time.
[/li][li] Give out friendship points and EXP.
[/li][li] Follow the Battle System.
[/li][li] Get permission for Giveaways.
[/li][li] Get permission to give out 'Special' Pokemon (unless denoted in Randomizer).
[/li][/ul]

Each of these shall be explained in detail below.

Authority:

This one is pretty straightforward and simple. You should have been able to understand this from just the overview, but here it is in detail anyway.

Every single staff member answers to me above and before any other on this site. It may sound unfair or such, but those of you who know me wouldn't think so. This is to keep the ranks in order, as well as the site. Again, order is GOOD.

Furthermore, staff members answer to those higher in rank than them, in the order of the chain. For example, a Graphic-Related staff position, say, Sprite Creator, would answer to others in this order: Admin, Co-Admin, Head G-Mod, Graphic Mod. A modding-related staff postion would do the same, with Global Mod being the fourth link in the chain.

Arguments:

To help curtail arguments, as well as to show their higher maturity, staff members should follow a few simple things to make my job as mediator a little easier. If someone says something rude, is being annoying, or such things that would lead to fights, try your best to do the following:

[li] Politely tell the person to stop. Be firm, but not rude or mean.
EX- "Please don't be rude, there is no need for it."
"Please be nice, and calm down."
"Please stop asking. I am starting to get annoyed, and will less likely to mod."

[/li][li] If they do not stop, ask again, still politely (even if it kills you!).

[/li][li] Notify me IMMEDIATELY with evidence if their actions are not stopped. You may give them one more chance, but if they do not quit after two, then they are unlikey to do so even if you ask a hundred more times. I will take action after Two Strikes, One or less if their infraction is really bad.

[/li][li] IGNORE THEM. If someone with shoutbox administrative powers is online and they keep it up even after being warned and ignored, BAN THEM. No need to ask me. Warn them ONCE that you are going to ban them if you feel a need, but do not give them any more warnings. This only leads to additional fighting.

[/li][li] I am so tired of all this fighting, that I am completely serious about taking action. IF you PM me WITH complete evidence (please do not try to leave out something you did or said that may/may not have caused the problem; I HATE looking into things and finding out stuff like that) I will take action as soon as I am online/able.
[/li][/ul]

Please, follow these suggestions! At least TRY. It never helps to engage someone, because all it ends up doing is causing a huge fight that keeps going on, making a whole bunch of people angry. I know when someone is being rude, disrespectful, mean, or anything it eats you alive trying to be nice to them. But, it is a temporary pain believe me. Besides, wouldn't the satisfaction of seeing their punishment make up for that?

If it seems that I have not punished a lot in the past... well, it is because I haven't. Nearly every time I am notified about a problem, it is after the fact. And when I investigate it, I find that if I punished the culprit, in complete fairness, I would also have to punish the accuser. Why? Because they said/did things that were completely unnecessary. Because they tried to take the problem into their own hands. All I get from this? A headache and the need for Pepto-Bismol. All you get? A fight, anger, hurt feelings, and complaints/accusations that go, besides a stern talking-to, unanswered.

Randomizers:

While the Randomizers do not have to be used all the time, such as when rewarding a character or doing your own little mini-plot, please do use them most of the time. Afterall, they took a lot of work to create, and are there so things do not get too out of hand. Generosity is great, but it certainly needs its limits; We can't make it TOO easy for the members to get what they want, when they want it. If they really want something, they will be willing to work for it. So, the randomizers are to keep things random and thus fair, while not taking away from creative freedom.

Giving Points:

While Experience Points have almost always been given out, they still must be remembered after battles. Friendship points, however, are far more easily forgotten, since they are not only earned after battle, but also after something is done or happens in the RP. EXP is versatile as well, being able to be earned during the RP for various actions, and should be rememberd then as well.

Battle System:

Please follow the Battle System. It gets confusing when their are ten or so different battle styles, and new members are trying to learn it. Please stick to the traditional Battle System, though as long as the systematics are all in place, you can have your own 'style' for battling. Try to committ the formula to memory, but if you van't then at least open the page to refresh your memory when modding a battle.

Permissions:

Things such as giving out 'Special' Pokemon, more than one Pokemon (per character), Pokemon not native to a certain route/area, massively levelling up Pokemon, or hosting Giveaways are within staff powers, but my permission must be obtained beforehand. For the Pokemon related permissions, I will be more likely to agree the less 'major' it is. (Note that you DO NOT need my permission for giving out special Pokemon if the randomizer chose it; This rule only applies to giving out stronger, non-native, or more than one 'Special' Pokemon; If I find that any staff has given out a suspiciously high amount of these Pokemon, however, different rules may apply to them.) Giveaways are the same way, with smaller ones more likely to be accepted, especially if there is already a large giveaway. Giveaways are classified as such:

Small- Giving out a Pokemon/Egg/Item to each member, Giving out an item to each character, Giving out a small amount of levels to each Member/Character, Quizes or Contests with limited rewards.

Medium- Giving out a Pokemon/Egg to each Character, Giving out Items to each Character, Giving out a moderate amount of levels to each Member/Character, 'Choose-Your-Own' type Giveaways (the tours).

Large- Giving out more than one Pokemon/Egg to each Character, Giving out many levels to each Member/Character, Huge Multi-Pokemon & Multi-Item Giveaways (12 DOC), Giveaways that last forever/for a long time (Super-Fantasmajorical).

Lower-ranked staff must wait a month between giveaways. Higher staff-Admins, Co-Admins, and Head G-Mods-must wait only two weeks between giveaways. This waiting period starts after the END of the giveaway.

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If any staff member ranked below 'Co-Admin' needs to ask permission for something or needs to report something and I/Anidra have not been online, am going to be gone, or such, they may ask a Co-Admin {Neko currently the most active} instead. The Co-Admin is given full power over these things in such a case, and get to make a decision on it based upon what they seem fit. However, please just let me know about these decisions.

[Ash]

Positions:


Top Department-

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Administrator- Head of site. Can do ANYTHING.
Currently, only I and Anidra hold this position. If you apply to be an admin, your application will be immediately denied. Others shall only hold this position if they have proven uncommon loyalty and it is extremely necessary.

Co-Admin- Lesser heads of site. Most trusted advisors/helpers. Can do nearly anything.
Only those who have been a part of Laokia for a LONG time (2+ Years) can attain this position, and then only if I think they would be fit for the job. If you apply for this position, your application will be automatically denied.

Head G-Mod- Second only to the Co-Admins (since Admin is a category to itself xD). Reign over Graphic & Global Mods, more specifically over the status they were promoted from.
Only the most active, hardest working, most capable and trusted Graphic Mods and Global Mods attain this position. If you apply for this position, your application will be automatically denied.

Mod Department-

Global Mod- The top of the Mod Department (not including Head Global-Mods). They keep tabs on those lower than them in their department. They can mod anywhere at any time, and only have to refer to those above them. Their focus is mainly on modding, though they can do a few graphic-related things as well.
Only those who show high proficiency in writing and role-playing can attain this position. Applicants must provide a role-playing example that may or may not be evaluated by higher up staff.

Regional Mod- Staff in this position mod anywhere within an assigned region (category). They cannot mod outside their region unless given permission, and while they may be assigned to more areas, they are generally only given modding power within their region. They are also expected to keep their region's boards clean and moniter activity within.
Applicants are more likely to get this position than that of Global Mod if they apply; They must be willing to mod a greater number of areas, and be decent role-players.

Beta Mod- Staff in this position have more areas to mod than regular mods, but also help out with testing new regions or areas and focus mainly on helping other staff and members. They usually do not have more than 25 areas to mod in. They cannot mod outside their areas unless given permission, and they may be assigned to more areas over time. They are also expected to keep their assigned boards clean and moniter activity within.
Applicants are more likely to get this position than that of Global Mod if they apply; They must be willing to mod a few more areas than regular mods, and must be willing to help out if it is requested of them. They must be decent role-players.

Moderator- Staff in this position generally have only a few assigned areas to mod in, usually no more than 10 or so. They cannot mod outside their areas unless given permission, and they may be assigned to more areas over time. They are also expected to keep their assigned boards clean and moniter activity within.
Applicants are more likely to get this position than that of Global Mod if they apply; They must be willing to mod wherever needed within their area, and must be decent role-players.

Graphic Department-

Graphic Mod- The top of the Graphical Department (not including Head Graphic-Mods). They keep tabs on those lower than them in their department. They have complete freedom and control over graphics (other than the referring to higher ups). They can mod anywhere, but their main focus is on graphics.
Only those who show high proficiency in multiple types of graphics can attain this position. Applicants must provide many examples of their work that will be evaluated by the current staff with graphical focus before possibly attaining the position.

Dex Programmer- Staff in this position create Pokedex Entries for sprites lacking them, and also have some say in what entries get accepted/denied. They can edit dex entries if it is needed (though they must check in with someone of higher rank). They also help out with coming up with new attacks/abilities and items for the dex.
Applicants are more likely to get this position than that of Graphic Mod if they apply; They must have at least some experience and interest in working with the Laokia pokedex.

Sprite Creator- Staff in this position mostly create sprites, regardless of whether they excel at trainers or pokemon, or other sprites. Trainer Cards may also fall into this category, or splices/revamps/palletes. They take requests for making sprites.
Applicants are more likely to get this position than that of Graphic Mod if they apply; They must have at least some experience and interest in working with sprites, and create them decently enough, according to higher Graphic staff..

Skin Creator- Staff in this position have the job of creating and editing skins. Making sure they work well with the site, etc. They may also have a couple modding areas, but they concentrate mainly upon Skins.
Applicants are more likely to get this position than that of Graphic Mod if they apply; They must have at least some experience and interest in working with skins.

Non-Departmental-

Trial Mod- The lowest ranked of the staff members, not even technically being considered a part of staff. Applicants who have less than expected applications, who have not shown that they intend to remain active, or who have caused problems in the past, will be assigned to this position with limited powers as a test run.
Anyone can apply to be a trial mod. If they do a decent enough job, they will become an official part of the staff, in a position most fitting to the work they had done.