otty
Sorcerer
- Pronouns
- she/her
Grievance
Currently, there is a disparity between editor supply and terraforming demands. This causes problems when editors become spread thin, or otherwise occupied. Consequently, there is a lack of interest in the editor role, which only exacerbates the shortage. A common sentiment amongst skilled terraformers who are not editors is that they do not do other’s full terra work for them, but are otherwise interested in the role editors play in the grand scheme of the server. Another consequence of the editor shortage, is there are less people with relevant expertise who can provide helpful insight for new projects and fewer learning opportunities for our newer generations of builders. Due to the increased standards of terraforming, the editor role, in its current form, no longer serves the purpose for which it was created.
As it stands, the position of an editor is unclear. Initially, editors were a select few who had access to WorldEdit and Voxel commands. They would aid those without these privileges on their projects’ terraforming. Editors have not seen a revision in their role since, and are still heavily relied on by less capable members of the community to contribute a great deal of time and effort to their projects despite WorldEdit and Voxel being readily accessible tools.
Proposal
We aim to revamp the editor role to shape it into a more advisory role, encouraging new builders to work with experienced members of the teams to gain valuable experience and knowledge of the terrain. It is our goal to drift editors away from doing the full load of terra work and to encourage others to build confidence in their abilities to produce quality landscapes.
What should an editor be? It is our view that an editor should serve as an advisor for new builders and support them as they learn to become self-sufficient terraformers in their own right. We hope to encourage people to really throw themselves into terraforming, and through their triumphs and mistakes, learn valuable lessons from which they can improve. An editor should have the authority to withhold approval on a builder’s first project if the terrain does not meet standards set by the server. This promotes consistent adherence to feedback and gives more weight to an editor’s comments.
How can this be achieved? By encouraging builders to try things for themselves, and stepping in wherever necessary, we can maximize independence while minimizing the workload. A distinction must be made, however, that the editor is not to micromanage or take over the bulk of the project. Similar to probation leaders, it would be our job to guide and critique their work until it meets server standards.
Who would this be aimed at? Primarily, new builders who are just starting out on WesterosCraft and have little to no experience terraforming. It would be imperative for an editor to oversee terra progress for everyone’s first projects. This promotes growth early on and leads to successful terraforming in subsequent projects.
How does this help? Implementing these changes to the editor role would lessen the time obligation of being an approving moderator and delegate tasks to capable editors with relevant expertise. Moreover, it would help solve the issue of the ongoing editor shortage and create well-rounded builders. Additionally, it allows for cohesive terrain across multiple projects that is well thought out.
How would you go about becoming an editor? We believe the application process should remain similar to how it is in its current form. This means a prospective editor must demonstrate masterful command of WorldEdit and Voxel, prove that they can produce quality terrain, and have relevant experience in the form of a canon project or terra-related immersion. Becoming an editor would be decided primarily by the moderator team, but with input from the current editors, especially those who have worked with the applicant. Editor referrals may also be accepted if the person is willing and interested.
Conclusion
We started out completely opposed to terraforming, saying “I’ll never touch a mountain in my life”. A few years later, here we stand passionate members of the community, who are eager to see everyone thrive and build their skill set. We hope that with this revision, other people will be able to discover that same passion within themselves, and rise to the rank of the editor. While we remain passionate, we can no longer keep up with the high demand for constant terra assistance.
There is evidence of editors becoming burnt out and disappearing for weeks or months at a time. This can completely stall a project and hinders overall server progress. Moreover, it can completely kill a builder’s momentum if they are reliant on a semi-active editor who is juggling several jobs at once. By encouraging builders to take on their own terra, and work under the watchful eye of an editor, we can negate this issue, and foster a generation of self-sufficient and WorldEdit-competent builders.
There are concerns that this may slow down the project approval process. However, once the editor role is revamped, we hope to have increased our numbers. A handful of terra-skilled builders have indicated an interest in applying provided that it is no longer the norm for editors to devote great portions of their time to do other people’s labour at the expense of their wellbeing. In addition, an editor’s busy schedule no longer be of significant hindrance to the project. By placing responsibility in the project lead’s hands, they set their own pace.
Moderators have very busy schedules, even more so than editors. On top of approving and posting approving builds, moderators work tirelessly to keep the peace on the server and create a fun and safe environment for all. By delegating terra approval to editors when it comes to a builder’s first project, can significantly lessen the burden of modship, and allow them to focus on server progress.
This would not be another layer of authority, but a safety net for inexperienced builders learning the ropes. It is simply another method of quality control - much like a probation leader provides feedback until learning occurs. By implementing this proposal, we do not intend to control, or backseat drive, merely provide opportunities for builders to learn valuable skills and work alongside experienced veterans of the team.
Where our focus would be on terraforming plans, it allows approving mods to focus on things like plotting, style and tests. This ensures all bases are covered, and quality is preserved.
Terraforming is not something that new builders get experience with until their first project. As such, there is a huge margin for error, and mistakes are inevitable. By introducing an approving editor, helps streamline the process and ensure that the builder gets advice from someone with significant experience in that area. Similar to how a mini sets a builder up to learn plotting, map-making and researching with a project lead, an editor would serve a similar purpose for terraforming skills.
By implementing this change, we can provide more opportunities for cooperation, sharing of knowledge and passing down important skills in a way that benefits not only the builder but editors and moderators alike. Should this proposal be rejected, there is a risk of editors becoming extinct and builders no longer having important guidance that they once had. In conclusion, a revamp of the editor role is necessary in order to promote self-sufficiency and build confidence in our new builders.
Thank you for reading,
Currently, there is a disparity between editor supply and terraforming demands. This causes problems when editors become spread thin, or otherwise occupied. Consequently, there is a lack of interest in the editor role, which only exacerbates the shortage. A common sentiment amongst skilled terraformers who are not editors is that they do not do other’s full terra work for them, but are otherwise interested in the role editors play in the grand scheme of the server. Another consequence of the editor shortage, is there are less people with relevant expertise who can provide helpful insight for new projects and fewer learning opportunities for our newer generations of builders. Due to the increased standards of terraforming, the editor role, in its current form, no longer serves the purpose for which it was created.
As it stands, the position of an editor is unclear. Initially, editors were a select few who had access to WorldEdit and Voxel commands. They would aid those without these privileges on their projects’ terraforming. Editors have not seen a revision in their role since, and are still heavily relied on by less capable members of the community to contribute a great deal of time and effort to their projects despite WorldEdit and Voxel being readily accessible tools.
Proposal
We aim to revamp the editor role to shape it into a more advisory role, encouraging new builders to work with experienced members of the teams to gain valuable experience and knowledge of the terrain. It is our goal to drift editors away from doing the full load of terra work and to encourage others to build confidence in their abilities to produce quality landscapes.
What should an editor be? It is our view that an editor should serve as an advisor for new builders and support them as they learn to become self-sufficient terraformers in their own right. We hope to encourage people to really throw themselves into terraforming, and through their triumphs and mistakes, learn valuable lessons from which they can improve. An editor should have the authority to withhold approval on a builder’s first project if the terrain does not meet standards set by the server. This promotes consistent adherence to feedback and gives more weight to an editor’s comments.
How can this be achieved? By encouraging builders to try things for themselves, and stepping in wherever necessary, we can maximize independence while minimizing the workload. A distinction must be made, however, that the editor is not to micromanage or take over the bulk of the project. Similar to probation leaders, it would be our job to guide and critique their work until it meets server standards.
Who would this be aimed at? Primarily, new builders who are just starting out on WesterosCraft and have little to no experience terraforming. It would be imperative for an editor to oversee terra progress for everyone’s first projects. This promotes growth early on and leads to successful terraforming in subsequent projects.
How does this help? Implementing these changes to the editor role would lessen the time obligation of being an approving moderator and delegate tasks to capable editors with relevant expertise. Moreover, it would help solve the issue of the ongoing editor shortage and create well-rounded builders. Additionally, it allows for cohesive terrain across multiple projects that is well thought out.
How would you go about becoming an editor? We believe the application process should remain similar to how it is in its current form. This means a prospective editor must demonstrate masterful command of WorldEdit and Voxel, prove that they can produce quality terrain, and have relevant experience in the form of a canon project or terra-related immersion. Becoming an editor would be decided primarily by the moderator team, but with input from the current editors, especially those who have worked with the applicant. Editor referrals may also be accepted if the person is willing and interested.
Conclusion
We started out completely opposed to terraforming, saying “I’ll never touch a mountain in my life”. A few years later, here we stand passionate members of the community, who are eager to see everyone thrive and build their skill set. We hope that with this revision, other people will be able to discover that same passion within themselves, and rise to the rank of the editor. While we remain passionate, we can no longer keep up with the high demand for constant terra assistance.
There is evidence of editors becoming burnt out and disappearing for weeks or months at a time. This can completely stall a project and hinders overall server progress. Moreover, it can completely kill a builder’s momentum if they are reliant on a semi-active editor who is juggling several jobs at once. By encouraging builders to take on their own terra, and work under the watchful eye of an editor, we can negate this issue, and foster a generation of self-sufficient and WorldEdit-competent builders.
There are concerns that this may slow down the project approval process. However, once the editor role is revamped, we hope to have increased our numbers. A handful of terra-skilled builders have indicated an interest in applying provided that it is no longer the norm for editors to devote great portions of their time to do other people’s labour at the expense of their wellbeing. In addition, an editor’s busy schedule no longer be of significant hindrance to the project. By placing responsibility in the project lead’s hands, they set their own pace.
Moderators have very busy schedules, even more so than editors. On top of approving and posting approving builds, moderators work tirelessly to keep the peace on the server and create a fun and safe environment for all. By delegating terra approval to editors when it comes to a builder’s first project, can significantly lessen the burden of modship, and allow them to focus on server progress.
This would not be another layer of authority, but a safety net for inexperienced builders learning the ropes. It is simply another method of quality control - much like a probation leader provides feedback until learning occurs. By implementing this proposal, we do not intend to control, or backseat drive, merely provide opportunities for builders to learn valuable skills and work alongside experienced veterans of the team.
Where our focus would be on terraforming plans, it allows approving mods to focus on things like plotting, style and tests. This ensures all bases are covered, and quality is preserved.
Terraforming is not something that new builders get experience with until their first project. As such, there is a huge margin for error, and mistakes are inevitable. By introducing an approving editor, helps streamline the process and ensure that the builder gets advice from someone with significant experience in that area. Similar to how a mini sets a builder up to learn plotting, map-making and researching with a project lead, an editor would serve a similar purpose for terraforming skills.
By implementing this change, we can provide more opportunities for cooperation, sharing of knowledge and passing down important skills in a way that benefits not only the builder but editors and moderators alike. Should this proposal be rejected, there is a risk of editors becoming extinct and builders no longer having important guidance that they once had. In conclusion, a revamp of the editor role is necessary in order to promote self-sufficiency and build confidence in our new builders.
Thank you for reading,
- Jake and Otty
