getting a good sense of protocol

[ubersmurf]

it seems to work like this: if you don't know what someone's talking about regarding the operations of non-pub arenas, don't expect to be enlightened anytime soon. so newbies, beware.

experienced players: change this or watch the game wither. your choice.

[Sleepy Weasel]

If you do a ?help with your question you'll probably get an answer. The games been going for 8 years and it's growing bigger rather than smaller. Only thing that will kill it is if Priitk decides to stop paying for the server

[ubersmurf]

ah. thank you. i didn't know about that facility.

my post was largely spleen venting anyways. 'cause i got some stony silence when i went all "HUH?" on people. (and subsequently missed out on a ?go base game. which tweaked my post-work ill humor.)

[Mr. Peanuts]

it would also be nice if they could put sounds on the automated belim and elim ads

[Kings]

I think it would just be annoying always having a sound everytime an elim starts. There is like an elim starting each 10 minutes.

[za gophar]

the thing that this zone/game lacks is a decent and comprehensive manual.

[Troll King]

What about the fact that if there was one, people still wouldn't read it? People don't even bother looking at the F1 help menus, and that would be more help than any manual because you can do it easily in game.

[ConcreteSchlyrd]

TK just summed up my whole week through one subspace analogy.

[Jason]

I forget where you work, Conc. Did somebody have some tech support nightmares? Or are you writing up some documentation? The latter is absolutely, mind-blowingly boring.

[ConcreteSchlyrd]

Well, for the most part, I run my own ship--I'm fairly autonomous, which is excellent. However, I have one manager and the director of the department which I report directly to. They think it's a great idea to have me write/revise ridiculous documentation for stupid things like opening doors (no joke).

The problem is that I usually already have documentation available on the web, dumbed down to the point where you'd have to be truly retarded to not comprehend it. We're talking like:

1) Press return.
2) Wait for the "ftp>" prompt. Type "open server.ip.ip.com" and press return.
...etc...

The funniest part is that most everyone who works here has a PhD in something computer or engineering-related, and they still can't bring themselves to follow dumbed-down instructions. They get all flustered on the first try, and instead of trying again (being careful to actually follow the instructions, God forbid), they'll bitch to the director that their dumb ass can't figure out how to do something.

From there, I get a request to "make the instructions easier," which at some point is fucking ridiculous. For real, most of the processes I'm explaining are FAR from complicated. It's just that no one takes the time to actually read things. Give someone a PhD, and suddenly they think they're above the law.

I hate the power structure of academia, yet look where I am.

Sorry, ranting done.