Denied Remove Site Command and ISD

This suggestion has been denied and will not receive development.
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What does this suggestion change/add/remove:

This suggestion changes the following;

[Removals]
- Remove the O5 Council, Alpha-1, and their Assistants (outside of events/SSL)

- Remove the Ethics Committee, Omega-1, and their Assistants (outside of events/SSL. Ethics could possibly be reintroduced in the future in a different form.)


[Department Expansions]
- Expansion of the Security Department to include a whitelisted security task force (Like an MTF, but under Security) dedicated to the protection of Site Administration, and executing their will, acting as their combative arm.

- Expansion of Internal Affairs to include more trusted jobs with more powerful arrest and investigative authority site-wide. This could possibly include a more combative job, like the “SWAT” of I.A.

- Possible expansion of Site Administration to include jobs such as Zone Managers or Deputy/Co-Site Director (Just an idea, somewhat questionable in use)

- IA and/or DEA pick up infoleak suppression as a duty, possibly some kind of shared thing to encourage RP between the two


Has something similar been suggested before? If so, why is your suggestion different?:
Site Command being removed has not been suggested before outside of mess hall, that I know of.


Possible Positives of the suggestion (At least 2):

> Significantly reduced drama and ego battles within the community

> Less potential rule breaks

> Improved roleplay environment

> Reduced amount of excess, unnecessary job bloat (Less of a player split, and two less MTFs)

> Removes the overlap issues and frustrations between Site Command, ISD, Site Administration, IA, and the rest of the community.

> Provides opportunities for other departments to expand or be created, such as Security, or Nu-7/E-11.

> Prevention of ISD wars, which go so bad when left unchecked that UK SC made an OOC agreement that heavily limits what can be done.

> Makes sense in RP - why would O5-1/2/3/4, three ECMs and the ECC all be stationed at a containment site [EDIT: Added later]


Possible Negatives of the suggestion:


> All of the work done regarding Ethics, O5, and Alpha/Omega-1 will be removed.

> Members in Site Command and Alpha/Omega-1 will lose their positions (Though can be transferred to other positions of their choosing at the discretion of the roleplay leaders)

> This is a major change, and can cause a temporary destabilization within the community as they adapt to it and figure out the new environment that would come as a result.

> Significant reduction in combative jobs, which may (or may not) cause an imbalance between the Foundation and GOIs/SCPs


Based on the Positives & Negatives, why should this suggestion be accepted:

(Note: Things mentioned here do not account for every single site command member who’s ever existed or does exist in the community. Some ISD/SC have done relatively well in their positions, but that does not account for the majority. This is not intended to be a disrespectful or personal jab at anyone.)

For one, Site Command simply does not contribute enough of value to the community to make up for the issues caused. While the idea of the O5 Council, Alpha-1, Ethics Committee and Omega-1 are all very cool ideas and work well within the SCP Wiki and have a lot of roleplay potential, that isn’t how things have worked out in this server. These groups contribute nearly nothing to the roleplay environment of the community and have only taken away from groups such as Site Administration. Not to mention the amount of drama, toxicity, and egos that come from and are often caused by all four of these groups who constantly fight for who’s right, wrong, and who has the most power/authority over others. Site Command and ISD have only caused frustration, community divide, and problems. Even certain past ISD commanding officers have stated they would rather have someone toxic who doesn’t roleplay over someone bad at combat. The priorities of these groups are not in line with the communities best interest, and this has been proven over the past two and a half years where players outside of Site Command and ISDs friend groups express their frustrations with their near limitless power and their nonsensical use of it. It doesn’t make sense in any lore, and it doesn’t make sense for the community to continue having Site Command in the way that they are implemented currently in the server to essentially be two major powers who do the same exact thing and fight each other on a daily basis.

Overall, having these groups have only caused toxicity and frustrations in the long run. The Site Command/Administration rework only helped in the short run until the point of that rework was forgotten, and Site Command still stepped on and overshadowed Site Administration on many subjects, involving themselves directly in site affairs more often than they ever should have.

There have been countless incidents relating to toxicity, power abuse, server rule breaking (often not addressed when staff are aware) and similar, that often significantly affect server health for other factions/departments/etc. These issues come naturally when you introduce two major powers with minimal restriction on what their expectations are. Even if Server Leadership manages to weed out every bad apple of Site Command/ISD, the mere nature of these groups will continue to encourage more unsavory individuals to work themselves into these positions again and again. [EDIT: Specific incidents have been removed as to not potentially cause drama, but there was previously an actual list of various incidents over time, so while I won't include them, rest assured that there are plenty.]


Frequently (Predictably) Asked Questions:

“How would this be implemented in roleplay, and what would happen to these roles?”
Essentially, The Administrator would decide that leaving the O5 Council and Ethics Committee permanently assigned to a site such as 65 was far too dangerous to be reasonable, and went against the Foundations expectations of personnel of their class. So, they’re re-positioned to Site-01 with the rest of the council. These roles would then serve as a position for Game Masters to use for events, or for Server Leadership to use when assigning a new Site Director or intervening in roleplay situations when necessary.


“What are the main benefits of this suggestion besides whats mentioned in the reasoning?”
Besides what’s posted, removal of O5, Ethics, and everything associated opens up alot of room for opportunity. Floor 3 and Ethics Wing could be repurposed or removed entirely in favor of other sectors in the map that other groups could benefit from. There would also be a reduction in models for these roles unless NL decides to keep them for events. This would also remove many roles, including many combative roles, from the server which opens up room for other departments to expand or be created without bloating the server. (Such as expanding Security, Internal Affairs, giving room for E&TS, RAISA, etc.)


“Could these roles ever come back?”
Depending on what NL wants if they accepted this suggestion, I’m sure they could. But they would have to be much more strictly chosen based on their roleplay capabilities and how kind they are to others, and not who’s friend they are, their combat skills, or what documents they created. Other implementations of O5, for example, could include solely being a Forum/Discord role given to heavily trusted players who are excellent at roleplay and respect with maybe one O5 job slot that can only be used when authorized by Server Leadership for specific events/scenarios. The EC specifically has a lot of potential to be reworked into something else that wouldn't be nearly as susceptible to these sorts of issues.


“What about the people who hold these positions already?”
I definitely can understand that some of these people, especially those in Site Command or ISD COs, have worked long and hard for their positions. The prospect of that work being stripped from them like this wouldn’t feel good. One idea for this process is to allow all people in these positions to hold their roles until they choose where they want to go or resign, however the roles would be locked and unable to be obtained by anyone in the future. So if there’s four O5 now and two choose to resign or transfer, there would only be two O5 remaining until they resign. In return, O5 and Ethics would lose their power over site policy and would not be able to edit it further without permission from Site Administration once there’s less than three Site Command from each group remaining. They would continue to hold their power in roleplay to initiate different RP until their role dissolves. During this process, members of SC and ISD can transfer to other departments such as other MTFs, Junior CL4 roles (or Senior CL4 roles for ISD CO and SC+), DEA Senior Agent, IA, etc.
 
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As the acting UK -1 I feel I have some sort of say in this, so wanted or not I'll leave my twopence below:
The O5 Council, and Site Command served a vital purpose on site in 2022, when there were 7 members in each branch, and Site Administration was there to simply manage the day to day, and SC dominated the wider operational management of site, selecting Director etc.

However, now since the expansion of Site Admin, Site Command- or more specifically the O5 are placed into this weird stuck-in-the-middle spot where people want us to both be involve and on hand, yet hands off to allow for Site Administration to rule without us micromanaging them. Resulting in whatever we do being seen as wrong. The current state of Site Command is essentially that of a Gamemaster, creating roleplay and projects for departments and the site to enjoy. Except (for completely valid reasons... see recent examples....) we are not trusted anywhere near as one and thus are not as well equipped.

Which is why the position needs to go.

It is unfortunate to say this but the community in general and the server has slowly been descending to almost purely combative, with little-to-no 'natural' or 'genuine' passive roleplay occurring around site, with the only occasions rp scenarios occur being when either a GM or a Site Command Member has set up a project (in between the endless CI Raid > Mass Breach > DC > CI Raid loop).

Which is great, however, the very nature of a Site command member creating a project results in Internal Security getting involved whether intended or not, overshadowing / interrupting the rp, which reinforces the seemingly daily asked question of "are ISD the elite of the elite or just bodyguards".
The Lore argument ISD members like to utilise is that they are the former- which may be accurate however on a server with a 128 player cap, having two factions which may make up 20% of that at peak times, permitted to interrupt and overrule any ongoing roleplay is detrimental.

The two main current roles of both branches of Site Command and ISD would be much better off served in a different manner:
  • Expansion of Site Administration: To handle FLC changes and the like,
  • Return Roleplay Creation to Department Directors and Foundation Level Projects to Gamemasters (which to be honest, would be better off.)
  • Seperating Infoleak/breach and treason enforcement to a separate entity, such as RAISA, MTF Iota-11, or even returning the power to DEA, which would revive it from its rather defunct state at the moment.

These changes would be hugely beneficial for the health and creation of roleplay, streamline the Chain of Command, and would reduce both IC and OOC toxicity.


___

PS: To those stating "wait for site 9", this is not a problem of 'ew (insert your less favourite site command or isd here)', it is a problem of having bodies of unchecked power and this disruption to roleplay that their very existence create.
 
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As the acting UK -1 I feel I have some sort of say in this, so wanted or not I'll leave my twopence below:


However, now since the expansion of Site Admin, Site Command- or more specifically the O5 are placed into this weird stuck-in-the-middle spot where people want us to both be involve and on hand, yet hands off to allow for Site Administration to rule without us micromanaging them. Resulting in whatever we do being seen as wrong. The current state of Site Command is essentially that of a Gamemaster, creating roleplay and projects for departments and the site to enjoy. Except (for completely valid reasons... see recent examples....) we are not trusted anywhere near as one and thus are not as well equipped.

Which is why the position needs to go.

It is unfortunate to say this but the community in general and the server has slowly been descending to almost purely combative, with little-to-no 'natural' or 'genuine' passive roleplay occurring around site, with the only occasions rp scenarios occur being when either a GM or a Site Command Member has set up a project (in between the endless CI Raid > Mass Breach > DC > CI Raid loop).

Which is great, however, the very nature of a Site command member creating a project results in Internal Security getting involved whether intended or not, overshadowing / interrupting the rp, which reinforces the seemingly daily asked question of "are ISD the elite of the elite or just bodyguards".
The Lore argument ISD members like to utilise is that they are the former- which may be accurate however on a server with a 128 player cap, having two factions which may make up 20% of that at peak times, permitted to interrupt and overrule any ongoing roleplay is detrimental.

The two main current roles of both branches of Site Command and ISD would be much better off served in a different manner:
  • Expansion of Site Administration: To handle FLC changes and the like,
  • Return Roleplay Creation to Department Directors and Foundation Level Projects to Gamemasters (which to be honest, would be better off.)
  • Seperating Infoleak/breach and treason enforcement to a separate entity, such as RAISA, MTF Iota-11, or even returning the power to DEA, which would revive it from its rather defunct state at the moment.

These changes would be hugely beneficial for the health and creation of roleplay, streamline the Chain of Command, and would reduce both IC and OOC toxicity.


___

PS: To those stating "wait for site 9", this is not a problem of 'ew (insert your less favourite site command or isd here)', it is a problem of having bodies of unchecked power and this disruption to roleplay that their very existence create.
Just because UK is having a problem with there O5 does not mean it should constitute a removal of SC perhaps do what the US are doing
 
Mind me asking what these issues are/ have been
ISD arresting, and override come to mind. We were told the reason for removing arrest was because of UK incident, and then they retroactively found a reason to say it also applied to US (had to wildly misrepresented policies agreed by IA/SC). Then for override it was something about CL4 card making them think they can go anywhere and intrude on people, then said it was bloating amount of CL4s? Bounced back and forth between reasonings but the first one we were told just didn't apply to US.
 
If you have any issues with any member of A-1 report it to a CO, since I have been CO I have seen a single toxicity report go to the CO team directly. I don't know why you are bringing this up as a point when toxicity just isn't tolerated already.
as a former A1 Major from the UK side of A1 i only saw a few cases of toxicity being brought forward. never has anyone tried to contact us or tell us about these problems & major issues we have and in general toxicity was heavily punished when we saw it was leading to severe PT, demotions, and even removals

Im not saying the people here are lying but how many of you have gone to a member of site command or ISD CO team to report these issues to try get them solved. On the UK Side of A1 the only time they should be “powertripping” is if they have direct orders from the O5 or one of their assistants which they will tell you they have SC orders. Secondly the only other time is when escorting an O5 which you’re told to back away/ put your gun away/ or even killed if you’re a threat to their safety. Again if they are powertripping, report it to someone
 
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as a former A1 Major from the UK side of A1 i only saw a few cases of toxicity being brought forward. never has anyone tried to contact us or tell us about these problems & major issues we have and in general toxicity was heavily punished when we saw it was leading to severe PT, demotions, and even removals

Im not saying the people here are lying but how many of you have gone to a member of site command or ISD CO team to report these issues to try get them solved. On the UK Side of A1 the only time they should be “powertripping” is if they have direct orders from the O5 or one of their assistants which they will tell you they have SC orders. Secondly the only other time is when escorting an O5 which you’re told to back away/ put your gun away/ or even killed if you’re a threat to their safety. Again if they are powertripping, report it to someone
i've reported isd to ambassadors multiple times and not once have I seen them do anything with my report
 
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i've reported isd to ambassadors multiple times and not once have I seen them do anything with my report
Why are you reporting them to ambassadors and not to their CO's? Why have an ambassador as a middleman, just tell the CO's yourself. Nothing is getting done because you aren't taking the initiative to get the results you want. You rely on an ambassador to deal with it.
 
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-Support

As a former -3 and with experience across two communities, I'm going to weigh in on this and give a LOT of context, so forgive the long post.


The problem with SC is always the players and never the position. Back when I started in Werewolf, I got -3 there and was removed due to a biased witchhunt from the then acting equivalent of the Super Admins who held acting positions on the Council. (we called them SCP Manager and SCP Vice-Manager). This was proven over time and I was reinstated, at which point I'd joined staff and earned the position of Event Manager. Basically third highest rank. The same biases from the two above me CONTINUED until an implosion relating to, you guessed it, ego and community drama caused them both to be forced to step down. Then a new Manager and Vice Manager came in and they showed clear biases to their friend group, resulting in several RP situations getting voided, changed or otherwise twisted to their needs. Once again, Community Supervisor equivalent intervention was required to sort this shit out and get it back on track. The initial point that I make here is that in both situations, the PLAYERS involved with their position on the Council abused their powers, staff or not, to cause negative situations for others they weren't close to.

I will openly recount how this exact same cycle occurred on CN in my tenure and I am acutely aware is occurring in some capacity still. During my time as -3, the amount of petty shittalking I was privy to between both branches of SC was unbelievable. I'm not going to name names or go into specifics, but I'm talking to the point that other O5's were gossiping about the IRL activities of other SC members in a very nasty way. I'm aware that comments were being lobbed the other way from Ethics as well. It's a very self-perpetuating cycle for the sort of person who does this; they join, have fun, begin to get serious and rise to a position of power, and then when they form friends with people also in a similar position, it causes the mentioned ego in the initial suggestion to begin cropping up, no doubt causing the problems that are causing so many people to +support this suggestion in the first place.

Site Command from a pure RP sense doesn't make sense to be all located on just one Site, I do agree with that. But at the same time, this is an SCP RP Server first, and player enjoyment does mean that some lore elements are going to be bent in order to provide enjoyment and reasons to grind/work on ranks for players. The objective good the positions have brought to the server in terms of RP events and otherwise serving as independent bodies to assist in issues/feuds that have occurred at positions lower than them cannot be denied.

The Cortex storyline for example, is one I can think of that united pretty much the WHOLE server to achieve an RP goal. I find it ironic I bring this example up given that it was an extremely successful storyline but the amount of OOC drama I'm aware of related to it exists. But the point stands; if you use SC correctly, it will bring nothing but BENEFIT to the server.


Which brings me on to the point I have now. The playerbase in and surrounding CERTAIN aspects of SC has essentially formed a months long echo chamber of a friend group which has of course caused people not part of it to either choose to conform or essentially get booted out of the way for their enjoyment. Certainly, I'll recall the amount of people who cried bloody murder over the -1 applicatons in wake of Pennington's removal, especially on the A-1 side, and the Community Supervisor intervention that had to occur to tell the exact individuals I've alluded to already to stop being toxic on the forums. On the A-1 side though, a lot of people very quickly changed suit to conform after the institution of Broda. Am I going to act like it wasn't the best thing for the server at the time? No. But once again, the amount of IRL Ego over a fake, hypothetical position is ridiculous.


The fault at present continues to be proved by players and not position argument and in my genuine opinion, is only getting changed if the Community Supervisor or above team decide to look into all of this and do something about it. I firmly believe that Site Command is a beneficial addition to a server if done right, but it very much needs to be looked at to do right. The question that the Content Team and above should be asking is; "Do the repeated issues related to Site Command outweigh the benefits of RP the position provides?"

That should hopefully end up being the logic they use to decide on an answer to this. Either way, that's just my two cents. I know I've been away a while and as long as the friend group problem persists, I have no intention of playing the server. I just wanted to recount my experience as a member of SC to give insight into what I think the problem is.

If anyone has any questions about what I've mentioned, they're free to contact me.
 
Now I am back at the PC, I can write a bit more of a detailed response to this and weigh up both the positives and negatives in a manner to help content team/NL/Ventz to come to a decision on this.

First of all the excuse of "But Site-9" is irrelevant and doesn't effect the players on Site-65 on both ends.

The Positives to removing Site Command:

- You give the ability of Overseer and Committee Membership RP potential to the Game Master team to redefine and make more impactful on a server story level.

- Removes a bunch of clutter, Its a LOT of roles for something that really should be so small.

- I'd argue the dampening of egos, but that is something SL need to sort out and this change won't make a difference to it at all.

- The Ethics Committee being housed in one Site just has zero sense. Committee members are everywhere and have contact offices all over to be approachable to take in reports. Can be replaced with Ethics Liaison Officers which can be embedded into Site Admin.

- The Overseer Council usually resides on Site-01 but can setup office practically anywhere. I just find is pointless to have the O5 around when Site Admin exists and can run the RP on the server just fine. O5 is just pointless bloat.

- You will spread a large population of players out into other roles by removing the two branches + the ISD regiments attached to it. I will guarantee you some will cry bloody murder and go "I'll quit" (You won't)

The Negatives of removing Site Command:

- @Serrt is right, if done correctly O5/Ethics *can* work. But when did it really work the last time for anyone? I feel the scope shouldn't just be pointed at Site Command but at Server Leadership for not intervening in the drop in quality of Overseers. I don't really want to dive too deep into it but on the UK we just got an O5 who has zero Senior CL4 experience jump right over Directorship/Site Admin to be in the big seat, Its ridiculous and I have no negative feelings to the player, just the mismanagement of the process. This is all fixable by Server Leadership pulling its finger out

- You'll displace a lot of players. Now I am sure if Site Command was removed we'd end up with some Site Admin expansion with Assistants etc and ISD being given a new home, but the bonds people make within these regiments will be tested and broken as their common gameplay loop just got removed. If it does go ahead then they need more RP focused homes to go to rather than edgy doorstop "RP".

- What might work on one server may not work on the other. If for example RAISA was added to be the true RP Leader position for CL5, would the UK like it? Would the US even like it? One might and the other not. The resources to be put into this change will be high but if pulled off correctly could work very well.

Conclusion:

I am of the opinion Site Command does need to go and the population be brought together much closer as such a big map has little life in it. Site Command is inaccessible to your average player and doesn't really change the server dynamic that much. Being in both O5-1 and ECC, I've had the view from both ends of the branch and I can highlight two core issues that need to be tackled regardless on how this suggestion ends.

- Server Leadership need to engage more with Site Command players and reprimand the idiotic ones. You ain't an Overseer or Committee Member IRL.

- ENSURE RP Leaders are actually creating roleplay stories and working with the GM team to create some fantastic scenarios for all to enjoy.

If those two points can be remedied, I think Site Command can stay but does need a further trim down. If not, then lets find a healthy alternative that is easier to manage.
 
-Support

As a former -3 and with experience across two communities, I'm going to weigh in on this and give a LOT of context, so forgive the long post.


The problem with SC is always the players and never the position. Back when I started in Werewolf, I got -3 there and was removed due to a biased witchhunt from the then acting equivalent of the Super Admins who held acting positions on the Council. (we called them SCP Manager and SCP Vice-Manager). This was proven over time and I was reinstated, at which point I'd joined staff and earned the position of Event Manager. Basically third highest rank. The same biases from the two above me CONTINUED until an implosion relating to, you guessed it, ego and community drama caused them both to be forced to step down. Then a new Manager and Vice Manager came in and they showed clear biases to their friend group, resulting in several RP situations getting voided, changed or otherwise twisted to their needs. Once again, Community Supervisor equivalent intervention was required to sort this shit out and get it back on track. The initial point that I make here is that in both situations, the PLAYERS involved with their position on the Council abused their powers, staff or not, to cause negative situations for others they weren't close to.

I will openly recount how this exact same cycle occurred on CN in my tenure and I am acutely aware is occurring in some capacity still. During my time as -3, the amount of petty shittalking I was privy to between both branches of SC was unbelievable. I'm not going to name names or go into specifics, but I'm talking to the point that other O5's were gossiping about the IRL activities of other SC members in a very nasty way. I'm aware that comments were being lobbed the other way from Ethics as well. It's a very self-perpetuating cycle for the sort of person who does this; they join, have fun, begin to get serious and rise to a position of power, and then when they form friends with people also in a similar position, it causes the mentioned ego in the initial suggestion to begin cropping up, no doubt causing the problems that are causing so many people to +support this suggestion in the first place.

Site Command from a pure RP sense doesn't make sense to be all located on just one Site, I do agree with that. But at the same time, this is an SCP RP Server first, and player enjoyment does mean that some lore elements are going to be bent in order to provide enjoyment and reasons to grind/work on ranks for players. The objective good the positions have brought to the server in terms of RP events and otherwise serving as independent bodies to assist in issues/feuds that have occurred at positions lower than them cannot be denied.

The Cortex storyline for example, is one I can think of that united pretty much the WHOLE server to achieve an RP goal. I find it ironic I bring this example up given that it was an extremely successful storyline but the amount of OOC drama I'm aware of related to it exists. But the point stands; if you use SC correctly, it will bring nothing but BENEFIT to the server.


Which brings me on to the point I have now. The playerbase in and surrounding CERTAIN aspects of SC has essentially formed a months long echo chamber of a friend group which has of course caused people not part of it to either choose to conform or essentially get booted out of the way for their enjoyment. Certainly, I'll recall the amount of people who cried bloody murder over the -1 applicatons in wake of Pennington's removal, especially on the A-1 side, and the Community Supervisor intervention that had to occur to tell the exact individuals I've alluded to already to stop being toxic on the forums. On the A-1 side though, a lot of people very quickly changed suit to conform after the institution of Broda. Am I going to act like it wasn't the best thing for the server at the time? No. But once again, the amount of IRL Ego over a fake, hypothetical position is ridiculous.


The fault at present continues to be proved by players and not position argument and in my genuine opinion, is only getting changed if the Community Supervisor or above team decide to look into all of this and do something about it. I firmly believe that Site Command is a beneficial addition to a server if done right, but it very much needs to be looked at to do right. The question that the Content Team and above should be asking is; "Do the repeated issues related to Site Command outweigh the benefits of RP the position provides?"

That should hopefully end up being the logic they use to decide on an answer to this. Either way, that's just my two cents. I know I've been away a while and as long as the friend group problem persists, I have no intention of playing the server. I just wanted to recount my experience as a member of SC to give insight into what I think the problem is.

If anyone has any questions about what I've mentioned, they're free to contact me.
I feel like overall the points you have made here favour a +Support over a -Support. You've brought up that even on other servers that run SC differently, this is still an issue, which would indicate that there is a problem with the concept itself, and not just "you're making it a content issue but really it's only an issue with some individuals" like some have said to me.

You've brought up that SC and ISD can/have become an echo chamber and have problematic friend group issues around it - which it always will do, because SC and ISD are supposed to be secretive and above everything, so they are always going to segment themselves off from the rest of the server and end up like that, and the only alternative is that they don't do that and then it removes the mystique and the like and makes it less enjoyable and less lore-friendly.

The only benefit I can see here that you have brought up is them leading big RP projects and the like, but that is something that imo it would be as good/better if that was instead primarily done by department leads, SA, and GMs.
 
I feel like overall the points you have made here favour a +Support over a -Support. You've brought up that even on other servers that run SC differently, this is still an issue, which would indicate that there is a problem with the concept itself, and not just "you're making it a content issue but really it's only an issue with some individuals" like some have said to me.

You've brought up that SC and ISD can/have become an echo chamber and have problematic friend group issues around it - which it always will do, because SC and ISD are supposed to be secretive and above everything, so they are always going to segment themselves off from the rest of the server and end up like that, and the only alternative is that they don't do that and then it removes the mystique and the like and makes it less enjoyable and less lore-friendly.

The only benefit I can see here that you have brought up is them leading big RP projects and the like, but that is something that imo it would be as good/better if that was instead primarily done by department leads, SA, and GMs.
I believe you may be slightly missing my point. You are correct that I am making these points about SC/ISD, but again, that is to do with the players involved and not the position itself.

I have seen many a lovely O5/Ethics in both communities, who typically are just focused on RP, playing the server and having fun. Incidentally, it's usually these people who have the shortest tenure, except for some exceptions.

The EASY way to fix this problem is to just push the big red button as it were and get rid of the jobs altogether. These people would no longer have that place to do it, resulting in "fixing" the problem. But that's more of a band-aid than anything else - why get rid of something that can be great for others due to punishing the bad people? It's not necessary, in my opinion.

As @Broda said, there is another option. Now this is the difficult option by a country mile. I have worked alongside him and I know that there are always diamonds in the rough. I have fond memories of some cooperative A-1 CO's who basically took an ISD on the verge of getting outright wiped due to toxicity and helped us patch it back together. The system CAN work. But it needs to undergo a shit-ton of cleaning out to be in a position where it can. Like you said, SC and ISD are meant to be fairly secretive, but not necessarily in the context of the RP loop.

If ISD are doing their job, O5 shouldn't be afraid to go out and speak to others, silently observe, take part in RP with other departments or create RP with other departments. The fact of the matter is, the current behaviour of those in said positions is not fostering that mindset. Changing things at the roster level to allow for that is my preferred outcome, not a removal of all of the jobs.

I would ideally like to see SC given one more chance after the problem actors are dealt with in as expansive a way as possible. I'm talking the staff that I know are involved dealt with, players and those in the leadership positions, it has to stop fully.

If THAT doesn't work however, even after a full slate wipe? Yeah, I'd be all for just getting rid of the jobs. But I'd like to see there by one more chance offered under the fairest of circumstances, given that I can speak from experience that it is possible for SC to be amazing.

So as it stands, I remain a -support. However, should history repeat itself, I would immediately be there as a +support with my mind changed. I hope this clarifies my position.
 
I believe you may be slightly missing my point. You are correct that I am making these points about SC/ISD, but again, that is to do with the players involved and not the position itself.

I have seen many a lovely O5/Ethics in both communities, who typically are just focused on RP, playing the server and having fun. Incidentally, it's usually these people who have the shortest tenure, except for some exceptions.

The EASY way to fix this problem is to just push the big red button as it were and get rid of the jobs altogether. These people would no longer have that place to do it, resulting in "fixing" the problem. But that's more of a band-aid than anything else - why get rid of something that can be great for others due to punishing the bad people? It's not necessary, in my opinion.

As @Broda said, there is another option. Now this is the difficult option by a country mile. I have worked alongside him and I know that there are always diamonds in the rough. I have fond memories of some cooperative A-1 CO's who basically took an ISD on the verge of getting outright wiped due to toxicity and helped us patch it back together. The system CAN work. But it needs to undergo a shit-ton of cleaning out to be in a position where it can. Like you said, SC and ISD are meant to be fairly secretive, but not necessarily in the context of the RP loop.

If ISD are doing their job, O5 shouldn't be afraid to go out and speak to others, silently observe, take part in RP with other departments or create RP with other departments. The fact of the matter is, the current behaviour of those in said positions is not fostering that mindset. Changing things at the roster level to allow for that is my preferred outcome, not a removal of all of the jobs.

I would ideally like to see SC given one more chance after the problem actors are dealt with in as expansive a way as possible. I'm talking the staff that I know are involved dealt with, players and those in the leadership positions, it has to stop fully.

If THAT doesn't work however, even after a full slate wipe? Yeah, I'd be all for just getting rid of the jobs. But I'd like to see there by one more chance offered under the fairest of circumstances, given that I can speak from experience that it is possible for SC to be amazing.

So as it stands, I remain a -support. However, should history repeat itself, I would immediately be there as a +support with my mind changed. I hope this clarifies my position.
I'm conflicted on this. While a part of me thinks that maybe you could with SL support, huge work and a clean slate, this has also been an issue for as long as I've been on the server, apparently even longer, and with multiple entire different sets of SC and ISD. There's been clean slates, there's been chances, there's been time - I don't think just trying again is going to make a difference, I think there's no real way to fix this and keep SC/ISD anywhere near how it currently works, if at all.
 
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