The Mwlb and the Report System
...Whatever happened to the MWLB?
If you're not aware of who they are or what they do, MWLB stands for the "Maple Watch Leaf Brigade". Think of them as junior GM's. Being how the MS team isn't able to be on the game 24/7, they decided to accept volunteer GM's that would give them small perks and such. In return they check through channels and maps searching for players were using inappropriate actions and had the power to suspended/ban them on the spot. Back in 2009-2010, the MS team added a new memeber to the MWLB every month or so. People who were interested filled out applications that were well worded and added what they could add to the MWLB team. During then they were very common to find. They were commonly found in the FM, Henesys, NLC, and Leafre sporting their MWLB hats. It was quite nice to know that many members of the MS community were willing to give the game a more stabilized foundation for legitimate players. Not to mention that they had a positive attitude and were always ready for an Omok match.
Now let's fast forward to late-2012. Right now in MS we're facing a problem where It's pretty difficult to go one day without finding someone who is either hacking, abusing exploits, or just simply using inappropriate language. The current (and only) system that is usable to us common players is the Report system, and to be honest, it doesn't work diddly-squat at all. Not to mention that people do abuse this system for falsely reporting players they simply don't like without them ever breaking the terms of agreements. Trust me on this one, many of my friends have ran into idiotic 12 year old henehoes who were just simply idiotic and get upset over the smallest of things. Thus, they have to sustain a 1-2 week suspension. That's the problem with this current system. There's no real hard evidence/proof that someone was hacking/is a hacker. All the evidence we give is just a two sentences that barely describe the scenario and no proof that can be brought upon to Nexon like the MWLB did.
Which brings me back to my original question. The MWLB, what ever happened to them? It was a great way on how to stop and ban players on the spot rather than the current system which just ultimately doesn't workout for this kind of community. I don't know about you guys but back when a MWLB member was a common thing to see, I felt the comfort of having the community watch over each other and to make sure our playing experience isn't diminished in any sort of way by people who abuse the ToA. Nowadays, the community just bashes their heads against the walls and brags how much DPS they can dish out and how many Horntails they can defeat in a day. I would appreciate it if we could just go back to the better times where we had things like the MWLB where Nexon ensured we were having a good time playing this game. Rather than filling out a bunch of two sentence scenario reports. But hey, even if the MWLB never makes a comeback, we could somehow work on the current system we have. Adding something like a screenshot or a five second recording of the abusive players would help in a longshot and help find and crack down players easier than ever before.
But anyways, that's just my two cents on the topic. If you have anything regards or feedback on this feel free to comment. And have a nice day.
[b](TOO LONG, DIDN'T READ VERSION BECAUSE NOBODY READS NOWADAYS) I SUGGEST STARTING TO HOST MORE APPLICATIONS FOR MWLB MEMBERS TO MAKE THIS GAME MORE ENJOYABLE WITHOUT HAVING TO RUN INTO AN ABUSIVE PLAYER EVERY EIGHT SECONDS. OR WE CAN IMPROVE THE CURRENT REPORT SYSTEM BY ADDING MORE INFORMATION SUCH AS A SCREESHOT, SHORT RECORDING, ETC. ETC. ETC. GOOD DAY SIR.[/b]
EDIT: Here's an old link I dug up published in 2009 about the introduction of the MWLB. http://maplestory.nexon.net/community/archives.aspx?contentNo=005k9
29 Comments • Newest first
@BobR: Yeah, that's what I'm thinking, especially after that maple world video Nexon made. They definitely sounded like they got overwhelmed with reports.
[quote=ox0Shad0w0xo]I believe the reason they stopped the mwlb is the same reason they limit us to only reporting a hacker/abuser once a week.[/quote]
I'm wondering if maybe the MWLB were reporting too many hackers for the GMs to handle. I don't know how many MWLBs there were, but considering they were probably online at a lot of hours the GMs don't work they were probably generating too many hacker reports for the GMs to get to.
Probably the main reason the only let normal players report once a week. They'd do nothing but investigate hacker reports otherwise.
actually the mwlb can only report offenders; they do not have the power to ban on the spot. it's just like the report system, but with more credibility and priority.
[quote=AnmolxD]I like this idea [/quote]
There was a lot of agreement when the program was originally introduced a few years ago. People were tired of all the hacking that was going on without very much response by Nexon and the idea of having players help patrol the game met with a lot of popularity.
It's too bad they didn't follow through.
[quote=AnmolxD]I like this idea [/quote]
T'was not my idea. It was the MapleStory's team and I take no credit for this. I just solely want system to get re-introduced for the sake of the community.
@BobR: Ah, then that's less exploitable. I didn't click on the link since it seemed like he covered all of what they were capable of.
@mapinguy: "In return they check through channels and maps searching for players were using inappropriate actions and had the power to suspended/ban them on the spot."
Yes, they could.
Edit: I lied XD
My bad.
[quote=BimmieMcGee]@PurpleMatter: It's not too hard to act like a concerned and responsible player of the Maple community.
"I'd truly like to eradicate all hackers from this game and I know that I will try my best to do so... Right now the game is plagued by hackers and botters. I would like to join the MWLB to take up arms to stop these cheaters from ruining a game I truly love... blah blah blah"
And eventually, someone with malicious intent would get accepted. Now he has the power to ban people on the spot. GG.[/quote]
Yeah... except MWLB couldn't ban people.They could only alert the GMs.
[quote=ox0Shad0w0xo]You're bound to let people slip through that will wrongfully ban people.[/quote]
I'd forgotten about this, but the Maple page that PurpleMatter linked to says the MWLB couldn't ban anyone, they just reported to the GMs.
[quote=achyif]I personally think that mwlb could have had potential to really help the game.
They could have made the mwlb players have "high priority" unlimited reports and stuff like that
so the mwlb could have watched/listened to the community and problems and let nexon know which ones were important, etc
of course, this was back in the day when nexon didn't read tickets/suggestions AT ALL. Lucky for the offical bug thread on the official forums [/quote]
The admins do actually enjoy reading their official forums more even though a small percent of the playerbase actually uses it when compared to Basilmarket, Southperry, etc.
Also, keeping both the Reporting system while still bringing back MWLB members would be interesting. It'll make the community do their part as well as MWLB being able to report bigger cases.
I believe the reason they stopped the mwlb is the same reason they limit us to only reporting a hacker/abuser once a week. It works well in theory, but there's a lot of room for abuse. You're bound to let people slip through that will wrongfully ban people. Maybe they mistake a normal player for a hacker(I've seen some pretty dumb reason's for thinking someone was a hacker), or maybe as time goes on, someone gets on their nerves and they give in to the desire to ban that person out of vengeance. As they say, power corrupts, so giving the power to ban to the players will go wrong eventually. The fact that they no longer use that system should say something about it.
Of course, the current system definitely needs some tweaking. Maybe a sort of level up system with the report feature. We start off with 1 report a week and as we report people that the gm's find are truthfully abusing the game, we gain exp and level up. As our "report level" goes up, we're allowed more reports a week. If we wrongfully report someone, then we lose exp/levels, as a way to counter abuse. I'm sure there's better ways to go about it, but it's an idea lol.
I personally think that mwlb could have had potential to really help the game.
They could have made the mwlb players have "high priority" unlimited reports and stuff like that
so the mwlb could have watched/listened to the community and problems and let nexon know which ones were important, etc
of course, this was back in the day when nexon didn't read tickets/suggestions AT ALL. Lucky for the offical bug thread on the official forums
[quote=PurpleMatter]Well, I'm pretty sure if there's a problem with this system, we could always ask the community if any MWLB members aren't following the conduct.
[/quote]
That's a pretty good point. If an MWLB was abusing their power, I'm sure the players would know about it pretty quick and let Nexon know about it.
The player reporting goes both ways.
[quote=BimmieMcGee]@PurpleMatter: I am just concerned that Nexon may not do it's job well enough in monitoring these "mini-GMs"[/quote]
Well, I'm pretty sure if there's a problem with this system, we could always ask the community if any MWLB members aren't following the conduct.
Or we could try improving the current system which I stated before...
@PurpleMatter: I am just concerned that Nexon may not do it's job well enough in monitoring these "mini-GMs"
[quote=BimmieMcGee]@BobR: Hmmm you do have a point there.
But I guess the jerks could just build up a clean account and apply?
And not every jerk may have a ban on his account.
Honestly though, I don't get why Nexon would bother watching them closely when they could've just sent their GMs to do the bannings and whatnot themselves.
Seems a bit counter-intuitive, no?[/quote]
Not sure on the whole "clean account" part. It would seem crafty to me if someone applies with a week old account. I believe if this system was ever re-introduced, it would have a certain time limit on when you can apply (ex: Must be have a Nexon account that has been active for 365 days). Something like that. And I do agree that not every abusive player will have a ban on their account, but I'm pretty sure that big brother Nexon can take away privileges of a MWLB member if they're not following the guidelines.
@BobR: I'll concede this point then. I assumed that Nexon, being Nexon, would just throw all the applicants' names into a hat and pick one each month
I mean, if they can really make this program airtight and make sure only people with good intentions are selected, it can be a very helpful system.
[quote=BimmieMcGee]@BobR: Hmmm you do have a point there.
But I guess the jerks could just build up a clean account and apply?
And not every jerk may have a ban on his account.
Honestly though, I don't get why Nexon would bother watching them closely when they could've just sent their GMs to do the bannings and whatnot themselves.
Seems a bit counter-intuitive, no?[/quote]
It's been a while since I read all this, but there was something about having to have had your account for a certain amount of time too.
I think if I was going to start a program like that it would make sense to keep an eye on how the new volunteers were doing, just to make sure nobody like you described slipped through the cracks.
It just seems that if Nexon isn't going to spend any of their millions in profit to hire any more actual GMs, getting free help from players might be able to make a difference in the game for everyone.
Decided to dig out a link I found on the MS website for the MWLB in 2009 for authenticity.
http://maplestory.nexon.net/community/archives.aspx?contentNo=005k9
Hope this provides more information to you guys.
@BobR: Hmmm you do have a point there.
But I guess the jerks could just build up a clean account and apply?
And not every jerk may have a ban on his account.
Honestly though, I don't get why Nexon would bother watching them closely when they could've just sent their GMs to do the bannings and whatnot themselves.
Seems a bit counter-intuitive, no?
[quote=BimmieMcGee]@PurpleMatter: It's not too hard to act like a concerned and responsible player of the Maple community.
"I'd truly like to eradicate all hackers from this game and I know that I will try my best to do so... Right now the game is plagued by hackers and botters. I would like to join the MWLB to take up arms to stop these cheaters from ruining a game I truly love... blah blah blah"
And eventually, someone with malicious intent would get accepted. Now he has the power to ban people on the spot. GG.[/quote]
From everything that was said about it when they were actually talking about it, the process was pretty involved. They checked for bans and background and went into some pretty in depth investigations before they accepted anyone.
Besides, knowing Nexon they probably watched them pretty closely just to be sure nothing like that happened.
@BobR:
Exactly my fine red-robed friend. The MWLB doesn't cause Nexon to lose any sort of profit. And with the community taking down hackers, they can focus on more important factors (stronger anti-hack shield, content, bug fixes, etc.).
@PurpleMatter: It's not too hard to act like a concerned and responsible player of the Maple community.
"I'd truly like to eradicate all hackers from this game and I know that I will try my best to do so... Right now the game is plagued by hackers and botters. I would like to join the MWLB to take up arms to stop these cheaters from ruining a game I truly love... blah blah blah"
And eventually, someone with malicious intent would get accepted. Now he has the power to ban people on the spot. GG.
[quote=PurpleMatter]...Whatever happened to the MWLB?[/quote]
Good question.
When the "professional "Game Masters have to ask players on the Maple forum "where are the hackers", it becomes pretty obvious that something else needs to be done.
Involving players who see hackers every day on every map and who KNOW where the hackers hang out seems like a "no-brainer" for Nexon, especially when it doesn't cost them a nickle.
[quote=BimmieMcGee]But knowing the community now, the MWLB system would be exploited by greedy players.[/quote]
But that's the thing with the applications sent to the MS team. These people genuinely wanted to give an enriched experience on MS to the community without any abrupt interruptions from the abusive players. Don't just think that they'll accept anyone who writes "i dont liek bad playerz so i will ban them oki gimme hat". They were well thought out and specifically said what they can add to the MWLB team.
nowadays it seems like half the community supports hacking
hard times we play in
[quote=Yermora]posted this on basil because?[/quote]
Because MS admins do read the Basilmarket forums from time to time considering how big of the playerbase if here and can show their opinions on things.
I'm also going to be sending an edited version to Nexon tomorrow.
But knowing the community now, the MWLB system would be exploited by greedy players.
posted this on basil because?