Because of how simple the current application is, a griefer is currently on the server and is now tearing apart our colonies. Sure, we can roll back, but as I write this there are no admins on! This should not be happening. Our player count is fine now, and we need people who are willing to go the extra mile for their applications like I and many others did over a year ago. Thus, I request that we put our DIFFICULT. PARAGRAPGHS-LONG application back in place. Once a single griefer gets past the system we have in place it's time to change it.
A nice idea, but what people tend to forget is that these paragraphs have to be reviewed. Now I don't know the exact specifics of the staff size, or dedication, but what I do know from back when I was a reviewer of such applications is that we would get backlogs of around literally 20 reviews at times. Leading to plenty of people eventually giving up. Paragraph stuff has to be reviewed right, and be given proper feedback on, and thus further rectification on the part of the applicant. Which often leads to stress and giving up by said applicant. It's easy to say now that things will be different and the staff will be more attuned and vigilant with reviewing, but I'm sure that was much the case last time. Hell, maybe it will work. But I think the reviewer position might have to be re-opened. And even then, replicating approaches of back when the server was quiet might not be the best idea, even if we do have a (most likely temporary) larger population.
I just want to point out that that old app system was pretty inefficient and iirc we had more griefers back then than we do now. Just putting that out there.
I've always known something about griefers; whilst some will usually be deterred by a paragraph long application process, some are persist little bastards. Making them fill out an application won't stop all of them and neither will making the process longer still won't completely resolve the problem. If Britton said that we've had more griefers in the past then we do currently, I would simply see what happened today as a one off thing. I highly doubt because of the current application doom and gloom is upon us all. Still, if a longer application helps you all sleep better at night, I'm not opposed to it.
I'm all for the lengthened application process. In fact, I really enjoyed it because I felt like it prepared me to be in the right state of mind to Roleplay on Antares when I was just first starting out. It put me in situations and asked for my response and made me think 'oh, I hadn't thought of that.' If more application reviewers are needed, I'd be more than happy to step up. Y'know, if y'all think my RP is worthy enough for me to judge others' apps. On the topic of griefers, it is unfortunate that admins can't be online all the time to track logging IPs for banning. Sometimes shit happens, but I'm thankful we can drive on with the backup system.
Anyone can enter and grief. It could have been someone who was apart of us a long time ago. Your skill does not matter. This is simply going to happen from time to time. Edit: More effort would be good to get through the app process but this is going to happen regardless of the application process.
I'd simply like to say that application length does not equal application difficulty. We could extend the length of our current application questions by about five sentences each, but that wouldn't increase the difficulty of the questions. As it is right now, our application is fairly short. It is also fairly effective. The number of applicants that fail to pass the application may be greater than you'd expect, and the number of griefers that are actually knowledgeable of roleplay may also be greater than you'd expect. What we'd accomplish by increasing the length of the application is simply making it more difficult for sincere roleplayers to get in because, as said above, the longer the application becomes, the more strain there is on the staff that review them.
#MaketheWhiteListgreatagain -- I don't find the idea a particularly effective one. Especially if it discourages and cuts down on future numbers. If you're worried about griefers, install shield generators (if you can, I don't remember if we can), but this is the kind of thing you can't "pre-emptively" deal with.