More robust admin tools

[Azerik]

Having to ride herd on a server with decent population has left me wishing for a few admin tools that seem to be missing. Some of these might be able to be accomplished with local access to the server, but I'm an in-game admin so my toolbox is limited to what works in game.

Ban Offline People - Thus far I've only needed the /ban a couple times, but one *HUGE* limitation to it is that I can't /ban unless the player in question is actually connected to the server. I'd love to be able to /ban from within the game when they aren't connected. Not surprisingly, those needing a ban tend to run offline at the first sign of trouble and I can't really just sit online 24/7 waiting to catch them again.

More Detailed Player Information - I'd like to be able to look at more information on any given player (maybe limited only to those connected at the time). I believe I can IP ban from within the game, but I'd need a way to get their IP. I'd love to be able to see their IP, current sector, and Steam ID.

Hyperspace Block - this one would probably be ripe for abuse by admins, but I will toss it out anyway. I'd like to be able to /hyperblock or something that puts out a sector-wide (or even 20km) block on a player's ability to jump. When dealing with a "situation" it'd be nice if I didn't have to try and chase a player down or spam /teleport to keep them where I can see them. If I put that on it'd give me the ability to pop into a conflict between players and keep everyone from leaving. Maybe have it automatically deactivate my turrets (both armed and unarmed) so there would be less temptation to abuse it in PvP situations.

PvE - This isn't really an admin tool, but more of a server option request. I'd like to be able to shut down all PvP damage like the entire galaxy was a Neutral Zone. I imagine it would be possible to come up with a script that modifies each sector and flags it neutral, but getting the neutral zone notice every time you went in a sector would get annoying. Being able to turn it on or off (not from in-game, sever restart required) would give servers more flexibility to appeal to their chosen audience.

DestroyMyTarget - This is another one that has the potential for abuse, but it would be super handy in some situations. I've run across times when it would be nice to be able to zap either NPC or Player ships/stations/whatever. The server I'm on is PvE by rules, it'd be nice to have an enforcement tool that wasn't just /ban. Someone guilty of blowing up another player could have their own ship destroyed as punishment rather than outright kicking them off the server permanently.

Silence! - The spam filter in chat (Too Many Messages!) is already there, I'd like the ability to put it on someone intentionally. The only time I've ever seen a need for that filter was one time a couple kids (I'm assuming) came in and just started shouting "SPAM" in the chat over and over via copy/paste. Naturally, that was the only time it never kicked in. Having the ability to set some parameters for it in an ini file would be nice too. Voice chat is everywhere, but not everyone wants to join so an active server generates a lot of chat. As an admin I have to talk a lot more than everyone else, it'd be nice to either be exempt, or be able to control how and when the filter kicks in.

Scroll Chat - This is more a general feature than specifically an admin thing, but it'd be nice to be able to either configure how much chat is kept on my screen as a player or be able to scroll up to see what went on previously. I could go out to my log and see it, but that is more time consuming than "developing situations" generally allow.

Find Players - This could be part of the more detailed information, but it'd also be nice to be able to /findplayer and see where they are or go to them even when they are offline.


Anyone think of anything else I've forgotten?

[kaashy]

You can use the /playerinfo command to show players, their indices or steam ids and then use any of these with the /ban command. I agree on basically all of the other suggestions, too.

[Azerik]

I just checked to make sure, but /playerinfo only gives me a list of the players online with a number and a name. That number is pretty short, so I am guessing it is their index number (way too short to be steam id). That seems to be assigned in the order they logged into the server after world creation.

For example, for me it puts out
4 Azerik

This is on a multiplayer server, I am an admin (checked the admin.xml file, and the admin commands on the server work for me).

Is there some other syntax than just /playerinfo? I did try /playerinfo Name and /playerinfo Indexnumber. I tried both of those variants on myself and on another player and it still just put out the same list as if I'd typed /playerinfo.

[kaashy]

Try /help playerinfo

[Azerik]

Just have to get the info from the source, Thanks.

An idea that might help with some of my challenges: Let the /playerinfo accept a particular playername ot index number and have it return all the various information abut that player.

Currently we are over 2000 players logged in since our map reset on the 31st of August. I'm sure that the vast majority of those are people that logged in for a minute or two. Looking for information on one particular offline player becomes an exercise in log file searching since we can't scroll chat back up past what is displayed on screen. If I could target PlayerX, it would save some trouble on the admin front.

[kaashy]

You can filter by player name.

[Azerik]

You are going to spoil me. ;-)

One question on the PvE for the server; is it retroactive? Or will it just flag newly generated sectors as neutral zones?

After seeing it in the patch notes I brought the server down *just* to put that in. After that I didn't do much extensive testing. The one "volunteer" I tried it on, I could still damage (at least his shields went down a bit). Today one of my users was singing the praises of it since his fleet no longer damaged each other.

Either way is fine, I just was wondering.

[kaashy]

It's for all sectors and it doesn't flag them as neutral sectors since that implies some other features as well. Shields still taking damage is an oversight and will be fixed soon. Your hull shouldn't take any more damage though.

[Azerik]

psst...you are making other developers look bad by actually fixing things and listening to the players. They're gonna be mad when they find out.

;-)

Thanks, you really are amazing.

[Azerik]

It is coming in the next update if I remember the patchnotes right.