Automated Staff System 2.0

This is already included on the SSE and ULE repositories

Automated Staff System

DISCLAIMER

This system was based off Tresdni's Complete Automated Staff; I simply took it and ran with some new ideas for it a while back. At first I was hesitant to release it outside of Tresdni's original thread, here on RunUO, because he was the original author of the system this is based off; however since he decided to leave RunUO and take most, or all, of his systems with him I'm re-releasing this as I feel it is extremely useful for any server having staffing issues.

I will be providing support where necessary with this system as I'll do with all of the systems I'll be releasing starting this year. My goal is to help motivate some of you into sharing ideas, learning how to script yourselves, and submitting your own works. I've noticed that the forums have been, sort of, lacking in that area. Most of the scripts I edit on here are regioned out with comments that people can learn from; what I don't know or don't understand I usually seek out help to find the answers so be patient please.

I'm no scripting genius by any means - I simply have been doing this long enough that, by the seat of my pants, I'm actually able to read C# like a book now; for the most part lol. That does not mean that there won't be snags along the way. Just post the issues here and I'll eventually have an answer for you if someone else doesn't help you resolve your server issues first. I hope you all enjoy the contributions I post on RunUO

MODIFICATIONS

This system was very basic when I was introduced to it so I've turned it around a little bit with the following:

• ADDED: Three (3) New Staff NPCs
  • CleaningCrew
    • Vendors who walk around and pick up things people leave on the ground. There is an item exemption list included in the script for objects you do not wish to have them pick up.
    • They also sell TrashPacks to players which act as movable trashcans.
    • They will send players to a location of your choice (configurable in the script) if bad words (also configurable) are typed in-game.
    • They will auto-delete themselves after 3 minutes of server time so if you save and you shut down the server before they can be deleted - they will be there when you log in again until their 3 minutes is up. This was a failsafe to prevent a crash on server restart and shutdown. Put these npcs on a spawner.
  • Counselor
    • Vendors who are meant to have a permanent home in the game-world. Features:
      • They offer General Information about your server... most of the keywords redirect players to the internet
      • They offer Player Reporting to live staff on your server via the paging system...
      • They offer an MMORPG Help Desk so players can learn things like your servers available skills, skill-stat caps, read the playerguide on your webpage and view an online bestiary (if your website contains one)
      • They offer Player Involvement information regarding: events and hiring
      • They offer an event request option, a suggestion box, and an option for players to donate money via the internet
    • They will send players to a location of your choice (configurable in the script) if bad words (also configurable) are typed in-game.
    • Offers a monthly gift to staff members via a context menu *I might change this to giving players a monthly gift instead in this script.
  • Gamemaster
    • Vendors who are meant to have a temporary home in the game-world. They can be found by pressing any one (1) of the two (2) help buttons on your client's desktop. Features:
      • Same as counselors except they add reporting features to report: players, lag issues, guilds, server defects, admin, and a way for players to get live support.
      • They offer Player Assistance as well. You can have the npc teleport you to another location in the game world, relocate you if your character gets stuck, retrieve your pets if you lose them, and retrieve your corpse, they will also offer an accounthelp option where you can view your connection info and change your password if you so desire.
      • Offers a monthly gift to staff members via a context menu *I will not change this feature as this was intended so that staff members who lost equipment can get their tools back.
    • They will send players to a location of your choice (configurable in the script) if bad words (also configurable) are typed in-game.
    • They will auto-delete themselves after 3 minutes of server time so if you save and you shut down the server before they can be deleted - they will be there when you log in again until their 3 minutes is up. This was a failsafe to prevent a crash on server restart and shutdown. Don't put these on a spawner - doing so will provide players with an exploit that could unbalance your server.
    • You can only spawn Gamemasters once every 30 minutes of in-game time.
  • ServerGreeter
    • Vendors who are meant to spawn on a spawner and walk around greeting players as they run or walk by (configurable in script).
    • They do have a context menu interactive Talk button like the counselors and gamemasters, however I have not implemented its features as it was intended to be yet. This added feature is for a gump that offers players tips for better gameplay. I will add this in future updates to this system.
    • They will send players to a location of your choice (configurable in the script) if bad words (also configurable) are typed in-game.

I've added miscellaneous GM tools you might find useful as well; here is a list of them and their features:

• • • Robe of Entitlement: is a hooded robe that allows you to reveal your character as staff while the hood is up and remain anonymous when the hood is down
    • CommUnit: is an earring that allows you to talk with staff on different channels without having to use the in-game chat system or VoIP (skype, ventrilo, teamspeak, yahoo etc...)
    • StaffOfAnnulment: is a staff that deletes things in game and can kill players - remember you are GOD on your server
    • LensesOfResist: Gives you max resists as a staff member so you can handle situations
    • CollarOfVisibility: It hides your staff character and reveals you on double-click; effects are customizable within the [props menu
    • RingOfReduction: Change your accesslevel at will to test scripts and interact with players
    • BraceletOfEthics: Now staff will never forget your server's TOS or ruleset because it's on their wrist! This is mainly for reminding staff that they too have rules set for them

All automated staff in this system are configurable but while the system is fully useable it still has features that need to be added and features that need to be tweaked a little. Nothing major but things like the promotional deed gump needs graphics and items added to it for players to choose from. Also I forgot to mention every gm item listed above has the ability to mark/remark and go to the marked location via a context menu. This was added for servers where multiple help pages can be confusing.

In addition I may or may not add more staff npcs in the future. I've found if a player who is acting as staff can do something in-game - so can an npc. Its just a matter of pushing this system to its limits and seeing what can be done with it.In addition to everything I mentioned above I have also included my VendorAccessLevel modification in this system. This modification will alllow server owners to set accesslevels from within the [props menu for all your npc vendors. The accesslevel that is set for each vendor will determine who that vendor sells to based on... accesslevel. So if the accesslevel is set to gamemaster then anyone with a gamemaster's accesslevel or above will be able to buy stuff from that vendor; likewise anyone with an accesslevel lower than gamemaster will not be able to purchase or sell to that vendor.