Hello and welcome to the very desperately needed admin guide for the Quantum Sandbox! This guide will include all of the information you could possibly think of for helping you be a better moderator or admin of any rank. Each section will be broken up into subsections for easy searching, all of which will be noted at the top of that particular chapter. If you have any suggestions for the guide or further questions, post them in the comments section below. That will be the easiest way for me to address your concerns and add them to the guide. Thank you!

Before even getting in to the rules or how to execute commands, every rank needs to be aware of where they stand in terms of their influence and authority. Some ranks are nearly equal to one another, while others have far more influence than the rank below them. The blanket policy is simple: If the person outranks you, you pay them respect. If the person is an admin or above, regardless of your own rank, you always pay them respect. The structure is as follows:

Owner/Co Owner: This rank is unobtainable, except by head admins+ if there is a crisis requiring the owner's attention and neither owner is able to contact anyone or reach the server. Obtainable by emergency only. Highest rate of influence, unlimited abilities.

Fabulous Head Admin: This rank is nigh-unobtainable. This is a specialized rank created specifically for two members, and it is highly unlikely anyone else will be added to this rank. The only way to obtain it is to be accepted by both of these members and designated worthy of the title by the owners. Close to owner's influence level, nearly unlimited abilties.

Head Admin: This rank is obtainable over a great deal of time. This rank is limited to a very small number of individuals, as they are considered to be the leaders of enforcement on the server next to the Fabulous Head Admins. Obtaining this rank is difficult and requires a great deal of time as well as a nearly perfect record of enforcement over the time the candidate has spent on the server. Slightly below Fabulous Head Admin's influence level, nearly unlimited abilities.

Super Admin: This rank is obtainable over a great deal of time. Considered to be the shepard and guide to the admin rank and below, the person holding this rank must have extensive knowledge of the rules, adhere to the policies and code of conduct ceaselessly, and be trustworthy. In order to obtain this rank, one must be an admin for a fairly long period, as well as show distinction and speed in their ability to react to any situations requiring admin attention. Below Head Admin's influence, very free with abilities.

Admin: This rank is obtainable over time. This rank represents the core of the server, as anyone playing on it instantly recognizes the title as being important. Admins are expected to lead by example and to be as knowledgeable as possible on rules, policies and the code of conduct. To reach this rank, one must show ability, efficiency and speed above that of a regular moderator, as well as spend a fair deal of time on the server. Far below Super Admin's influence, fairly free with abilities.

Moderator: This rank is obtainable over a shorter period. Moderators are promoted to this rank to police the server on a trial basis, subject to judgment and evaluation at any time by superior ranks. These individuals are usually selected due to their time spent online, as well as their desire to follow the rules, and to keep the server fun and unrestrictive. Far below Admin's influence, limited to mostly enforcement abilities.

Respected: This rank is obtainable by anyone with enough time and likeability. Respected are able to use some moderation commands as a means of populating the server with people able to dispatch troublemakers. Fairly below Moderator's influence, limited to core abilities only.

The code of conduct for admins on Quantum is simple: be fair.

One of the biggest issues people have with admins on any server for any game is so-called "admin abuse". While I'm not an advocate of this terminology, it does have some merit when it comes to higher ranks. If you pay for the server, you can do whatever you want, at any time... but not if you want people to play. Permabanning someone for getting upset that you accidentally destroyed their creation they've been working on is completely uncalled for.

As an admin, you're expected to uphold the rules, but not to enforce your ego. If you are banning and jailing and ragdolling just because someone doesn't like you, you're going to lose your rank. Banning someone just for using some trails is not a wise decision. Banning someone for swearing at you is not a wise decision. When someone continues to offend despite warnings and you ban them... that is a wise decision.

In order to keep the server up, always remember to take into account these key things:

• If the person has played on Quantum before
  
• How new to the game this person is
  
• How many times this person has offended in the past
  
• What their attitude is towards any rule-breaking they do

The most basic way to say this is to be responsible with your power. It says right at the bottom of the MOTD that admins are allowed to play with you if you break the rules, but don't get upset at some dingus on a computer somewhere that's getting enjoyment out of provoking you. As a member of enforcement you are expected to reflect the ideals of the server when you play on it, and overreacting to situations causes a negative reputation to loom over the heads of every staff member.

That being said, don't forget to use your power when it is necessary. Be considerate, but not lax. Be pleasant, but vigilant... and always remember to remain calm.

This section will serve as a guide to the functions of the evolve admin system as a whole, beginning with how to execute commands properly.

Each evolve function is to be typed into the chat box, always beginning with either a "!" or a "@". In order to execute a command that everyone can see, use a "!" at the beginning. In order to execute a command that nobody can see, use a "@" at the beginning. It is encouraged for admins to use private (@) commands as often as possible.

To affect everyone when issuing a command, use a "*" instead of their name. For example, !god * would affect everyone at once.


!commands 1

This will print all of the commands you are personally able to use to the console, which is accessible by pressing the ~ key (located to the left of the number 1 on most keyboards).

Evolve uses the binary system to designate toggling. What this means is that "1" means a command is toggled on, and "0" means it is toggled off. If I wanted to god Queen privately, I would write:

@god Queen

The reason I don't write the 1 is because by default when a command is entered it sets the value to "1". This means that if I typed "@god Queen" again, god mode would not be turned off. If I had to disable god for Queen publicly, I would write:

!god Queen 0

Note: I would not need all of Queen's name to be able to do this, or any capitals. All I need to type is whatever makes Queen's name unique on the server. If it were King and Queen online, I would need only type "Q" to execute a command on Queen; however, if King, Queen, and Quack were online, I would have to type "Que" or "een" to be able to affect Queen, since both Quack and Queen have the letters "Q" and "u" in their name.

In order to start a vote, use this formula:

!vote "Vote text" "Option 1" "Option 2" "Option 3"

Ensure that you use quotes!

To change to PVP mode, type these two commands one after another:

!convar sbox_godmode 0
!convar sbox_noclip 0
!noclip * 0

To change to Build mode, type these two commands one after another:

!convar sbox_godmode 1
!convar sbox_noclip 1

• Always type "status" in console when someone new arrives. Since this can be tedious, I bound it to the letter P by typing "bind p status" in the console. Having the status updated often lets you take action on people with weird characters in their name as well as keeping track of who joined and when.
  
• Always look out for new people that join. If they instantly fly off underground or elsewhere out of sight, follow them. They are likely up to no good. It is recommended that you ghost yourself first or use the "@spec" command to spectate them.
  
• When ghosted, your physgun and gravity gun glow can be seen by everyone.

This section covers what to do in the event of an issue. It will be the goal of this section to be as precise as possible in taking the correct action for each issue you may run into as a member of enforcement. For quick reference, use the numbers listed at this top section to find a certain issue. The actions line is organized into actions to be taken in that order.

1.0: Prop Spamming
1.1: Laggy Contraptions/Dupes
1.2: Trails
1.3: Server Crashers/Ragdolls and Rope Combinations
1.4: Microphone/Chat Spam
1.5: Skybox
1.6: Prop Pushing
1.7: Sabotage of Creations
1.8: Admin Disrespect
1.9: PlayX Interference
2.0: Unreasonably Using Vehicles/Dupes/Creations in PVP

Issue: Prop Spamming
Action: Permanent Ban, no warning.
Explanation: Prop spamming is an inexcusable offense. By prop spamming, a player is knowingly and intentionally causing server lag and potentially crashing the server. There is no excuse for prop spam, and those that do it once are likely to do it again.

Issue: Laggy Contraptions/Dupes
Action: 1: Remove using remover tool, warning. 2: Cleanup props, more serious warning. 3: Kick with warning message. 4: Kick, final warning. 4.5: Optional torture stage. 5: Ban (1440)
Explanation: Spawning something laggy isn't all that bad most of the time. Most people just need a little warning to give them an idea of what they did wrong. Unfortunately, most seem to ignore these warnings and continue to do something wrong. If someone is spawning something simply for the purpose of lagging and you assess this to be their motive, skip to step 3 immediately.

Issue: Trails
Action: 1: Remove using remover tool, warning. 2: Kick with warning message. 2.5: Optional torture stage. 3: Ban (1440)
Explanation: Most of the time, trails aren't an issue. People use them on contraptions all of the time and you are not to punish them for this. Trails are an issue when they are placed on several objects at once. An example of when to use this action is when someone spawns several cubes with trails and fires them, or uses a firework with trails.


Issue: Server Crashers/Ragdolls and Rope Combinations
Action: Permanent Ban, no warning.
Explanation: People that use server crashing dupes are to be banned instantly, no warning, every time. People that spawn ragdolls and/or tons of ropes are doing so in order to crash the server. This should be noted immediately and the individual should be permanently banned.

Issue: Microphone/Chat Spam
Action: 1: Warning. 2: Second Warning. 3: Mute/Gag. 3.5: Optional torture stage. 4: Kick. 5: Permanent Ban.
Explanation: Usually this is just a kid on his microphone acting up. This is a pretty open ended thing to execute, so feel free to be a bit loose on this. That being said, if it is serious, annoying spam like a constant sound or music that goes on for too long, skip immediately to step 4.

Issue: Skybox
Action: 1: Freeze everyone on the server. 2: Teleport to player or enter skybox to find player. 3: Unfreeze everyone. 4: Explain reasoning, then kick with reason. 5: Ban (1440)
Explanation: The skybox is never to be entered for good reasons. The best method of figuring out who it is is to freeze everyone, publicly, and then to get to that person ASAP. Don't forget to unfreeze the others. If the person returns following step 4 and re-enters the skybox, proceed directly to step 5.

Issue: Prop Pushing
Action: 1: Cleanup props, warning. 2: Jail/Freeze/Ragdoll/Torture, warning. 3: Kick, with reasoning. 4: Ban (1440)
Explanation: Most prop pushers are just having some fun, but unfortunately that fun can be a big pain to everyone else. Try to be light on these guys, but in the end, if they need to be banned, don't be afraid to ban.

Issue: Sabotage of Creations
Action: 1: Warning. 2: Jail/Freeze/Ragdoll/Torture, warning. 3: Kick. 4: Permanent Ban.
Explanation: Though it may not seem like a big deal, people that purposely destroy wooden structures repeatedly or blow up explosive props that others are working on can be a real downer to the server as a whole. People want to be able to build, and if they have some ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ stopping them from doing that, they won't play on that server any more. Start off soft, but by the end if they refuse to listen, they need to be removed permanently.

Issue: Admin Disrespect
Action: Anything you want, within reason.
Explanation: This one is fairly up in the air. If a kid calls you a jerk, don't permaban him. If he/she is being an ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ though, you can. Use your judgment on this and realize that the little squeakers are going to lash out when you take away their toys. At the end of the day though, it's your call. If someone does decide to pester you a little and you permaban them for saying one thing, that will be reviewed via the server logs. Don't abuse this, it's meant to be fun.

Issue: PlayX Interference
Action: 1: Kick, with warning. 2: Ban (1440)
Explanation: This is a rare situation, but pretty straightforward in response. If it becomes an issue, simply follow the guide. It's up to you to decide what interference really is.

Issue: Unreasonably Using Vehicles/Dupes/Creations in PVP
Action: 1: Cleanup props, warning. 2: Kick, warning. 3: Second kick, final warning. 4: Ban (1440)
Explanation: If someone's using creations to get a leg up in PVP, it can be fun for a little. If they're using a jeep or hoverboat or something destructible, don't sweat it; but if they have automated turrets and they're spawning rockets and using invincible dupes, don't hesitate to punish them.