The Observatory

[Snowflake]

You are exactly right. You know why he continues to cheat? Because he believed you are soft on him. And he was right, you have been soft. Quietly nudging and "almost caught" does nothing. If he doesn't face real consequence, he won't feel the need to stop.

He has not talked to me and tried to get the cheating dealt with quietly. It is unfair to accuse somebody of something that he didn't do. All he said in his PM, is that he is willing to change. When I have obtained his permission, I will post his PM here.

The two options you listed.
The first one, to go silent and let Engima keep on cheating. This has never been an option for me. For the exact reason you stated.

The second one, to disclose Engima's cheating and watch as the community throws him out.
It is only fair to disclose his cheating. But I will not watch as the community throws him out and then leave myself because of guilt. I'll stand by and help him to fight the bad habit.

Fighting a habit is hard. I have seen people trying to quit smoking. I have seen people trying to leave Poly (myself included). It is hard. Help is needed. Of course help means more work. Watching constantly is a heck lot of work. But that's what a CMN does. If one does not want that responsibility, he simply chooses not to be a CMN. Cheating is not Engima's specialty. In last ACDG we have had cheating accusations flying around. A CMN has to carry out his responsibility no matter if Engima is in the game or not. If the players of a game is proved to be trustworthy, it is acceptable that the CMN checks less often. And if Engima has proved that he cannot fight his bad habit, then he will receive the punishment that nobody wants to play with him. It is this clear cut. Where is any doubt?

[Kody]

It is not the CMN's duty to check for cheating. Every turn I've checked took 30->50 minutes to check for cheating properly, while it took 10 minutes or less for a person to play. Why else did you think I spent so long gathering evidence.

---

You know I had serious thoughts about your decision making skills for a while there.

The second one, to disclose Engima's cheating and watch as the community throws him out. It is only fair to disclose his cheating. But I will not watch as the community throws him out and then leave myself because of guilt. I'll stand by and help him to fight the bad habit.

I thought you were refusing to believe that they would attempt to kick him out.

Okay I'm in, but I think it will be a lost cause for multiple reasons. However, I don't mind trying for lost causes. Lets get a few things straight though, we're not doing Enigma a favour, we're not doing it because we're scared of him, we're not his friends at all (as it was our actions that got him into it), we not his parents either, and we're not doing it to rid ourselves of guilt.

Getting Enigma kicked out is a debt we have to repay to someone else.

I want you to look long and hard at why you're considering this and tell me the reasons for your decision is not for absoultion or to offset his angry.

[Snowflake]

I just talked to Geo. And I think I have misunderstood you, Kody. All you insisted to do, is that all of his cheatings need to be soughted out, before anything else. And I agree. It is for his own benefit.

All I'm asking, is to give him another chance, to prove himself. And I am willing to help him. I still consider myself as his friend.

I will fight for the understanding for him, fight for him the one and only chance. But if he blows it, or if the community rejects him, as you predicted, I have no way of doing anything to stop it. But I will be at peace with myself, that I have tried my best to help a friend.

Being a friend does not mean to let him gets anything he wants. Being a friend means to help him, when he needs it. And to stop him, when he runs toward a chasm.

I do things because I believe I should. If I am sure that it is a lost cause, then I will stop. But I will try my best even if there is only a little hope.

To answer your question. No, it is not because I am afraid. It is not because I want to offset his angry.

[Kody]

Enigma seems to be taking it fairly well, but only time will tell. The teams however are not taking it well at all.

I don't have clue what argument you're going to use. Maniac has already torn your other one to shreds.

Being a friend does not mean to let him gets anything he wants. Being a friend means to help him, when he needs it. And to stop him, when he runs toward a chasm.

I don't consider myself a friend of Enigma's anymore. Friends don't do what I did. I coldly went through every his PBEMs for many hours over 2 days knowing that what I was doing would get him kicked out of the community that he really loves. I'm not going to kid myself I did mainly for Enigma's benefit.

As for stopping people from making the wrong decisions. I don't believe in that. You can guide people, but you can't take away their right to make their own decisions no matter if it's wrong or not.

...

Do you know this is the first time I've been scared for a long time, I guess this is how you felt when Enigma sent that PM to you.

[Snowflake]

I have seen Enigma's posts in the Bear Baiting thread. Perhaps you are right.

I don't know what Maniac talked. He has edited it.

[Kody]

Go to the spartan private forum.

There's also another thread in the morgan forum that's something similar.

Then there's obstructor's leaving thread, which no doubt will prompt people to ask for Enigma's removal so they can get obstructor back.

Honghu, people call you a brilliant diplomat and you've got your work cut out for you.

Me, I'm just sometimes right in predictions on how people react.

[Snowflake]

I'm quiting all of my pbems. I don't care what it means my work cut out for me. I only care about people.

[Kody]

And hence you come to the delemia that I'm currently at.

Obstructor, and Chaunk have hung themselves against Enigma saying that if Enigma plays they don't.

Who really is more deserving? I actually think Enigma isn't. Who needs it more? I think Enigma needs it more. Where is the balance?

[Snowflake]

I do not have a dilemma. I said I will fight for Enigma, in that I will try to pursuade others to accept him. If he gives up on himself before the gang against him, I have no way to help him.

Engima cheated, others have everyway of deciding not to play with him. But if he wants to go clean, I'm willing to use my own influence to pursuade them give him another chance. That is it.

I do not know what you were refering about obstructor and chaunk. If it is about the other issue, well it is another issue.

[Kody]

Very tired going to bed. I tried my best, but my arguements seem weak even to myself.

I do hope you succeed in acheiving something I didn't think was possible. For some reason it feels like I'm just jerking Enigma around by first giving people reasons to kick him out then lobbying for him to stay.

[Snowflake]

Yes, it is sad, isn't it.

[Drogue]

I am currently talking to GeoModder about it, what he's done, and the best way forward. He seems to be coming to the same conclusion as I am, that Enigma leaving, until he has shown he can not cheat, is the best thing. The entire game will be in disrepute among the teams if he stays, and even his team are saying that they understand that him going is the best option, for the game, their reputation, and him. He needs to know cheating has consequences.

Therefore, I am pretty sure I will ask Ming to remove him from the Data Angels list. I will PM him first, but all the other teams want it, the members of his team I've spoken to want it, and it's the only way to make sure the game is saved. Getting Chaunk and Obs back is also a big help to continued playing.

[Snowflake]

May I ask you to delay this action until say one day later Drogue? I can see that Enigma is really wanting to go clean. And he may just get his one last chance.

You can tell him that he will be temporarily removed from the game until he can prove in a pbem that he can play clean.

But if it is possible to wait till tomorrow, this will give him some time to absorb the heat. It'll be too much of a blow to him and he may just lose it. He is trying real hard right now. If you read his posts in the to all in pbems with HongHu thread, you can see that he wants to change. And you can see that he actually values the demo game and realized that people do not support cheaters.

All I'm asking is to not tell him this news until he had some time to calm down. The demo game is important because it involves so many people. But each and every one person is also important. If we could pull him back instead of push him away, we should try it. Getting him of the demo game at least temporarily may be good to let him know that his actions have real consequences. But please handle this carefully, so this actually helps him, instead of pushing him away.

[Drogue]

Personally, I don't think that anyone could regain trust in him yet, and so I don't see him continuing straight away as an option. I believe banning him until he has shown he can play fair is the best option. However I can wait a day to release this, to let him calm down. I really hoped we could have done this before the information came out, people are quitting because of it, and I want them back ASAP, since the Morganites (with the turn) want Chaunk to play. Would it be OK to PM Chaunk with the decision, on the basis that he tells no-one whatsoever (I trust him) and then release it tomorrow, to Enigma first, then publically, so we can get on. That means Chaunk can play the turn, and we can carry on, until tomorrow.

Does that sounds ok?

[Snowflake]

I would agree to that Drogue.

I agree that it is the best solution that he has to prove he can play fair before he can play in the demo game. I do not advocate letting him continuing in the demo game straight away. I just hope that by getting the news out a bit later will help him a little bit. I know this is almost a losing battle, as Kody said. But I want to try my best before I give up on him.