In the Defense of Hosts
"Yet these mistakes often happen time and time again, and certainly with the same people."
Incorrect statement. Mistakes happen a few times, but I highly doubt hosts intentionally do this. I appreciate your effort in addressing this, but I feel this is insulting to the hosts who have made mod errors and
handled them to the best of their ability. No one wants to make mod errors. Who goes through the trouble of waiting in queue for months just to have their own game mess up?
1) Some players, including myself see balance as one ideal, not a reality. I think that setups should be designed with some semblance of balance, but it does not need to be hard calculated. If players have problems with balance, just reccomend the host ask FM Ladder to take their game off being point scored. Players playing a game outside of vanilla queue should expect that the game might not be counted towards points.
2) FM staff DON'T approve bad setup after bad setup. The setups that come out are fabulous. Crypt is wonderful at balance, and so are all the other members of FM staff. (with the exception of Unknown1234, he's okay :] ) If players think that the setups being approved are poor in quality, they should voice their concerns using a thread with a poll or within the setup workshop after/before approval.
3) I would like to keep queues with one or two games in the signups. This makes it simple for the consumer to pick which one they want to play. I agree that there should be a time limit on games, but at FM staff's discretion. They can take into account the number of players visiting the site, as well as other factors that would be better than a hard and fast rule.
4) I can back with giving hosts simple rewards (maybe a medal?). For hosts, hosting good games is its own reward. If I played a FM I enjoyed, read a FM that was entertaining, or even simply liked a setup I didn't even play, I
always show my appreciation towards the host (or I contribute to the positive atmosphere post-game). If/when I get to host my own game, I hope that my player will enjoy their time. Mafia is a game. Let's have fun.
5) The "stick" presented by DarknessB and Firebringer is too harsh. Requiring a
small number of pre-signs is sufficient. I see no good reason to punish hosts. Hosts are not trolls, they do not break site laws. If they do, it is usually not with the intent to create disfavor with their players.
Counter point: Building setups is a service to our sc2mafia community, done on a volunteer basis. The relationship between hosts + players is not developer + user, they are us.
We are them.