Possible Fixes for Expert Server Rules to be enforced

Features
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The following topic is pointing out problems with the Expert Server and possible fixes

The following is stated in the Welcome Message on the Expert Server
"Welcome to the Expert Server,

This server is reserved for serious users only. Real-world procedures apply and will be enforced by ATC.

-Be respectful of others
-Follow ATC Instructions
-Do not pause or leave the app while communicating with ATC

The liver servers are a communal environment dependent upon everyone’s participation for an enjoyable experience. Happy flying!

The bold portions point out the things not being upheld by the Welcome Message alone when spawning into the Expert Server

First off, that the “server is reserved for serious users only” is a problem. Some users on Expert Server are not upholding what Expert Server states, and that is being reserved for serious users. There has been many incidents alone with me, and many other serious users on Expert where unicom is not being used or the server is being treated as casual.

Second, Being respectful of others is also not being upheld. Users cutting off aircrafts on final in the air and on the ground has been happening on the Expert Server way too many times. Pilots on the ground takeoff with an aircraft on short final. Pilots have also cut off other pilots on bases, downwinds, and even on final to land as quick as possible. This is not respecting the other users on Expert Server

Third, being "Dependent upon everyone’s participation for an enjoyable experience is defintely not happening. Again, users not using unicom, nor following inbound patterns into airports

Unicom alone is one of the biggest problems. Users either don’t use it, nor even care about the airspace they are flying in. Some users use unicom at the last minute or use it briefly, seeming they don’t know how to properly use unicom. It is frustaing to dealt with users reporting inbound and positions at the last minute, and being too lazy to follow the inbound traffic. I alone have dealt with way to many incidents and know many others have these similar incidents to call the Expert Server, an Expert Server for “Serious Users Only.”

The other problem is users flying extremely erratic. Users have cut off pilots on final, bases, and downwinds, both in the air and on the ground. Users have cut pilots off on short final, by taking off in front of them, forcing them to go around. The other way of being cut off is when inbound. Aircrafts on base or downwind get cut off by users who either are doing their own thing or aren’t reporting their intentions on Unicom.

Possible FIXES for Expert Server

Testing: I know that this has tried to be pushed and I am backing the idea of taking a test to be able to fly on expert. This will verify you have the knowledge of how to fly on expert properly. This would also point out the problematic people and and filter the qualified users and unqualified users on Expert.

Academy This could go along with testing, but a use of an Academy for users wanting to fly on expert could be another possible fix. Like the test it will filter the users. To join the Expert server you would have to go through an academy flight to be qualified for the expert server. Already Virtual Airlines such as DLVA, are using an academy to verify the users they let in know what they are doing. This along with testing would verify the Expert Server is a “Serious Server.”

Report Button Working: Again, this one has been requested and is another key piece. If all users on Expert policed each other, expert would then be put back into its proper place as being a server “Reserved for serious users only”
This proposal feature could be used as a review system, where Certified Moderators/ATC can review replay footage sent to them through the Report button, where they can decide the proper discipline with the replay.

These are the ideas I have came up with. I have been flying on Infinite Flight for years and experienced how truly great the Expert Server was when it was being “reserved for serious users” along with making users have an Enjoyable Experience while flying on Infinite Flight.

Please comment down with any other ideas on how to make Expert Server Great and not being a complete joke like the current state is.

I know their have been plenty of other topics about Expert Server and possible fixes, but they seem to be ignored

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Stricter Expert server rules Duplicate. Kinda.

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Y’know, I can’t agree more. I’m not sure if your methods of siphoning out the serious users are the best (they’re not the worst by any means) but something has to be done. I find myself every single day facepalming at something I see when I fly on the Expert Server.

We all know that grade means nothing. I genuinely do think that the method of allowing people to use the Expert Server needs a radical change, and it truly needs to be an Expert Server. I’m talking good flight plans (No, believe it or not, WPT-KLAX-EGLL is not a good flight plan), use of Unicom whenever applicable and other general measures of seriousness.

I hope to see some change come to the Expert Server.

Yeah, yeah, it’s a duplicate. I’ll still leave my thoughts.

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Maybe a new server with more system ghosting on Unicom and where STARs and SID are mandatory.

To access it ATC could post a departure and arrival airport with a specific weather, a low visibility,a wind which makes only one runway available for take off and landing and a time.

You then have to file your own flight plan including a SID and a STAR, observe all the speed and altitude restrictions, IAF and so on. When you have your flight plan loaded you take it to SOLO, do your flight and record it.

At your destination you have to go around at 200 feet AGL and follow the correct missed approach procedure. At your missed approach fix you have to fly into a holding with a specific time of departure from the holding fix and then continue for your second approach.

The second approach is a touch and go with a pattern and then the final landing.

The departure or arrival runway should make the use of a backtrack necessary and a runway crossing to observe the correct use of the lights of your aircraft.

All this recording goes to the ATC staff, they check your flight and you get access to the new server or they ask you to repeat it. You can repeat it as often as it’s necessary until you pass.

I doubt someone read this to the end lol …but just an idea :)

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It has been talked about before regarding the extra cost and maintenance required to add an additional server. So unfortunately I doubt this will be happening :(

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I know there has been previous topics, but it just shows how many issues and requests for fixes on the Expert server there are

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Yeah it’s time for action. The frequency of TS level people keep increasing. To have access on expert, the biggest challenge is just 40k xp. That can be accomplished very quickly and you can know nothing about the rules and join expert. Summer is the peak time as all the kids are off school and are fooling around on expert. Those “Summer Kids” later accumulate quite a bit. It’s not gonna be easy to change but if the right steps were took, then possibly. The report button is off limits as people would be abusing the button like crazy.

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I think the root of the problem is the training server. Everyday we see complainants about people fooling around on TS and all anyone ever says “Unfortunately that is what the training server is for, training.” The things going on within the training server are causing new users to DEVELOP BAD HABITS and then they are in for a rude awaking on expert server when they are ghosted for the first time. I think what needs to happen in addition to making changes on the expert server is to make changes to the training server as well.

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100% change needs to happen. I fully support the changes listed above. The XP system right now is very saddening as it isn’t based on skill, you could have a real world pilot not be on expert server because he has a real job and is only able to play IF once a week so he sadly is unable to fly on expert compared to some 8 year old kid who sets direct flightplans to destinations and has like 1000000^10 XP and an equal number of vios along with it.

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I do like that idea of changing the root cause and leaving users who want to fool on Casual

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I couldn’t have said it better. Perfectly phrased!

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I’m sure the moderators and developers are hard at work trying to come up with a solution. While I agree we are all frustrated at times with the ES, there is no easy solution.

When it comes to a test or an academy, both of those require a tremendous amount of manpower, time, and money to create, administer, and teach. Most IF users (including the mods and sups) have careers/schooling outside of the sim and simply couldn’t commit to setting up such a task.

With the report button, we run into similar issues. The mods and IFATC want tos pend their time flying and controlling. They already spend time monitoring all of us when we control and ghost users so I doubt they’d want to take on hundreds of additional reports each day/week. On top of that, most people would report someone who they believe did something wrong even though they may not have. All of the “clueless” pilots may believe they are doing everything correctly and think others are making the mistakes. This creates a back log of reports that need to be filtered and waste the time of the moderators.

All we can hope for is that more IF users find their way here to IFC and truly take time to watch the videos, read the tutorials, and thoroughly digest each of @Tim_B’s posts.

It is a vicious circle…

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Y’know, I don’t think we need another server, we just need to increase the quality of pilots on our existing servers.

Yeah, sure, casual ain’t gonna change. It’s there for that exact reason, casual flight, to do essentially whatever. Same with solo.

But then comes training server, which needs to be that, instead of Casual V2. I stay very far away from training server… it’s scary there.

Expert Server is becoming worse and worse by the day. The training server needs to be modified to help train pilots into the experts they want to be on Expert Server, and the Expert Server needs to be for serious users only.

I understand the concern of discrimination. “Why can’t I fly on the Expert Server?” Well, there are still the options of training and casual, as well as solo, so everyone has an option.

I am truly getting sick of the quality of pilots I’m seeing on Expert Server. I feel like every time I fly, I find something wrong with something that someone is doing. Perhaps it’s the wrong altitude of flight. Perhaps it’s the flight plan. Maybe it’s the runway they’re landing on.

Honestly, I could go on forever. All it would say, however, is that I think, for a multitude of reasons, Expert Server needs an overhaul.

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If there is hundreds of videos coming in a day/week that is a serious problem and will definitely show how bad Expert has become.

On the other hand, I know it’s not easy to do, but if the moderators expand to develop more and more moderators to cover the replay submissions and to patrol on Expert Server and enforce rules is a possibility to getting expert server back to the intended state it was made for

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I can’t agree more.

To state a fact In past 6 months ALONE I have ran into about 35 incidents on expert server

This is unacceptable for a server, once again stated “Reserved for Serious Users Only”

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Indeed Expert server is reserved for serious users, but at the same time there are an amount of people who don’t take the server seriously. Sure, they will get reported and put back to TS if that happens but I am sure that it will still affect the seriousness of the server. It indeed sounds like a good idea, but I am not sure if it is easy to think of a solution for the devs. We shall wait and see in the upcoming future…

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If i am going to state my opinion, there should be a test/application pilots can go through to get approved to report/ghost people. And if they abuse their power for small things. Like wrong altitude. And constantly do it. Or report over other small things, then their “Special” abilities would be taken away. And then they would get a ban for abuse of power. Call them server mods if you will, nothing happens to their tag. So nobody knows. And they can send specific messages to alert the pilot. they can send them a warning or report. And go from 1-4 day ban/report.

Ps: If it sounds confusing PM me i’ll clarify:)

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Automatic ghosts for people taking off from 1500 foot grass or dirt strips in their 388s and 748s.

You know who you are.

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This has been going on ever since Global came out.

It was never a problem in regions as there was moderators and ATC at airports to ghost.

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If you’re taking the server seriously, it shouldn’t be hard to climb to the correct altitude.

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