Use permission nodes properly and ditch "free-op"

Please Note: The TotalFreedom Forum has now been put into a read-only mode. Total Freedom has now closed down and will not be returning in any way, shape or form. It has been a pleasure to lead this community and I wish you all the best for your futures.

    TotalFreedom has been built under the foundation of a freedom server. We have tried to implement this over the years through the use of the free-op system that gave everyone op-level permissions. While a solution that was fine at the time, over the years these shortcomings have gotten more and more noticeable. I propose we resolve this issue plaguing our server for years by removing the free-op system and replacing it with a permission nodes system, retaining the freedom aspect in the process.

    "The server's whole point is free-op. Removing it removes the whole point of the server"

    A common misconception is that we have been a free-op server since the beginning. I've done my homework and found that this isn't the case. We were built on giving players as much freedom as possible, but we were never a free-OP server at the beginning. Mark's post notes this in [his post about the server's history](http://web.archive.org/web/2019092706…om-history-born quite well:

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    \@markbyron Even before the name of Total Freedom came to be, the concept of allowing players maximum OP like privileges was in play - not usual for public servers then or now.
    He includes "like" for a reason. This is because in the past, operator permissions weren't given out freely until February 2011. This was a simple time back then, when most plugins we had didn't fucking crash the server or enable the use of server-crashing exploits. Times have changed. We must adapt, or be left in the past.

    "We don't have the developer resources for this"

    I'm willing to step in and implement this personally. I've done it before, and I'll do it again. You have my word.

    Conclusion

    To stay strong on a technical level, we must have a solid foundation. Over the years the existing technical foundation of a free-op server has withered away, and now we must move on to a matured permission system. One that we can manage more easily. One which can reduce the effort it would take to implement suggestions or fix permissions-related issues. To me, it's about time we consider using permission nodes. A system that works reliably, flexibly, and overall more favorably for a server like ours.

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    Here’s a list of problems that would be solved if we implement this -

    • Easy setup for new ranks and permissions
    • Removal of unnecessary TFM bloat commands
    • Time-sensitive ranks and permissions (possibly could be used for voting)
    • Permissions that simply don't exist unless used with a permissions manager plugin (i.e. the debugstick permission)
    • By-world permissions (would be great for things like the adminworld and mbw so people couldn't be constantly finding ways to grief them)
    • Worldedit issue where you need to relog to gain perms would be resolved
    • No need for devs to work around handling permissions that are incompatible with TFM
    • Easier to set up permissions based on seniority (i.e. seniors are able to see admins' commands without seeing their own)
    • Faster response time on suggestions (because more people can manage a permissions plugin than code in TFM)

    Vouch

    There is already a plan for this and this has already been discussed.

    https://forum.totalfreedom.me/d/2029-permission-nodes-in-tfm/32

    We also already do have tickets to start moving towards this model, but the lack of development effort has made this impossible to effectively progress.

    I don't see this being viable at the current time...

    Wild1145

    Network Owner at TotalFreedom

    Managing Director at ATLAS Media Group Ltd.

    Founder & Owner at MastodonApp.UK

    ↩  videogamesm12 FS-200 Is the first ticket we need to do to move towards this model.

    I also already plan to apply this model in the new plots server and likewise when we do things like split the admin world out but 200 needs doing first.

    Fs-200 should also start to fix some of the uuid and ip messes we have...

    Wild1145

    Network Owner at TotalFreedom

    Managing Director at ATLAS Media Group Ltd.

    Founder & Owner at MastodonApp.UK

    Quote

    ↩ @'Ryan' FS-200 Is the first ticket we need to do to move towards this model.

    If you can reduce the complexity of the development environment (so that it isn't a hassle to get going) and point me to where the documentation of NetworkManager is, I'll throw everything as far as I can at it. While I think we should use LuckPerms and its permission system instead, if you want to use NetworkManager so be it.

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    ↩  Ivan The ticket to start this has been one of the highest priority tickets for the last 6 months... The only ones higher are 2 critical bugs that urgently needed patching and one still does.

    The fact the developers haven't wanted to do it is why it's not been done...

    Wild1145

    Network Owner at TotalFreedom

    Managing Director at ATLAS Media Group Ltd.

    Founder & Owner at MastodonApp.UK

    I Vouch. We don't need 'free-OP' to be 'TotalFreedom.' A permissions-based system would allow for tighter control on items that can be easily abused, while allowing for genuine folks to enjoy those items at the same time, among other benefits.

    • We won't need to completely block out some plugin features because they can be abused, but simply restrict them to people who are trusted (regular players, etc.)
    • And lets not forget the best thing. No need to make forks of plugins to work with TFM's flawed permissions system. We'd simply need to use the in-house provided permissions nodes and link them with the permissions plugin of choice.
    • Plugins are easier to set-up with reduced developer workload since there is no need to wrestle with TFM's ad-hoc permissions system, which could require forks (see above).

    javaw_VqNRNZdU6Q.png
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    I object, because having an actual free op server is way more unique and cool.
    The fact that the server is by default free op makes this server the best server in the Minecraft community at preventing exploits without randomly restricting player experience. The only reason most people join the server is because its "free op"

    If TotalFreedom would like, I would be willing to provide the server with the base setup for a LuckPerms-based permissions system. This would also include some bonus material, like configurations for things like voting menus that work with LuckPerms as well. It was made for Darkstone and it won't be an exact fit for TF at first, but it would be much easier to start with.

    I'm not necessarily a Java developer as of now, but I can definitely do a lot of the setup required to get things like LuckPerms and menu plugins working. I do know some Java, however, so I could probably work with the dev team a lot here if this were to be the path we went down.

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    ↩ @'billy7oblos' The only reason most people join the server is because its “free op”

    Then they realise it's not anarchy and leave. However, we can deliver the exact same experience without adding players to ops.json. If done right, we could make players believe they're OP and only a developer would see the difference.

    Just my thought, I want to see how the active part of the community sees this.

    TotalFreedom's Executive Community & Marketing Manager