I think there should be a special title given to players who were GMs but are not any longer. Maybe "Former GM". Honestly, seeing @Johnny as just a normal "Donator" in the Shoutbox doesn't do him justice. He helped me out tremendously this year behind the scenes, as did @Josh, and I think they deserve a higher distinction than "Donator". I don't know if stepping down from being a GM means that person cuts off ties completely from the rest of the current Staff. I would assume not, unless that is what the person who stepped down prefers to do. Could be a mute point, and Johnny and Josh may not agree with me, but I think credit should be given to them, as well as the other GMs who stepped down like @Kai. It should also be given to the GMs who stepped down long ago, like @Sila and others who I am not familiar with, but maybe should be, thus the point of this Thread. I think the community should know who was important in helping shape Maple Royals into what it is today. Maybe some people would consider that distinction as being egotistical, and maybe some former GMs wouldn't want a special distinction because they are humble and are ok with not having notoriety. I can understand that. I guess it would be up to them if they wanted the title or not. But I think the Title of "Former GM" or something similar should be available.
What about those who did not leave on good terms though? What if in fact some GM's we thought left on good terms actually didn't, but were allowed to privately resign without it becoming public knowledge? The admins might not want such ex GM's having that title. Seems like an interesting idea but that has some issues.
Good point. If a former GM left on bad terms or resigned, then the Admins just wouldn't give those people the title. Leaving it up to the Admins to decide who gets the "Former GM" title is a good idea. But I guess that could open up the situation where people who know the names of former GMs, and don't see the Title "Former GM" by their names might wonder why they don't have that Title. I can see where that could be an issue. Didn't think of that. I still think a Title should be at least offered to former GMs if they want it.
Instead of a title, it would be nice if there was a "hall of fame" thread for retired gms, saying their position, the stretch of time they served, and maybe a little about them and a quote of their farewell message. This way, there will be a way to let others know who they should fame in case they bumped into them ingame This solution is less "in the face" as a title, and would probably have less controversy around it
I think a more feasible option could be something akin to the "Helpful Player" title that Staff can assign to certain players on the Discord.
I think this is a great idea! This would work well with any posts they make around the Forums. But they have to get their own special symbol in the Shoutbox too. Maybe a transparent GM Hat or something.