Server Rules

[GRITS]

Kickable and Banable Offenses
I am going to post some of the rules and my decisions for putting them in place so that you guys have a better understanding of the whys…it may help you abide by them since I know I always hated the “because I said so” answer when I got it from my mom.
So this is the first installment. I intend to eventually cover all the rules in this thread. Bottom line I want the server to be a “nice” place to play.

My number one rule is:

Bigots and racists get permanently banned.

Do not come in with a name that changes to Malcontent because of the racial or bigoted terms used in it. I don't give second chances to people with those kinds of dispositions...don't want them on our servers...don't need them on our servers. I know most people know what a ‘racial slur’ is, but not everyone understands the term bigot. Bigots use terms that show prejudice or intolerance against any group of people. This is why the terms ‘######’ and ‘b itch’ are on my language filter. When those two words stop being used as insults then I will allow them on my servers. I have let some people slide when they first use a bigoted word because I assume they don’t realize the real connotation. Because, as one player mentioned in game the other day the meaning of some words have changed throughout the ages. “######” being the most obvious, it has gone from meaning happy to being used to taunt. Like I said, most people know which words are racist and they get no second chance. I don’t even wait to see if another admin is going to kick or ban a player that comes in with a racist name or spouts any racial slurs…I actually race the other Admins to see who can get him/her banned fastest. Someone that comes in with that kind of attitude is looking for confrontation and is going to disrupt everyone else’s fun.

This is a great place to lead into the language filter and bypassing it.
I am not about to post the list of words on the language filter but when I look at it I wonder if any of you can really defend the use of any of those words in game play. I know that it is a strategy of some to antagonize the opponent. I have seen some players who play better when they get mad and others who lose their ‘game’ when they get that angry. And the words used are usually to attack a player. It is poor sportsmanship…plain and simple. You will notice that I left in words like shit, damn and after some persuasion even suck. These words can be used to address emotions without verbally attacking the opponent. And I did warn everyone that when suck changes from a descriptive for a bad game into a verb you will be gagged.
When you bypass the filter with creative spellings…you are being impertinent and still using words that are on the language filter thereby breaking that rule. I don’t care what words you use in the privacy of your own home…I know I wouldn’t want any of you to actually hear some of the things I say when I am playing…but if I take the time to type them out or even worse…key bind them….then they are not being released as emotional outcries.
The jury is still out on wtf and I don’t like stfu but I will have to get input from my Admins on acronyms. Thus far I have just ignored them because only stfu seems to incite people to respond.
to be continued.......

[GRITS]

I think the next rule to be considered is the one that is most important to me:
Don’t Abuse My Admins. When they gag, kick or ban it is because they are enforcing the server rules, not a personal retribution. Personal attacks are not something I expect them to accept with their admin responsibilities.
I will not have someone who has agreed to help me maintain the ambience of the servers be reviled nor berated. These guys/gals take a lot of abuse. I chose people who I believe are pretty ‘laid back’ and it takes quite a bit to actually get them to react to personal attacks. Admin responsibilities are no picnic, ask anyone who has ever been admin on a game server. They are trying to monitor the chat, the afks, the reconnectors and also enjoy the game at the same time. They get harassed to “kick this player” or “gag that player” in the middle of their matches. That along with the animosity that people feel for anyone who enforces rules makes it hard to keep good Admins that take their responsibilities seriously. If you run one of my ‘hand selected’ Admins off with your arrogance…you will be banned.
The rule is actually stated as follows.
If you mouth off to an admin, calling them names and/or swearing at them after they ask you to stop doing something, or you just come in and start swearing you will get at least a 60 minute or longer ban.


Cheats/Bugs
They circumvent the rules on how the game is played and create unfair advantages. You are no longer testing your skills in a game…you are being dishonest and demonstrating your ability to abuse the error. It is fun to figure them out but the use of scripting or coding bugs will not be tolerated. I know with all of the ingenuity of the computer geeks on our servers they are going come up. Please make sure if you are demonstrating a bug you found to someone on the server preface it with an XXX and then tell the other player you just want to show them what you found. That way I won’t get reports saying ‘so and so’ was showing ‘what’s his name’ how to cheat. I can go back to the logs and see that you made it clear that you weren’t going to use it you just wanted to share your discovery. I know newbies don’t know about the floating bug so they will be warned.
If an admin sees you use any sort of cheat or one of the bugs you will be banned for good. No warnings, no second chances
to be continued....

[g-boy]

Just a thought... there was a CS server that I played on exclusively (cool clan, almost always an admin there, and lots of regulars, like Holdout's) that responded when people said certain things. Not sure if it would prevent people from saying it, but for example, when someone said "wtf" the server would respond "You died, stupid." To this very day I love responding to people that same way. If I kill someone, they say wtf, I say "well, you died, smart guy." Anyway, just using that premise, perhaps certain words or acronyms that don't seem offensive enough to filter out could have responses that make people look bad. Or just filter it... I don't like stfu, just because it is in an acronym form doesn't mean the person isn't saying it. I don't even like it when someone tells me to shutup, let alone with that passion. Not to mention the only people I ever see using stfu are newbs or non-regulars that tell us to shut up when we tell them not to be obnoxious by breaking rules, or they are just being pains in the ass. I don't think wtf should be filtered, because it's never directed AT someone.

[GRITS]

Chat spamming will get you gagged. Habitual chat spamming will get you kicked and even temporarily or permanently banned.
Probably need to know my definition of chat spamming. If you say it more than three times you are spamming. I know if you have key binds and you forget to type that “y” you can appear to be spamming. I am guilty of that one on more than one occasion and actually had to unbind my ‘g’ key that had GRITS server IP on it. gg ended up always getting the question… “What’s that IP for?” All Admins are willing to listen to explanations and then make the call. I think it is obvious why chat spamming is against the rules…it is irritating to try to read any chat much less if someone is so self absorbed that they need to see what they wrote over and over. It can lag the server and it is like talking to someone who just wont let you get a word in. i.e. it is just plain rude.


Reconnectors are just as irritating if not more so. No one likes to wait for their next match and when you disconnect so that you move up in the queue it is like cheating. Not only is it rude it causes extended waits for the people still in the queue and that is inconsiderate and unfair. Also afks. I do understand not wanting to lose your place on the server if ‘nature’ calls but if you don’t let an admin know you are going to be afk for a couple minutes, don’t be surprised if you have been kicked when you get back. And a couple means just that it does not mean 20 minutes. When you are afk you disrupt the flow of the queue and cause undo wait periods for the other players. I am thinking once we get the stats up people will be less likely to go afk because it will end up showing on the stats as deaths with no points earned and bring down there averages. :P

All of these rules are posted on the website in a more condensed version if you dont need my explanation as to why I instituted them.
kickable and banable offenses http://vadavaka.com/ricochet/frames.html

[jabbahunt]

My ears are burning.

[Gwarsbane]

If your ears are burning then put them out silly. :devil:



I have to admit I think I am the worst of the admins for the accidential chat spamming. I have nearly all of my keys binded to say something. But I usually catch myself after the 3rd or 4th letter and I almost always say whoops or oops.

[GRITS]

Ok that is most of the rules.... temporarily banning PITA is probably the most used penalty because it allows for a cool down period for the offender and lets everyone else play in peace for a little while.
The other rules are about treating the other players in a courteous and civil manner and that is just life.

they include but are not limited to.....
If you insult other players even after being asked to stop you will get kicked. If you come back and continue you will get banned.

If people complain about you abusing the voice chat you will be asked to stop and if you don't you will be gagged. If you continue after you have been ungagged you will be either kicked or banned.

And then my all time favorite is noobs that come in and want to know why we would play such a game...I am still not real sure why they hang around except to try and incite people so .....

If you say this game sucks, you will be asked to leave. If you don't leave and say it again you will be kicked. If you come back and say it again you will be banned. If you don't like the game, just leave.


Ok that is all of them that I can think of right now...hopefully nothing comes up that requires adding new rules.
I dont believe any of them are so stringent that any normal person can't abide by them for the length of time that they are in game. You have to learn to get along with people no matter how diverse the population...welcome to the real world....where there are rules that have to be followed or consequences that will result....

If you need the "Reader's Digest" version go to the main page and look under Kickable and Banable offenses This is just some insight into how I came up with the rules...Bottom line I want the server to be a “nice” place to play and the less animosity there is the nicer it is.

[jabbahunt]

aw, I understand. Its all about choice. Choose to play sportsmanlike, get sportsmanslike response. Choose to be and ass, get an ass.... response.

[Power and Glory]

Due to the increase of problem players recently I have decided to pin this old topic. It will be edited as needed by GRITS or another admin with approval from her. Hopefully we can eventually make it look more professional. Maybe we can even make a pdf file or something of that nature. If someone sees something that needs to be added or edited feel free to inform.

Please do not turn this post into a debate on which rules you hate or such things of that matter or those posts will be deleted.

[Guest]

If you want a PDF with a logo... I can most certainly produce one of those :-D