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The Rules of the Server: A History and Explanation  XML
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Shantara

Wicked Sick!
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Joined: 12/19/2004 18:35:28
Messages: 861
Location: SLC, Utah
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Greetings everyone!

I've heard some questions about the rules and such, and I finally decided that I shall attempt to address some of these confusions in a forum post. So there are three parts of this thread: first, its purpose, second, a little history of the server and the rules, and third, more specifics about the rules themselves.

Part I: The purpose of this thread

I am writing this in hopes of clarifying the rules for our community, and in hopes of educating people about why these rules are so important to us.

This thread is NOT an open debate about what rules we should or should not have. It is NOT a forum to address any rules which you believe to be unjust or you simply don't like. Any responses along these lines will be deleted. Yes, we know this is an "M" rated game. Believe me, we have people point this out to us on a weekly basis. The fact is, this server is not "M" rated. It is our server and we have created it the way we want it to be. If you disagree with these rules, read part #2 (history of the server and the rules), and if you still disagree, then there are plenty of other Unreal servers out there. As far as I know, there is no law in any state or country that says you must play on this one.

Questions intending to clarify the rules are welcome, but questions with specifics that may break the rules (i.e., "is this sentence/word, etc. against the rules?") are NOT welcome. If you have to ask whether or not a particular word or phrase is against the rules, it probably means it is and that by posting such a phrase you would actually be breaking the rules. In certain instances, I will cite specific examples in order to educate those who are seeking to improve their behavior on the server, or simply understand the rules better.

I'm wondering what it will take for my country to rise,
First we admit our mistakes, then we open our eyes
--Ani Difranco

My skin: http://www.ut2003hq.com/pafiledb2/pafiledb.php?action=file&id=5094
Shantara

Wicked Sick!
[Avatar]

Joined: 12/19/2004 18:35:28
Messages: 861
Location: SLC, Utah
Offline

Part II: History of the server and the rules

Druid and I started this server (near as we can figure) about three years ago.
We started playing Unreal 2003, and we had a lot of fun online, but also experienced a number of problems. We found that there were a lot of really disrespectful people out there who felt that they had the right to cheat, curse at, or otherwise disrespect other players in game. This was extremely frustrating to us because, in order to continue playing the game that we loved, we basically had to sit there and put up with it.

Finally, we had had enough, and we decided to create our own server, and invite the really cool individuals that we had met online to join us in our custom environment. Thus, DisastrousConsequences was born. What started out as a 7-person maximum itsy bitsy server in our basement eventually grew into the community now known as DC today, with all the forums, reserve slots, and other goodies along with it.

We created the rules of the server to reflect our vision of the server: we view this server as an extension of our home. Therefore, behavior that would not be tolerated in our home (such as derogatory language) is not tolerated here. We found that in order to keep the server as close to our ideal as possible, it was necessary to keep the rules simple. That way, we can simply state "no swearing," instead of "some words are okay, and some words are not."

What it comes down to is this: we want a safe, fun, friendly environment for ourselves and others to play in. We want people to feel safe allowing their children to play here, and we want all individuals to feel free from negativity here so they can simply have fun playing a game and making friends.
Our hope is that we can educate people along the way and in the process create a more respectful world for us all to live in.

I'm wondering what it will take for my country to rise,
First we admit our mistakes, then we open our eyes
--Ani Difranco

My skin: http://www.ut2003hq.com/pafiledb2/pafiledb.php?action=file&id=5094
Shantara

Wicked Sick!
[Avatar]

Joined: 12/19/2004 18:35:28
Messages: 861
Location: SLC, Utah
Offline

Part III: More details about what the rules mean to us

In this section, I am going to explain each rule in greater detail. For obvious reasons, I am not going to give specific examples of how to violate certain rules.

1) No derogatory remarks about race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, creed, denomination, etc... 

This is often the most misunderstood of all the rules, even by otherwise well-intentioned players. The basic rule of thumb is this: be respectful. Do not make generalizations about groups of people, do not say harmful things, and respect others' rights.

EXAMPLE #1: The two most common violations of this rule are to either make sexist remarks or to use the word "gay" as a derogatory term. The word "gay" by definition either means someone who is attracted to someone of the same sex, or someone who is happy. Therefore, if you are using the word "gay" outside these definitions it is derogatory.

EXAMPLE #2: Sexist remarks. Oddly enough, the vast majority of the sexist remarks that I have seen or heard on this server are made against women and girls. One such example is the phrase, "girls stink at video gaming." Since not all girls or women play the same way anyway, this particular remark is not acceptable because it is a generalization about a group of people, AND because it is negative.

2) No swearing. 

This particular rule is surprisingly straightforward. While "hell" and "crap" are okay, assume just about anything else you can think of that might be a swear word is not okay.

3) Do not work around the chat filter. 

Again, fairly straightforward. If you notice that the server has filtered an individual word that you used, do not attempt to show other players on the server that you actually intended to type something else. It filtered you for a reason. If you are unclear on what that reason is, then you may email the administrators and ask.

4) No cheating. 

Although I personally think that feeling the need to cheat at a game that basically consists of a bunch of little bytes indicates you need something better to do with your time , some people do not understand this rule. Do not use aimbots, do not exploit map holes, do not exploit known bugs/flaws in the game.

EXAMPLE #1: While you may occasionally get knocked under a map, if the anti-camper does not move you, you need to immediately get back in the map or kill yourself (either by typing "suicide" in the console, or by shield gunning yourself to death).

EXAMPLE #2: Some maps have areas that are completely inaccessible to monsters, especially "on top" the map. While some of these areas may appear to be inside the map because of their design, it quickly becomes apparent that monsters cannot reach you. If you are in a place where monsters can't hurt you, that is cheating and you need to stay out of those areas.

5) No idling or camping. 

Idling means you are not actively participating in the game- e.g. you are sitting in a secret room of a map where monsters can't get you, you are away from your computer, etc. No idling does not apply to reserve slot members, although we ask that you please do not abuse this privilege by idling for entire games.

No camping means do not camp (sit on or directly next to) the super weapons. Although the anti-camper frequently moves people for doing this, just because the anticamper doesn't get you does not mean that you are allowed to camp.

6) No chat spamming. 

There are other posts that go into greater detail on this, but in summary, it can refer to text chat or voice chat. It can include asking for weapons or artifacts every time a new wave starts, announcing every time you die or get a new weapon, asking frequent questions about how skills or other aspects of the game work (this should be done by reading the FAQ or in the forums), or simply monopolizing the chat. If you are dead, not directly assisting the living, and it is a busy wave, don't talk on voice. It distracts those still living and they cannot hear the monsters.

7) Do not intentionally kill team players. 

Although we understand accidents happen, repeated "accidents" may be called into question. This can include shieldgunning players off ledges, telefragging other players on purpose, intentionally suicide use of the super weapon, and others.

8 ) No inappropriate language. This is a family server. 

The best rule of thumb in this case is that if I would not want you saying that to my 5-year-old nephew, do not say it on this server. This includes any remarks of a sexual nature, bathroom humor, drug references, etc.

9) No crybabies or bad attitudes.  

No whining, begging, or harassing other players. Play nice, or do not play here.

10) Whenever possible, use the forums and admin email address for administrative issues. The admins are in game to play. 

Do not bother any admins with questions that could be asked in the forum or via email unless it is INCREDIBLY pressing and directly impacts everyone on the server, such as a major exploit.
Questions about why someone was banned, what changes have been made to the RPG, or even seemingly simple questions like, "have you received my email" are not appropriate for in-game discussion.
If an admin does choose to help out with something in-game, such as someone experiencing a bug, do not assume that this means they are willing to answer other questions or requests directed their way. Let the admins do what they are in-game to do: have fun.

11)The DC contributor tags are reserved for contributors only. 

These tags are to show respect and appreciation for the individuals who financially contribute to the server. Please give them the appreciation they deserve by not attempting to use the tags if you are not a contributor.

This is a ZERO tolerance server. 

This last part means that we do not tolerate any violation of our rules, regardless of whether or not you saw someone else breaking the same rule, or if you have been an otherwise upstanding citizen up to this point. Being a good DC citizen may mean a less severe penalty, or it may not. We reserve the right to permanently ban individuals for the first infraction of any rule. All chats are logged as well, so do not assume that just because you "got away with it" at one point that it will not catch up with you later.

I'm wondering what it will take for my country to rise,
First we admit our mistakes, then we open our eyes
--Ani Difranco

My skin: http://www.ut2003hq.com/pafiledb2/pafiledb.php?action=file&id=5094
 
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