Accepted Enforcement Overhaul - Discussion

Administration is looking to overhaul enforcement in general to improve the general users game-play experience as well as build a more consistent/working enforcement system.

Spoiler: Current Moderation Guidelines

In Game Moderation Guidelines
This thread highlights what is expected for punishments/warnings given in game. Punishments should match up to this thread 99% of the time. While you are allowed to alter these if the situations require it, you should always consult other (especially more senior) staff members before doing so.

Please remember that consistency is key when handling punishments. You should always have a very good reason for questions like "Why was player A warned for this while I was banned for it?", and in general that's a good way to think of when considering straying from these guidelines.

Before continuing, please ensure you're up to speed on the Moderator Commands.

Procedure:
All discipline should be handled in the following way:
1. Recognize rule has been broken.
2. Check player's /notelist (/nl)
3. Decide on discipline.
4. Take action accordingly.
5. Make a /note of the action and reason.
This ensures that you can quickly check to see if the player has any recent prior offenses for the same thing. In the past there have been issues with players being given multiple "first warning" actions simply due to the fact that the warnings were being issued prior to checking the player's history. While in some cases this may slow down issuing a warning, it ultimately results in better consistency and moderation.

Common Sense:
If you're reading this, you must have some common sense. So before starting with actual guidelines there are 2 global issues that need to be covered:

Requesting Help:
It's not uncommon to see players (especially newer or younger ones) spam chat to get a question answered or an issue resolved. In these cases your first priority should be resolving the issue at hand before issuing any kind of punishment, then throwing in a mention that players can simply /message a staff member at the end of what you're saying. You can, however, take action normally if it's fairly clear a player knows better or they've been given a couple warnings about it.

Immediate Issues:
Certain issues are ones that should simply be resolved quickly because they're causing major issues. These typically include people coming on and immediately filling chat with garbage or swearing excessively at everything, as well as advertising. See the "Spawn" section for more details as that's where this is most likely to happen, however it can also manifest in the form of heated arguments/insults in global.
Warn Tempban Guidelines
These Guidelines are for /warns. Be sure to check the players /notelist (/nl)l before you tempban, because mistakes do happen. If a warn is invalid there should be a note on that players notelist stating so.
7 warns = 2 day tempban
14 warns = 4 day tempban
21 warns = 6 day tempban
Spawn/Spawn Local:
Spawn
Something that is given to the staff team is the ability to see the local chats of all the world spawns. These include RSL (Rising), LSL (Legacy), MSL (Mining), ESL (End), and NSL (Nether). However, even though you can see the chat, you still need to be in the vicinity of the spawn to chat in it. Use the warps or set a home in order to access spawn quickly if needed.

Note: Rules that defined as only applying to local chat at spawn only apply at Rising Spawn. These rules do not apply at any other world spawn. As an example, players using a foreign language at mining spawn is perfectly fine and nothing needs to be done about it.

Situations where you might be needed in spawn:

Assisting a new user.
Watch for questions in spawn, answer them in a polite manner, and also make sure that you talk to them very quickly, as new users could potentially leave when they aren’t answered swiftly. Address any issues, make them feel welcome! Recommended topics would be /kit starter, the tutorial, etc.

Trolling.
Sometimes users log on with the sole intention of trolling. Please make sure to address them, explaining the rules, investing some time in them in order to see if they could turn a new leaf. If not, continue to warn them and punish them accordingly. Trolling includes asking for OP. If this occurs inform them that OP will not be given out twice, then
/warn,
then kick,
then tempban for 1 hour,
then ban for Trolling.

Trolling/Harassment:
Trolling
Trolling comes in a handful of forms but a general broad definition is saying controversial or inflammatory things purely to elicit a response from people. Repeated trolling against the same person can easily cross the line into harassment so you'll need to take that into account.

Bending the Rules
Bending the rules occurs when a player is knowingly twisting the meaning of one or more rule through a loophole or by another method, in order to gain a reaction of a sort, even though they know that their action is illegal.

Pushing a topic too far
It is up to staff discretion to decide whether a topic of discussion is taken to the point where it becomes inappropriate or troll-like. When something is said that could considerably be offensive, discussion should be stopped. Any further attempts to continue the discussion should be stopped.

Disrespecting Staff
When a user is blatantly rude to staff or tries to discredit a staff member for any reason, they are not showing respect to that specific staff member and the staff team in general.

Troll Advertising
Putting the ecocitycraft ip into chat is considered trolling because it makes the staff feel the need to act on the advertising and could lead to an accidental ban.

Argument Baiting
If a user tries to get certain users to join into an argument, or they attempt to bait a user into breaking the rules, that is considered argument baiting.

Actions for Trolling.
Give a verbal warning. (1st time)
/warn. (2nd time)
Kick. (3rd time)
Tempban. Depending on the severity, 1h to cool off, 6h to have them off. If they do small bursts of trolling, then less severity if they go through all the previous actions within a quick amount of time.
Ban. Only if they come back and troll again.

-Harassment/Bullying-
This category includes accusing another user of hacking (“hackusating”), slandering another user, staff and non-staff disrespect and also arguing with another user.
Actions for Harassment/Bullying.
/Warn (1st time)
Kick (2nd/3rd time depending on severity)
Ban (4th/5th time)
For this category, please make an effort to pm the user to stop what they’re doing. It helps to talk with someone rather than just punishing them.

-Staff Disrespect-
Its is quite common for users to disagree with how something is handled by Staff. It is not however ok for users to be disrespectful towards Staff members.
This includes but is not limited to; insultive comments about said Staff’s ability. Accusations of power abuse, of bias or corruption. Players with Staff related grievances should be gently told to contact the SA team about it.
Actions for Staff Disrespect.
/Warn (1st time)
Kick (2nd/3rd time depending on severity)
Ban (4th/5th time)
For this category, please make an effort to pm the user to discuss the issue they have and to direct the topic out of a public channel. It helps to talk with someone rather than just punishing them.

-Death or Sexual Threats-
Pretty obvious, user tells another user to seriously kill themselves (this could be in the form of “kys”), or just threatening their life. If this is in a joking manner, give a severe verbal warning or a /warn or even a kick, then ban if it happens again. Alongside death threats, sexual threats such as “I will rape you” are no joking manner and should be handled in the same fashion as death threats.
Action for Death/Sexual Threats.
Ban.

Chat Conduct:

-Vulgarity-
Mild swearing is allowed to an extent. We do not allow any directed language at players. Some words are not permitted uncensored. We do not allow excessive use or repetitive use of any swear word.

Minor Allowed Swears(very occasional use, 1-2 times an hour)
-Shit
-Damn
-Hell
-Bloody Hell
-Ass/Arse
-Asshole/Asshat (context sensitive. Inappropriate/directed usage is not allowed)
-Bodily Actions/Functions(poop/pee/vomit etc…)

Allowed censored versions of “Fuck”
-Fk
-F***
-****
-F**k

The use of "fuck" is only permitted if properly censored. This does not include alternate spellings, acceptable censorship should hint at the word but not spell it out in any way.

Disallowed Swears/Directed Rude Words:

-Retard (or any words referencing a person's mental state in a derogatory fashion)
-Cunt
-Cuck
-Douche
-Penis(and any words related or referencing to any genitalia including words/slang)
-Slave/Slavery
-Bitch/Bastard/Whore/Slut/Prostitution/Skank
-Masturbation(any variation/slang/any sexual references)
-Pertaining to Religion(All Hail the Lord, Praise Allah)
-Pertaining to Prejudice
-Chink/Nigger/Jew/Coon(or any racial slur/slang term)
-Gay (only if used in a negative/derogatory manner, normal use of the word is fine)
-Fag/Faggot/Dyke/Homo (any negative connotations towards sexuality)

Note: Some users will purposely misspell words in an attempt to argue that it’s allowed/censored/beat the non-existent filter. If the intention of the word is clear, warn as an actual use of the swear. Again, vulgar language is not allowed to be directed at players.

Actions for Infrequent Vulgar Language.
Verbal warning(1st, 2nd and 3rd time)
/warn (4th time and 5th time)
Kick (6th time)
Ban (7th Time)

Actions for use of directed, excessive or extremely rude language.
Verbal warning (1st and 2nd time)
/warn (3rd time)
Kick (4th time)
Ban(5th time)


There are certain words that should not be allowed in chat under any circumstance. These words are:
:Any racial slang words (Nigger, Chink, etc)
:Any sexual slang words (faggot, homo, dyke, etc)
:Any shortened words (nig, nigga, fag)

Actions for Disallowed words/racial slurs.
Kick (1st time)
Ban (2nd time)


-Advertising-
There are 2 different types of advertising; Intentional and Unintentional.

Intentional Advertising: User simply joins and throws down an ip, or builds into giving an ip away. Try to stop them if possible, but most likely won’t deter them.

Actions for Intentional Advertising.
Ban.


-Unintentional Advertising-
This includes the user saying something like “Ecc is better than <server name>. This also includes advertising ECD for out of game items, steam items, and other external products. For unintentional server advertising, verbally warn the user to not mention other servers, and thank them for being here on ECC.

Actions for Unintentional Advertising.
Verbal Warning (1st time)
/warn (2nd time)
Kick (3rd time)
Ban (4th time)


-Foreign Language-
Simple words and phrases are allowed in other languages, however full sentences and discussions are not allowed. If a new user attempts to communicate via another language, please try to find someone who speaks the language who is able to help. (Ex. Zedo for Russian, 7am for Arabic). If no one is around, try to use google translate to detect the language and communicate with them. Explain that ECC is an English-speaking server, and even broken English is better than none.

Otherwise, for a user who knows English, the trolling actions will be taken, as they are clearly are trolling by not speaking a language that they know.

Actions for Foreign Language Misuse.
Give a verbal warning(new users). (1st time)
/warn(1st time - old users)
/warn. (2nd time)
Kick. (3rd time)
Ban.


-Inappropriate Conduct/Touchy Subjects-
Inappropriate topics of discussion and inappropriate links are to be dealt with immediately, especially if in a global channel. Please use common sense when deciding if something is inappropriate (would you say this to an impressionable 11-12 year old?).

Inappropriate Builds/Signs also fit into this, such as phallic objects, written words, vulgar words/inappropriateness, etc. Inappropriate nicknames and usernames and skins are also included in inappropriateness. Discuss with other staff online if unsure before reaching to a conclusion.

Actions for Inappropriate Topics of Discussion (Illegal substances, dirty talk, religion, politics)
/warn(1st time)
/warn(2nd time)
Kick (2nd Time)
Ban (3rd time)

*Note, if a new user logs on and immediately starts being inappropriate, please resort immediately to kicking, as typically they are not here to stay.

Actions for Inappropriate Links (Screamers, pornography, etc)
Ban

Actions for Inappropriate Builds/Signs (If witnessed)
Kick (1st time)
Ban.

Actions for Inappropriate Builds/Signs (Not witnessed)
Get a Staff with logblock(Smods+ all have it), check if user found, then based on severity, warn or ban.
If there are no logs and in the wild, destroy it.
If in a protected town, contact Game Admin+ with coords so it can be destroyed.

Actions for inappropriate nicknames.
If severe, kick the user. Otherwise verbally warn
Kick if warned previously, or refusal to change.
Ban.

Actions for inappropriate usernames.
Ban if severely inappropriate
If borderline, discuss it with the team
If needed, ask them to change after discussion.


Actions for inappropriate Skins.
Check http://mcskinsearch.com/, if found inappropriate, Ask the user to change it. Please put in active effort.
Kick the User (2 times if refused)
Ban.


-Inappropriate Topics/Touchy Topics-
Certain subjects can be found offensive by certain users. Such topics as religion and politics typically can lead to flaming, and are not allowed. The best judge for touchy topics is common sense. If you feel that something said is crossing the line and should be stopped, step in before it can turn into a heated argument.

Actions for Inappropriate Topics of Discussion (Illegal substances, dirty talk, religion, politics).
/warn (1st time)
/warn (2nd Time)
Kick (3rd Time)
Ban (4th time)

*Note, if a new user logs on and immediately starts being inappropriate, please resort immediately to kicking, as typically they are not here to stay.


-Caps Bypass-
Only users with the "Patron" feature may make use of '/ch qm'. This is the only way to bypass the caps filter. They are allowed to post messages with any amount of caps provided it is not more than once per 10 minutes.

Actions for Caps Bypassing
No action unless excessive.
If excessive:
Verbal Warn (1st time)
/warn (2nd time)
Kick (3rd time)
Tempban 1h (4th time)
Ban (5th time)


-Spamming/Symbols-
Spamming has multiple different parts to it, lotto spam, shout spam, and character spam.

-Lotto spam. Buying more than 7 ticket amounts consecutively within a short period of time/ one that clogs chat, is lotto spam (this excludes crazy lottos). Lotto spam can also be a few users buying several tickets at once in a manner that disrupts chat.

-Shout spam. Sending 10 or more shouts in a short period of time is considered shout spam.

-Character spam. Spamming the same character multiple times in a single message or in multiple messages is considered character spamming.

-Chat Flooding. Posting multiple lines of chat in all caps to avoid the filter/flood chat is considered spam.

Symbols are also considered warnable. Reference http://www.asciitable.com/index/asciifull.gif for a list of what is acceptable

Actions for Spamming/Symbols.
Verbal Warning (1st time)
/warn (2nd time)
Kick (3rd Time)
Ban (4th Time)
*Note, double posts can be due to lag, if a user apologizes before you warn, no need to warn.


-Shout Abuse-
Any sort of abuse of the shout system includes shouting vulgar language, inappropriate topics, slandering other users or businesses etc, are not allowed.

Actions for Shout Abuse.
Kick if somewhat disallowed vulgar language, slandering another player, or inappropriateness. If not too bad, just verbally warn. Best judgement please.

Kick if previously warned.
Ban.


-Mini-modding-
The difference between mini-modding and simply helping a user is the inclusion of a punishment for their actions. Saying something like “Stop doing this or you’ll be kicked” includes a punishment that is considered minimodding. However, make sure the line between politely asking someone to stop and basically warning them is known. Asking a user to not discuss something politely is different than “Stop discussing this, now.”
Helping another user by saying something like “Spamming is against the rules” is fine.
Ultimately we are the staff team, other users are not. They do not decide punishments.

Actions for Mini-modding.
Verbally Warn (1st and 2nd time)
/warn (3rd time)
Kick (4th+ time)
If it aligns to the point where they are just trolling, ban.


-Global Chat Channels-

Trade Channel:
Trade chat is for everything related to user transactions of any kind. 1-2 messages per 5 minutes, builders are new so be nice to them. Don’t be too strict, but be strong and don’t let up on repeat offenders.

Actions for Trade Chat Violations/General Chat guidelines. (Posting more than twice in 5 minutes, having a conversation in trade etc)
Verbal Warn (1st)
Channel Kick (/ch kick tr <player>)
/warn (3rd time)
Kick (4th time)
Tempban when the user is actively ignoring the previous actions.

Global Channel:
This is the biggest channel here on ECC, as it is where most of the rule infractions will occur. Use the previous punishments when dealing with a situation in global. Also including is the use of trade ads in the global channel. This is essentially when something that really should be in trade chat is in global. Due to the fact we have a basically free-for-all VIP chat Global should be kept as clean and friendly as possible. If users are talking about something that is not appropriate for Global but would be OK in VIP please remind them to use our VIP chat for such discussions.

Actions for Trade advertisements in global.
Verbally Warn (1st and 2nd times)
/warn (3rd time)
Kick (4th time)
Ban if they are persistent and ignoring staff requests.
*Note, please message the user about it, perhaps they did a macro wrong, etc.

VIP Chat:
VIP Channel is to be treated like Global, with the exception that civil political discussion is allowed in VIP. If the discussion gets out of hand you of course need to discontinue it.

Local Chat:
Spawn local chats follow the global chat rules. If someone is uncomfortable with something that occurs in local chat that is away from spawn and you are present in the situation, please make sure to address the issue as needed. Otherwise if it occurs in a complaint take action with the applicable global chat rules. Foreign languages are always permitted in private local chats.

Private Messages:
Really anything can go on in pm, however if messages are reported in a complaint take action with the applicable global chat rules. Foreign languages are always permitted in Private Messages.

Auction Channel:
The channel itself is used to discuss auctions. For the action of misuse of the auction chat, please see the Trade Channel/All Chat rules. The use of the auction plug-in must be watched as well. Troll auctions happen occasionaly, if something low-value is put in for a large value, or named as something it isn’t (for example a wooden sword named ‘Melon Sword’), it’s a troll auction. Watch out for items without a set value, like a head or an enchanted sword. Spamming the same item multiple times also falls into this category. Please be wary of a user who does not know what they’re doing versus someone who is actively trolling.

Actions for Troll Auctions.
Verbal Warning (1st time)
/warn (2nd time)
Kick (3rd time)
Tempban (1h, 4th time)
Ban (In extreme cases)

Theft/Scamming:
Taking things from other users can be considered theft, however only some instances are punishable. Scamming is also a very common occurrence. However, it is typical to see the scamming complaints on the forums rather than in game. Something to really watch for with scamming, rigging casinos is a form of scamming, and as a result they need to be watched carefully.

-Theft-
Stealing from unlocked chests is ok unless it is glitched (see exploit section), or /owned item (Let the SA’s handle this). People should lock their chests to avoid this. If a user mentions that a tool they own has been taken from them or lost have them forum PM the SA team with the ID of said item for investigation.
Stealing off the ground is also ok, as long as no non-PvP killing was taking place (See Killing in non-PvP zone). Make sure that users, if trading, use a chest or some other source to ensure things do not get dropped or butchered.

-Scamming-
Perhaps one of the biggest issue here. Usually this will be in forum complaints, however if you see someone attempting to scam someone, call over a Game Admin+ to ensure. Then ban for Attempted Scamming or Scamming. If a user asks you to be a middleman in a trade, please do your best to actually do it. If you cannot, get another staff member who has some time to spare. If a user complains to you about a scam, tell them to file a complaint with proper evidence.
Actions for scamming.
Typically handled in complaints, ban if witnessed.

-Casino Play-
Casino games are generally classified as games where a player bets a certain amount of money against a dealer or some sort of opposition and based on certain random or semi-random outcomes, the user will receive a payout. This payout equaling the money bet times a factor of the casino game creator's choosing.
Some casino games can be malicious scams designed to trick and deceive players out of their hard earned ECD.
An illegal casino has the following elements
A) misinforming the player of the rules of the game
B) using elements in the game that staff cannot enforce
C) using external elements that are not viewable directly via the minecraft client
D) not delivering the payout as promised
Unintentional casino play can arise from a user not-knowingly playing the casino game, thinking it is set up properly. Intentional occurs when the host knows of the rigging.
Actions for unintentional casino play
Verbally warn the user to change the casino so it is legal.

Actions for intentional casino rigging.
If caught, but no playing was done, ban for attempted scamming.
If witnessed, ban for Rigging/Scamming

-Player Run Lotteries-
While some giveaways are fine, anything that needs a 'buy in' is not allowed. This excludes casino games that have multiple players, as long as the game is not dealer controlled (uses dispensers, ect.).
Actions for players promoting a player run lottery:
Verbally warn the user that what they are doing is illegal
/warn for Attempting to scam (player run lottery)

If not witnessed:
Ask the player to file a complaint with evidence

-Hacking, Exploiting, and Unfair Play-
Hacked Clients are not to be touched unless it is by a Game Admin. If you suspect someone of hacking, record it and send it privately to the Game Admin+ team. Typically these will be handled on the forums by the Game Admins. Tag the team and watch for unnecessary comments. Third party programs or anything that can generate money also falls into the hacking category.

Actions for Hacked Clients/Third Party Programs or Autoclickers
Send it to the Game Admin team.

Actions for Admitting to Hacking (Any type)/Third Party Programs
Ban. (All Staff)
*Note, regarding illegal minimaps-
Please know the differences between the official ECC minimap Journeymap and others. We only allow the ECC minimap and fair-play Journeymap here. Discuss with other staff if you are unsure.
Actions for illegal minimaps.
Warn and make them aware of the rules, ask them to change. (1st time)
Ban if user knows it is an illegal map. (2nd time)

-Illegal Automation-
Any suspected Illegal Automation(Autofishing, Autofarming, AFK Mcmmo Training) should be reported to the ServerAdmin team for investigation. You are not to randomly check users for this.
Actions for Illegal Automation
Inform ServerAdmin team

-X-Ray Modifications-
Server Admins are the only ones allowed to ban for X-ray mods/texture packs. If seen on a complaint, please let a Game Admin+ handle it. Anyone can ban for admitting.
Actions for X-ray hacking/modifications in-game.
Inform ServerAdmin team, if not a complaint.

Actions for Admitting to X-ray hacking/modifications
Ban.

-Multiple Accounts-
Limited interaction is allowed between accounts. A shared ip thread is present in the Moderators+ section to keep track of different people playing on the same IP. Shared IP thread is located here:
Bypassing a ban is an issue with a user with a known alt, however ultimately the Game Admin+ Team should handle multiple account finding.
A user is allowed to send money to an alt account for rank-ups(see rules on Wiki on multiple Accounts), but are not allowed to send money from the Alt to the main. The main is the account with the highest rank, higher playtime, and more vision within the community, and it should not gain anything financially from the Alt account.
Actions for Multiple Accounts.
If Bypassing a ban and known/admitted in-game, Ban. Otherwise report suspected alt accounts to GameAdmin+

Alt Accounts and Trolling.
Occasionally there will be users who will troll and cause chaos on an alt account to avoid their main from being punished. Common sense is vital here, if you do not 100% believe an account sharing an IP is an alt, then do not issue any punishment. However feel free to question a user about other accounts. Be sure to record your findings in the IP thread linked just above.
If you are not 100% sure, inform the GameAdmin+ team to look into it.
Confirmed Alts are;
-Listed in the IP thread as an alt of the user
-Are not listed in the IP thread but are on the same IP via /seen
Actions for Trolling via Alt
Match punishment issued on alt to main account.

Exploiting.
Exploitation of glitches is highly illegal, and occurs when a user is taking advantage of or withholding information on said glitch. Such thing as exploiting the invisibility glitch on SG is a separate category but can be considered exploiting.
Actions for Exploiting (Economy, glitches, etc)
Contact a Game Admin+
Actions for Admitting to Glitching.
Ban
Glitching in survival games typically requires the assistance of a Game Admin+ to handle, however if you witness it, or if they admit to it, please use common sense when dealing with it.
Actions for a user using the Invisibility Glitch in Survival Games.
Have a Game Admin check if they have kit spy
Ask them to relog.
Kick the User if they refuse to log.
Warn them that continued use will result in a ban.

User to User- ECD to Real Life Money transactions.
This is defined as any users trading ECD for other non-ECC related items.
Actions for suspected Real Life money non-ECC transactions.
Contact a Game Admin+
Ban if sufficient evidence is provided via forum complaint.

-Other In-Game Moderation Situations-

-Griefing-
Griefing in protected towns is against the rules. In the wild, it is allowed. If griefing is not witnessed, please ask the user to file a grief report, and the Smod team will take a look at it.
Actions for Witnessed Grief.
/Warn (1st time)
Kick (2nd time)
Ban - File a thread under the grief report section as a [Ban Report]. (3rd time)

-AFK in SG-
If a user is being reported in afk in a survival game, please check “/getpos username” several times over the length of about a minute to see if they stay in the same position. You should also PM the user to see if they are responsive to chat. Not moving does not necessarily mean AFK. Under no circumstance should you force tp yourself into the game to check.
Actions for AFK in Sg.
Kick, if proven.

-Donation Abuse-
Abusing donation features in any way is illegal and a serious offense.
For all donation features, if it is in a complaint, please contact a Game Admin+ to investigate. If grief, refer to an Smod+.
Actions for witnessed Donation Feature abuse.
/Warn (1st time)
Kick (2nd time)
Ban (3rd time)

-Killing in Non-PvP Zones-
PvP Zones are the only places where users are allowed to kill each other. If killing occurs outside of those zones, action will be taken.
Actions for suspected killing.
Ask a Game Admin+ to investigate.
Actions for witnessed attempted killing.
/Warn (1st time)
Kick (2nd time)
Ban.
Actions for witnessed killing.
Ban.

-Handling Disagreements and arguments between player-player and player-staff-
Player-Player arguments.
Typically, users are allowed to politely discuss certain things, however if at any point it turns flamey, inappropriate, or vulgar, staff must step in.
Actions for Player-Player arguments.
Verbally warn all users involved. (1st and 2nd times)
Kick users persistent to continue discussion. (3rd and 4th times)
Tempban 1h for them to cool off.
If they flame on the forums, or come back to game and continue, ban.

-Player-Staff Arguments-
The biggest thing here is to keep cool. Honestly, just tell the user to file a staff feedback on any staff member that they believe is breaking the rules. It most likely will deter them and they will not go through with it. If another staff member is involved in the argument, please make sure to calm them down too so that they don’t add flame to the argument. However, if they are still hostile, please resort to the player-player actions. If a user is upset, make sure to privately message them in order to resolve the situation before banning.
Actions for Player-Staff Arguments
Message the player about what can be done to resolve the issue.
If they persist in being a problem, resort to player-player punishments.


-Dealing with intoxicated users-
If you know a user is intoxicated in any state, make sure to be extra alert of anything they might say/do. They say that they might be fine, but please watch out for them. It is just to make sure that they do not do something that could get them banned otherwise. If you do not prefer to deal with an intoxicated user because it makes you uncomfortable, please have someone who is willing handle it for you.
It is super important to discuss this with other staff, and also making sure that you know that the user is intoxicated. Please pm the user to let them know that they have the option to be banned before doing anything that could potentially get them banned.
Actions for Handling Intoxicated Users.
Tempban for 3h

Spoiler: Current Complaint Guidelines

1. Handling Complaints

It would be impossible to write a definitive guide on how to handle complaints exactly, however the following should help assist you when handling them. Over time handling them will become second nature.

Step 1: Establish what the complaint is about.
Also establish who is the best person to handle a situation. If you see this is a continuation of a dispute that started in game, and a staff member was handling it in game, you may want to have that staff member handle it. At the very least in these situations you should discuss the situation with that staff member to ensure the full context of the situation is taken into account.

As well you should NEVER handle complaints of people you're commonly known to be friends with or enemies with. While as a staff member you're trusted to act impartially, it's still best to avoid situations where it can be claimed.

Step 2: Look at the evidence provided.
The evidence must support the complaint in full. If there are gaps in the evidence then the complaint must be handled on what evidence is presented, or dismissed if there is none whatsoever. We do not use log evidence to handle complaints; it is the responsibility of the complainant to collect evidence. (This can be waived under certain circumstances, but only by a ServerAdmin. If you think it should be, contact a ServerAdmin).

What evidence is required?
This largely depends on what the complaint is about:
- In the majority of cases this will be simply evidence of swearing for example.
- The major difference is concerning scamming complaints. Three things are necessary in handling scamming complaints:
(1) The agreement needs to be clear. What both parties are required to do and by when.
(2) The party filing the complaint must prove that they upheld their end of the agreement. This could be making a payment for example.
(3) There needs to be a basis that the accused has not held up their end of the agreement. In nearly every case this will simply be that the complaint has been filed after a deadline has passed. (Occasionally however players will file a complaint before a deadline has been missed and these should be dismissed, before a deadline has passed no rules have been broken for us to act on).

Additionally in scamming complaints, the felon needs to be tagged and given 24hrs to allow them the opportunity of providing evidence that they have made the payment/completed their obligations etc.
The following points are issues which will arise with evidence:

• Cropped Screenshots - Screenshots given as evidence must be unedited and of the full minecraft client. Cropped/edited screenshots are inadmissible.
• Timestamps - Timestamps are not required for the vast majority of complaints (eg. Swearing/spamming etc). The do have a role in scamming complaints however. Probably the easiest way to explain this is using 2 situations:

Situation 1
There is screenshot evidence of the following agreement: 'I agree to pay back 150k by 2nd May 2015'. Here, the lack of a timestamp isn’t fatal to the complaint. Regardless of what date the agreement took place, the person committing to the obligation has until X date to repay. This can be enforced by staff.
Situation 2
This time the agreement is: 'I agree to pay back 150k in 2 weeks'. Here, without screenshot evidence there is no way for staff to enforce a payback date. Two weeks from what date?

In this situation, we 'restart the clock'. So from the date of the complaint, we work out a payback date. In this situation it would be 'Date of complaint + 2 weeks'. This seems to me to be the fairest outcome. In this situation, lock the complaint and inform them to refile the complaint if the money is not paid by the deadline that you have set.

If this happens, before posting the new deadline, give the person the opportunity to provide a screenshot with a timestamp on.

Arbitration
Players will frequently use the complaint section to arbitrate a dispute, mainly in complaints regarding scamming. Should this happen there are a few key notes:

(1) This should not be initiated by a staff member.
Players often attempt to mediate their own situations before reaching the complaint system and usually this means one of the players is unwilling to compromise. Should either player suggest it you should give time for an agreement to be reached, but preferably quickly.
(2) The accused player does not necessarily need to consent to the result.
There are two main options that are generally offered:
(i) X amount of extra time.
(ii) X amount of extra time in exchange for $Y added to the money owed.
The first option does not require an agreement by the accused player as it does not impose new terms on them, and once this is stated the complaint can be locked. The second option does require an agreement by the accused as it imposes new terms upon them.
(3) As soon as an agreement has been reached, the complaint should be locked.

Note: If there is an issue with evidence, post on the complaint giving the person the opportunity to provide valid evidence.

Step 3: Decide on what action to take
After Steps 1 and 2 above, the first thing to establish is whether the complaint is valid. In the following situations the complaint should be dismissed:
(i) There is insufficient valid evidence.
(ii) The complaint has already been handled in-game.
(iii) No rules have been broken.

If you decide that a rule has been broken and that action needs to be taken, you need to look into the felon's complaint/ban appeal history to assess whether they have broken the same rule in the past.

This is where the more complicated element of complaints is. It is best to consult the [Guidelines] Moderating in-game / Punishments / Procedure thread. A lot of complaints for vulgar language/spamming/harassment etc will follow the same criteria as in-game.

A. Issuing a warning
If you decide on issuing a warning then the best way to do this is via /mail ingame. Certain situations may require speaking to the user to explain why their behaviour broke our rules, or if you feel like a more significant 'talking to' is required, then it is best to talk to them via PM or via a more substantial forum PM.
B. Banning a player
If you decide that a player should be banned. Then you need to first of all check /seen. This is to make sure that they don't already have a ban reason. If they do, then you need to add the new reason to it by typing out /ban username [The old reason]/[New reason]. This ensures that we do not lose ban reasons.

A scamming ban should specify which user was scammed. For example if Dewsy92 was banned for scamming Physicistsmom the command issued to ban should be:
/ban Dewsy92 Scamming (Physicistsmom)

What we want from you, is your input from both users and Staff alike.
I'm mostly leaving this open-ended, we want to hear what you guys have to say on anything you feel is relevant regarding current moderation.
-Input regarding in-game/forum moderation.
-Input regarding how complaints are handled.
-Input regarding how appeals are being handled.
-Suggestions on what to change.

Any and all input is welcome.
Let us know what your thoughts are.

 

Honestly they're not, the core of the guidelines is from 2012 and those are probably a rollover from that. But this is exactly what we want from you guys, pick them apart. Tell us what you feel is relevant now or not relevant.

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