04/30/2008    |    Devlog    |    Aether    |    Discuss

Recently, we’ve participated in several discussions asking us to clarify our policies on harassment, or griefing, and how that policy is enforced both on our forums, and in our game world. In a perfect world, we could distill the expectations we have of our customers to one simple statement: “Don’t be a jerk”.

Unfortunately, it isn’t as simple as that.

So, we’ve created the following document that outlines our expectations as it relates to customer behavior. Please note that these policies are in effect both immediately and retroactively. Reports of harassment will be taken seriously, and violators risk permanent removal from Pirates of the Burning Sea.

But wait! Before you read on, there are some things every player needs to remember when filing support tickets. First, when providing information on a negative experience youve had in game, whether it be a bug or a case of harassment, you must be sure you are providing as much information as possible. This includes:

- A detailed explanation of the occurrence (think who, what, when and where)
- Screenshots of the incident
- Chat logs describing the incident

As well as anything else you think may help us both understand what happened and who was responsible. Once we receive this information, we compare it to our own logs during investigation.

Additionally, please remember that we will not communicate the outcome of a disciplinary matter with anyone but the offending party. That’s always been our policy, and we’re sticking to it.

Finally, the following information is meant as an addendum to Pirates of the Burning Sea policies that are already in place. You can find additional information on our rules and expectations by visiting the community rules section of our site.

With that being said, let’s get on with the show.

Pirates of the Burning Sea Harassment Policy

 

- You may not harass other players. Continued unwanted contact or communication outside of the scope of the code of conduct is strictly forbidden, regardless of your location or the existence of chat filters or other mechanisms that may be in place to mitigate this type of behaviour.

- You may not disrupt the normal playability of a zone or instance. Zone/Instance disruption is defined as any activity designed to harm or inconvenience a player or group of players through the use of game mechanics in a way that is contrary to their intended purpose.

- Disruption includes the use of language and/or actions intended to disturb groups of players or specific Zones or Instances in an effort to:
•   Disrupt player sponsored or official events or gatherings
•   Use in-game sounds, visuals, user created content or other effects in an effort to harass or annoy
•   Impede or block access to an NPC, doorway, or any other area of the game world that a player would normally be able to access
•   Flood in game chat channels with repeated messages, offensive messages or other content that is specifically designed to annoy or harass other players

- Additionally, you may not threaten, or with malicious intent, cause distress to other players.

- You may not operate a Society that habitually violates these rules, or a Society that is founded as a hate group or for the purposes of disrupting game play.

- You may not create user content with the specific purpose of harassing or annoying another player or group

If a player is found to have disrupted an area of the world or a group of players, he/she may:

- Be given a warning
- Be temporarily suspended from the game if behaviour continues
- Be permanently removed from the Pirates of the Burning Sea game service

Remember, warnings and bans may be issued at the discretion of Flying Lab Software staff or its agents.

IMPORTANT: Disciplinary issues involving Societies may be addressed with the entire Society. Societies with members that habitually violate our expectations may be issued warnings that are applicable to the entire Society. Societies that prove regularly problematic may face blanket suspensions, up to and including the permanent disbanding of the Society, and/or removal of some/all of its members from Pirates of the Burning Sea.

In many cases, Society Leaders may be held accountable for the actions of their members.

Naturally, as our community continues to grow so too will this document grow and change over time. As we update this document, we will in turn update our community to those changes.

We look forward to any thoughts you may have on this issue, and we encourage everyone to spend some quality time reviewing and adhering to these expectations. Those who choose to act against these rules will find their time with us coming to a swift and potentially permanent end.

Best,
Aether

04/30/2008    |    Devlog    |    Aether    |    Discuss