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Thread: Chat and Conduct Rules Explained

  1. #1
    Retired Community Manager
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    Chat and Conduct Rules Explained

    While the Code of Conduct covers all of the forum and chat rules, the community has requested a more specific description of what conduct generally is and is not allowed. We cannot foresee all possible circumstances; therefore, this list is not comprehensive and can be edited for clarifications or additions at any time. If you are unclear about the rules the best course of action is to submit a support ticket or send a private message to the community manager on the forums. The Code of Conduct is the standing agreement between the player and staff, this post serves to explain and clarify the rules. Should there be a discrepancy between the two, the Code of Conduct will be the ruling document.

    The Settlers Online is a PEGI 7+ rated game.

    PEGI 7+ is a rating established by Pan European Game Information. It is similar to an ESRB rating of E 10+. The game can contain mild cartoon violence. It cannot contain gambling, coarse language, or even mild sexual references.

    All the rules outlined below are also valid in their entirety for the chat room and any message systems in the game.

    Table of Contents

    Netiquette
    Chat and Forum Topics
    Moderation and Support
    Cheat, Hacks, and Scams, Oh My!
    Trade
    User-Generated Contests
    Individual Cases
    Last edited by BB_Nellemose; 02-21-14 at 05:20 pm. Reason: Fixing Minor Errors
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  2. #2
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    Netiquette

    Harassment is not tolerated.
    Any form of cyber-bullying, harassment, and verbal or written violence is strictly against the rules and should be reported to Support immediately with evidence.

    Respect the rights of your fellow humans.
    In general, if someone asks you to stop talking about something, the best and most polite course of action is to stop. Do not use the game or its social outlets to make defamatory remarks about players, other companies, our company, or our staff.

    Treat others as you would your own grandmother.
    Insults, extreme profanity, abuse or any similar conduct on these forums or on the chat are forbidden. Any conduct that violates these rules will result in a warning or exclusion by the administration or moderators. Discrimination against minorities, physically- or mentally-disabled persons, socially disadvantaged groups or others will not be tolerated and any player engaging in these activities will be immediately penalized.

    Do not use mature or adult themed humor.
    Jokes which break our Code of Conduct can result in a ban. The ban and length of the ban will be the moderator’s decision. Be mindful of what you say! What you may see as a joke can be hurtful to other people.

    Mature or adult-themed humor can include, but is not limited to, jokes about racism, specific political subjects, illnesses, mature subjects etc...

    Do not circumvent or bypass the chat filter.
    The chat filter is used to help prevent inappropriate or vulgar content from being posted into chat. Please do not attempt to bypass this filter by using symbols, !@#$%^&*(), spaces, or any other methods of attempting to reveal a word that would otherwise be blocked by the filtering system.

    Bypassing/Circumventing the chat filter may lead to disciplinary actions against your account.

    Do not type in all caps.
    Excessive use of all-capitals or caps-locks can result in a short to long term ban. The length of the ban will be decided by the moderators present and is not up for debate.

    Common expressions or abbreviations usually written in capital letters are, of course, allowed as long as the player does not abuse them.

    Use chat channels appropriately.
    You can find chat channel specific guidelines here. Players should respect the purpose of each of the game chats. If a player is not using the appropriate chat, please politely direct them to the correct tab. All players, new and old, should be treated with respect and encouraged to use the chat to build the game community and enjoy playing.

    Use English only in the North American servers and forums.
    Use of other languages can result in a temporary ban, as Our moderation team needs to easily understand what is being discussed and ensure that it follows the Code of Conduct. If a player continues to use other languages to communicate despite warning, it can result in a temporary ban. Other regional servers are available with the appropriate language support. You may find other regional servers by using the game region drop-down menu on The Settlers Online homepage.

    Do not troll or flame. It will not help you win friends and influence people.
    Do not post for the sole purpose of angering other members or intentionally causing negative reactions. Such posts in the forums will be removed. We understand that this can be a subjective call, but a pattern of such posting or an especially egregious case will get you banned. It is at the moderator or forum admin's discretion to determine what is considered trolling or flaming. To stay safe, do not troll and do not flame.

    Do not use the ignore list or chat features to harass, troll, or grief.
    Advertising who is on your ignore list defeats the purpose of the ignore feature. It is similar to plugging your ears and yelling “I can’t hear you!” It’s just rude; please refrain from doing that.

    Do not send unwanted guild invites or friend requests.
    You should probably know someone a little before inviting them to your guild. Players engaging in repeated invites will be handled in the same way that players spamming chat are handled.

    Create an appropriate username.
    Forbidden usernames include those that are offensive in nature or otherwise violate the Code of Conduct. We reserve the right to request a username change at any time, regardless of length of player history.

    Names such as BB_ or Ubi_ that indicate Ubisoft or Blue Byte staff are reserved for employees of the company. We reserve the right to immediately change any username that implies such of a non-employee.

    With the addition of the Community Leader program, these rules also extend to the use of _CL or CL_.
    Last edited by BB_Nellemose; 06-16-14 at 01:41 pm.
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  3. #3
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    Chat and Forum Topics

    Religion and politics are not appropriate topics.
    The Settlers Online is a place for people from all backgrounds. We intend to nurture a community where everyone feels welcomed. Topics such as religion and politics are deemed too inflammatory, controversial and provocative for the default global channels and forums. You will be warned to stop; if you persist, this could result in a ban. This is not an indication that there is anything inherently wrong with the contents of the topics, but The Settlers Online social outlets are not the proper places to hold such debates.

    Spamming and flooding are not allowed.
    Spamming and flooding the chat, forums or other social channels can result in a ban. Using nonsensical language or characters in chat or on the forums is rude and breaks the flow of communication. Repeatedly posting otherwise legitimate messages in the wrong thread or wrong chat channel will also constitute spam.

    Keep it real, but keep it legal.
    Any invitation to carry out, or planning or execution of any activity which, in accordance with prevailing law, could be categorized as unlawful or illegal is strictly forbidden within the discussion forums, in-game message system and chats, and may be immediately stopped by the moderators or administration at any time without prior notice.

    Also, as this is a PEGI 7+ game; therefore, discussing or promoting alcohol, drugs, pornography or any other mature content will be considered an illegal activity.

    Nobody likes racism and malicious incitement.
    We reserve the right to delete/remove or edit any posts that invoke racial hatred and malicious incitement. The same applies to usernames (nicknames) or Guild identifiers that relate to such.

    Do not post petitions in game, in whisper, or on the forums.
    Any reference or invitations to petitions and boycotts will be stopped, depending on the type and situation, and may result in a warning or a final expulsion without prior notice.

    Software piracy, illegal software, advertisement, or links are not welcome.
    Any requests, promotion, advertising or linking of content protected by copyright for illegal purposes is strictly forbidden. These rules also apply to leaks and other Internet software obtained illegally. Advertising anything that is not related to TSO can result in a ban. Advertising other video games, any other websites, youtube channels or any products is forbidden. Third party web links, URLs, etc. are forbidden unless specifically authorized by the Admin/BB Staff or Moderators.

    Maintain appropriate and useful profiles, signatures, and avatars.
    We will react immediately to any violations of the rules in the user profile or user signature. The administration and moderators will decide when a signature is no longer acceptable, and the relevant users will be instantly notified and will be asked to take immediate and appropriate action. However, the administration and moderators also reserve the right to shorten and amend profiles without prior notice. Forum signatures are to be kept within the size limit of 600 x 150 pixels. Users with signatures larger than this will be asked to change it.

    Stay on topic.
    Should a discussion stray too far from the actual theme of the game, it may be moved, edited, closed, ceased or deleted in its entirety without prior notice. Reposting or continuing the discussion can result in a ban.
    Last edited by BB_Nellemose; 02-21-14 at 05:22 pm. Reason: Fixed Minor Error
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  4. #4
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    Moderation and Support

    Do not use public channels to discuss moderation actions or rules.
    We will not accept any complaints about moderation, the moderators or the rules on the public channels and any such behavior will result in a ban.

    Inquire about moderation via support ticket.
    If you wish to inquire about moderation decisions or how the rules apply, please send a ticket to Support. Remember to stay objective and constructive in your messages. The staff requires the same respect that we ask you to bestow upon other players.

    Keep support interactions private.
    We strive to maintain your privacy during support and moderation interactions. We ask that you also keep the discussions private. Reposted moderated threads, copied and pasted support answers, or copied ban messages will be removed and reviewed for further moderation action.
    Last edited by BB_Rawren; 02-21-14 at 10:10 am.
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    Cheats and Hacks and Scams. Oh My!

    Scamming is not allowed.
    Scamming is strictly against the rules. Remember that most players do not want to scam and in-game issues or real-life issues can sometimes prevent trades from being successful. However, if you are caught scamming, your access to the game may be permanently revoked. Please do not advertise any bad traders or scammers in the game or on the forums. Most retail stores have diminished the need for a bad check wall of shame due to increased technology. We don’t need the equivalent in The Settlers Online. The proper procedure is to alert Support with evidence.

    You may not create multiple accounts on the same server.
    Using more than one account on the same game server grants a specific advantage for trade - commonly referred to as pushing - and is strictly against the rules. If a player is discovered doing this, all associated accounts will be banned from the server. You may have ONE account per each of the unique servers. You may have one account on Ares and one on Zeus, but not two on a single server. One account, two servers and you are all good. Two accounts, one server means trouble.

    Playing with family members and roommates is not only okay, it’s encouraged.
    If you are worried about playing on the same IP address, drop Support a line from each of the accounts and let them know who is playing. It’s not that we assume you are cheating, it just prevents any confusion. However, see next rule:

    Pushing is the distribution of resources for the gain of one account at the detriment of the other.
    Pushing is not allowed from your own accounts, from your husband’s account, or from the cat lady’s account down the street. You may not empty out an account to benefit another account. Systematically doing this is considered pushing and we can see if this happens; pushing cannot be disputed.

    Utilizing or advertising exploits is cheating.
    Sometimes the game functions in ways not originally intended by the development team. Exploits can grant an unfair advantage and utilizing or advertising them could result in a ban. The exploits should be reported directly to Support. We will go over the facts on a case by case basis.

    Utilizing or advertising game hacks, cheats, or bots will result in a permanent ban.
    There is very little room for negotiation; there is a zero tolerance policy for any type of macro, script, bot or other program that can change the way the game interface works.

    The linking, naming or discussing of crackers, cracker crews and/or download networks is also prohibited.
    Last edited by BB_Rawren; 02-21-14 at 10:12 am.
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  6. #6
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    Trade

    Keep trade chatter in trade chat.
    We reserve the right to remove players who repeatedly post trade offers or requests in other chat channels. This is to ensure the enjoyment of all who play the game. That being said, if a player posts a trade in the incorrect chat channel, the appropriate thing to do is kindly direct them to the Trade tab. If they persist in using the incorrect tab, please let us know.

    Do not sell in-game content for real world currency or other digital goods.
    It is forbidden to sell or exchange in-game content (gems, codes, accounts, vouchers, guilds, etc.) for real money or digital goods. Any type of purchase/exchange/trade that isn't fully supported by the tools provided by Blue Byte is at the user's own risk.

    Trade, but do so at your own risk.
    Gems, voucher codes and accounts cannot be traded for other in-game content on public channels, and any private trading of such items is at the user's own risk. Resources can only be exchanged for digital goods that exist within this game.
    Last edited by BB_Rawren; 02-21-14 at 10:15 am.
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  7. #7
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    User Generated Contests

    Get proper approval.
    Competitions of any kind must be always approved by the admins to avoid any potential malpractice or unfair gain at the cost of other players. Keep in mind that lotteries or any other contest which requires a player to “buy-in” for the chance of winning will not be approved by the moderators.

    No lifeguard on duty!
    In general: Participation in any competitions that have not been organized by Ubisoft/Blue Byte is at the player’s own risk. Any claims for damages must be directed to the organizers of such competitions.

    We reserve the right to halt, delete, or cease player events.
    Silence on the part of the admins and/or moderators must not be assumed as consent. The administration reserves the right to remove threads that invite players to participate in unauthorized competitions either directly or indirectly, or which could encourage players to take part in such. The member responsible will be notified of such removal by private message. We also reserve the right to stop in game player created events.
    Last edited by BB_Rawren; 02-21-14 at 10:16 am.
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  8. #8
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    Individual cases that are not covered and the decision-making authority

    The staff will make a decision based on the available facts for individual cases that are unforeseeable and not covered by the rules set out in this notice. In all cases, the ultimate decision-making authority shall rest with the administrators and moderators.
    Last edited by BB_Rawren; 02-21-14 at 09:28 am.
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  9. #9
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    Looking For Group Channel

    "Trade" & "Looking For Group" channels

    We have introduced a new chat channel and would like to present updated rules for two dedicated channels. The main change is the move of offering/requesting related to adventures from the trade channel to the new Looking For Group (Coop) channel.

    - Global-1: Default channel. Please remember - trading & adventure requests are not allowed.
    - Trade: This channel should be used exclusively for trade-related activities.
    - Looking for Group: Default channel for coop activities (adventure requests, coop search/discussion).

    Trade Channel Rules
    1. General trade discussion: Price inquiries, PFB trades, gifts, Adventure loot/spot selling, etc. (NOT allowed: Coop, Adventure and Coop-Requests discussion).
    2. Trade requests
    3. Stick to the "trade" topic and switch to the relevant channel for other discussions not related to the trade channel (for example Looking For Group channel for adventure/coop activity).
    Last edited by BB_Trafffer; 07-13-23 at 02:26 am.

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