January Update #2

[Viper3X 1056]

Hey guys! We're already ready to release a fresh new batch of changes to the server! Included in this thread are some (questionably) controversial changes, but please read them and understand why we are making these changes to the server. I'll spare you the semantics and get right to the important changes that you are waiting to read.

Change #1: Villain applications and the Villain Application Team (rank) are being removed from the Lord of the Craft. You will no longer require a VA in order to perform villainous actions in roleplay on the server. With that said, however, we will be modifying a few noteworthy VA rules and adding them to the official server rules.

• If attempting to falsify an identity and take up a mock 'position' of importance or value (such as a guard), your name cannot simply be changed in order to perfectly emulate the role (such as "Guard_Jeff"). Instead, it should be through deceptive roleplay and not simply a /setname change.
• You are not to return items upon killing someone, even if asked by the player you killed. This effectively falls under meta-gaming. Not only does it make absolutely no RP sense to return items, it ends up becoming an expectation that upon death people will have their items reimbursed.
• If an RP situation you are in is making you feel uncomfortable, request an alternative way of RPing it or even just drop it and pretend it never happened. If another player is being too descriptive (during murder, torture, gory situations, etc) and you find it disturbing, you have the right to tell them, and they must comply and tone it down. However, this does not allow you to avoid certain situations (such as robbery, murder, etc) simply because it does not benefit you in-character. Instead, a shortcut can be made so that the uncomfortable details are avoided.
• A modification to a current rule: The 30 minute death timer functions different now during wars, battles and events. Instead of the timer starting as soon as you die, the timer now begins when the war, battle or event ends. If you are unsure if the occurrence has ended, play it safe and simply avoid the area for at least an hour. (The current 30 minute death rule will be modified but worded differently than presented in this thread. More information can be found here).

Now you might be asking why we have decided to go through with this change. To be completely honest with you all, VAs have been debated and discussed over many, many months within the LotC staff teams. We have modified VAs, added and removed VA rules and evils, and made countless efforts towards improving them. While villain applications have numerous pros and cons alike, their removal was inevitable. I won't reiterate the entire argument surrounding keeping or removing VAs, but I will summarize why we decided to remove them in the end. In short, VAs were yet another OOC barrier that players had to overcome in order to expand their roleplay. We want to focus on keeping things as IG as possible, and VAs were preventing that. In addition to this, it was yet another regulation that new players had to learn -- we don't want that either. We want the learning curve to be as small and easy as possible. VAs were also causing numerous problems within the community. I'll finish this paragraph with an example. Some players thought that removing VAs would create dozens of poor villain RP'ers that wouldn't know how to roleplay villains correctly. While part of this may be true, it will only occur on a small scale. In fact, we created the title (or "trophy") of being a villain ourselves by creating the VA system. We made it a trophy that players had to earn, which resulted in many of the villain problems that we see today. When we simplified the VA system and the villain problem grew worse, many people thought that this was proof that allowing more people to become villains led to detrimental effects to the server. In reality, however, it just allowed more people to attain the villain application trophy. To a majority of people, becoming a villain is like achieving an award, and their attitudes and actions often reflect this. By removing VAs, not only will we remove the idea of villains being a separate aspect of roleplay altogether, but villain roleplay as a whole will approve. The wave of new villain RP'ers is expected within the first few weeks (much like what happened when we removed magic applications) following these changes, but afterwards the numbers will deteriorate as the idea of being a special villain deteriorates (as it won't be special anymore). I personally believe that making villain RP exclusive is what created these villain problems, not bad roleplayers. It's our job as a community to teach the new roleplayers how to roleplay better, not force them to prove that they can write an application in order to have more roleplaying options.

Change #2: There has been a slight modification to our ToS (Terms of Service). The changes are outlined below (you may also find them in the Site Disclaimer section within our ToS at the bottom).

• Lord of the Craft is not liable for any actions that users commit while interacting with any of our services, including, but not limited to, unlawful actions or content. If you are under the legal age of adulthood, it is recommended that you ask your parental guardian(s) for permission to use and interact with our LotC-related services.

Essentially, we are not accountable or held responsible for your actions that occur on this server or our various other outlets law-wise. Why have we made these changes? You'll understand why when you read change #3. This change is a placeholder, as I intend on rewriting our entire ToS from scratch and basing it off an online template in the very near future.

 

Change #3: Many of you likely thought that the so called controversial changes that I hinted to earlier was the removal of VAs, but it was not. We are making a modification to our cybering policy. Yes, you read that right. Our stance on cybering is still the same -- it is a punishable offense that we do not tolerate or condone here on LotC. The rule is also still the same. However, our banning policy is now modified (this also applies to those currently banned for cybering). From here on out, players found to be cybering will only be banned for 1-3 months on their first offense, depending on the severity of the situation (borderline cybering 1-2 months, blatant cybering 3 months). The second offense, however, will be permanent (and by permanent I mean indefinitely, forever, for an infinite amount of time). Wow Viper! You just opened up the server to a bunch of cyberers! No, no I have not. You're likely face-palming right now and wondering what is going on inside the crazy heads of the administration team. Well, the simple fact is that many people cyber due to foolishness and immaturity (young kids like to fool around, you know?). Whether it's ignorance of the rules, a joke, or a little kid who's giggling behind his keyboard because he thinks what's happening is funny. Many good roleplayers have been banned for cybering even though they realize what they did was a mistake. On the other hand, some players decide to quit the server and cyber in order to get permanently banned rather than pugsying. However, we have decided to make it possible to appeal on the first offense in order for us to allow those genuinely good players to return. Is there a chance that some players will appeal even if they haven't learned from their past mistakes? Of course there is. However, if they do it again then they are permanently banned for good. We only want the players back that realize what they did was wrong and intend to never do it again. Keep in mind that cybering is one of the easiest rules that we can catch you breaking, and finding offenders isn't hard at all. It's easily discovered through various methods, which makes it easy to control. I hope you guys understand the core concept behind making this change, even if you think it's a poor choice. We aren't inviting cyberers back onto the server to allow them to repeat their actions again. We're giving them the chance to show us that they truly learned from their mistakes. I'm sure many questions will arise from this, and we will do our best to answer them. I will be rewriting the guidelines on how to avoid breaking the cybering rule as well (tip: just don't do it at all!), so stay tuned for that in the near future as well!

Edit: If you would like your cybering appeal to be private, feel free to PM an administrator or the moderator that banned you.

Have fun LotC, and remember, it's just a game! We're meant to have fun here, and we want to give everyone the chance to enjoy what LotC has to offer equally. Don't trouble yourself with the problems that the staff teams have to deal with too much -- that's what we're here for!

Stay safe,

-Viper3X, Head Administrator
-The rest of the Administration Team

[FalconByte 156]

First

[Snake Plissken 637]

Second.

[Tadmonster 54]

Third! Third! Third!

 

My personal best, thank you for noticing. All following posts should be regarded as comments to my magnificent performance.

[Eleatic 1033]

I'm coffuzled.

 

VA's be gone?

 

Edit: Read Change three. I'm stoopeed.

[Kawaii Kush 3]

I love LoTC again.

[Quavinir_Twiceborn 1050]

*Sigh*

 

 

Okay staff...I'm trusting you with these VA removal...

 

Personally I think its a REAALLY bad idea..

[sgtsomebody 6]

fourth

[Redbaron™ 690]

Lol we'll see how this goes.

 

Oh wow, people who cyber'd are allowed, so many good RPers who made a mistake are allowed to RP again ^^

[Viper3X 1056]

The removal of VAs isn't irreversible. Nothing is!

[bungo 3965]

Welcome back Ryno2!

[Agnub 605]

I, for one, look forward to robbing children of their candy on the highway now.

[Snoop 365]

Yes.

[Genevieveee 234]

Now my IG brother can be unbanned! #UnbanHero2014

[Tadmonster 54]

fourth

Nope! Try 6th!