The rules of our server

[Agmen of Eladesor]

</on soapbox>

Up in the sanction threads, there was a post made by someone about a sanction that was applied to a player.

@Agmenatwork: Thanks for your link to Character's Setup but I doubt all new players will spend their time searching the forums , which is TOTALLY understandable.

I find myself with very little sympathy to this line of reasoning.

Oh, look, here's a new game to play. Let's just jump in and not look at ANY of the rules! Well, it's pretty simple that if you go to the rules page and look at the topics, you'll find a list of 10 pinned topics.

The fifth one down mentions Server Character Names.
The seventh one down says Character Set-up Procedure.
The bottom one says Discovery Server Rules.

There are links that pop-up in the game. In the cargo hold of your Starflea is a list of ... Server rules. (And it's got one confusing thing in there, by the way. In one sentence it mentions that terrorists can attack traders, while in the next it mentions that Xenos are the only terrorist ID available in game - which could be part of the confusion for some players, but I digress.)

There's an important note in there as well. It states that our server is 'mostly friendly to newcomers'. It doesn't say that we're going to hold their hands, that we're going to coddle them, or that we're going to spoon feed them the pabulum. Mostly friendly to me means simply this:
:rtfm: Read The Freaking Manual, and it's your own fault if you don't.:rtfm:

Harsh? Maybe. I'm perfectly willing to discuss this with others, both in forum and in private. However - both people that responded to my comment IN that sanction thread - their first posts to THIS forum were ... you guessed it - in that sanction thread. I know this is a repeat of past comments in that respect. It's just frustrating to be trying to do your RP - and run into this stuff when they don't want to listen to you.

</off soapbox>

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Oh god... The end of days... Agmen agreed with me.

[MB52]

I think the server rules should be available in other rules despite the rule of only speaking english on the server.

A point many fail to realize is while one can Easily speak a second language in casual conversation reading something as complex and technical as rules in a second language can be tricky.

So posting the rules in say french doesn't mean players will speak french ingame, it just means they can actually understand the rules.

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I’ll carry this flag
To the grave if I must
Because it’s flag that I love
And a flag that I trust

[Primus Avatar]

thank you form bringing this up Carl, but im afraid i will disappoint you when i say that i totally agree with you and cant think up an argument that would support the noob who wrote that.

Every game has rules, for a reason. One cant play a game without respecting other players (in this case: following the rules) and expect to be understood and all his bad deeds forgiven just cause he's a newcommer.

I would point out that not knowing the rule: "do not drink alcohol before driving" does not remove guilt from the driver if he kills a schoolkid on his way home.

"ignorance is bliss" ~fail. This wont buy you a "un-ban-me ticket", and im glad that's the way things are here.

So posting the rules in say french doesn't mean players will speak french ingame, it just means they can actually understand the rules.

Now this is something worth debating. I also support this idea and ive tried to convince the admins (in a long forgotten old thread) that it was worth a shot. Unfortunatelly this idea will need lots of community-support if they are to change their minds about it.

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wassup

[Nightmouse]

I actually think the rules are worded very clear, even for those who have English as a second or even third language (as I have), if they refuse to just get on the forums and rtfm, it's their fault

$0.02

[Leo]

I actually think the rules are worded very clear, even for those who have English as a second or even third language (as I have), if they refuse to just get on the forums and rtfm, it's their fault

$0.02

/signed

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You fear oblivion. Yet you forget. The universe remembers every atom of your being. Even dust hums your name in the dark.
Roleplay is dead. Long live Powertraders and PvP I guess.

[Primus Avatar]

I actually think the rules are worded very clear,

Some of the rules are even complicated in english, let alone the reader's native language. Ive seen examples where even some admins interpreted a selected few rules incorrectly or differently each time. This things happen, and i think some people would appreciate if they got the rules right. The rules say you have to speak english, and the sole exsistance of this rule, even when translated, wont make the reader reject it. He might even recognize it better if it was pointed out in a translated rule thread.

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wassup

[kingvaillant]

the problem here is the lack of patience from older members toward newcomers. We are... merciless with them most of the time...

You were all a newbies in the past, even most of you were lolwutters and OORPers.

When I started, I used to violate so much server rules that I would be banned by now... Yet, players showed patience toward me, helped directly or indirectly to immerse myself into Disco and learn the ropes. Look where I am now.

It is like considering newcomers as babies/kids/learners/etc, you help them to cross the streets. Teach them to look on both sides before. You teach them how to eat in a clean and polite way, etc. When your kids does a mess or something bad, will you pull out a spoon at smack his ass? I wish not... Of course, there are some times where you have no choice, but they are quite rare.

One day the student will become the teacher.

An other issue to my eyes, is this:

[...]Rules are too much going against my views of the world. I am an utilitarian not a fan of Kant and such (/Ethics and philosophy). Main issue with server rules is that they do not really consider the context of the violations. Sometime, to prevent further disruption of people's RP, you gotta violate a rule to take out a bad player. Although, server rules would punish you for such thing, whilst most people would applaud you for.
[...]
If you want this place to improve and get better, play to make everyone happy and to let them enjoy your presence. Get fun through the reconnaissance others give to you. If you play only to satisfy your own selfish needs, you will make a very long list of enemies and turn this place into a hellhole.

So now, to everyone here, There will always be some idiots on the server. But you could start by fixing yourselves, as some of you are sometimes even worst than them...

Dito Mb52 and Balthazzar, being a French native myself, at the beginning here, when my english was less developped, I was able to speak in chat and hold a conversation. Sure, I used some basic english without any fancy words. Although, everyone could understand me enough. Yet, when it came to read the rule, all the technical wording and blablabla gave me quite a lot of headaches. Also, making the rules in French won't make players log on the server and play in french; There is a reason why we have rule 3.3

3.3 All messages in chat must be in understandable English, unless the chat is private and both members know the language being used.

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Director of the Liberty Security Force: Fidelity, Bravery and Integrity

The Amundsen Zone-21 Restrictions

[veer]

actually I learned fast because at starting itself I wanted to join some faction and I joined Cr that helped me a lot......By the way new comer should/must see disco forum everyday they will learn in time.............AND A new topic should be started in disco so newcomer can ask anything about the game,rp,rules and learn fast...what you say guys?

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[Primus Avatar]

A new topic should be started in disco so newcomer can ask anything about the game,rp,rules and learn fast...what you say guys?

We DO have such a place, in fact, we have 3!

Rules (root forum, designed to discuss the rules)

Tutorials and Support (you can search an anwser for anything technical , even the rules)

General discussions (ditto)


BUT


Translating the rules would, in my oppinion, fasten up the process of learning.


I know that when i cam to this server, my english was good enough to read and understand everything.
But did i jump to the WALL OF TEXT IN ENGLISH before i got a combat vessel and went pew-pew-pew?

No. I ignored it until some rules-lawyer threatened to have me sanctioned. (lucky me he didnt)

If it were writen in Croatian, i would have most definatelly read it, it would even amuse me how much
effort they put to "guide me" in to the disco mod.:)

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wassup

[NonSequitor]

There is definitely merit in translating the rules into some other languages, perhaps Spanish, French, German, Croatian, Dutch, Russian and Livonian. Ok, maybe not into Livonian.

It would definitely help many new players acclimatize themselves to this server. And maybe even prevent some larger hassles and frustration further down the road.

Learning new rules is only part of the Disco experience. You have to learn how to navigate in a new culture as well. That alone is enough of a challenge, without having to interpret some of the legalease in the rules, written in a language foreign to you.