The deliberate advertising of other online games that compete directly with Call of War in terms of game genre or subject matter is forbidden. This excludes other Bytro Labs games.
The discussion about existing or future accounts in such games is also prohibited.
This is punishable by a temporary or permanent removal from the chat.
(Note: You can talk about other games but not advertise)
This is self-explanatory, nothing to add here.
Instructions for cheating
All information / instructions on how to use multiple accounts or commit other violations of the Terms and Conditions are prohibited.
File Sharing Tools etc.
Discussions of torrents and file sharing tools and links to such tools are prohibited.
Supporting breaking rules is of course punished just like the breaking itself.
Allegations, which can damage or ruin the reputation of other users/alliances, are strictly prohibited in the chat channels. This is necessary to prevent a possible witch hunt. Likewise publishing player blacklists or links to such lists is prohibited.
Again, the information about other users isn't sufficient (=enough) to tell how disclosing something would affect them. It's better to ask for permission before disclosing, and avoid offensive jokes, as the affected person may not find them as funny. Their reaction (even if not necessarily defensive) usually tells you when to stop.
Blacklists are offensive and cause a feeling of being stalked to the affected people. It also buries their attempts to recover from being involved in something and getting a reputation for it. It's generally better to find a peaceful solution and get rule-breakers to stop, than blacklist them.
Posts which speak ill of Bytro Labs, its staff (professional and volunteer) or the game or that could deter new players are strictly prohibited in the chat channels as is the agitation against features of the game, especially to Gold, High Command and their users is strictly prohibited.
The denunciation of Bytro/staff/premium features is directly competing with Bytro's interests, so is obviously prohibited. However, agitating against the features in general is disallowed, which can be difficult to interpret correctly.
It is of course allowed and essential for the game's evolvement to provide feedback about its features. However, a subjective message with expressive words, or one that accuses the staff, is rather a disruption. In case of negative response from the other users despite the post being "constructive" in your opinion, it's better to contact the staff or find a community that appreciates feedback more. Only if the post has the potential to start a constructive discussion in the community, can it be considered feedback and approved.
Problems with staff should be solved in private. It's a general rule which prevents affected people with a highly subjective view of the situation from making distorted claims and causing tension or damaging the mods' reputation.
Answering to, citing or copying a post related to a violation of the rules is prohibited. The moderators do not have to issue a warning, and such behaviour can be punished as hard as the violation it refers to.
Moderators can issue advice that the current actions or topics in chat channel are, in their consideration, inappropriate.
It is entirely in the remit of a moderator to apply his judgement to the situation and decide if it is impacting negatively on the atmosphere that Bytro expects in its chat channels or on other users in said chat. Whilst the rules above are comprehensive they cannot anticipate every eventuality, hence the need for a moderator to make a judgement call.
Mods aren't obligated to issue warnings at all. Problematic behaviour is difficult to define as a set of certain rules, so some responsibility is left to the mods. Therefore, direction from staff is to be followed even if it isn't based on the chat rules.
Warnings are often a better solution. But, it depends on the context - if someone commits to a violation repeatedly, for example, they should know it's a violation, so there's no reason to warn them.
Banning uses power to limit someone's "freedom" in the game, which very often offends the banned person. It can make nice people break rules, multi-account etc. For this reason, when you see a rule breaker, maybe it's better to convince them to stop than to get them banned. Bans are usually used just if it's the only way to solve the problem - EN mods are patient
Violations of criminal law can be forwarded to the relevant authority (eg. a court) to take action. Nothing to add to that.
Disciplinary actions by users which lie within the scope of the duties of the moderators and the demanding of bans are frowned upon and may result in a warning or temporary disabling. Should a user wish to express their concerns then they should do this via whisper.
Human societies have statuses, which provide certain privileges to people who have proven themselves relevant. This further supports genetically superior individuals and accelerates evolution. For this to work, the people have to follow and protect the system. If the people feel like someone gained a post unfairly or is using the benefits of a post they haven't gained, they will attempt to reject the person.
See where we're going. If someone intentionally behaves like a mod, society may judge this person hasn't proven themselves relevant to be a mod. It's time to reject that person. Unfortunately, live chat is a simple place and is independent on life, so it lacks some social connections, making it difficult to "reject" a person (the only way is get them banned). So, the attempt to reject someone usually ends up in a pointless argument.
Treating the mod as inferior, and disrespecting their authority in general, can cause great irritation to both the mod and other users. It also often starts disputes, as the mod is trained for chat, so the user disregarding the mod's authority is usually judged as "overconfident".
The sole effort to prevent people from breaking rules is not prohibited. What's considered deputy modding is intentionally copying the mods' habits and disciplinary actions to look like a mod, without contributing to their work. Even if your efforts against rule-breaking are successful, it's better to avoid copying mods if there is another, comparably effective way to achieve the same. As stated earlier, "wannabe mods" can cause tension in chat, due to the tendency of people to reject the unfair gaining or imitating privileges.
Sidenote: If you wish to get a further or less nerd explanation (don't understand a ban etc.), it's recommended to contact a mod (not me, I'm not very active) in a private conversation. If you choose to go public, please remember not to disclose any personal information - name, alliance etc. nor about the executive (mod or game operator), nor about the affected player.
