Improving Server Bans: A Call for Conversation and Understanding

[Rapture 2]

In the ever-evolving landscape of online communities and multiplayer gaming, server bans have become an essential tool for maintaining order and ensuring a positive experience for all participants. However, as the rules governing these servers grow increasingly complex and server populations continue to swell, it is time to reconsider how bans are administered. Instead of employing a straightforward, one-size-fits-all approach, server bans should involve direct communication with a staff member. This change can help foster a more understanding and inclusive environment within online communities.

The Complexity of Server Rules
Server rules are essential for ensuring that everyone in a community can enjoy their time without interference from trolls, cheaters, or disruptors. Over time, these rules have grown in complexity, as new games introduce unique mechanics and nuances that require specific regulations. For players, these intricate rule sets can be overwhelming, and unintentional infractions can lead to bans that feel unjust.

The Human Element
Servers are not just lines of code; they are communities of real people with diverse backgrounds and perspectives. Every player brings their unique understanding of the rules, and misinterpretations can occur. Some players may not even be aware that they are breaking a rule. This is where the human element comes into play.

By incorporating a conversation with a staff member as a prerequisite for issuing a ban, server administrators can provide an opportunity for players to clarify their actions, ask questions about the rules, and gain a better understanding of the server's expectations. This interaction can bridge the gap between the rule makers and the players, fostering a sense of community and empathy.

Avoiding Unnecessary Bans
One of the main issues with traditional server bans is the potential for overzealous enforcement, leading to the wrongful exclusion of players who genuinely want to be a part of the community. With a more communicative approach, staff members can discern between unintentional violations, misunderstandings, and deliberate misconduct.

Conversations can also provide a chance for staff members to educate players about the server rules and encourage them to abide by them willingly. This approach can result in a more informed and rule-abiding player base.

Reducing Toxicity and Improving Player Retention
Online communities often suffer from toxicity, which can be exacerbated by a zero-tolerance ban policy. Engaging in conversations with players before resorting to bans can humanize the experience and deter negative behavior. Players may be less likely to engage in toxic actions if they perceive the server staff as approachable and understanding.

Furthermore, when players feel they are heard and understood, they are more likely to remain engaged with the community, improving player retention rates. A more inclusive and communicative approach to handling rule violations can ultimately strengthen the server's population and its overall health.

Conclusion
In today's intricate and ever-growing online gaming communities, it is crucial to evolve the way we administer server bans. A shift towards incorporating conversations with staff members can lead to a more just and empathetic system that takes into account the complexities of server rules and the diversity of player experiences. By fostering understanding and promoting a sense of community, we can create a more enjoyable and sustainable online gaming environment for everyone.

[Big Boss Fredo 756]

Ain’t nobody reading all this 

[-Shawn- 4508]

8 minutes ago, Big Boss Fredo said:

Ain’t nobody reading all this 

I got you 

[Linka 2932]

all I heard was free @ vedalkenn

[Bubbaloo - Reusable P Cup 2918]

I am available within at the most 24 hours of issuing a ban. I don’t like to do player reports when I know I won’t be available for a while as players will not be able to reach me. I provide rule knowledge to players and consider myself lenient if I’m not dealing with a repeated offender. 
 

While I agree with your statement, it would create a crazy back log of player reports by us just sitting around until the player is actually online to speak to them about their ban. 
 

We have and are testing a new system that if proven beneficial, will be sticking around permanently. I think you’ll like what we have cooking in the kitchen. 

[N9ne 376]

tldr; Rapture is a retard

[Rapture 2]

Just now, N9ne- said:

tldr; Rapture is a retard

Who even are you?

[CaloomClark 1169]

I feel @ Headless  and @ ThatNerdyGuy  dealt with my ban in such a manner… and i think i’ve come far in the server since being unbanned after 560 odd days

[Linka 2932]

17 minutes ago, Bubbaloo Burrito said:

I am available within at the most 24 hours of issuing a ban. I don’t like to do player reports when I know I won’t be available for a while as players will not be able to reach me. I provide rule knowledge to players and consider myself lenient if I’m not dealing with a repeated offender. 
 

While I agree with your statement, it would create a crazy back log of player reports by us just sitting around until the player is actually online to speak to them about their ban. 
 

We have and are testing a new system that if proven beneficial, will be sticking around permanently. I think you’ll like what we have cooking in the kitchen. 

You can trust Bubbaloo, all his skill points went into being staff instead of driving in game

[-Shawn- 4508]

9 minutes ago, CaloomClark said:

I feel @ Headless  and @ ThatNerdyGuy  dealt with my ban in such a manner… and i think i’ve come far in the server since being unbanned after 560 odd days

with a streak like that.. I think it deserves a ghosthawk hand delivered by @ Grandma Gary tbh

[Community Director Sov 132]

2 hours ago, Staff Point Farm said:

The Human Element
Servers are not just lines of code; they are communities of real people with diverse backgrounds and perspectives. Every player brings their unique understanding of the rules, and misinterpretations can occur. Some players may not even be aware that they are breaking a rule. This is where the human element comes into play.

Yes.  Such as when @ Grandma Gary  opted to protect @ CaloomClark 's Ghosthawk after CTF's was taken for combat store, and after players have had theirs granted as comp from logs alone, yet alone visual contact.  

2 hours ago, Staff Point Farm said:

Conversations can also provide a chance for staff members to educate players about the server rules and encourage them to abide by them willingly. This approach can result in a more informed and rule-abiding player base.

Yes, conversations are also important.  If they were all willing to have conversations about the matter, I could have informed @ Grandma Gary he was unfairly applying the rules, and thus, could have avoided him making a huge mistake that he'd have to double down on.   

[Snake 745]

Im not sure if im just lucky but ive only had a staff member be reasonable and speak to me a single time in the 5 times ive received a ban in the last year. The variability of bias and experience on this server are extreme and while i do think its impractical to implement what OP is discussing, having a structure that allows you to handle the siutation without being sidelined for days or weeks at a time would be beneficial. The website is not communicative enough and is not the same as speaking to someone in voice. 

I've been banned for 3 days for saying "imagine lethally injecting someone running oil" in side chat and seen RDM bans overturned within minutes. That is dumb as hell and the admin who banned me was and is still a retard for that. 

There should be something in place to make things fair and more balanced when rules are broken.

[Community Director Sov 132]

10 minutes ago, Snake said:

There should be something in place to make things fair and more balanced when rules are broken.

Like the ending of gray area rule interpretation.   Still remember a TNM member getting a ban because he ran towards a room that had his friend in restraints with a suivest, and still managed to kill EVERY COP.  If he hadn't done that, than the cop processing his friend would have survived.  Or some people losing vehicles when they combat store and others don't.  Staff are not psychics, and nothing will ever break a players spirit and make them not want to be on a server more than staff being bias.  

[Element_ 265]

Speaking of bans, report finally went through on someone blantanly RVDing our gang shed, 30 min later hes unbanned? 

Now I remember why I barely report anyone, because they never get actually banned, just a time out for 1-2 hours of sitting in TS waiting to appeal the moment they actually do.
 

[johnny goose 2964]

i am NOT reading all that

 

Just now, Element_ said:

just a time out for 1-2 hours of sitting in TS waiting to appeal the moment they actually do.

real niggas dm @ Ryan and he handles it

[doubleueyeceekay 445]

1 hour ago, Element_ said:

Speaking of bans, report finally went through on someone blantanly RVDing our gang shed, 30 min later hes unbanned? 

Now I remember why I barely report anyone, because they never get actually banned, just a time out for 1-2 hours of sitting in TS waiting to appeal the moment they actually do.
 

RVDing sheds is weird, we’ve had the exact same experience when someone flew a plane into our shed, they got a hefty ban, and then was back on the server within the hour.

I remember a colleague allegedly tractoring a CoB gang shed and getting a good ban and the appeal denied, what happened to that tier of enforcement?

[Larkerz 165]

5 hours ago, Linka said:

all I heard was free @ vedalkenn

all I heard was free @ EricZ

[johnny goose 2964]

Free cheese free 7 free tarq free matthew free the guys

[doubleueyeceekay 445]

57 minutes ago, The Sovereigns Pet said:

Free cheese free 7 free tarq free matthew free the guys

Cheese is innocent he was smoking crank at my house when he got banned free him up  

[Millennium 5343]

13 hours ago, Bubbaloo Burrito said:

I am available within at the most 24 hours of issuing a ban. I don’t like to do player reports when I know I won’t be available for a while as players will not be able to reach me. I provide rule knowledge to players and consider myself lenient if I’m not dealing with a repeated offender. 

Unfortunately you aren’t everyone. Majority of staff do not like interacting with people that they banned and will avoid them. It has always occurred , I used to give people shit for it all the time when I was staff. I mean I get it, it can be annoying sometimes, but that’s a part of the role that you are volunteering to do.

There was a guy waiting in ban center the other day for almost 24 hours, waiting on the banning staff member to pull him. The staff member was active in the Teamspeak and just choosing to ignore him even after I talked to the kid in support and even talked to the mod/admin, but he didn’t wanna bother with it. (I’ve seen this too many times to count unfortunately)

[doubleueyeceekay 445]

34 minutes ago, Millennium said:

Unfortunately you aren’t everyone. Majority of staff do not like interacting with people that they banned and will avoid them. It has always occurred , I used to give people shit for it all the time when I was staff. I mean I get it, it can be annoying sometimes, but that’s a part of the role that you are volunteering to do.

There was a guy waiting in ban center the other day for almost 24 hours, waiting on the banning staff member to pull him. The staff member was active in the Teamspeak and just choosing to ignore him even after I talked to the kid in support and even talked to the mod/admin, but he didn’t wanna bother with it. (I’ve seen this too many times to count unfortunately)

They want the perks of staff but not the responsibility fr, I understand they also want to play the game or others but they have explicitly volunteered for the role and knew the responsibilities going in

 

free matthew tarq and cheese fuck it free 7 also

[ben- 213]

something ive always disliked about american servers is the report system, you can just report someone with little context of the full picture (e.g. i run someone over and kill them so out of anger they run me over and i report them and they get banned). Its a system which is unfair and human emotion and error is taken out of the picture. I think allowing people to see what they get reported in by adding them to the support ticket would be a good idea as it allows the person to resolve and deal with the issue at hand. 

[Noble 1715]

Often times, many staff members don't want to talk in TeamSpeak because they can get a clear idea of the situation from the ticket and dispute alone. If you VDM an airdrop vehicle and tell the kid to kick rocks and suck your nuts in the dispute and then you make a  ban app saying how sorry you are and asking to be heard out in TeamSpeak, most  of staff wont give you the time of day. On the contrary, many times people break rules and somehow (beyond me) smooth talk an admin to lift the ban even after it was a clear, textbook rule break with nothing but toxic responses on a dispute. This leaves the player that created the report with a sense that we don't care about rule breaks and enables more people to break rules because "i can just go in TS and get it lifted". Enabling behavior like that is bad for the server. Best thing to do is don't break rules!

17 hours ago, Element_ said:

Speaking of bans, report finally went through on someone blantanly RVDing our gang shed, 30 min later hes unbanned? 

Now I remember why I barely report anyone, because they never get actually banned, just a time out for 1-2 hours of sitting in TS waiting to appeal the moment they actually do.
 

this^. If we enable you to talk in TS instead of denying your ticket, the banned player gets even more mad because after 30 mins of trying every trick in the book (mental health gf broke up with you dog died cat died uncle died and you lost internet drug addict etc etc) to try and get unbanned. Then they pull the "oh well ill comp him now" well of course anyone who is banned will comp NOW to play once you get banned its too far past the comp stage. After all that, if i tell the guy im not reducing or lifting, he gets pissed that he waited and told me his story. Usually ends with "shit server shit staff goodbye" and a disconnect from TS. Its a lose lose

[Bubbaloo - Reusable P Cup 2918]

4 hours ago, Millennium said:

Unfortunately you aren’t everyone. Majority of staff do not like interacting with people that they banned and will avoid them. It has always occurred , I used to give people shit for it all the time when I was staff. I mean I get it, it can be annoying sometimes, but that’s a part of the role that you are volunteering to do.

There was a guy waiting in ban center the other day for almost 24 hours, waiting on the banning staff member to pull him. The staff member was active in the Teamspeak and just choosing to ignore him even after I talked to the kid in support and even talked to the mod/admin, but he didn’t wanna bother with it. (I’ve seen this too many times to count unfortunately)

100%. 

[Community Director Sov 132]

23 minutes ago, Noble said:

Often times, many staff members don't want to talk in TeamSpeak because they can get a clear idea of the situation from the ticket and dispute alone. If you VDM an airdrop vehicle and tell the kid to kick rocks and suck your nuts in the dispute and then you make a  ban app saying how sorry you are and asking to be heard out in TeamSpeak, most  of staff wont give you the time of day. On the contrary, many times people break rules and somehow (beyond me) smooth talk an admin to lift the ban even after it was a clear, textbook rule break with nothing but toxic responses on a dispute. This leaves the player that created the report with a sense that we don't care about rule breaks and enables more people to break rules because "i can just go in TS and get it lifted". Enabling behavior like that is bad for the server. Best thing to do is don't break rules!

this^. If we enable you to talk in TS instead of denying your ticket, the banned player gets even more mad because after 30 mins of trying every trick in the book (mental health gf broke up with you dog died cat died uncle died and you lost internet drug addict etc etc) to try and get unbanned. Then they pull the "oh well ill comp him now" well of course anyone who is banned will comp NOW to play once you get banned its too far past the comp stage. After all that, if i tell the guy im not reducing or lifting, he gets pissed that he waited and told me his story. Usually ends with "shit server shit staff goodbye" and a disconnect from TS. Its a lose lose

There are staff that legitimately are terrified of getting yelled at and/or looking like the bad guy, and it ends up making them the bad guy.  There are some staff with absolutely 0 of the traits the position requires, and are staff entirely because they are friends with staff who vouch and push for them.