Locked Server Rules Update and More 5/2/2025

[David Miller 786]

This rule update has a lot to cover. The staff team has been hard at work rewriting a significant portion of the rules to make them simpler, clearer, and hopefully easier to understand. Before we get too far, the goal of this overhaul is NOT to change the way the rules currently work; there are some tweaks and some new verbiage that may clarify some interpretations, but any changes should be how administrative staff have been handling the rules for some time, and not intended to change the way players and admin staff are currently handling the rules. 

Too many changes exist for our normal Red = Remove, Yellow = Change, and Green = added format. I will try to go over some of what we changed and why. For a full changelog, see:  https://wiki.olympus-entertainment.com/index.php?title=Altis_Life_Rules&diff=12670&oldid=12663

ON TO THE SHOW:

A prominent feature of this overhaul is that almost all Examples have been removed and replaced with links to a new page. This makes the rules significantly shorter and to the point. Most of the Roleplay fluff and rules related only to the R&R or APD have also been moved to their appropriate pages.

Some chapters have been combined or removed, a few rules have found new homes in more appropriate chapters, and many chapters have been rearranged. RDM,NLR, VDM, meta, Combat Log, and all other traditional rules are now the first set of chapters instead of chapters 1-5, and then, for some reason, also chapters 10 and 15. The second set of chapters is roles like WPL, Vigi, and Taxi, and the last set is rule modifiers like red zones and federal events. 
RVD and VDM chapters have been combined because they are so similar.
The War chapter was removed, becoming an exception to RDM rules.
Aviation was removed and covered by RDM and VDM.
Terror, HQ Takeover, and Martial law merged into Events with Gangbase and Turfs.
The first section, 'Rules and Guidelines,' is now a 'Chapter' to facilitate formatting on the back end. 

If we go into detail about the changes in every chapter, this post will end up being more ridiculous than it already is, so here is an example of what was changed on the RDM chapter, which was most likely the most changed chapter:

War was added as an exception to RDM, Warning shots are added as an acceptable engagement method against aerial vehicles. Clarifications are made about Gang tags and the fact that [Medic] tags are not considered gang tags. A note was made that various events and situations change RDM rules. Examples all got moved to the supplemental page. 

Probably the most significant change to RDM rules, and what is likely to be the most controversial change of the whole rules update, is the addition of:
2.7 "Engagement typically applies within 1km of the initial fight but may extend if players actively participate, travel to the fight, or move around as part of the combat. Long-range weapons may justify extended engagements, but engagement should not be used to target distant, uninvolved players. Engagement follows active combat movement, and admin discretion will be used to evaluate disputes."

I could probably write a post on this change alone. The admin staff team has long held that engagement has a set distance, but we have lacked a good acknowledgment or guidelines in the rules. This rule is NOT intended to have players pulling out rulers and shift clicks to decide if they are within an engagement, but rather indicates that players should not use an engagement significantly far away to justify starting a new situation without a new engagement. This rule used to be handled by the example: 
" Engagement happens in Sofia, all [A] and [X] in Sofia are engaged. All [A] and [X] who enter Sofia afterwards are engaged. If the firefight moves from Sofia to rescue without intermission, then it's still a free for all for [A] and [X]."
This indicated there was a distance component to engagement, but it left a lot up to interpretation, disagreement, and confusion, especially as Sofia Rescue was moved around and people started calling it a hospital instead of a rescue. While it might sound like a major change, we hope this new rule will actually be pretty minor and will help players understand what the administrative team considers when considering the scope of an engagement. 



Most other chapters should be straightforward, with wording changes and examples removed, but essentially the same content as before. Players should notice alot more links in the rules, that take them to a new page: https://wiki.olympus-entertainment.com/wiki/Altis_Life_Rules_Supplemental
This is where our examples and some added context for many of the rules went. The administration team is meant to edit this page as new examples or gray areas are pointed out to try to keep the rules page simple and clear while also providing extra clarity to those who might appreciate it. 

 

If anyone has any questions about the changes, please submit a general inquiry with the staff team or message me directly. I want to acknowledge that mistakes may have been made in this process, so minor tweaks may be needed. If you notice any issues, don't be afraid to send them along. 
https://wiki.olympus-entertainment.com/wiki/Altis_Life_Rules

Thank you for reading and for playing Olympus!