Henry d'Esterre Darby

Please F11 these situations - there is very little easy way to fix problems like this with a screen shot. Thank you.

Barracks-house lawyering is not welcome here. I'm the messenger, Game Labs is the purveyor of the rule. Discussions of whether or not this is "legal" are off topic. Since this has degenerated into an off topic mess, this thread will now be locked. The situations mentioned in the first and second pages that may cause problems with this (attacking a smuggler to get out of battle, etc) will be looked into. Follow the rules.

Admin, the lead producer, posts on these forums every day. He responds to questions, and maintains road maps and upcoming feature discussions, especially in the Developer News and Announcements and Patch Notes forums. Finally, polls are often taken to see what the players want worked on next, and the outcome of those polls is followed very closely. Compared to most of the games out there, this is one of the most developer-player interactive development processes I've seen in nearly 20 years of online gaming.

Nothing of significance ever falls on deaf ears. Does it get discussed behind the scenes when it's a serious problem? It most certainly does. Do changes get proposed to fix it? They do - both suggestions from the forums and suggestions from chosen testers and moderating staff, and they are heard, evaluated, and reviewed by the Lead Producer. Do those proposals always get added to the feature list? They do not. Sometimes they conflict with the core game vision, sometimes they just don't make for good/fun gameplay, sometimes they have been tried before and failed, and sometimes they just aren't technologically possible given the existing code base. Do proposals that end up on the feature list get added to the game in a near-future time period? Not always. Sometimes we have to implement rules and ask players not to do something that is game breaking while a potential feature is waiting for development time so that it can be implemented. And no, I do not know where RoE changes fit in the list above. In the mean time, you have a rule that must be followed, with penalties that are clearly outlined. Violate that rule at your own risk.

I'll note that I have unhidden posts and threads, and even apologized for hiding posts when I was asked, respectfully via PM, why I did so (and often when the Captain also provided his logic as to why the post/thread shouldn't have been hidden). Sometimes a post gets caught up in a mass-hide to get the thread under control, and sometimes the post is on-topic enough that after reviewing the hide, we might unhide it. We're nice people, come to us respectfully and ask questions and we're happy to answer them. We may not always turn around and change our action to your satisfaction, but we will listen.

We will shoot your donkey with great llama!

No insult at all. My language is very concise at times, which online can make it sound like I'm angry. I have to take great care (and about 4x the amount of time) writing business emails to ensure correct "tone" is achieved. I don't always have the time when moderating to do so.

Let's say you post a suggestion about a great new feature, let's say it's related to crew experience. Then someone else responds in your thread that Pirates shouldn't be able to capture ports, resulting in four pages of bickering about pirates. How does that off topic discussion, in a post about crew experience, help anyone review your idea, post their own thoughts and ideas to improve it, etc? When a developer sees your post about crew changes and thinks "hey, that might be a good idea", and then finds it full of off topic discussion, what do you think that very busy developer is going to do? They're going to hit the back button and find something else. Meanwhile, the idea about pirates, which may have some merit (this is just an example), never sees the light of day because it is not easily found in the topic list. So, again, tell me how allowing people to talk about anything and everything, regardless of the topic of the thread, page after page, helps to provide feedback and new ideas to the developers?

Your definition of respect and mine is completely different. Hiding your post and cautioning you that you are violating the rules is not disrespectful - it's required of me in my position as a moderator of these forums. Your repeated and ongoing disrespect of the forum rules, however, could be construed to be a violation of #1. Posting content in a thread that is entirely off topic is not permitted - especially threads related to rules changes, game mechanics, patch notes, etc. Allowing people to utterly derail a topic creates pages and pages of discussion that have no bearing whatsoever on what people have gone to that topic to learn about and discuss. Having to thread your way through 2, 3, or even 4 or more different conversations in a single thread is disorienting, confusing, and a waste of time. If you'd like for me not to post red comments in your posts and or issue you warnings, you may want to review the rules here: http://forum.game-labs.net/index.php?/topic/2346-forum-and-sea-trials-rules/ These forums are here for the Developers to receive valuable player feedback and ideas for the game. They are not here as a social experiment, for discussions of the philosophy of government and human interactions, nor for people to play barracks-house lawyer in every thread they respond to. Off topic posts will be hidden so that they do not create a giant mess of people responding to them and arguing about them. Repeatedly posting off topic posts will result in an application of the published rules. Rule #13 - Off Topic posting is prohibited. You have violated this rule numerous times in the past few days. You have been warned to stop doing so and stay on the topic for that thread. Your next warning will be a full point and a 2 day premoderation - where all of your posts will be reviewed by a moderator prior to posting them. Further points after that will result in suspension of posting privileges for periods of time.

No it doesn't. There is an "Ignore" function, you can use it. "But officer, he called me a bad name so I shot him in the face!!!" This is not a defense to attacking someone anywhere. Follow the rules, or face the consequences. Violating the rules because you have problems with the "engine room" isn't going to fly here.

As I posted in the Support forum, use the report function in game. Thank you.

This. Chat violations are not reportable via the forums. The only way to report chat violations is by right clicking the person's name on the offensive statement and selecting "report". Closing.

The prior rule was that, unless they were the same nation and intentionally hindering you in your fight, it STILL WAS NOT LEGAL TO FIRE ON A GREEN SHIP INTENTIONALLY. DesMoines has been warned under the new rule because, after his first intentional violation, he did it again just a short time later. We were originally discussing an immediate XP reset for him for his inability to follow the rules - Admin chose to warn him under the new system instead. DesMoines may choose - take his warning under the new rule, or take his XP reset under the old rules. I'll be waiting for his decision. GET BACK ON TOPIC. The constant Off Topic chatter will not be tolerated further. Falls under the same approach - both parties agreed to the damage to further their fight. As with scuttling, get proof prior to opening fire.

I'd come up with a scheme for this some time ago, kind of modeled on Silent Hunter Online. It served two purposes - 1. providing a fun way to make a small boost to performance with experienced crew, 2. to make crew valuable, and not something you threw away willy nilly. Crew now costing money has taken care of #2, but #1 is still there.

In the case of intentional scuttling, both parties have agreed to the scuttle, so nobody will be reporting anybody else to Tribunal, right? As with the prior rules, if you're going to both agree to do something like this, you had best have proof that the other person asked you to do so.

There won't be one. One of the terms of purchasing the game is that you will follow the rules when utilizing the shared servers. Failure to honor the terms by which you purchased the game does not entitle you to a refund. This is covered in the EULA and TOS.

Fox, that is where the evidence and establishment of "intent" comes in. If a screenshot were to show that it was pretty plausible that the offender was shooting at an enemy and accidentally hit you, it's very likely they're not going to be found guilty. The Admiralty understands that sometimes a broadside finishes going off a little late, some rounds fly long and hit a friendly behind an enemy, in short, accidents happen. The evidence provided will need to conclusively prove that the offender intended to cause harm to a friendly.

That means he can't play any more. It will be pretty much impossible to reach that point without having received at least a warning prior to that action being taken.

I have unlocked the thread for discussion of this rule change. Currently, the lead complaint I've heard is the act of attacking a smuggler to prevent people from attacking you. Please add additional comments/concerns to this thread. Thank you.

Based on ongoing abuse of the automated damage system, and due to recent changes in mechanics on who may attack whom, the following rule is now adopted: This rule has been posted in the official rules thread: http://forum.game-labs.net/index.php?/topic/2346-forum-and-sea-trials-rules All Captains are required to follow the posted rules at all times in game. Thank you.

In response to numerous recent reports of traitorous actions by supposedly allied Captains on the high seas, the Admiralty formally adopts a new rule regarding Green on Green damage: Be it known that DesMoines has now officially received his first warning under this new act. This warning was issued due to his being a repeat offender in such a short period of time. Any future, documented, violation(s) by DesMoines of damaging a friendly ship will cause him to be reduced in rank.

Green on Green Damage Rules Be it known that in response to numerous reports of traitorous and dastardly attacks being perpetrated by miscreants upon their fellow allied Captains, the Admiralty hereby announces that it will no longer tolerate these dishonourable, despicable depradations upon its ships. You have been warned. Damaging a friendly shall imperil your rank, and possibly even your commission! Due to the number of green on green incidents reported by Captains in the Tribunal, the following rule is now adopted by the Admiralty. This rule supersedes (replaces) all previous green on green rules: Effective Immediately Intentional Green on Green Damage is no longer permitted in Naval Action. This rule is now in effect for everyone in the game, regardless of nation. If you are in battle, and a green player in that battle begins to intentionally damage you, put it into Tribunal. The Tribunal case must have evidence attached with it - a verbal only accusation will not result in any action taken. Video is preferred - conclusive video will result in the highest chance of the person being punished. Screen shots may be accepted, if they are numerous enough and complete enough to show conclusively, at the discretion of the Admiralty, that you were being intentionally damaged by a friendly. Updated (September 2019): Return fire is only allowed if warnings (about return fire) were issued in chat to the players who fire on you If the warning was ignored please take a chat screenshot and include it as a part of provided evidence After warnings and the screenshot you can return fire on the offenders Otherwise do not return fire or damage the offending player yourself. "Self Defense" may not excuse you from being found guilty of green on green damage without issued warning. Unlike previous rules, it is no longer required that the offender get credit for sinking the player. Doing any kind of damage (the amount of damage done will vary based on the case) intentionally to a fellow green ship in a battle may be punishable. Obviously, there are times when accidental friendly fire happens - the Admiralty will work to ensure the evidence presented conclusively proves the intent to damage the friendly, and not an accidental damage situation. Upon a Guilty finding by the Admiralty, the following actions will be taken against the offender: 1st Offense: The offender will receive a warning. 2nd Offense: The offender will be demoted to the first rank. 3rd Offense: The offender's account will be banned on all servers. The Admiralty reserves the right to bypass one or more levels of punishment at its discretion - do NOT assume that you can get away with it once and get off with just a warning.

This case is under review by the Admiralty, I have locked the thread since y'all can't follow the rules of the tribunal. Warnings will be issued just as soon as I sort it out. If DesMoines would like to respond, he may contact me via PM.

This has been debated and answered ad nauseum on the forums. Further, the new system will change the entire way port battles are timed. Locking as no longer relevant given the new conquest mechanics that are on the way. OP is reminded that further foul language outbursts of this nature will result in a more serious response from the moderation staff.

I think prior to doing this, it's important to solve the problem of Australia and Asia, for whom PvP2 allows a slow, but still playable ping. Moving it to the Europe Cluster would result in an unplayable game for these folks.