There are no appeals. When a mod decides something it's done.
I agree with OP. People can change for the better and yes while some may continue on with their bad behavior, that's an extremely small portion of this community. You know, the one where people say its better than WoW but in reality everyone is just passive aggressive to each other to avoid NK censorship rules.
They definitely should forgive penalties over time. I also find it a little absurd that bans go from like a one day ban, then a three day ban, then eternity.
I don't think I've gotten any penalties (some area in our account that shows a history would be cool too), but I still don't like the idea of how quickly you could go from zero to banned forever even over trivial things.
When I see people use this excuse I always wonder if they really say things that are borderline offensive all the time. It's beyond easy to talk in any and all chats without saying something that might remotely trigger someone into reporting you. Only someone who doesn't think before they speak would have a problem.
Just the other day I was going to an S-Rank hunt and someone was spamming /shout with "party up in PF". I kindly say "You know you can link PF groups in chat now" and their instant response was to call me several offensive (borderline racist but were cursing) names. Really? That was over the top and unwarranted response. This was the first time I ever reported someone in this game.
So think about what you're saying before typing it. I've backspaced a few times thinking, "Well I best not type that".
P.S. I've also noticed "sensitive snowflake" used in other game forums with this exact same context. I'm pretty sure people that call others "sensitive snowflakes" do have problems thinking before speaking.
I think if people get a strike they should be able to remove it with good behavior. That could be tracked by going a certain amount of time without being reported or getting commendations etc. I mean, I know I certainly wouldn’t want to keep answering for something I said in a hobby environment 9 years ago.
People change.
For the most part, I agree. I've been playing MMOs for -years- now, ever since I was a teen back in the late 90's/early 2000s and I can tell you the amount of times I've been reported for misconduct over the last 20 years is zero.
If you feel paranoid that you're going to get reported, it might be worth checking in with yourself and analyzing the persona you put forward online. Remember that there's a time and place for certain jokes, and that tone can easily be misunderstood online. If you get the feeling like you wonder if it's okay to say something, it's probably not okay to say it.
I'm in two minds about strikes getting removed - it takes 3 strikes to get a permaban, right? (correct me if I'm wrong)
One strike, sure... maybe unlucky
Two strikes, okay, might wanna examine yourself
Three strikes, seems like there's a pattern going on.... :x
I think the average person doesn't have to worry about permabans because a) they never get reported, or b) are smart enough after the first strike to be a bit more careful.
Have a wonderful weekend, everyone.
Part of my concern is that GMs are often so rigid in their execution of this draconian policy that someone can be reported for cursing generally, not even at a specific player, and still be penalized. And personally, I don't think this improves the game's community. I think it just encourages passive aggression, and allows players to bait people into losing their patience before reporting them for breaking the rules. The issue is that you can't assume that the person who is filing the report is always a reasonable and well-intentioned player. Especially since their new policy, which they announced, is to intervene more often than not. They said as much. I can find the specific quote if anyone wants to see it.
This wouldn't be so bad to me if the penalties weren't permanent. That is by far the worse of the two concerns, in my opinion.