So votekick >abuse< is practically allowed?

[NyarukoW]

Are there situations when vote kick is warranted? Absolutely.

However, the lesser of two evils would be to remove the function and just use vote abandon.....

That is not correct. The lesser of two evils is the status quo where players need to actively report vote kick abuse. The vote abandon would concede too much to the trolls who wants to either go AFK or force wipes on purpose. Vote abandon in those cases will be a win for them.

[Riepah]

That is not correct. The lesser of two evils is the status quo where players need to actively report vote kick abuse. The vote abandon would concede too much to the trolls who wants to either go AFK or force wipes on purpose. Vote abandon in those cases will be a win for them.

Just that actively reporting vote kick abuse doesn't do a thing, because SE has a silly definition of what does and what doesn't constitute "vote kick abuse".

However, I also agree that vote kick is a necessary function, vote abandon by itself, as you say, is just making it even easier for people to grief others.

[NyarukoW]

Just that actively reporting vote kick abuse doesn't do a thing, because SE has a silly definition of what does and what doesn't constitute "vote kick abuse".
...

But reporting does have an impact and I have seen people get warning and penalties from the GM. They leave the definition to be open to interpretation by the GM so they are the ultimate arbiters of such things and you need human smarts to sort this stuff out on a case by case basis. If the rules and definitions are too rigid, you leave the GMs to become vulnerable to trolls gaming the GM and trolling players thru the GMs. The GMs are not just priests to hear confessionals and swear them to secrecy and do nothing. The confidentiality part they are required to uphold, but they do take actions and their actions can be observed but you need to know where to look, and it kind of hard to do when the other players abusing vote kick on the DF is on another server.

[craig_meredith2003]

The majority of the people wanted it and SE gave it.