Regarding the Revision of the Prohibited Activities and Account Penalty Policy

[CatfishCassie]

Please SE. Consider pulling and rewriting this document. We all understand what you are trying to do here (dont be a dick to each other), but that is not what the words you have written say. They are easily misinterpreted and can be used to silence constructive attempts at actually helping people. The players in this thread are not pissed about the fact that you want to implement easy to understand rules, but the way it has been worded.

Exactly. I understand the need to have a less toxic atmosphere, but these rules create a fear of being band that leads away from community and toward insular groups of seldom-interacting people who don't even want to help each other lest their intentions be misconstrued.

[Connor]

I’m seeing a lot of ‘I haven’t experienced this so it doesn’t happen’ in this thread...

Unless some metric exists within the game that tells us how many people have been reported within the last few months and what the report was for, none of us can really say whether harassment etc is excessive or non-existence.

And more importantly there’s the argument that just because you aren’t emotionally affected by something doesn’t mean others aren’t.

What one person considers ‘toxic’, another person considers ‘advice’. When such a conflict in perceptions exists how else can we determine what’s hurtful, other than how the person experiencing it feels? Again, I really don’t think exercising a bit of empathy is too much to ask lol

[Keddera_StormMoon]

The thing is that, what your version of "polite and acceptable behavior is" may not be the same as my version of "polite and acceptable behavior" is. I may find it completely polite to hold open doors for everyone: men, women, children, people of non-specified genders, gender-less individuals, etc. You may think that only women need to have the door held open for them. Who's "polite and acceptable behavior" wins here? Yours?

Also, we are playing with people from different culture and sub-cultures. Politeness carries differently in some rural town in Alabama, USA than in London, England. Who's set of societal social norms are correct and need to be followed? Who's parents clearly failed?

Aren't the CSR's who make these calls drawn from the region they administrate? If so, what's the problem then?

All it takes is a little basic human empathy to avoid most of these pitfalls. If a person lacks that, they have no business in any social setting as far as I'm concerned.

And for the record, I'm from Georgia US. We're so polite we hold the door for everybody. And we say "Bless yer heart" because we're too polite to call somebody stupid.

[CatfishCassie]

They've always been just those, but GMs would say "Although it's not listed on the screen, playstyle differences are an acceptable reason" when a report was sent to them. That's what I was referring to.

Right, but the whole point of this discussion is that GMs are amping up their enforcement of the rules as written, and adding additional rules as listed in the document. Things that they let slide before won't be allowed to continue now... or as they said in the post:

GMs would not actively take action against other types of behavior that were deemed to be “annoying but not crossing the line from an objective eye.” Instead encouraging the involved players to resolve the situation through communication, adding the players to the blacklist or other peaceful methods.

However, times have changed and although FINAL FANTASY is an MMORPG, it is now our belief that it is better for the community as a whole for us to “intervene in situations where a player is subjected to the abusive behavior of another player,” rather than “worrying about inhibiting communication between players.”

[RognarB]

Thirty-two pages of overreactions. XD

Whatever the text says, nothing has changed. Whether an account is banned or not now, as always, depends on how the GM is feeling at the time the report is made. These rules might SEEM like they're adding more restrictions, but really they're just justifying what GMs have been doing (or not doing, at the GM's judgment) all along. People have had no luck strong-arming GMs with the letter of the law up to this point, and that's not gonna change just because the law now has more letters. You don't need to worry about folks filing frivolous cases against you - as long as you keep a level head.

I know it's tough for some people, but as long as you stay civil, remain tolerant of others' shortcomings, don't lose your temper, and basically behave like a mature adult, it doesn't matter WHAT people report you for. The GM will take your side. Heck, if you follow those suggestions, the chances that you'll even be reported in the first place plummet to almost nothing. That's the way it's always been, and now is no different.

Behaving like a mature adult is live and let live, GMs had their roles to intervene when some severe and specific lines were crossed but not to act as stand in kindergarden wardens.

[Zanos]

Its a game...that's a bit over the top. Easy to fix, just like anything else, don't like the rules, don't play. Dissecting why they are in place is futile. Getting offended by the rules themselves is futile as well. They have their reasons. Extrapolating a complete society for reasons of rules in a game won't answer the why either. I just don't see why IRL issues keep coming up concerning these rules. You may feel better for saying it, but it doesn't change, answer why, give any answers other then "that's the way it is in this game...go or stay." I'm staying.

If customer feedback can't change the companies actions, there is no reason for you to post in this thread either.

"My way or the highway" is also a bad outlook for a company that sells a product. Paying customers are ignored at the companies peril. There are other video games people can spend money on, you know.

[Celestene]

So many crazy rude people bullying players I am so glad this is in effect. The bullies will hate it but who cares.

[Zetasin]

Reshsde has always been a grey area, and mesh/texture swap mods have always been against the rules.

Though, it has me wondering. Have they lifted the font ask dont tell policy on parsers like act and fflogs and instead gone back to "just dont ever do it"?

There is a post on the forum where a community leader said Reshade was fine and would never be banned. There are also several sources out there that said prior to these changes that SE was cool with normal mods but totally against nude mods.

[CatfishCassie]

Aren't the CSR's who make these calls drawn from the region they administrate? If so, what's the problem then?

All it takes is a little basic human empathy to avoid most of these pitfalls. If a person lacks that, they have no business in any social setting as far as I'm concerned.

And for the record, I'm from Georgia US. We're so polite we hold the door for everybody. And we say "Bless yer heart" because we're too polite to call somebody stupid.

That's just the point though. In California, they don't do that. In some parts of Colorado, even suggesting that something be blessed gets you yelled at (and in other parts, it's totally fine and normal). GMs on North American servers are from North America, sure... but that could mean areas of North America where what you consider to be common decency someone else considers to be highly offensive.

[CaptainLagbeard]

Another thing about this whole mess...

・Expressions that compel a playing style

◆Obstruction of play
"Obstruction of play" means all behaviour in general that obstructs another person's game play.

One person's playstyle can obstruct the gameplay of the rest of the group.
But we're not allowed to talk about their playstyle, but they're not allowed to obstruct others.

Which rule is considered more important since having both will clash with each other.