Alter Aeon Rules of Conduct

Rules Section 5 - Social Interaction and Conduct

Rule  5.1  - Introduction

This rules section deals with the more common scenarios where players
interact with each other on a grand scale, but perhaps not in an
overly malicious and persistent manner.  For incidents that involve
a directed, persistent attack on a single individual, see the section
regarding 'harassment'.  This section also touches on how players are
expected to conduct business on the game.

Rule  5.2  - Informational - censorship

It is important to realize that this mud is a private forum, owned by
and paid for by real people.  You have no intrinsic right to be here,
and you have no intrinsic right to speak.  You can technically be
censored at any time for any reason.

That said, it doesn't happen very often, and we work hard to avoid it.

Rule  5.3  - Informational - private channels

While in the administration of this mud in general believe that players
should be able to speak freely, a private channel can not shield you
from all things illegal.  Things said on private channels may be
recorded in logs or obtained by other players, and can be used as
evidence of other rule breaking.

Doing things that are illegal on a private channel are just as illegal,
and going to a private channel doesn't make it better.

Rule  5.4  - Thou shalt follow the rules of private and public channels

Private and public channels typically have moderators and owners who set
standards of conduct for their channels.  You should try to abide by
those standards when using someone else's channel.

The more public god-owned channels such as gossip and newbie may be
heavily regulated.  It often doesn't take much to get banned from one
of these types of channels, but these bans also only last a very short
time.

If you don't like the rules by which a channel is moderated, you may
create your own channel (see 'help channel create' for details.)

Rule  5.5  - Channel disclaimers do not override public moderation

If a channel is public, it is subject to public moderation.  The channel
owner may not set a disclaimer that conflicts with the public moderation
policies.

If a channel owner does not want the channel to be moderated, it must
be set private.

Rule  5.6  - Thou shalt not spam

Generally spamming on public channels or via tell is taken care of by
hard limits in the game, but it's still impolite.

When spamming on public or private channels, you will probably be banned
from that channel.

When spamming someone with tells, you will probably be ignored.  If you
persist in trying to spam someone even after you've been ignored, it's
considered harassment, which you can be deleted for.

When spamming some local area such as a recall, you can be frozen or
silenced.

Rule  5.7  - Thou shalt not be a dumbass when dealing with gods

Gods are here to improve the game, help players, and keep things running
halfway smoothly.  They are not here to be your friend, they are not
here to chitchat, and they are not here to help you level.

It's not strictly a crime to irritate gods.  However, it's much more
impolite than irritating a player, because gods have better things to
do than deal with crap (like build new areas, for example.)

Rule  5.8  - Thou shalt not impersonate or misrepresent gods or builders

If you're not a god or builder, don't claim to be one.  Claiming you're
a god to get special favors is a good way to have the gods themselves
hunt you down.

The corollary to this is not to believe a mortal player who tells you
he's really a god or builder.  Only believe what comes directly from
gods, not from second sources.

Rule  5.9  - Guideline - don't give out your own personal information

It's almost always a bad idea to give out your own personal information,
including things like your real name, where you live, age, or gender.

The staff of Alter Aeon strongly encourage you to keep your private
information private.

This is important - keep in mind that if you insist on making your
personal information public, you will not be protected by rule 5.10.

Rule  5.10 - Thou shalt not give out the personal information of other players

Never use real life names or give out the personal information of another
player unless you are explicitly asked to do so by that player.

This holds true even for very public high level players, as well as gods.
For older, well established players, their reputation is attached to
their characters and using their real life name may be considered a
fantastic insult.

Keep in mind that if you insist on making your personal information
public, you cannot be protected by this rule.

Rule  5.11 - Guidelines - Sale of goods or services via Alter Aeon's communication systems

It is permissible to advertise the sale of game assets, such as characters
and equipment, or real life goods and services, via the game's bulletin
boards and channels.  Note that the staff of Alter Aeon may be unable
to verify transactions or hold participants to account when unofficial
methods are used to conduct such sales.  Exercise caution.

We encourage players to make use of official means of transferring
wealth when conducting business transactions whenever possible, such
as the trade command, money market, and credit buy options.  These
methods are guaranteed to be safe.

Rule  5.12 - Thou shalt not publicly advertise age-restricted items or activities

A number of players on Alter Aeon are children.  That being the case, do
not use public bulletin boards or public/moderated channels to advertise
age-restricted activities or sell age-restricted products in real life,
such as:

- lotteries, raffles or any form of gambling involving real life money
- prostitution
- age limited drugs, including alcohol and tobacco
- dangerous or protected animals
- pornography
- motorized vehicles that require a license to operate
- firearms, explosives or hazardous chemicals

Board posts will be removed without warning, and players caught
soliciting age-restricted items or activities on a moderated channel
may be banned or silenced.

Any financial transaction regarding such items and activities should be
limited to consenting adults using private or local communication.