From: q1x092@rick.cs.ubc.ca (Wilson W Ma)
Newsgroups: rec.games.mud.diku
Subject: Re: Double Standard on Copper
Date: 21 Jan 1993 23:49:01 -0800
Organization: Computer Science, University of B.C., Vancouver, B.C., Canada
NNTP-Posting-Host: bowen.rick.cs.ubc.ca

Before all of this is blown out of proportion, I thought I would post a more
detailed message about the incident.

In article <1993Jan21.223705.1@vmsb.is.csupomona.edu> cvadrgkg@vmsb.is.csupomona.edu writes:
> [Stuff deleted]
>The old rule on Copper was that a character could only attack another
>character if and only if the victim was within 6 levels of the attacker,
>and the victim and the attack had the same number of classes.  Ie, dual
>class people could only attack dual class, and single could only attack single.
>Any level and class number could attack a killer character though;  the killer
>would not even fight back.

First of all, the old rule over the summer what that you could attack a player
within 6 levels of your own and it didn't matter how many classes they were.
Due to many complaints it was changed so that you could only attack people
with the same number of classes within 6 levels of yourself.  The rule still
stands as it is (i.e. try to backstab a player with a different number of
classes and you won't be able to do it).

> [Stuff deleted]
>As I was doing this, I asked a friend of mine at my site if this was ok,
>and he told me that it was.  This friend is a god on copper, and has
>played for a long time.

Your friend is the lowest level of immortal player, has barely been on in
the past few months and really has no idea what goes on.  He has absolutely no
authority to tell you that unless it was stated clearly to all immortals that
it was okay.  In fact, messages were posted both on the mortal and immortal
board stating it was a bug.  And Help Dweeb specifically says that exploitation
of bugs will lead to getting the flag.

> [Stuff deleted]
>I was told that I was cheating by exploiting the rules.  They showed me
>a message on the message board, which explained that a bug had been
>uncovered that allowed players, who would not otherwise be attackable,
>to be attacked by area of affect spells.  I did not use any area of affect
>spells... so technically, this message did not apply to me.

Technically the poster of the message got it wrong.  He said area affect
spells and listed harm and earthquake.  True that earthquake is an area affect
spell but harm is not.  We found the bug when a cleric was trying it.  And
it did not occur to the poster of the message that all offensive spells were
thus affected by the bug (spells all go through a common spell handler).  I
am so sorry if you could not use a little common sense to figure out that harm
is not an area affect spell and that you didn't think about it when you did
kill a player with a direct spell.

>If I had known and read this message, I would not have attacked single
>class people.  However, a high level character of mine was destroyed forever
>because of this bug.  The gods gave me no warning of any kind.  They said
>that ignorance was no excuse for breaking the rules.

"If I had known and read this message..." is such a lame hypothetical excuse.
If you are going to be a killer where player killing is only tolerated then
you had better know all of the rules or you will just get yourself in trouble.
The boards are there for everyone's convenience and if you are willing to
ignore them, then that is your fault and not ours.  Remember a game is nothing
but a travesty without rules and the enforcement of those rules.  If you are
going to be ignorant to the rules then do not expect sympathy if you then go
and break those rules.  Ignorance is not going to prevent the courts from
convicting a murderer in real life.  Ignornace is not going to prevent a
referee in a sporting event from giving a penalty.  If you are going to play a
game, then you have to abide by the rules.

>Also of note is the fact that a large number of the copper killers have been
>exploiting this "bug" since it has been introduced.  No serious
>action has been taken against them.  To me, this is a clear double standard.
>This is not the only example of abuse by copper gods.  This is just the
>most extreme to date.

It was just that you were caught red handed.  If we catch other killers using
the spells to kill then they will get a similar treatment as you did.  But
the fact that you have been a problem character for as long as I have been
around copper, you are generally more severely punished (just like in the
regular criminal system... repeat offenders are more seriously punished as
the offenses build up).  And trust me, if I find other killers using that bug
then I will penalize them as well.
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