Rules

# General Gameplay

## Player Behavior

In order to have this server be fun for all to play in, mutual respect and responsibility are expected from all members.  These rules apply to both in-game and in Discord.

1. Everyone is to respect the rules, the staff that enforce those rules, and the server itself at all times.
2. Chat should be respectful and considerate at all times.  Extensive disrespectful chat can be punished just like other rule-breaking.
3. Any swearing should be kept to a minimum; while not forbidden, excessive or unnecessary use are not necessary and will not be tolerated.
4. Since respectful player behavior is expected at all times, disrespectful/insulting chat including but not limited to slurs, slander, or discrimination are completely unacceptable and will not be tolerated.

## Land Claims

We do not use any sort of land claiming or grief-preventing systems on our server; we follow an “honor system” where players are expected to respect the protections granted to valid claims.

### Requirements

1. Development: a build must contain the obvious construction of player-placed blocks, in such a way that intentional design is present.
2. Purpose: a build must have an explanation to the value or intent of the construct.  This abstract element would play a role in staff decisions regarding the validity of claims. (essentially, pointless builds would thus be deemed not protected claims)
3. Certain common blocks and structures do *not* count as development
	1. All natural structures, including temples, villages, portals and strongholds are considered wilderness.
	2. Torches, crafting tables, ender chests, and all types of portals are *not* considered development.  For nether portals, this specifically applies to only the “vanilla size” of 2x3 portal space, not custom built/sized portals.

### Protections

1. Builds thus get “first claim” to the vertical area surrounding it; if two builds are conflicting vertically, whichever was constructed first gets rights to the region.
2. Players are expected to respect posted signage within a build (e.g. a “do not enter” sign means do not enter; entering would be trespassing, a form of grief)
3. Any damage *accidentally* delivered to a claim should be fixed as thoroughly as possible; the instigator is responsible for these repairs. (e.g. a creeper hole in someone’s front yard is the responsibility of who the creeper was chasing)
4. Claims are considered a player’s private property; illegal changes or damages are considered griefing and thus a rule-breaking offense.
5. Claims also protect the surrounding area, called “sightlines”.
	1. In the Overworld, claims also own the surrounding 128 blocks as best as possible.  Should these “sightlines” overlap, it is the players’ responsibility to mutually determine property lines.
	2. In the Nether, due to its scaling, claims own the surrounding 20 blocks.
	3. This merely defines the area that is “officially protected” by a valid claim; it is expected that players manage their own property lines and act neighborly should they choose to settle near one another.

### Examples

1. A player builds a cube out of planks, containing a bed, crafting table and chest.  This is a valid, protected build. Later, they are expanding and discover a tunnel mined by another player cutting beneath their base.  The tunnel is merely a tube lit by torches.  This is not a valid claim, thus the area and such tunnels are property of the homeowner, not the miner.
2. A player storms a cave and fully lights it with torches.  They return a month later to find the cave has been turned into another’s base.  This is legal, because the natural cave with torches is *not* a valid claim, and that region is now claimed by another, since they were the first to meet the claim criteria of development and purpose.
3. A player storms a stronghold and decides they plan on living there.  They build several player structures throughout, using a mixture of stones and planks so it’s obviously player-made.  Despite enclosing the end portal, this is a private build, and trespassing would be illegal. (see specifics about Dimensions for more information about how dimension access is protected and handled).
4. A player builds a wall surrounding a large biome.  They also publicly communicate they intend to build the entire region.  What they failed to realize, however, is that the center of this region is *not* protected since it’s more than 128 blocks away from any of the walls. A friend informs them of this, so they build several small structures throughout their intended development region to better lay claim to the area. (Luckily, we aim for the type of community that wouldn’t pull a mean move like settling within another’s region so aggressively; we’ve got plenty of room for everyone, no need to step on toes)

## Fair Play

In order to best preserve gameplay fairness for all of our players, certain hacks, glitches, and exploits are banned from use on our server.

### Hacking

Hacking is an external modification to one’s game that gives an advantage or game-breaking mechanic to the player.  This includes but is not limited to Xray to scan for ores, All-Crits for better attack damage, any sort of macros or client installations to avoid being considered AFK, or any automated chatting or chatbotting.

### Exploits

Exploits are defined as a glitch or bug that is not an intended game mechanic that results in either performance or economic damage to the server.  Current examples of this include 0-tick farming, duplications of mobs or items, and movement-altering glitches such as teleports.

### Client Mods

Certain modifications for one’s game are allowed, as long as they do not give an advantage or game-breaking mechanic.  Examples of this include Optifine, a visual improvement mod, and inventory management mods that help rearrange inventory.  While these are helpful quality-of-life improvements, they do not give a player a critical advantage over others in an unfair way.  If you’re unsure, just ask a staff member to confirm if a mod is allowed or not.

### No AFK

AFK (Away From Keyboard) gameplay is not permitted on the server; this is defined as any sort of profit/progress gained by leaving the game idle while the player *doesn’t* play.  This includes Macros to play/build for the player, and leaving the game open intentionally to pass game time.  This does *not* include idle-in-game play that is supervised, such as watching Netflix while operating a farm.

The line is drawn at “supervision”; if a staff member asks you an in-game question several times over the course of a few minutes and you are too distracted/away to answer, you are breaking this rule.

# Player Responsibility

### Rule Knowledge

Players are ultimately responsible for knowing and following these rules.

Should a player not understand a rule or is curious if a specific circumstance breaks a rule, it is *the player’s responsibility* to investigate through research, and asking players and staff members.  Better to ask before than get banned after.

### User’s Account

Users are responsible for their own account; actions done through an account are the responsibility of the account holder.

(e.g. if a younger sibling logs in and griefs which gets your account banned.  You are responsible for managing your own login and server access.)

### Communication

Players are expected to communicate with the server as a whole, but staff in particular, if any critical problems arise.  This may include, but is not limited to, observing staff power abuse, discovering rule violations, discovering rule or game mechanic loopholes, or discovering bugs/exploits.  This is less of a “rule” and more of an expectation; we need your help and involvement to preserve our community!

### Invitations

We are an open/public server, and we are happy to have you invite anyone interested to join us!  However, you are taking a slight responsibility when inviting them; please make sure they are not only aware of our rules, but would be a player that would invest in and respect our community!

### Ban Appeals

Should a player, for whatever reason, be removed from our community, they are always welcome to apply for a Ban Appeal.  Such applications are simply a direct message to our Head Moderator answering the following:

1. Explain what rule you broke (the thing that got ya banned) and why.
2. Explain how you intend to make things right and do better next time
3. Refer to an active, non-banned player who is willing to Endorse this appeal.

Players allowed in the server may Endorse a ban appeal with the following risk: by endorsing, they are agreeing that if that player returns with a second chance and gets banned, the Endorser is at risk of getting banned as well.  This is to encourage complete accountability between our players and respect for the ruleset.

## Staff

Our staff is composed of volunteers who not only care about this server, but also are committed to spending time investing in it while practicing transparency, fairness, and ultimately aiming to host a fun environment.

### Discipline

To have order we must have discipline; staff reserves the right to deliver punishment as seen fit.  This can range from in-game chat muting to a temporary or permanent ban from server access.

### Accountability

Should players believe that any staff member is acting out of line, whether abusing power, showing bias, or otherwise acting against our Staff vision, it is important to contact another administrator with your concerns.