Rule rewrite draft - Need community input

[Rahlzel]

We've long been aware that our odd, long, and niche set of rules needs some major revising, so the entire staff team got together and went over every single rule to see if we could throw some out or improve on others. We wanted to throw out as many rules as possible to allow players to play the game how they want with as little staff intervention as possible. There's still some work to do, but we've made some major strides.

Posted below is the proposed updated ruleset. We'd like some community feedback before it goes live in case anyone has some good ideas to share about how to make things even better. The current but soon-to-be-old rules are here for reference purposes.

Due to recent updates in code mechanics, many rules can now be combined, simplified, or completely removed - Removing donor items from dead donors, building defenses in the hangar, incompetent marines, and most job-specific rules. Other rules will be removed when the mechanics are implemented to prevent the thing in question - breaching into space, stealing/modifying IDs, hugger stacking, etc.

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General Rules:

Rule 0. Admins (not Mods or Mentors) retain the authority to ignore the following rules at their discretion when they feel it's in the best interest of the current round/server/playerbase at large. However, they will be fully accountable for their actions should they choose to exercise this privilege. If an admin says something is a rule, and you disagree, FOLLOW WHAT THEY SAY AND MAKE A COMPLAINT ON THE FORUM. Do NOT excessivly argue with them, you WILL receive a ban or extension on your ban.

Rule 0.1 RULES AS INTENDED. Just because you bend the wording of a rule into a pretzel and don't break the specific RAW (Rule As Written) does not mean you didn't break the RAI (Rule As Intended). Rules can be subject to interpretation and if a staff member that is a Mod or above believes you broke a rule as it is INTENDED to function, you can expect the same consequences.

Rule 0.2 Follow the Roleplay Guidelines. Violations may result in administrative action.

1. Don't be a dick. - "Dickish" and "harassment" type of behavior is not allowed. This includes all OOC forms of racism, homophobic slurs, all other demeaning language with the intent to harass another player. This is combined with your attitude towards staff. If you have a problem with a staff member's decision, show them respect and do what they say, then submit a staff complaint. Arguing with a staff member will more than likely get your punishment increased, and any report you make AFTER arguing might be thrown out because your punishment will be seen as deserved. On the other hand, you have some wiggle-room In Character (IC) since tempers can rise between marines for plenty of reasons. But, if you start shouting "NIGGER KIKE FAGGOT" IC, you can expect bad things to happen to you.
2. We are an ENGLISH ONLY server. Speaking other languages in OOC, LOOC, or DSAY is strictly FORBIDDEN. Our staff also speak only English, so you are required to speak it over staff PMs and Ahelps. IC there is a little bit of leeway if you throw in an occasional word or well-known phrase from another language, but entire conversations in other languages is a no-go. We follow the trope of "everyone in the future speaks English".
3. No ERP - ZERO TOLERANCE POLICY - ERP, or Erotic Roleplay, is defined as roleplay that has a strong erotic element intended to elicit a sexual response from the receiver(s). It may involve two or more people or be done in front of spectators. This includes reading stories about ERP but not participating directly (WGW). Both consensual and nonconsensual ERP will be met with a PERMABAN. This is not to be confused with distasteful but acceptable marine bravado such as "/me scratches his crotch" or "/me pinches [player]'s nipple." However, these actions can be handled IC as Neglect of Duty or Sexual Assault per Marine Law. Bottom line: If you're not sure if it's ERP or not, or you don't want to be permabanned, just don't do it.
4. No ban evading - Defined as attempting to log into the server with a different account after one account was banned. This results in your current punishment being upgraded to a PERMABAN. NO EXCEPTIONS!
5. No multikeying - Defined as logging into two separate accounts at the same time, usually to play with one account and observe with the other in order to get information your character wouldn't normally have. If you are caught multikeying, you will be PERMABANNED.
6. No griefing
   Griefing - Defined as the perceived intent of one player wanting to cause grief or annoyance to other players or to the server without any roleplay reason. The emphasis is on "intent". If an Admin or Mod believes that the players intent is to grief then action will be taken. You can appeal these actions on the Ban Appeals forum. Any damage to the station or players caused by griefing can be repaired at an Admin's discretion.
   Examples of Griefing:
   • A marine grabs a gun and immediately starts shooting other marines for no discernible reason.
   • A player attempts to break the ship or eject the core for no reason (ejecting the core when it is not destabilizing will result in an IMMEDIATE ban and job-ban).
   • Fighting after the round ends and generating combat logs. The exception is Marines and aliens fighting, or fighting against spawned Antags (Russian attack teams, W-Y Assassins, etc). End of Round Grief (EORG) is an IMMEDIATE 3 hour ban with no warnings.
   Examples that are NOT Griefing:
   • Two marines get into a fight over something and start throwing punches at each other.
   • Two consenting marines want to roleplay a situation that ends with them attacking or killing each other. Adminhelps ahead of time would be best, as you'll likely get notified by an Admin at some point when the combat logs pop up.
   • A distraught Survivor fearfully shoots at an approaching marine and runs away.
7. No Powergaming - Powergaming is a style of interacting with games or game-like systems, particularly video games, boardgames, and role-playing games, with the aim of maximising progress towards a specific goal to the exclusion of other considerations such as storytelling, atmosphere and camaraderie. Powergaming includes, but is not limited to, performing actions outside your assigned job. Your skills or background DO NOT matter prior to the round - a standard marine with "a brother in Engineering" does not know how to hack an airlock.
   Examples:
   • A standard marine knowing surgery.
   • A doctor knowing how to hack an airlock.
   • Dragging around extra power-packs as a specialist.
8. No Metagaming or Metacommunication- Acting upon knowledge your character does not have or communicating information about the current round, including but not limited to private discussions, chat rooms, and/or voice chats during the game. If you want to talk to other CM players about CM or just in general, we have an official Discord, but keep the discussion about past rounds and never about the current one.
   Examples:
   • Welding vents before seeing the Xenos use them or before they've boarded the Sulaco.
   • Equipping face protection before knowing about facehuggers.
   • Setting up defenses on the Sulaco before the non-human alarm for the first time.
   • "Ramboing" - Chasing down Xenos immediately after first contact.
   • Doctors performing larva removal surgery without first determining what's really wrong with the patient (using the bodyscanner)
   • Suicide without an EXTREMELY good reason. "I'm logging out", or "Just Because" are subject to an immediate ban. Just leave.
   • Using Specialist weapons (sniper rifle, SADAR, etc - any weapon that is uniquely available in the Specialist vendors) if you are not a CO, XO, SL, or a Specialist (this rule is planned to go away soon as weapons will likely become very difficult to use for a job that isn't meant to have them). This does not include the M240 Incinerator Unit (flamethrower) or the Riot Shield, which anyone may use.
   Examples that are NOT metagaming:
   • Xenos slashing APCs or cameras.
   • A marine grabbing tougher face protection after seeing a comrade get facehugged.
   • The Acting Commander/Executive Officer setting up the Supermatter (SM) if there are no Maintenance Techs and no Chief Engineer to do it. The CO/XO would realistically have at least some knowledge of the engine that runs their ship. Also, the SM is so important to the marine team that it needs to be set up each round, so gameplay trumps any realism issues here.
9. No IC in OOC or vise-versa - Keep IC (In-Character) in IC and OOC (Out-Of-Character) in OOC. Do not use ((double parentheses)) or any other method to speak OOC in Say chat. Use the Local OOC (LOOC) verb instead. OOC/LOOC should never be used to inform a player of something they wouldn't know or find out IC, such as a dead player using LOOC to inform someone nearby that they are in their body and can be cloned.
10. Play your assigned role - If you end up with a role you don't want to play, enter a cryo tube and Ghost (IC tab > Ghost verb). This will release your job slot for a new player to take it over. Make sure you adjust your job preferences next time before you join. If you instead suicide or ghost near round-start, you may receive a job-ban. Set up your job preferences carefully in Setup Character > Occupation Choices. Your best chance at being a Xeno is to set all job preferences to "NEVER", and at the bottom, click the link until it says "Return to lobby if preference unavailable".
11. No breaching or phoron/plasma releasing - Our atmos system sucks (we're working on it). Until we have it under control, intentionally breaching into space is against the rules. Intentionally releasing phoron/plasma into the atmosphere will likely net you a hefty ban or a permaban. Exception: Accidents (they happen), Predators breaching by using their gauntlet's self-destruct mechanism, or opening a breach for the purpose of fixing a problem (such as a phoron/plasma leak).

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Marine-Specific Rules:
Note: These also apply to Survivors once they have been rescued.

1. Lethal Force - Do not physically attack any other human without a legitimate, explainable, roleplay reason that could be applied in a similar, real-life scenario. Even if you are justified, you are still susceptible to Marine Law.
2. Use a reasonable, lore-friendly character name - Your character must have a unique first and last name. One-word nicknames are allowed inside the name (e.g. Derek 'Double-D' Donahue, Jane 'Crusher' Sanchez) . Ranks, titles, honorifics, offensive, famous and/or pop-culture names are not allowed (e.g. Dr John Smith, Barack Obama, Lt John Doe, Adolf Hitler). Also, avoid lore-based names like Weyland, Yutani, Bishop, Ripley, etc.
3. Do not mutiny, unless... - Mutiny is not allowed unless a Mod or Admin (not a Mentor) clears it via Adminhelp. Also, you must follow these rules:
   • The situation MUST be role-played.
   • The commander MUST be given a chance to stand-down peacefully
   • You MUST have the support of at least 5 other Marines
   • Uninvolved marines should be given the chance to remain uninvolved. They *might* shoot if they see you firing on the commander without a reason. Try to subdue them, WITHOUT lethal force or explain the situation.
   • Minimize Losses (use either non-lethal force ONLY, or give all marines who oppose you a chance to stand-down)
   • Do not start firing until you have been fired upon
4. Building Defenses on the Sulaco - Marines may not build defenses on the Sulaco unless for an imminent threat. Doing so is to be treated as metagaming and may be punished with a ban and WILL have any constructed defenses removed as well as all vents unwelded.
5. ID Rules -
   • Do not take another player's ID card. Because of how IDs work on our server (everything from stopping a turret from killing you, to tracking your squad and armor) ID "theft" is considered an OOC problem and may be handled by staff instead of MPs. An exception would be in emergencies, such as a player yanking the ID from a dead comrade in order to escape imminent danger.
   • Do NOT hand out all-access ID cards.
   • Reassignments should make sense in that they are done within a department or similar departments.
     Examples:
     • A Standard Marine shouldn't be promoted to Chief Medical Officer, but a Medic or Doctor can be.
     • A Researcher can assist Engineering with Maintenance Tech access, but doesn't likely have the IC knowledge of being a Chief Engineer.
     • A Standard Marine doesn't have the IC knowledge of becoming a Specialist, but a Squad Leader does and can ask for a demotion to become one.
6. Job-Specific Rules (Note: These rules apply to anyone performing the tasks associated with the jobs as well).
   
   ALL CREW AND MARINES
   • Only Doctors and the CMO can perform surgeries.
   • Unless you are an MP, you should not be enforcing Marine Law.
   ALL NON-MARINE SULACO CREW (Doctors, Engineers, Cargo, Command, etc)
   • Do not equip weapons larger than a pistol unless you are in imminent danger.
   • You may leave the Sulaco to report to the FOB (Forward Operating Base) so long as you have clearance from your department head or a superior officer unless explicitly stated otherwise below.
   Commander/Executive Officer
   • The chain of command can be found here. Use it.
   • Either the Commander or Executive Officer must be on the Sulaco AT ALL TIMES. If one goes to the surface, the other must remain on the ship.
   • The Acting CO or XO may set up the Supermatter engine in the event that no Engineering personnel are available.
   • Only the Acting Commander may authorize executions of prisoners. You must make a ship-wide announcement and the reason for the execution known to the crew (and who is carrying out the sentence if it's not you). If you just shoot a prisoner for no reason, it's murder.
   • See "ID Rules" above for info on job reassignments.
   • Do not allow Bridge Officers to leave the Sulaco unless absolutely necessary for a specific, explainable reason. Their presence on the Bridge using the Overwatch consoles is far more advantageous to the entire team.
   Military Police
   • You must disregard an order if it is against these rules. Furthermore, you must treat Marine Law as an extension of these rules - breaking Marine Law as an MP may result in a jobban.
   • On a superior officer's orders, you may leave the Sulaco to be a "dropship guard" or to apprehend a marine and return with them. Lethal weapons are authorized during these tasks.
   Cargo/Requisitions
   • The powerloader mech is for loading and unloading crates on the Sulaco and not for combat unless in an imminent threat on the Sulaco.
   Corporate Liason
   • You may leave the Sulaco for any reason, regardless of approval.
   • You are NOT part of command staff, you work for Weyland and your priority is serving them. You may *attempt* to bribe marines to work for you, however you do not outrank them (you are a civilian) and thus they don't have to listen to you.
   • You are authorized a pistol at all times. Depending on the situation, Weyland may issue you other weapons.
   • You are not an Antagonist unless given special objectives from Staff. If you are doing a good job with RP and reporting to Weyland with your Fax, you *MIGHT* be given special goals. These goals *MIGHT* allow you to break some of the server rules, depending on the situation. If you are unsure, AHELP FIRST.
   Pilot Officer
   • Stay near the Rasputin dropship as much as possible - you may be needed at any moment. Quick visits to the FOB are allowed if you're only there to take something to it or bring something back to your ship.
   • You have command over Enlisted ranks on your dropship. Abuse of this privilege can be handled by Marine Law.

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Xeno-specific rules:

1. Act like a Xenomorph - You are not a pet or best friends with the marines. Talk like one. It is fine to use words like "medbay" and "shuttle". You can also replace "shuttle" with "metal bird" if you wish. Hivemind is the English translation of a Xeno's thoughts. However, keep it formal and realistic. No talking like a gangster.
2. You have no free will - Your will is that of the Queen. OBEY HER ORDERS. If the queen Ahelps about you disobeying her, you may be punished. However, the Queen may not abuse this power and is equally responsible for the orders she gives.
3. Do not harm nested hosts unless you are the Queen, within reason - Killing a nested host at ANY TIME is a bannable offense, and don't un-nest just to kill. It's counter-productive to your cause of growing the hive. If a marine escapes the nest and uses a weapon to resist, THEN you may kill them, but you should try to tackle and renest them. Remember: The more hosts you get and keep alive, the bigger your team. EXCEPTION: The queen MAY kill any marine she wants at any time, provided she has an RP justification (if asked by the admins). This power does NOT extend to aliens following the Queen's orders.
4. Obey the orders of superior castes - Tier takes priority over evolution age (Elite, Ancient, etc) with the Queen above everything:
   • Tier 0: (lowest): Larva
   • Tier 1: Runner, Drones, Sentinels
   • Tier 2: Hunter, Carrier, Spitter
   • Tier 3: Ravager, Praetorian, Hivelord, Crusher, Boiler
   • Tier 4 (highest): Queen
5. No Hugger Stacking - Do not stack 3 or more facehuggers on the same tile, including an unhatched egg.

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Predator Specific Rules

Predators are held to a VERY HIGH STANDARD. It is VERY easy to get removed from the whitelist, so you will need to pay CLOSE attention to the honor code AND the rules below.

1. Follow the Predator Code of Honor.
2. You are a Predator - Act like one. Would a Predator put on a clown suit and throw bananas? No. Would they take marine gear in order to engage marines in more even hand-to-hand combat? Possibly. It's best to ASK before you do something that may be "silly" or "strange" for a Predator to do.
3. You are NOT a murder-spree antagonist - You have MUCH more leeway than a standard marine or alien, but you are held accountable for every life you take. Try to limit yourself to killing prey only, and using your other things tools to chase people away who are interfering.
4. Your position on the Whitelist is not stable - If you receive a player complaint, you may be removed from the Whitelist during the investigation, depending on the severity and validity of the complaint. If you are removed from the whitelist due to disciplinary reasons, you will be STRUCK OFF THE ROSTER. Minimum time to re-apply will be 3 months. If you are removed a second time, you will NEVER be allowed to re-apply.
5. Hunt the more honorable prey - Try to focus on hunting whichever side appears to be winning. It's much more honorable to fight against whichever side has the advantage, than it is to sneak aboard the Marine ship during a retreat and just put a cap into the commander.

[TheSpoonyCroy]

Note: you could remove this "A standard marine (or anyone who isn't a Doctor/Medic/Researcher) using a cloning machine. This may result in an explosion or your death." since that was removed long ago

[Eenkogneeto]

'Cargo/Requisitions

The powerloader mech is for loading and unloading crates on the Sulaco and not for combat unless in an imminent threat on the Sulaco.'
I would prefer this be more strict, I feel it kinda shits on a lot of the tension in a hangar defense when you have cargos bigass mech there with you. and its annoying dealing with the ripley when its guarding escape, since even after you destroy it, you have to melt the wreckage.

► Show Spoiler

plus this means its likely to be destroyed long before we get a chance to have a dramatic 1v1 between the ripley pilot and the elite empress.

[Rahlzel]

Note: you could remove this "A standard marine (or anyone who isn't a Doctor/Medic/Researcher) using a cloning machine. This may result in an explosion or your death." since that was removed long ago

Done.

[Rahlzel]

'Cargo/Requisitions

The powerloader mech is for loading and unloading crates on the Sulaco and not for combat unless in an imminent threat on the Sulaco.'
I would prefer this be more strict, I feel it kinda shits on a lot of the tension in a hangar defense when you have cargos bigass mech there with you. and its annoying dealing with the ripley when its guarding escape, since even after you destroy it, you have to melt the wreckage.

► Show Spoiler

plus this means its likely to be destroyed long before we get a chance to have a dramatic 1v1 between the ripley pilot and the elite empress.

In this case, it might be better to un-anchor it when it gets destroyed so it can be pushed around.

[Eenkogneeto]

In this case, it might be better to un-anchor it when it gets destroyed so it can be pushed around.

It can be pushed around, But if anyone stands on the opposite side, it's effectively a wall until melted. I would say a true solution (Coding wise) would just be to make it so that aliens can slash the Ripley wreckage to pieces, which would help get rid of the two on the colony too. But that's getting a bit off topic, It's not a big deal really. I just find the idea of seeing the Ripley out of cargo defending the Sulaco every round a bit silly myself.

[TheSpoonyCroy]

-snip-

going to be honest with you, The staff argued for about 10 or mins on this topic when we had this big rule meeting. I think it ended with the general consensus was it made very little sense to restrict it to the cargo. Also thinking about it Raz, could the staff talk about this rule meeting or no? Just making sure before I end up revealing something important

edit: I do want to add that many early weapons were originally farming tools modified for war. So using improvised weaponry makes logical sense

[Rahlzel]

make it so that aliens can slash the Ripley wreckage to pieces

Yup, I like this.

Also thinking about it Raz, could the staff talk about this rule meeting or no?

Sure.

[Eenkogneeto]

I feel like '> 3 facehuggers in a locker' part could be removed, just make it a universal 2 per tile, I don't really know I have seen the 3 in locker part used at all.

[Rahlzel]

I feel like '> 3 facehuggers in a locker' part could be removed, just make it a universal 2 per tile, I don't really know I have seen the 3 in locker part used at all.

Yup, good. I reworded it to simplify it.

[Eenkogneeto]

All non-marine crew on the Sulaco (Doctors, Engineers, Cargo, Command, etc)
'Do not leave the Sulaco unless it is being evacuated (exceptions are noted in specific jobs below).'
It appears that doctors aren't allowed to operate in FOB anymore. If that wasn't the intent this should be changed.

Also, Marine rules 4, and 6, could likely be combined into a single rule without much wording changes required.

[Rahlzel]

All non-marine crew on the Sulaco (Doctors, Engineers, Cargo, Command, etc)
'Do not leave the Sulaco unless it is being evacuated (exceptions are noted in specific jobs below).'
It appears that doctors aren't allowed to operate in FOB anymore. If that wasn't the intent this should be changed.

Also, Marine rules 4, and 6, could likely be combined into a single rule without much wording changes required.

Good finds. Fixed. I had combined them and just forgot to remove the original rule.

[TheSpoonyCroy]

• For marine rule # 4 - I remember us talking about it being changed so you can build defenses for any CONFIRMED hostile threat aboard the sulaco ie mercs go in shooting up the joint.
• Also are researchers allowed to preform surgery since that was in their own section prior which was now removed.
• This also brings up the point of medics making chems since this could also be an issue that arises.
• Slight request of making the roleplay guide more noticeable since even staff forget about it at times
• In the rule meeting I remember us bring up, field promotions ie when the the SL dies and we get someone to fill in the role since that dead SL is already taking the assigned SL slot (for said squad), what would be the harm in making such a promotion.

[Eenkogneeto]

The only further request/concern/whatever about the rules I have is to ask if it would be possible to have a section somewhere (Under XO/CO/BO?) that clarifies what exactly you are allowed to give survivors in terms of job onboard, I've heard 'Only standard marine' but I've seen plenty of times they are made BOs, Doctors, So on. But technically you shouldn't give them an ID at all as per the rules.

[Rahlzel]

I made some edits to clean things up based on suggestions from the two of you. Let me know if there's anything else.

[Rahlzel]

Added to MP:

* You may leave the Sulaco on a commanding officer's orders to apprehend a marine and return him immediately. All weapons are authorized during this task.

[Nick123q23]

I don't see any rules restricting MPs to nonlethal weapons unless the sulaco is being boarded.

Does this mean they will be able to carry a sidearm normally? I've always felt a little silly when then officers in dress uniform are more well armed than the marines responsible for the protection of the ship are.

[Rahlzel]

I don't see any rules restricting MPs to nonlethal weapons unless the sulaco is being boarded.

Does this mean they will be able to carry a sidearm normally? I've always felt a little silly when then officers in dress uniform are more well armed than the marines responsible for the protection of the ship are.

Yes they will. Several of us shared your confusion, including myself.

[Surrealistik]

Would appreciate it if the CMO and his doctors had some kind of formal rank. As a point of reference, navy physicians tend to be granted a rank of Lieutenant, and pre-grads Ensign.

Also the CMO totally needs enlarged mic text to highlight his authoritah.


Further, it should be permissible to reassign soldiers to a different squad; this is technically forbidden by the current rule draft.

[Sargeantmuffinman]

For survivors with the IDs and all, I think they should be only given civillian jobs as they aren't soldiers, maybe MT but nothing too militaristic.

But I think this could be up for debate.

[Moonloon]

The biggest issue with survivors used to be that after getting rescued your round was pretty much over. Let's not limit their job assignments too much (though i could see command jobs being off limits)

[DMAN]

Can the mousetrap on my dick be fixed?

In all seriousness revise or scrap the damned rules of escalation and forgive me for turning rules into pretzels that make staff cry. :^)

Need a nice wipe and revamp of how shit is handled. Here's to more fun and less ban.

[Jroinc1]

Make EITHER one of these changes- 1. Alter rule 11 to this-
No Intentional Breaching Walls or windows. - If you intentionally breach walls into space, expect something bad to happen. Exception: Predators breaching by using their gauntlet's self-destruct mechanism, CE's breaching a SEALED OFF room for purposes of a training exercise (The CE is held responsible by admins for re-pressurizing the room afterwards, and for anyone injured by the breach), or CE's and MT's breaching a room with unlivable atmos conditions to minimize further damage and assist in re-pressurization (The breaching character is responsible to admins for any injuries caused by his actions, within reason).

Or 2- Add another rule- Releasing Phoron into any atmosphere with the potential to escape into the Sulaco atmosphere is to be considered griefing and is punishable by a ban.

If you're really gonna remove the "We're on a spaceship" part of the game and make all walls eerywhere unbreakable so we're sitting on a big box, then probably go with change 2.

The reason for this is that in our current rules, read STRICTLY, phoron flooding and burning is allowed. But it can't be cleaned up without breaching to space.
I've tried.
So, either legitimize limited breaches, or disallow the phoron strat, don't really care which.

[Eenkogneeto]

After some question asking I have found out that apparently standards can use every medical tool available to Medics except surgery, Which I think is really dumb. Requesting that they be officially limited to Gauze, Ointment, And Tricord, Or some similar level to reflect that medics should be the ones using advanced kits and toting around pillbottles.

[Feweh]

Yup, I like this.
Sure.

Alternatively, to make the Ripley less powerful we could reduce its attack rate AND give it a sound effect when it attacks.

As of right now, no sound plays when they "clamp" aliens. Often times you have no idea youre even being attacked by a ripley.