Rules of Conduct
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Rules of Conduct
This page details the rules under which users may participate in The Seventh Sun. The goal of these rules is to provide an enjoyable experience for the majority of the users. Because The Seventh Sun is a multiplayer game, there can sometimes be a conflict between an individual user's idea of entertainment and that of the majority of the players as a whole. In such situations, the majority will be given the greatest weight. Please read these policies carefully so you understand the rules under which you can play The Seventh Sun and interact with the other players.
GENERAL
The Seventh Sun is presented on an AS-IS basis. Usage of the The Seventh Sun product indicates acceptance of this, and any risk that may imply. Colonnelli Entertainment is not obligated to credit a user (with experience, in-game money, inventory, or otherwise), if hisher usage is interrupted by a software failure or other service interrupt. Colonnelli Entertainment's sole obligation is to make a reasonable effort to fix a software problem or to return service as quickly as possible (except in cases where the service interrupt is not related to the The Seventh Sun product itself).
ABUSIVE AND DISRUPTIVE BEHAVIOR
The Seventh Sun is designed for the enjoyment of everyone, and as a general rule, any behavior which is specifically targeted to lessen that enjoyment for another player, may be in violation of The Seventh Sun policy. This section explains the types of situations which are considered to be abusive behavior. The Seventh Sun is known as a 'Roleplaying Game' which means that it is assumed that the player will present their character in a manner that is consistent with the game's environment and genre (medieval fantasy). This type of play is termed 'in character' (IC) and means that the player is acting out the part in a believable manner. The term 'out of character' means that the player is behaving in a manner which would be inconsistent with his or her character's situation in the game. For example, if a dwarven warrior, while being attacked by hordes of orcs, began spouting off about sound card interfaces in his computer, this would be termed 'out of character.'Generally, it is up to the player to decide how much he or she wants to remain in character while playing The Seventh Sun. However, there can exist situations where being blatantly out of character can be considered abusive behavior: for example, an individual who insists on remaining out-of-character, even when associating with a group of other players which is trying to remain in-character. When one individual is reducing the enjoyment of ther players by out-of-character behavior (be it by speech, actions, messages over a game-wide system, or any other method of communication within The Seventh Sun), this may be considered as disruptive behavior. Judgment of what is and is not disruptive is entirely at the discretion of Colonnelli Entertainment.It is understood that there are elements of combat in The Seventh Sun, which will promote a competitive environment. The Seventh Sun has been designed to promote competition as player vs. creature, or player vs. puzzle, and not generally player vs. player. Some events may encourage player vs. player combat in a structured setting. Also, some players will choose to roleplay a competitive situation between themselves, and will combat each other. While this is acceptable, it is recommended that players limit PvP conflicts to the more structured setting. What is not acceptable is to initiate combat against unsuspecting victims. Anyone exhibiting such behavior, especially one who chooses to prey upon weaker players for his or her own enjoyment, may be in violation of The Seventh Sun policy.There are many 'gray areas' in terms of defining what is acceptable competition, and what is abusive behavior. In general, Colonnelli Entertainment will not get involved in any player vs. player conflict which is confined to a small group of players. However, if such conflict overlaps to other players, or causes a generally disruptive influence on The Seventh Sun in general, the participants will be warned. Colonnelli Entertainment reserves the right to determine which behavior is considered abusive.Casual discussion is a part of the game. The Seventh Sun must not be used, however, as a venue for promotion of competing products or services. Individuals who actively promote other competing products or services within The Seventh Sun, may be locked out.
CHARACTER NAMES
Please remember that The Seventh Sun is a product designed to be enjoyed by people of all ages, and harsh language is clearly inappropriate. This also applies to the names chosen for your character. Obscene names will not be tolerated. Please endeavor to keep names within the genre of The Seventh Sun (medieval fantasy). Names such as 'Chainsaw Laserman' or 'Klingon Fuzzbuster' are inappropriate.
BUG ABUSE
Attempts to gain an unfair advantage which circumnavigates the letter andor spirit of the rules presented in the documentation and the version notes, as judged solely by Colonnelli Entertainment, are a violation of policy. Types of abuse range from sending special characters or signals to the software to obtain an unusual result, to using normal game mechanics in ways they are clearly not intended. Examples of serious bug abuse: Finding a 'feedback loop' with spells or mana points, which allows spells to be cast multiple times with little or no cost; repeatedly injuring yourself (or another character) in order to generate experience for a healer-type profession (Empaths, Clerics, Alchemists, and such); finding a special circumstance in which to use a consumable object whereby its quantity is not decremented when it is used; abusing game mechanics to cause duplication of items or in-game money.Abusing bugs disrupts the balance of The Seventh Sun and reduces its effectiveness to remain an entertaining product. Sometimes there will be a great temptation to abuse a bug for personal gain because the negative effect is not readily apparent. However it should be understood that the consequences of allowing bugs and loopholes to be exploited is so detrimental to the product, that Colonnelli Entertainment will exercise no tolerance whatsoever for anyone participating in this type of activity.Bugs should always be reported. If you observe someone else abusing a serious bug, or discussing a plan to abuse one, and fail to report it, you are subject to the same penalties as they are. Serious bugs should be reported through The Seventh Sun Feedback.Rewards obtained from bug abuse may be confiscated, at Colonnelli Entertainment's sole discretion. Failure to cooperate with Colonnelli Entertainment as to the extent or nature of a bug, or failure to be honest about the rewards obtained from bug abuse, is grounds for immediate lock-out from The Seventh Sun.
SCRIPTING POLICY
Scripting: Long-term scripting to gain skills in The Seventh Sun is prohibited. Scripting is using any method (such as a scripting language or 'rest mode') to send a series of automated commands to the game without needing to be at the keyboard. Repetitive actions are often placed into macros or short scripts to make these actions easier on the typing fingers or simply easier to do. However, experience and player reaction has shown that long term scripting to gain skills is disruptive to game play, helping to destroy the atmosphere that has been carefully nurtured in The Seventh Sun.In addition, it puts undue stress upon system resources which makes it harder to keep the game scaled to the needs of its players. Players who spend hours scripting skills, especially while AFK (Away from the Keyboard or letting their computer script run their character while they sleep or work), don't just miss out on gaming opportunites (such as roleplaying, merchants, invasions, etc.), they skip ahead at rates which the GMs can't support and wind up at the edge of what the game provides quicker than was intended in the design. Long term scripting also tends to keep resources away from other players by keeping rooms and creatures to themselves for days on end.What constitutes long-term scripting? The following is a general guide to help you avoid being warned by a GM for long term scripting. It's not an absolute and the GM's judgment will vary from instance to instance. Each instance of long term scripting will be judged independently. However, any scripting activity that lasts over 10 minutes will be considered long-term scripting. Also, spending 25% or more of your time online scripting will be considered excessive. In any case, AFK scripting is entirely against The Seventh Sun policy and is immediately a warnable offense (If you need to go grab a sandwich or leave your keyboard, you should stop any experience scripting to avoid being warned. The excuse that you left your keyboard only for a few minutes will not prevent you from gaining a warning since the GM will have no way of verifying that fact).Exception: In general, if you are running a script that does not gain you experience, it does not fall under this policy. However, any script that's deemed by a GM to be disruptive or not in the best interest of The Seventh Sun or its players will be warned when discovered. IE, if you script moving in and out of a room, it may garner a warning because it causes undue screen scroll.
DELAYS AND SLOWDOWNS
Some delay between commands is a normal consequence of playing a game on a network. Delays are typically only a few seconds, but may occasionally be longer. Additionally, some delays may affect only one player, because he or she is having problems with a local network node. If, however, a character is harmed because of a delay (or 'slowdown') which was caused by a system-wide delay which affected all users, repair or replacement of the damage may be authorized if (1) the damage was related directly to the slowdown; (2) the slowdown was at least 10 seconds in duration; and (3) the slowdown is verifiable. See the section on repairreplacement for more information. Colonnelli Entertainment reserves the right of final judgment as to the verification of any slowdown-related claims.
PURGES
Certain characters which have been inactive are in danger of being purged from the database, to make room for active characters. The rules are as follows:If someone just logs into the game once or twice for a few minutes, and then never returns, their character will probably be purged from the database within a couple weeks. The criteria are as follows: If a character's TOTAL playing time in the game is under an hour AND They have not visited the game for at least 21 days, they will be purged. Also, ANY character, even a high-level one, that has not visited the game for 90 days or more will be purged from the database. Unless a 'hold' has been placed on the account.If this happens, your only option is to start a new character, as nothing from the old one (stats, money, fame, inventory, etc.) will be replaced or re-created.
SCORE LISTS
Colonnelli Entertainment is the sole judge of the accuracy of any high score lists and other event score listings. An announcement by Colonnelli Entertainment as to the winners of an event, is final.
GAMEMASTERS
GameMasters are frequently on-duty to answer any calls for assistance which may arise. All players are encouraged to type HELP REQUEST if they are having a problem with game mechanics, which will notify any on-duty GameMasters that you have a question. GameMasters are not permitted, however, to give solutions to puzzles, supply inventory to the player, or divulge certain details which the player is supposed to discover for himself or herself. GameMasters are not permitted to make personalized items for players, unless a special merchant event is in progress. GameMasters are forbidden to show any type of favoritism towards one player or another. VERY IMPORTANT: Keep in mind that although GameMasters serve as Customer Service representatives, their main responsibility is to preserve the integrity of the game's rules and balance, and in situations where customer service may conflict with preserving the integrity of the game, the GameMaster is required to put the rules first.
REPAIRS AND REPLACEMENTS
Should it appear that your character is missing some points or that something about your character or its inventory has changed unexpectedly, you may inform us by typing HELP REQUEST and speaking to a GameMaster directly, or by leaving The Seventh Sun Feedback and giving an explanation of the situation. Colonnelli Entertainment will attempt to investigate the problem, and may, at its sole discretion, authorize adjustments to your score or inventory. GameMasters are empowered to make many on-the-spot decisions about replacement, but some situations will require approval from Colonnelli Entertainment management. Some missing items are caused by normal means. In any case where an item is lost or damaged through this normal game mechanics, repair or replacement cannot be authorized.In many instances, Colonnelli Entertainment'ss only recourse in determining the cause of a problem a user may experience, is to verify that the programming involved is reliable. If specific game mechanics function correctly, and repeated tests under similar circumstances as the reported problem yield correct results, then we must rule that what the user saw is attributed to some type of communication problem or a misunderstanding of the output. For example, if your sword breaks in combat, and the die roll does not match the expected result, then Colonnelli Entertainment will check the programming involved carefully, and attempt to reproduce the error. In this case, if the breakage system operates correctly thousands of times a day, and attempts to re-create the identical error fail, then the conclusion Colonnelli Entertainment must draw is that the mistake was caused by human error or a communication problem such as line noise, which mangled the output.
GAME MECHANICS
Colonnelli Entertainment reserves the right to make modifications to any and all game mechanics and rules at any time, without notice. Players should be mindful of the fact that Colonnelli Entertainment has a responsibility to preserve the balance of the game for the majority of the players, and furthermore, to maintain a level of challenge that is adequate for this type of product. Therefore, Colonnelli Entertainment will routinely add new rules, modify existing rules, and even go back and change new additions which did not function as expected. These changes can impact your character in a variety of ways. If you feel that the change unfairly penalizes your character, or your character type, given the requirements of balance, challenge, and the general good of the game, then you may make your views known to Colonnelli Entertainment via The Seventh Sun Feedback. It should be understood, however, that Colonnelli Entertainment maintains a longer range view which may be in conflict with short-term and character-specific interests, but Colonnelli Entertainment will always attempt to make the best decision for the overall good of the game.
PRIVACY
We consider our GameMasters in The Seventh Sun to be equivalent to a GM in a tabletop game, which means that they have the authority to monitor everything that goes on in the world, and to add and modify with the intention of keeping interest high and promoting the overall enjoyment of the product. It is not Colonnelli Entertainment policy, however, to eavesdrop on private conversations unless there is a reasonable concern that such conversations relate to bug abuse, disruptive behavior, or ongoing events. In general, our policy is to respect player privacy as much as possible, however it must be made clear that all actions and conversations within The Seventh Sun are subject to monitoring.
VIOLATIONS OF POLICY
Anyone found to be in violation of the policies described in this document, at the sole discretion of Colonnelli Entertainment, will be subject to the following:First violation: The user will receive a warning describing the breach of policy Colonnelli Entertainment believes they have committed, either onscreen or via Email.Second violation: The user will be locked out of The Seventh Sun for a period of up to one month, and will be notified via Email.Third violation: The user will be locked out of The Seventh Sun permanently. In certain circumstances, such as extremely abusive behavior, a user may be locked out without warning or notice of any kind. However, Colonnelli Entertainment will follow up with an Email explaining why this step was taken.
MISCELLANEOUS
Additional policies from time to time may become necessary, such as unique policies for a quest. It is also Colonnelli Entertainment policy that if anyone is locked out of one Colonnelli Entertainment product, for any reason, Colonnelli Entertainment may choose to lock that user's accounts out of ALL Colonnelli Entertainment products, on all services. This includes current and future Colonnelli Entertainment products. If a user is discovered to be playing on an account which is registered to a fraudulent or incorrect name, address, or billing method, that may also be grounds for immediate lockout.Colonnelli Entertainment reserves the right to make special-case adjustments to its policies and the steps it takes concerning violation of these policies.
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