The problem is not with the rules nor the GMs but is the players in the server. Tbh I would rather the GMs not dealt with any game community stuffs matters. (scamming, ksing , harrassment or such) as we can't always rely on the GMs to babysit us or to make the community a better place. GMs aren't gods that can change the personalities of a person. No matter how strict the rules are, there's nothing stopping people to engage themselves in rude or undesirable behaviors. Or even if the rules aren't strict, douchebags will still find a way to get players banned for the sake of reporting. Also, what's the difference between you and the douchebags in the servers if you are suggesting to punish people who makes petty reports or such other petty actions like selling maps. You can't expect the game to have no flaws, but you can try to look at the bright side and enjoy the game as much as you can, which should be the sole purpose for all of us here.
It's difficult for me to take a side in this discussion, simply because I can see where both sides stand and why they feel the way they do. The GMS need to resolve the situation whenever they are called, it's as simple as that. If someone has map owner(which I feel gives an individual WAY too much power) they obviously have more rights to be there than anyone else. So when that person asks someone else to leave, and that request is declined, it causes an unnecessary conflict that COULD have been resolved without GMs needing to get involved. On the flip side, being afk, or even sitting in a training map while talking to someone shouldn't result in a ban. I mean, the chat is always going crazy from smegas, guild chat, gach notifications, etc. So the presence of someone in the map talking should have no negative influence on that person. The ONLY reason they threaten a report and try to force someone out isn't because they are annoyed with them, it's because they feel the corrupting power that mapowner gives. So both sides are equally strong imo, but the third option is where I stand. Why bother arguing? Most of us are in our 20s, why do we need GMs to hold our hand through stuff like this? Remember when we were kids? If we told a playground supervisor that someone was bothering us, we would be forced to play on opposite ends of the playground. Why are we resorting to the behavior of 10 year olds? If someone asks you to leave their map (even without a legitimate reason) what good comes from arguing? We are mostly all mature individuals and shouldn't need to resort to a forum report or a ~gm command to figure out a simple conflict like this. Simple as that.
@syncrinity Not providing any further comment on the matter but just wanted to point out that can be toggled off, whereas all chat in your map cannot be.
Fair point, though I still fail to see how that can cause anyone actual distress. Especially since you can reduce the chat box to a single line.
Wow, the negativity in here makes me feel a little uncomfortable but the fact that many have commented on this issue is nonetheless a good sign showing that people do care about the direction in which our community is heading towards. It is also fortunate that we have a feedback channel for players to suggest changes with regard to certain rules we have here. As the MapleRoyals community grows larger over time, friction between players is bound to increase, and that is the very reason why rules are set. Coming back to the issue on reports that some have considered to be “petty”, I feel that we should first take step back and look at the rationale behind the rules governing these “offences”. I use scare quotes on the words “petty” and “offences” because I feel that these are highly subjective and people can interpret them very differently. To some of us, a player hanging on a rope on our map may make us feel harassed and this is naturally so since there are only that many ulu2 and skele maps available for a large base of online players that at some point may exceed 1.2k. On the contrary, some of us may feel that hanging on a rope to wait for a map owner to vacate the map is fine if we do not actively engage in conversations or attack the monsters there. From this perspective, I believe that many will agree with me that it is indeed challenging to set rules to protect those who genuinely feel “harassed" and to appease those who find the rules “outrageous” at the same time. Unequivocally, the ‘~mapowner’ function has been effective in eradicating the ks problems that plague all the other servers that I have played on previously and I feel that this is definitely a plus point in instilling strict rules like such. Then again, as with all rules and regulations, gaps and loopholes are inevitable, such that people in the know can exploit them possibly by “baiting” others as seen from a screenshot posted above. Like what @seanc has mentioned, issues concerning subjective matters driven by personalities are hard to manage as people have agency. However, I disagree that the GMs should distance themselves from such issues since the current system has proven to be useful in curbing ks-ing and it also provides a platform to allow people who genuinely require help to seek what is needed. As for the instances of rules exploitation to get people banned (especially to those who actually feel good doing so), I feel that the GMs can take note of them and possibly talk to the players involved (which I think have already been done so on many occasions by some of our dedicated GMs). TLR: The current rules have served their purpose and should remain. Rules exploiters who intentionally get people banned should reconsider their actions. Cheers to a better community.
