[POLICY] SWGEmu Infraction System

[Max]

SWGEmu Infraction System
Updated September 12, 2010
Communications Department

Free speech and the necessity of fair discussion are held in the highest regard, however when the line between debate and brawl is crossed, it is the job of the Staff to regulate so that the standards of the community are maintained for all. At times, anybody can "get off track" so we have to make sure the primary focus is for Development to return to us the game we love, Star Wars Galaxies Pre-Combat Upgrade.


The SWGEmu Infraction System is a system employed by SWGEmu to keep track of trouble makers and alert them that their actions are inappropriate. It is used for infractions on the Forums and TC, or occasionally on IRC.

The system operates based on a tally of demerit points. Each user has a personal point count (beginning at 0 upon registration). Points are global across all networks: a point awarded for a forum flame war has the same weight as a point awarded for abusing a Test Center player, and they contribute to the same total.

The infraction system incorporates three key elements:

• Infractions are given for violating any of the listed Website Terms of Service. These are worth specific points assigned by the system automatically. Each rule lists the associated point value and duration to expiration of that incident's points. They are also archived for reference.
• Bans are not simply handed out by Staff but are done automatically by the system. Once it has been determined that a rule has been broken, then there is no choice but to assign the associated infraction points. Only when the tally of demerit points equals a Ban level will a person receive a ban.
• As points accumulate, bans are imposed by the system automatically. The first point has no ban associated with it and should be treated as a warning. A total of 2 points incurs a 3 day ban. As points increase beyond 2, so does the ban length. 3 points equal a 3 week ban and 4 points equal a 3 month ban. When 5 points has been accumulated, expired points do not count in the total, a permanent ban is given that will never expire.

The Moderator staff that can give infractions can't set the number of points or duration. They only may choose from a pre-determined list where each rule violation comes with just one point value and duration option. The points or duration will ONLY be changed by official changes to this document and not for personal reasons. This is done to make the Infraction System clear and fair for everybody.

On the forums, infractions aren't given for things like swearing in one post, making a thread answered in the FAQ, or any of the other countless daily mistakes made by young and old: rather infractions are more commonly awarded for continuous negativity, personal attacks, "flame wars", and cross-thread brawling.
The Test Center follows the same philosophy. For most minor TC rule offenses - improper names, spamming etc warnings are given. It is uncommon for infractions to be given in response to IRC behavior.

Each infraction has an expiry date set by the system automatically. Generally infractions have a 3-12 month expiry. After an infraction has expired, the point(s) no longer count towards a users tally of demerit points. When an infraction is awarded, a Private Message is sent to the User explaining the reason for the infraction, as well as stipulating if the user was awarded a ban with that infraction.

We hope this allows everyone to be on the same page. We don't go around banning people willy nilly at a whim, and 95% of people will never need to know what an infraction is. But for the sake of clarity and transparency we felt it was important to let everyone know how we deal with trouble makers.