T R I G G E R W A R N I N G
contains swear words, and possible offsetting content.
so, here is the thing: you all looking at the rules as if they are wrong, and they are the reason people leave the server. They are not. The rules as they are actually are the reason that this server still is here. "I don't understand how this server survived with these rules" Exactly. You don't understand.
Rules are not there to bug players. They have very different functions:
Rules regulate the game
Rules organize the community
Rules PROTECT the players.
You are for example not allowed to negatively use diseases and disabilities, because there are people suffering and dying from those diseases. Someone may just have lost a family member to cancer, has gotten syphilis and became infertile because of it, or as recently diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder. And these things are hurtful to people. When people are mentioning these things in a game server that is supposed to be fun, those people are not having fun at all. And for what ? Because the person that thinks he NEEDS to use the word autistic has no other way of expressing themselves ? THAT is unfair. Not punishing the person abusing the disability to insult someone.
You are for example not to use words as rape or rapist for the simple reason that more people then you can imagine, also minors, have bad experiences with this. It can be terribly traumatic for them to be reminded of those experiences and not fun at all. And for what reason ? Because someone in their favorite game server is too insensitive to consider that and just wants to sound cool and call a defeat a rape? Unbelievable to me.
Calling people - human beings - trash, garbage, dogs, rats, snakes, worms, maggots, and other words that have deeply negative associations is profoundly bad for minors that have low self esteem. Yet, this happens much too often. And it is devastating for some players. Here, protection does i.m.h.o. not even go far enough on this server.
However, I do do very well understand the emotion that players feel with regards to very common words that they think should not be punished for. Words like shit, fuck, ass are so common in some parts of the world that using them seems harmless. However, there is a little problem here with regards to writing rules and regulations. It is impossible to regulate the use of those words into situations where the are allowed and are not allowed. I can imagine that for example "i could not give a rat's ass" would be allowed to say. Or "just take your shit and come to warp pvp" that's also a pretty harmless way of using the word. But personally would not allow the use of ass in "[player] sucks ..... " or the word shit in "[player] you are dog .... " So to prevent these bad uses of the words, and not end up in some grey disputable areas it is best to not allow the use of the words at all. The would be other options to regulate this, but that would imply rewriting a lot of the rules. (something i do consider a realistic possibility at some point, but that is just my personal opinion)
I have already suggested somewhere that Punishment trees maybe should be reset if a player does not get punished for a certain offence for a certain period. Given the fact that some players play this server for years and years, that only seems fair.
For as far as bans are concerned: I don't think there is anything wrong with the way the bans are shaped now. I don't think any of the rules that end in an IP-Ban is to harsh at all. You need to do something considerably bad to someone or to the server to get IP banned, and then you deserve it. Without question.