FEDERATION 2 GAME RULES EXPLAINED

Last updated on January 3, 2010

1. INTRODUCTION

The very simple Fed2 rules on the previous page are the way we ensure that a large number of players can interact with each other without problems, and have an enjoyable and rewarding experience. They expect you to be civil, to respect others when you are online, and to behave like a grown-up.

When you play Federation 2 you are bound by these rules - in setting up an account for the game, you agree to abide by them. This page explains some of the things that you should not do. It is not a complete list - just because a particular action or style or behavior is not mentioned here, it does not mean it is OK to do. We ask you to use your common sense and abide by the spirit of the rules: Don't Annoy Other Players.

A set of supplements to the rules provides further guidance and clarification on certain areas such as harassment, public and private behavior, acceptable language, and posting on the electronic noticeboard.

If you don't understand something in this explanation, please ask for clarification by emailing feedback@ibgames.com.

2. COMMUNICATIONS IN FED2

Communication in Fed2 is open freely to all players. We don't screen communications in advance - we have neither the practical capability, nor the intention, to play the role of Big Brother (or your mother). We assume our players can be trusted to behave, until they prove otherwise. We cannot prevent people from breaking the rules before they do so - but we will act when they do, or when their behaviour is brought to our attention.

We ask you to be civil and to show respect for others. Don't interfere with another player's enjoyment. If you do, you may have some restrictions put on your use of a particular game feature, or be barred from Fed2 either temporarily or permanently.

Fed2 is not a traditional role-playing game where players choose a race, profession, religion, alignment and so on, and then stick rigidly to the attributes of their characters. While some players may enjoy role-playing, it is not compulsory and we do not tell people what they can and cannot discuss in the game, either privately or on the comms, so long as they don't break the rules. If people want to talk about sport, what was on TV last night, their girl/boyfriend or their new washing machine, that's just fine.

It is possible to talk to players when you are not in the same location as them. The 'COM' command sends your message to everybody in Sol - which right now means everyone in the game! The Sol comms are the main communication medium in Fed2, and are staff moderated. Staff in the game will generally be on the comms and available to answer game-related questions. If the comms are quiet, they can be used to chat with staff or players; however, the staff may ask you to moderate the general chit-chat, personal conversations, etc, or to move a conversation to a channel or to tightbeam. Think before you send a message using 'COM' - do you really want everyone to hear what you have to say? In all cases, the appropriateness or otherwise of conversation on the Sol comms is subject to the final judgement of the Fed2 staff.

Fed2 gives players the ability to split into groups to talk about different subjects if they choose, by setting up comms channels. When an official event is running, a special channel will be set up for it. During the event, the channel should not be used to talk about other things - the event host can decide when a player's messages are off-topic or disruptive.

Any other channels set up by players are free channels. No player or group of players can lay permanent claim to a particular channel name; during any game session they operate on a "first come first served" basis. No one can dictate the topic of conversation on the channel - even if you are the one who set up the channel, it doesn't mean it is your property; you cannot control who else joins the channel, or what people talk about.

There are topics of conversation which are not allowed, and these are set out in the rules, under "common problems" below; otherwise, players are free to talk about whatever they wish on the channels and the only time staff will intervene is when a player breaks the rules, or a conversation is such that the majority of players on the channel find it offensive or disruptive.

3. FEDERATION 2 STAFF

Staff in Fed2 are there to help players, and to take action if a player breaks the rules or behaves in an inappropriate manner. If a member of staff tells you to do something, or to stop doing something, please comply with their request without argument. If you are unsure about the request, send mail to feedback@ibgames.com and ask for clarification.

Rule 1 - Don't annoy other players - also applies to staff. Do not deliberately annoy or hassle Fed2 staff. Don't interfere with them when they are working or managing the game. Fed2 staff can not and will not discuss player issues with third parties in any way. Interfering with staff includes interrupting them, arguing with them about their actions or words, advising them or criticising them in the game, or telling them how to do their jobs. Any comments, advice, criticism or complaints should be emailed to feedback@ibgames.com.

You can see a complete list of the Federation 2 staff on our web site at http://www.ibgames.net/fed2/info/who.html.

4. THE FEDERATION 2 PLAYERS

Federation 2 is intended for the use of adults, and we expect our players to behave in an adult and mature fashion. Please note that when we use the word adult in connection with Federation 2, we mean that the game deals with more sophisticated themes than the usual run-of-the-mill game - economics, power, intrigue and money, rather than killing orcs or shooting down planes. There is no age limit; young people are welcome to play Fed2 (provided they have the permission of their parent or guardian), but we feel the game appeals more to adult, mature users and we expect everyone in Fed2 to behave in an adult, mature way.

"Adult" does NOT mean pornographic, or anything-goes. Public conversations and actions in Fed2 must not be vulgar or offensive. For further guidance you should look at the supplements on Acceptable Language and on Public and Private Behavior.

5. COMMON PROBLEMS

With the exercise of some plain common sense, these rules are easy to comply with. We have no intention of providing an exhaustive list of Things To Do and Things Not To Do. However, here are some specific examples of common violations of the Fed2 Rules. The list is by no means complete, so don't assume that because something is not listed here specifically, that it's OK to do it.

Offensive Communication

IB strives to provide interesting, stimulating and fun places for all our customers. Using vulgar or abusive language in public undermines this goal and is not allowed. Please use your best judgement and be respectful of other people. If you use vulgar or abusive language online, even if masked by symbols or other characters, a member of staff may take action.

Some topics of conversation are not suitable in public. These include, but are not limited to:

For further guidance you should look at the supplements on Acceptable Language and on Public and Private Behavior.

Politics and Religion

While it is certainly permitted to discuss the contentious subjects of politics and religion in Fed2, you should avoid getting into heated arguments. These are subjects that people feel very strongly about, and what starts as a reasoned debate can very quickly degenerate into a blazing row. So exercise some caution.

We do not allow political or religious evangelism in Fed2 - that is, blatant attempts to recruit people to a particular political position, or religious faith. Discuss the merits of your beliefs by all means, but don't try to gain converts, and don't get upset when people take an opposing view.

Inappropriate Names

When choosing a name for your Fed2 character, you must not use vulgar or offensive terms.

You should not use a name which may lead other users to think that you have some kind of official capacity in the game, or with ibgames; for example a name that is similar to the name used by a member of staff, or similar to the term used for staff (ie Navigator).

If you choose a name which is inappropriate, even in ignorance, then you will be asked to start your Fed2 character over again with another name and you will lose any progress you have made.

Relaying

The "relay" command allows you to broadcast anything that appears on your screen, so it can be seen by another player. This should only be used by agreement. Don't suddenly start relaying to a player without any warning or without their permission. If someone asks you to stop relaying to them, you should stop, otherwise it is harassment.

Ignoring Players

Fed2 has been designed to give you the power to deal with players who annoy you. You can use the "block" function to "turn off" all messages from any player that you don't want to hear from. This is the proper response if someone does or says something you don't like - ignore them, rather than annoying them back.

This tool means that you will be able to deal with many social problems in the game yourself, without having to involve staff.

Having said that - if, every time you log into Fed2, you behave in such a way that everyone has to ignore you, then you may be removed from the game permanently!

Staff will not ignore players, but you should not take advantage of this. If you send persistent messages to staff, they will ask you to stop. If you don't stop, it's harassment.

You cannot ignore Fed2 staff.

Harassment

When a user targets another to cause distress, embarrassment, unwanted attention or other discomfort, this is harassment. We don't allow harassment and we take it very seriously. You may have a disagreement with someone's point of view - we encourage lively discussion, and games inevitably involve conflict - but personal attacks are not allowed.

It may be that you don't intend to harass someone, and do not realize that your actions are harassment. However, if someone tells you to stop what you are doing to them - whether it's sending them messages, using game commands to perform actions to them or about them, relaying your output to them or following them about - you must stop, and leave them alone, or you are guilty of harassment. Although we have provided tools in the game to help players protect themselves from unwanted contact, if a player has to ignore you every time he or she comes into the game, then you may be harassing him or her.

Also prohibited are attacks based on a person's race, national origin, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability or other identification. If you have a disagreement with someone's point of view, stick to the subject, don't focus on the person.

Note that conflict between players is a part of many games, so killing someone's game character within the context of the game is not harassment.

For a detailed discussion on harassment, see the supplement on Harassment.

Disruption

This is what it sounds like. Don't interfere with the normal flow of dialogue or play in Fed2. Disruption may occur in different ways, including repeated interruptions of conversation, actions that antagonise, harass or create hostility, or off-topic messages. For example, interrupting an official event with irrelevant comments can be disruptive.

Scrolling is another form of disruption that is prohibited. "Scrolling" means repeatedly causing the screen to roll faster than users are able to read it. It is caused by a user entering a set of random characters, repeating the same message over and over, using a macro or other program to send messages very fast, or by repeatedly entering a carriage return or any such action resulting in a similar disruptive effect.

Continually logging in and out of the game, continually walking in and out of a room, or teleporting in and out of a room, can all cause disruption.

Alternative characters

You are allowed to own as many characters as you like, but you cannot have more than five in the game at one time.

Language

The language of Fed2 is English. Please don't send comm messages or make posts on the electronic noticeboard in other languages; to people who don't understand the language, it will be as annoying as if you had typed gibberish, and therefore counts as disruption. Not even Klingon is acceptable!

There is no problem with players conducting private conversations in any language they like - it's just public pronouncements that have to be in English.

Spamming

Spamming means sending the same message to a large number of people. It's usually applied to junk email but we have known people to come into one of our games and go down the list of players, sending each of them a private message advertising something or other. This is just as annoying as telemarketing over the phone, junk email, salesmen knocking on your door... so don't do it.

Interfering with Staff

This includes harassing staff, getting involved in interactions between staff and players, or doing anything that prevents a member of staff from carrying out her work. If a member of staff tells you to do something, or to stop doing something, then just do it - don't argue, or do anything that interferes with her work.

Please don't try to involve staff in any arguments or disputes you are having with another player, unless the other player is breaking the rules. Don't involve them in plots against other players, or political arguments within the game.

Impersonation

The most common form of impersonation is staff impersonation, where a player pretends to be a member of IB or Fed2 staff. This may take the form of pretending to be a specific person, by using a similar name or look-alike name, or more generally by claiming to have some staff position or authority.

Deliberate staff impersonation is a serious offence and will be dealt with strictly.

Staff impersonation may not be deliberate; you may not have realised that the name you have chosen is similar to that of a staff member, but if there is a possibility of confusion because of the name you have chosen, you will be asked to start over with a different name.

Another form of impersonation is text manipulation. This is where you type something which is formatted in such a way as to make it look as if another player sent the message or performed the action, or the message came from the game itself. Text manipulation can be amusing, but it can also be dangerous, either by making it look as if another player is breaking the rules, or by misleading a player into damaging her game character.

Manipulating the triggers in other players' software in order to make them perform inappropriate actions is also an offense.

Password Solicitation

It is absolutely prohibited to solicit or attempt to obtain a user's password, account details or financial information. Anyone found asking for passwords, or using any other methods to obtain passwords, will have their account suspended immediately. This includes trying to manipulate triggers or auto-responses in players' software.

The best protection against someone improperly obtaining your password, account details or financial information is to NEVER give out your password. Remember, Fed2 staff and other ibgames staff will NEVER ask you for your password online. So if someone asks you for it, refuse and report the incident immediately.

Excessive Advertising

If you are running an unofficial event in the game (a lottery, a party or whatever) do not advertise it excessively. You may post one message on the electronic noticeboard, and send one comm message each day. You may also tune to each channel and send a message to each one, again once a day. More than that and your actions will be considered comm disruption.

If you wish to recruit members for your cartel or advertize for haulers to run jobs in the cartel, you can send one comm message per hour, for the cartel - that doesn't mean each member can send one messae per hour, it means there can be one message for the cartel each hour. And check if there are any haulers actually logged on before you ask them to come work for you, and if there are not, do not send the message.

Outside Advertising

Please do not advertise outside products in Fed2. We are a commercial organisation and we don't allow any free advertising. This applies both to other commercial products or to free or amateur products: web sites, chat rooms, other games and so on. Even if the web site, etc, is Fed2 related, please do not post an advert for it on the bar board or broadcast it over the comms.

We do not allow URLs pointing to any other web site or any page or picture on a web site, unless you have obtained permission from staff by emailing feedback@ibgames.com.

We do not allow phone numbers to be published. Please don't give out phone numbers on the comms, or post them on the bar board - even if it is your own phone number!

Further guidelines on posts can be found in the supplement on using the electronic noticeboard.

Puzzle Secrets

Do not assume that everyone wants to be told the answer to a puzzle. Some people enjoy solving puzzles themselves and if you just hand them the solution you will ruin their enjoyment. So we do not allow talk of puzzle solutions in public, and we also ask you not to send unsolicited mail to players giving away puzzle secrets.

Antisocial macroing

Using macros is not in itself an offence (although we do not support their use in Fed2) but make sure your use of macros does not interfere with other players' enjoyment of the game. If your macro repeats the same message or act command over and over, it causes disruption and you will be breaking the House Rules.

You should never run a macro, or use triggers, which send automatic messages to the general comms or to comms channels.

Game Disruption

There are certain things you can do, either manually or with macros, that create disruption to the whole game. This includes, but is not limited to, accepting and voiding all the jobs on the workboard, or using a macro to accept and carry out all the jobs, thus leaving no jobs for other players.

Using a set of macros to allow teams of alts to automatically buy up the shares in a new company is also game disruption.

Laws

Contrary to what some may think, the law DOES apply in cyberspace! So follow the law, including applicable local, state, national, international and foreign law. Just like in the "paper-based" world, ignorance is no excuse!

Remember, too, that the law is not the same all over the world, so players who come from a different country - or even a different US state from you - may be subject to different laws.

6. PLANETS

In Fed we give you the freedom to design a planet and link it into the game without any pre-screening. There are some rules you must follow when designing a planet; if we discover that you have broken these rules then we will ask you to change your planet. If you don't, then we may replace your planet with a stock planet and remove your ability to change it, remove the planet from the game, or remove your Fed character, either temporarily or permanently.

Sexual Material

You must not have any sexually explicit material on your planet.

House Rules

You must not include any text on your planet that breaks the Fed2 Rules on acceptable language and topics of discussion.

Copyright Violations

When you design a planet you must not base your design on a work which is copyrighted by someone else. The most obvious example of this would be to write a planet based on your favorite novel or TV show.

You can refer in passing to someone else's work - for example, the locations on StarBase1 in Arena Space include references to famous science fiction works - but you cannot base your whole planet on someone else's ideas or plots.

You can have a few objects or mobiles that refer to characters or ideas thought up by someone else, but don't populate your planet entirely with creatures from a copyrighted work.

You can write your planet as a homage to a particular work, without actually using any names or incidents from the work. For example, you could have a planet full of dragons ridden by humans, but you could not call it Pern or use any of the characters names or plot lines from Anne McCaffrey's books.

A special note about Star Trek: the copyright holders defend their rights fiercely, so please do not base your planet on plot lines from Star Trek. The same applies to Star Wars, and any other product which is a huge merchandising operation - the owners are going to be vigorous in pursuing copyright violations.

Ownership

By uploading text to the workbench, and linking your planet to the game, you are giving us permission to display that text to other players; you are also giving permission for other players to visit your planet and read the text. We reserve the right to use extracts of the text on your planet for marketing purposes. However, you retain ownership of the text used on your planet.

You should not use text from another player's planet on your own planet, unless you have the owner's permission.

7. COPING WITH CHANGES

Federation 2 is regularly modified to add new features, and to make things easier and more enjoyable for the players. We welcome your suggestions, feelings and ideas about the game. Many of our best features are a direct result of user input.

We may make changes to an existing feature of the game, so that it works in a different fashion, or we may remove it altogether if we think this will enhance the game experience overall. Our work on Federation 2 always has the aim of making the game even more fun to play.

8. BUGS AND GLITCHES

New code is tested thoroughly before being put into the game, but however careful the tests may be, with a program as complex as Fed2, sometimes errors creep in.

If you think you have found a bug or error in the game, then please report it by emailing feedback@ibgames.com. Describe the bug as fully as you can, and include any relevant captures or logs that help to show what happened. The more detail you can give, the more useful your report will be.

If you have managed to profit from a bug, then you will probably be allowed to keep what you have gained, provided the amount is not so large that it unbalances the game structure. However, if we discover you have exploited a bug to your advantage and not reported it, we will remove the advantage that you gained.

If you encounter an error in Federation 2 that causes your character's death, or causes you to lose groats, rank, or any other attributes, then we will reinstate those losses. However, it is up to you to prove that the loss was caused by a bug in the game code. We need to see a capture or session log of the events leading up to the loss, otherwise it is impossible to discover the root of the problem. If you cannot provide a capture, then we will not reimburse for any losses.

If you use Fed2Term as your front-end, then make use of the auto-logging features to keep a record of everything you do in Fed2. Then, in the event of problems, you can send us the relevant details.

We will not reinstate any loss due to problems with your connection to the Internet, or to the ibgames site or computers, typing errors, faults in your software or your computer system. We do not support the use of third party software, including macros, while you play Fed2 and we won't reinstate losses caused by their use.

It is not possible to transfer your character's details from one account to another, because everything about your Fed2 character is tied to the account you use to play. It is also not possible to change the name of your Fed2 character once it has been set up, or the name of a planet once it has been linked into the game - so choose carefully!

9. DEATH IN FEDERATION 2

There are very few ways to die in Federation 2, and provided you make sure your character is insured your deaths will be no more than an inconvenience.

Because you can insure your character against disaster very easily, if your character gets legitimately killed 'dead dead', you will not be reinstated, even if you are at a very high rank. In our experience, however, a high ranked player once 'dead deaded' can recover the lost position quickly due to a network of friendly players and the weight of experience.

The only time we will reinstate a dead character is if the death is caused by a bug in the game code. A death caused by another person (such as luring you into a death location) will not be reinstated.

10. REPORT VIOLATIONS OF THE FED2 RULES

We have no intention of policing everything that users do in Fed2. We prefer to allow our players the liberty to moderate their own behavior, rather than to constantly monitor for trouble.

If a member of staff witnesses some unacceptable conduct which violates the rules, they will take action.

If you witness some unacceptable online conduct, you should first check to see if any member of staff is available, and if so, ask them to deal with the situation.

If there is no member of staff present, then you can report the problem by sending email to feedback@ibgames.com. You need to provide proof, in the form of a capture or log file, or text cut-and-pasted from your screen, to show what happened.

If you are not sure whether what you have seen is a violation or not, then you can ask for clarification by sending email to feedback@ibgames.com.

11. FINALLY

Fed2 is an entertainment product, and we want you to enjoy yourself when playing. The whole purpose of these rules is to make it possible for you to have a great time, without stopping anybody else's enjoyment.

Have fun!

Read the supplements to the rules:

Public/Private Behavior
Harassment
Acceptable Language
Electronic Noticeboard

Read the Terms and Conditions