The Real PVE Rules

[Muzzy 43]

The Game Rules are intentionally vague and hard to understand in order to give the GM team more freedom when dealing with incidents. I'm therefore collecting a list of examples of the actual rules on the PVE servers.

 

Please tell me your stories about what GMs enforce and what they do not, especially in situations where the decisions were surprising and counterintuitive. This isn't a thread to complain about GM actions, though, just to report them for the purposes of figuring out the detailed game rules. If the incident happened a long time ago, please also mention when the action took place in case the rules were different back then.

 

I'll make the initial list based on chat logs and forum posts I've seen. I've also used the revoked Freedom Code of Conduct for some entries, but only for things that the FCOC said GMs would not help with. This shouldn't be touching any gray area since the revocation of FCOC wouldn't have added any additional restrictions on acceptable player behavior, only loosened them.

 

Apparently against the rules:

• Violating a trade agreement (stealing boats and then not paying as agreed)
  
• Stealing an on-deed horse (the GMs will return it, at least if you saw who took it)
  
• Paying newbies to join villages for the purpose of raiding them
  
• Ruining a specific player's surrounding landscape for revenge (to punish thieves, for example)
  

Apparently not against the rules:

• Killing off-deed penned, saddled horses for fun (Offensive claims to have done this, apparently without repercussions!)
  
• Stealing unlocked large carts and wagons
  
• Stealing off-deed items
  
• Stealing unlocked boats
  
• Destroying fences to raid off-deed settlements, even when they're not abandoned
  
• Ruining a landscape by digging massive amounts of dirt near other people's deeds (as long as it's not a revenge)
  
• Stealing off-deed horses or other animals (at least unbranded ones, unsure about branded)
  

Unknown (do you know any stories?):

• Selling stolen unlocked unowned boats
  
• Stealing on-deed boats in unprotected ship transporters
  
• Stealing on-deed farm animals (According to FCOC, the GMs used to return stolen animals if they were branded, is this still true now that FCOC has been revoked?)
  
• Stealing branded off-deed animals
  
• Bashing off-deed pens open just to let the penned animals roam free
  

The overall theme seems to be that if you don't have a deed, the GMs will not help you when you are being griefed. The exact level of protection enjoyed by deeded players is unclear to me, though. Please tell your stories if you have any, especially if your story contradicts what I've listed above.

[Aeris 3,751]

Whether or not the FCC was revoked doesn't matter - They were never rules.

[Jberg 3,070]

The FCC was revoked specifically because people thought it was rules. Deeded protection is what you set it up to be with the settings you have as a mayor.

[Muzzy 43]

Whether or not the FCC was revoked doesn't matter - They were never rules.

 

This only applies to branding and returning stolen animals. What use is animal branding now? It can be used to prove that an animal has been stolen, but if GMs take no action it makes very little difference in practice... It'd be nice to hear actual experiences about if branding animals makes any difference when dealing with GMs.

 

As for other things mentioned in FCC, there's one particular thing that bothers me a little...

 

 

Game Moderators cannot retroactively protect you if you have not made an effort at self protection.  They cannot forcibly recover items or animals that were not properly secured.

 

However, I just heard earlier that GMs will return horses that were stolen from unprotected on-deed pens. If said they wouldn't recover horses while FCC was in effect, why would they do it now that FCC has been removed? It's awfully confusing, but apparently simply having a deed counts as making an effort at self protection, and GMs will thus take action when something undesirable happens.

[Nomadikhan 2,196]

redacted.

Edited April 27, 2015 by Nomadikhan

[Aeris 3,751]

Again, whether or not the FCC has been removed has no impact at all on whether or not GMs return offdeed horses - They were never rules.

 

The purpose of branding is so that you will always be able to ride the horse, even if you disconnect on another person's settlement where animal handling is turned off.

[Muzzy 43]

The FCC was revoked specifically because people thought it was rules. Deeded protection is what you set it up to be with the settings you have as a mayor.

 

Well... The FCC did say everyone was expected to abide by it, that sounds awfully lot like "rules" to me even if FCC said it wasn't rules. "If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck."

 

Anyway, I think the most important part of FCC is not the actual "rules" but what it says about things that are NOT protected. Also, Enki's announcement about FCC removal said this:

 

Should you decide to live off deed in the wilderness, you are solely responsible for the maintenance and security of your items and animals.  To this end you are solely responsible for any losses of items and animals etc...  This includes making sure that all boats, carts, wagons, containers, gates, doors, etc. are properly locked and managed.

 

While it says off-deed players are on their own, it does not say how GMs will treat incidents involving deeded players. If everyone - deed or no deed - was solely responsible for securing their items and animals, it wouldn't have been necessary to add that extra condition in that sentence. The logical conclusion follows that the rules apply differently to players with a deed. This is supported by the story about a guy who had his horse returned that was stolen from his deed.

 

Essentially, griefing off-deed players seems to be OK while griefing on-deed players is not. I'd love to hear stories that tell otherwise. Are there players without deeds who had their items or horses returned by GMs after they were stolen? Or if not returned, were the perpetrators at least punished in a case where off-deed players were griefed? Are there people with deeds who weren't helped by GMs when they failed to secure their belongings? Tell me the stories, guys.

[Jberg 3,070]

Well... The FCC did say everyone was expected to abide by it, that sounds awfully lot like "rules" to me even if FCC said it wasn't rules. "If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck."

Freedom Code of Conduct

The FCC is not a set of rules.

The FCC does not protect you or your assets, it is simply a guide of conduct that the players of freedom expect everyone to abide by.

It is your responsibility to ensure the security of your area and possessions.

The game provides several mechanisms by which you, the player, can secure both your possessions and your peace of mind. Purchasing a deed provides you with a plot of land that is totally protected from the actions of other players while still allowing for interaction and collaboration with other players via a variety of deed management settings. For those that choose not to purchase a deed, the game mechanics on the Freedom server still offer several methods of protection. Structures cannot be bashed, door and boat locks cannot be lock picked, and your player bank is not accessible by anyone but you. Using gatehouses instead of fence gates, and stone fences instead of wooden ones, can offer added protection to animal pens and farm fields. Also domestic animals can be branded to facilitate recovery in the event of theft. Mooring anchors will not only keep your boat from drifting away while you are logged out, but will prevent other players from ‘accidentally’ relocating your vessel. Proper maintenance and continual improvement of fences and buildings will not only keep your area relatively safe, but increase several important player skills.

In Wurm, as in life, taking some simple precautions can help you to avoid the majority of negative situations. Game Moderators cannot retroactively protect you if you have not made an effort at self protection. They cannot forcibly recover items or animals that were not properly secured. They cannot teleport you to your stolen boat, nor teleport you out of that locked area you mysteriously found yourself in. They cannot compensate players for any losses that are due to that player’s failure to follow basic security guidelines. They can offer advice to players on ways to better protect themselves in the future. They can also offer guidance to players on what commonly acceptable behavior on Freedom entails.

The Freedom servers are intended to be a place where players can enjoy the creative side of wurm without the interference of conflict with other players. As such certain activities (while not against specific rules) are frowned upon and will not be tolerated. Players who choose to play on the Freedom servers are expected to behave in a manner that is curteous and polite to thier fellow players.

Players on freedom are able to do many things that affect the game world, which in turn affects ALL other players. Just because you CAN do something, does not mean that you SHOULD do something. If your actions will actively and negatively affect someone elses gameplay, DO NOT DO IT, discuss this with them first.

Do not destroy walls or someones work just because it is off deed. (basic rule of thumb, if there is grass/crops or piles of food with the animals, and they are in a well maintained area, leave it alone)

Do not destroy large sections of land for no good purpose. If you want to modify the land around YOUR deed thats fine, but if your neighbors object to what you are doing discuss this with them.

Roads: Building / removing / blocking Roads. If someone (for whatever reason) doesnt want a road in a specific spot and they were there first kindly respect that. By the same token if you move into an area with a road, please respect that right of way and dont make massive changes / blockages to it without taking care to provide a good and obvious alternate route. If deeding across an existing road it is polite not to block it or make it hard to navigate.

 

No, it's not a duck.

[Alyeska 2,621]

I thought we were getting physically sick from fighting moderation and the POLICE

 

Bringing up time and again threads about rules and gms and whatnot really isnt going to help with that

Edited April 27, 2015 by Alyeska

[Muzzy 43]

The purpose of branding is so that you will always be able to ride the horse, even if you disconnect on another person's settlement where animal handling is turned off.

 

Ahhh, good point! I'm still interested in hearing stories about whether GMs treat branded horses differently or not

[akaedis 429]

Horses are quite possibily wurms only special scenario creature. Really its hard to get any fact on what is and isn't allowed with them. 

[Moxie 271]

Just when you thought it was safe.

[Clatius 455]

My locked gates have locked gates that have locked gates. When I log off everything I value goes behind them. That's how much I depend on 'rules'. If you ain't there to see it, it didn't happen. 

[joedobo 1,187]

GM's have and always will do whatever they please, (imo anyway). 

 

Muzzy,  "Rules" in Wurm are subjective and I stress that's my opnion; as much as it pains me to acknowledge this. I strongly doubt you'll make any headway with your mission.

 

Although, I can give you a recommendation. I dislike the current rules and they they are dumb as heck. Now I know I have to follow them and I do but that doesn't change my dislike of them. What I basically do is avoid all possible situations where a GM might get involved.

 

1. If its off deed and you didn't make, dont' touch it.

2. If your off deed and someone starts hanging out next to you doing stuff you don't like...walk away and do something else. By no means should you do things back or try to get even.

3. if someone is being confrontational, mean, or rude just ignore them.

4. If you make something off deed accept that another player can and likely will mess with it.

 

 

If I was boss the rules would be simple.

1. If you can do it, it's intended and legal.

2. Its your responsibility to secure your stuff.

3. If you don't like what another is saying simply /ignore them.

[Klaa 4,872]

[Nosyt 200]

Careful with the off deed penned animals as picking into an off deed pen and butchering a dead animal is apparently a banable offense!

[akaedis 429]

If I was boss the rules would be simple.

1. If you can do it, it's intended and legal.

2. Its your responsibility to secure your stuff.

3. If you don't like what another is saying simply /ignore them.

 

You do know the rules are based on that right? Or around most of those points

 

If the game mechanics can't help you, Then GM intervention is needed. (Like scams)

(Then theirs meta gaming n such which is another topic)

Edited April 27, 2015 by akaedis

[Muzzy 43]

Careful with the off deed penned animals as picking into an off deed pen and butchering a dead animal is apparently a banable offense!

 

This is interesting. Apparently "picking into" is the violation. If one had just bashed the gate away and killed all the animals within, everything would've probably been fine.

[Kadore 926]

After this many years of rules added and subtracted on a whim, build a deed lock up your stuff and do all you can to prevent highways near you, if you dont like them.

 

Not much complaining sways what rules get added or removed, the ability to come close to enforcing them is the biggest factor.

[McGarnicle 1,463]

Not against the rules:

Stealing items in an on deed unlocked cart, boat. Even if the cart or boat is on deed, people can access it Even if they do not have permission on the deed to pick up items.

I suppose, in general, it is not against the rules to steal anything that you have permissions to steal, whether it's on or off deed. The only exceptions seem to be what the gms consider to be griefing. Maybe a list of events that have been deemed griefing is needed as they have set a precident.

Edit: reworded the first paragraph to better reflect what I meant to say.

Edited April 27, 2015 by McGarnicle

[zMole 12]

"Paying newbies to join villages for the purpose of raiding them"

 

I have never paid someone to join my village, so am I allowed to take all their stuff?. I have the writs to their houses, a villager can not protect himself from a mayor.

[LorraineJ 1,099]

Careful with the off deed penned animals as picking into an off deed pen and butchering a dead animal is apparently a banable offense!

 

I wish that were true but I havent' seen it to be so. They can be killed and stolen once you break in.

[LorraineJ 1,099]

This is interesting. Apparently "picking into" is the violation. If one had just bashed the gate away and killed all the animals within, everything would've probably been fine.

 

Oops I stand corrected - yes BASHING in is ok. I didn't know people could pick on PvE !

[LorraineJ 1,099]

Apparently against the rules:

• Violating a trade agreement (stealing boats and then not paying as agreed)
• Stealing an on-deed horse (the GMs will return it, at least if you saw who took it)
• Paying newbies to join villages for the purpose of raiding them
• Ruining a specific player's surrounding landscape for revenge (to punish thieves, for example)

 

Ruining the landscape for revenge is ok, but it's got to be something bad like the person has too many deeds, or didn't want to speak to you.

[Devily 623]

Muzzy do you still play the game? I thought you left the game? In that case why do you even bother posting and you dont even play?