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Chat Rules:
0. Mods
1. Do not swear.
2. Do not harass other players.
3. Do not spam or flood.
4. Don't diss this or any other game.
5. Do not use excessive caps.
6. Do not be inappropriate or vulgar.
7. Do not use excessive L33T.
8. Do not beg for gold or items.
9. Do not provoke bad behavior in others.
10. Keep real life details out of the game.
11. Quizzes
12. Chat in English
13. Do not whine about mod activity.
It's up to the mods to decide how they enforce rules and judge on disputes. They're mod because we believe they share our thoughts and ideas, not because of whatever else reason you can think of. Thus, we place faith and trust in them.
Of course, in return, we expect them to judge and act thoughtful,prudent and impartial.
Problems with mods are not to be discussed in game, you can report them to me and I'll handle it from there.
Just because your words are not filtered out does not mean they are allowed in chat. Use common sense here, in proper context some words are okay, for example the word 'bastard' when used in the context of the type of sword, however when used as an insult it is not acceptable. Also it should be noted that using symbols such as *s to cover swearing and deliberately misspelling or missing letters out of swears does NOT make it acceptable. This means that using lmfao, or wtf, or similar things is unacceptable as well. We don't mute for bad words, we mute for the intention of swearing/using bad language.
This includes insulting, swearing at or persistently bothering people in chat or PM. You can be mad at a PK or a scammer but please keep it within limits. If you are harassed, contact a mod as soon as possible or use /pignore playername, do not sink to their level, just because they started it does not mean you will not get in trouble for retaliating. Please do not post the offending PMs in chat, but contact a mod.
Spam, in this game, is defined as typing loads of meaningless letters, symbols or numbers, trying to figure what is the max limit of the chat line is also considered spam.
Repeating the same or similar messages more than twice is flooding, so is sending lots of pointless messages close together, this includes countdowns and repeated posting of battle stats such as hits and hunt monster life. Advertising a clan, item or any other site over and over is also against this rule. In general, make sure that the same message isn't twice in the same screen.
Make sure that what you write is English, or at least readable. Writinglikethisgetsannoyingprettysoonandisaninsulttoeverygrammarrule.
Mods will act as they see fit.
No game can be perfect, game creators try their best to produce games that people will enjoy but it would be impossible to make a game that would please everyone. Creative criticism is accepted but if you don't like the game, why play it at all and ruin it for those who do?
Capital letters denote shouting which is rude and annoying, other players can still see you when you don't use caps so why use them? Using caps to emphasize a particular word or two in a longer sentence is okay but use common sense, typing really long words in caps is just as irritating as lots of small ones, excessive caps also covers TyPiNg LiKe ThIs. Moderators have the duty to judge whether the use of caps was appropriate or not.
Certain topics are considered inappropriate in chat they include (but are not limited to) sex and drugs. Occasional light sexual references can be acceptable but only if they are not detailed and as long as whoever the comment is directed to does not find it offensive. Do think about the effect your comments will have before posting any message that could be considered sexual, remember; though the average game player is around 16-18 years old there are players as young as 10, so use common sense here. Anything really explicit is an instant mute. One single reference to drugs would probably not find you muted but repeatedly referring to them is not allowed. Overly disgusting behavior is also not allowed, we don't wish to know what you did with your friend's dog or whatever.
Being an online game, we have to take strict measures against unwanted sexual behaviour or pedophilic practices. Be decent.
Mods will act as they see fit.
You can put a word or two in l33t, but whole sentences and continuous use is very annoying to most players. This also refers to any other professional slang's.
Other players made it on their own, and the high level players probably even had a harder time in the beginning. It is not an excuse to say 'I was just asking', look in a dictionary, begging means asking for stuff.
Inciting other players to break the rules by encouraging them or antagonizing them to such a point that they start swearing or insulting you is not allowed, be careful or you might find yourself with as much of a mute as they do.
The people that usually are interested in your real life facts don't mean to do much good with them. Please do not post your contact info like Aim, MSN, Yahoo, ICQ, or email address, if you wish to give someone your info please do so in pm's. Read HERE for more info. Remember that it IS a game, and that people create virtual characters to step out of real life. Please keep it that way.
For some reason, some people like to blow their money on quizzes. A few simple things: answers ONLY in pm. Do not ask money from participants. Make clear who won the quiz. Do not incite spam.
Many people from all over the world play Shimlar but as most mods have English as their first language it is asked that you stick to English for moderating purposes. If you wish to have a conversation in another language, please could you do so in PM and not chat. Sorry for any inconvenience this rule may cause.
If you really got muted or banned for no reason report using the contact crew form, a link to which can be found on the login page or by typing /lorda, /gilian or /sisco into chat. The moderators are people too, and can make mistakes. Repeatedly complaining about mod actions in chat or in PM to the mods can cause you to be muted.
If you have another char, you're allowed to use it to play, not to whine or ask questions. You're supposed to learn from being muted, and if you can't, you'll find yourself muted again.
The punishment for breaking the rules mentioned above is usually muting. Mods have the authority to decide as they see fit.
The Different Chat Channels
Shimlar has five basic chat channels, Chat, Roleplay, Sales, Clan and Race. All of the above rules apply in all of the channels unless otherwise stated and some channels have their own specific rules.
Chat
Other than the basic chat rules the chat channel has just one rule: no sales. All Sales related activity is to be done in the sales window.
Roleplay
1. This channel is intended for RPing (roleplaying) alone, and should be kept so. Anything you post should be kept in character. Out of character (OOC) posts in this channel should be limited to comments or short conversations about your RP. Putting /e in front of all your messages does not make it roleplaying. On the other side, roleplaying does not need the /e, it's about playing a role the most suited way.
Sales
The sales channel is the only place to do bidding on items. Furthermore, as in every shop, you can have a casual conversation about the sale, the item, and other matters as long as it does not interfere with auctions currently being held. All sales related activity MUST happen here.
There are two basic methods to sell items in the Sales channel.
Clan and Race
Silent auctions and adverts for items are allowed in these channels but should be kept to one post per chat screen and no more. Other than that the rules are as in the chat channel.
2. Don't godmod. To godmod is to RP a character with ridiculous powers that always wins everything and never gets hurt, this ruins the RP for the others involved.
3. Do not interrupt other people's RPs without permission, it is rude to jump in and get involved without asking first.
4. Though RP mods have the power to perform weddings they are not required to do so and can refuse if they wish to, please do not bother an RP mod who will not perform a wedding, they do not have to. Anyone you like can be a priest at your wedding.
To learn more about roleplaying and the roleplay channel click HERE.
Sexual Content: as with all other chat channels excessive sexual RPing is against the rules however you are allowed to RP a sexual scene within the boundaries of decency.
You can RP in general chat too, just expect a lot of interference.
Open Auction: In this type of auction, the seller announces his/her intention to sell an item in open chat and starts taking bids on that item until a satisfactory price is reached. In this type of auction, the seller may NOT accept bids via PM. All bidding in this type of auction is to be posted in the chat window by the bidder. If a seller is caught accepting bids via PM then moderator action may ensue.
Silent Auction: In this type of auction, the seller announces his/her intention to sell an item in open chat and accepts all bids via PM. It is always a good idea to also state that it is a silent auction to prevent confusion. Bids for the item being auctions should NEVER be posted in open chat. Refer to the Silent Auction guide for more details.
Player Killing (PK) Rules:
Player Killing (PK) is part of the game and if you stand in a PK zone you risk being attacked and killed by other players. PK zones usually have better stuff [exp, gold, gems] than non-PK zones so it's up to you to attain a good balance between killing, getting killed and
leveling.
Please do not flare your temper in chat if you are PK'd, you choose where you level and if you don't like being PK'd there are non-PK zones you could level in. Making a fuss may result in a mute by the moderators.
In addition to the chat and PK rules there are a number of other general rules that should be abided by at all times:
1. Do not use any automation program (such as macro, script, bot or whatever) to click for you. You have to be present when your char is leveling so that you can respond to PMs from mods or higher. Any form of automation will lead to a ban; anything that makes you gain exp OR gold apart from the game as it is meant to be played is strictly forbidden. We check for macroers manually so you must be available to answer PMs at all times. Not responding will also result in a ban, we give plenty of time for a response.
2. It is against the rules to allow somebody else to level your character. This is unfair towards other players and can also result in some chat misunderstandings. You should also never allow anyone else to chat from your char as you are responsible for whatever your character does or says whether it was you who did it or not. It is advisable to log out whenever you leave your computer, especially if there are others around who could get on your char and cause trouble, even if you're only going to the bathroom.
3. Players are allowed to log in a second char ONLY for ROLEPLAYING or TRADING. If you want to play another char you must relog as that char.
4. Selling characters is illegal as it is most likely a scam, the original owner of a char can get it back at any time by filling in the Forgot Password form. You should also never trade or accept free chars as you could put a lot of effort into the char and have it taken away from you at any time by the previous owner.
4a. Selling Clans is not allowed also, because a clan consists of his members which are characters, that are caught up in a situation that they didn't wish.
5. If you find any bugs in the game do not abuse them. Abusing bugs to kill others, get experience and gold and such will lead to your character being deleted. Any bugs found should be reported using the contact crew form. You may be rewarded, you never know...
6. Don't try to guess passwords for other characters you will end up getting your IP banned. Hacking is a serious offence.
7. Using inappropriate names, such as containing swear words, racist comments, sexual content, etc. will lead to your character being deleted. Creating a player named "you all suck" or "mods are losers" also falls into this category.
8. Don't Scam people. Scamming might be a challenge of wits but just because someone is less intelligent than you doesn't mean that you should take advantage of them, such acts are unjust and can ruin the game for the scammed person. If you are found to have scammed someone you will be tracked down and your real char will get zapped or put in jail.
9. It is against the rules to trade objects, money or chars in other games for Shimlar gold, items or chars, such trades are almost always a scam and cannot be controlled. If you do get scammed through cross-game trading there is nothing that can be done to help you.
10. Don't be stupid. A level 5 cannot find a diamond**** and there is no cheat to gain quick exp and cash (pressing ctrl+f4 or ctrl+alt+del two times, or ctrl+n, or f5 is not a game cheat).
11. Do not abuse newbies just because they are new, the fact that you are 500 levels higher than somebody else does not make you a better person. So don't treat newbie's like trash, you were a newbie once. Of course some new players can be annoying but you should either help or ignore them, not make them miserable.
12. Games which involve the contestants to pay an entry fee are not allowed, this includes lotteries and tournaments which ask for a donation/fee in chat. Private fights between players that involve a prize are allowed but you cannot advertise for participants in chat. This is to protect players from scams as these kinds of contests are very difficult to control and the organiser could just run off with all the gold.
13. Do not brag about your equipment or damage or what you can kill at level xxx. The fact that you
have been helped by somebody else does not make you any better than players who have not.
14. Respect the game administrators and moderators but don't suck up to them. If you are a moderator do not encourage such actions. Archwizards should not be questioned, and should be responded to immediately if you are PMed by them. Report any abuse of power the admin.
15. Loans, item trades, Payment plans or any other name given to the act of "giving someone money or items with the purpose of getting it back" is at your own risk!
To make it easy: everything a char gains must be done by clicking by the char owner.
Failing a macrocheck results in your character being blocked (your IP is still free, which means you can start over and play honestly), your items on that char being forfaited and possibly the banning of other chars you have.
Eventually, and depending on the situation, it might even result in your entire clan being blocked.
We are strongly against script, which can result in very harsh punishments. Macroing doesn't only affect you, it might in the end affect your friends as well!!
You're responsible for your char's behaviour!
Remember, being a mod is a job, not a bonus. You are supposed to moderate chat, otherwise you are just any other player. Also, don't think that your position is permanent, if you act poorly as a mod, you will be converted back to normal player. Use common sense in all your actions, take a breath and think before acting!
Moderators are not restricted from leveling, but should not put it before their moderating.
A moderator who is also a Clan leader/member should pass any fights between a fellow clan member and
some other clan/player to a moderator not involved in either clan. This is to prevent biased reactions.
Don't convey information from mod chat to normal players, even those in your clan. Such actions will result in loosing your mod position.
DOn't share your login/password information!! If you wish to share items, use a mule.
Most importantly: do your job, if there is trash talk in chat, don't lurk, help or mute. Don't over moderate either! A mute just based on name, unless explicit is over moderating, but not muting for trash talk is always worse.
Don't start wars between moderators, it is bad for the game. Either make the other player change the view, or keep it to yourself and certainly don't try to get administrators into mod arguments. If you have a serious issue with another moderator contact one of the administrators.
Any questioning of Archwizard power should only be made with Lord A.
Moderator commands (powers):
Do NOT ask for moderator action unless it is needed, these commands are not toys and should never be used as such. Moderators will use common sense in answering such requests.
/curse name - curse is intended as a way of calming down overactive players and as a mute warning. It should not be used to annoy players but instead against annoying players.
/caps name - lowercase curses are used for people who use excessive caps. On its own using irritating amounts of caps is not a mutable offence so this command should be used in situations where a player uses a lot of caps but doesn't break any other rules.
/mute name: hours - if a player acts against the chat rules or otherwise causes trouble he/she should be muted. In most cases a warning should be given first.
/perma name - mutes forever. Use it VERY deliberately as they are converted to a ban each Saturday unless the player contacts the Administration. Perma mutes should only really be used as a last resort.
/new name - use it to send people the links to GoW's site and the Manual.
/newrp name - use it to send people the link to the RP guide.
/kill name - instantly kills a player. This power is ONLY to be used for macro checking AFTER several PM macro checks have gone unanswered. Abuse of this power is a very serious offence.
Check on http://www.shimlar.org/commands.htm for a comprehensible list of all commands.
There is no set amount of moderators, this means that if someone has their power removed there is no such thing as a 'free spot'. There is just one moderator less. Same goes for Arches. New moderators are chosen when the administrators feel there is a certain need to add more people.
Inactive moderators lose their powers, Arches can be inactive due to real life reasons for a while. Do NOT contact the game administration asking to become a moderator or Arch!
If you have a question about any of these rules or need some clarification, please contact a moderator or use the Shimlar contact page by using any of the following commands in-game: /lorda, /toshax, /gilian, /sisco, /morph