Hello All
We are now a few weeks into launch of the Early Access and what a ride. We are working tirelessly to address a lot of the feedback we are getting. With two patches since launch we have already introduced fixes for some of the major issues and the game is getting more stable and more fun every day. We hope you agree. One of the things we will continue to address during the full life time of this game is maintaining a fun and safe game and community.
A BIG THANK YOU TO YOU AND OUR MODERATORS
But before we get into what we as developers do to that end, I want to once again praise our moderators for their tireless effort. They do an absolutely fantastic work of not only assessing behavior on the Discord and in the game, but also developing the way we do moderation. Furthermore, I want to also again thank you our growing community of helpful souls who create a welcoming culture in both the game and on our Discord and help us reply in the Steam discussion forums.
CONTINUED FOCUS FROM US AS DEVS
As developers we will continue to update the tools and the ways moderation works. We have had a few bumps with the banning messages, which we are working to fix among other things. We have moved the in-game reporting so you can report during the game. And soon we will add a karma system that will incentivize spreading classy vibes.
This doesn't mean we will create a system that dictates or controls your game play, but rather a system that makes consistent behavior that your fellow players don't enjoy less attractive. Tools like these are great, but game additions like leader boards which focus less on a the pure competitive aspect of points, but rather on social behavior, will also help to keep things focused on having fun.
There are many ways to keep working on and improving and making this game fun - and we are invested in having this as a top priority.
But right now I wanted to add some transparency on how we ban, how long you can expect to be banned, the work that goes into moderation and what you can do and expect if you get banned.
HOW WE BAN:
All moderation and banning is done by the moderators and only the moderators.
A ban can be issued based on two things and it is always up to our moderators to fully decide whether a ban is warranted or not.
- A consistent amount of in-game reporting across multiple games and by multiple reporters gets you flagged - not banned.
A player gets flagged when a certain amount of reports has been filed and our moderators review that player and the reports individually. A ban is never issued automatically. And you can trust that you do not get banned for doing one stupid thing or experimenting with a new tactic (e.g. hiding with a key card). There is a misconception that we ban players based on the volume of reports received alone; this is not the case. A player being reported by several unique players may lead to a more detailed investigation. However, we take action after investigating. To preserve the integrity of our system, we do not discuss the internal mechanisms which we use to investigate a possible ban. We do take a number of factors into consideration when we review reports of violations, including the amount of reports, who reported, karma score (in the future) intent and context, the potential harm to the community, legal obligations and others.
- Another way for a ban to be issued is by providing very clear video evidence of violating our code of conduct (https://www.firstclasstrouble.com/code-of-conduct) on our Discord. Starting now, we will not consider any reports that come through Discord without video evidence attached.
To be clear: we do not ban you for being sneaky or trying out new tactics. Experiment all you want. We are not here to control how you play the game. But if you get a push back from people you play with this should be a pretty strong indication that your experiment has failed and you should try being human in a new way.
HOW LONG AM I BANNED FOR:
You can get temporary bans for 1, 3, 5, 30 or 60 days. Or a permanent ban.
After the suspension is complete, you will be able to use our services once again.
We won't tell you why you are banned for multiple reasons. First of all, it’s our policy not to publicly discuss the specifics of any individual incident. Secondly, to protect the privacy of others, it's our policy to not reveal the sources of our reports. Lastly, to preserve the integrity of our system, we do not discuss the internal mechanisms which detect illegitimate gameplay.
We keep a record of past violations, and repeat violations over time can lead to a permanent ban.
THE WORK THAT GOES INTO MODERATION.
We collect multiple data points when you report someone; when it was reported and in which games they reported. So trolling the report system is not smart, and may actually lead to a ban, as it quickly becomes evident when our moderators review the reports if specific players are trolling the report system.
Moderation is by no means an easy job and in cases, where there is doubt or room for discussion, our moderators consult the other mods for a second opinion. Every day our mods go over the players who get flagged with multiple reports and look into not only the reports but also if this player's behavior can be correlated to behavior on Discord or even Steam. Sometimes a lot of work go into assessing a player - and our mods try to be fair. They are gamers themselves. People who have played this game over and over and over again. They are familiar with the game and want to see everyone have fun.
Our moderators work from a set of rules in terms of violations and how we asses the seriousness of these. We are not going to share those rules. In all fairness it would be great to have a discussion on what kinds of behaviors should warrant x-length of ban - but it's a discussion we are certain would get trolled pretty quickly. So you will have to trust that we are fair and that our judgement is fair. To learn more about how we view the world please read our Code of Conduct. And we never comment on the duration of a ban, the number of reports a player has or anything else regarding the technicality of a ban.
APPEALING A BAN.
If you think that you did not violate our Code of Conduct you may appeal the enforcement on your account. In order to appeal, you must contact us a https://firstclasstrouble.com/appeal-ban
Appeals are reviewed in the order they are received and we do not guarantee enforcement will be overturned. Only the owner of the account in question may appeal an account suspension, and frivolous appeals or appeals submitted to inquire on the status or request unsuspension of an account that you do not own will not be considered. We want to help all our players as efficiently as possible, so please make sure you only contact us with genuine appeals. Disagreeing with a suspension or ban when you break the rules is not a genuine use of the appeals system. Abusing or spamming the appeals process may lead to additional penalties like a permanent ban.
To preserve the integrity of our security systems and detection methods, we will only be able to provide you with the status of your appeal after our investigation is complete. We will not respond to multiple submissions or appeals sent through other channels. Decisions made as part of the appeals process are considered final.
Thank you all!