Just because a person is legally older than 13 does not mean that they necessarily want to listen to PG-13 language. The server itself is based on PG ratings. Mumble only has PG-13 channels because when speaking you are more likely to slip up every now and then. However, on the server it is still not allowed.
I think (don't quote me) that legally this is an online community so people must be thirteen to join, but they only say that not to get sued :3 Believe me, there are PLENTY of people who are well below 13 and still use EMC, yet the staff appear to be quite alright with it. (This next part used to matter) One time, JustinGuy said he did not care about the age limit, but he isn't a part of the staff anymore. And to add to what Krysyy said, many thirteen year olds (+) are not fond of listening to people cursing every two seconds, which is often what we were subject to when the channels where Mature and not PG-13. I am fine with some language and all but what we were sometimes stuck listening to in there sometimes drove me crazy. That's why you rarely find me on mumble anymore.
^ this, exactly. Now, sorry if I'm getting a little boring with my reflections of my past but... Yah; I've been there, more or less. A chat channel (in game, so no mumble or such) which was filled with "mature" stuff, but just because of that it really seemed way immature most of the times to me. Was a "town chat" and eventually I left that particular town just because of that. For the record: I'm well above 13+ and from time to time I also don't mind a little "less serious" talk at all. With moderation. Because having to listen to it day in and out tends to get boring, IMO at least.
Well done to all the Staff, Managers, Developers, and Moderators!!!! The page updates look awesome and the rules clarification is great!! As for mumble.......I for one do not use any Voice chat channel while playing MC, for many of the reasons previously stated. I think that the ability to "Private Chat" is more than sufficient for most of the "Adult" conversation which may include double entandre(sp) references not appropriate for younger ears. Great work!! Keep it coming!!
Apart from my previous comment I also wanted to comment on the changes and rules directly, but figured I'd wait a little moment in between I like them. We all probably know the saying: rules are meant to be broken. Although it's often used to excuse oneself from breaking the rules the original intent is actually different; its (normally) often used when 'bending' (or breaking) a rule while your intent is still within the spirit the whole rule set. I'm not going too deep into this but; think of it this way: bending one rule with the intent to follow another. Here's the thing: with a set of good rules in place there really is no need for that. When done right a bunch of rules can be treated as a guide and not so much as a "set of oppressive tools". Well, I think this applies here as well. I especially like the thought which went within these rules (or so I assume). For every rule I can easily come up with a logical reasoning as to why it might have been put into place. And that becomes a little harder when dealing with rules which are there "because". So yah; nice work here!
You get punished when rules are broken. You are allowed to not have fun (as long as you don't affect other players negatively) and not be punished. (No clue if that's the reason, just what immediately came to my mind haha)
Looks great! I love the reworking. The link to the "approved mods" is certainly quite useful (I know it was there before... just easier to find this time). Additionally I think that adding a link from this page to the disallowed mods will be equally useful. It took a while for me to find the page the first time I needed it (going to the allowed mods page to find the link to the disallowed mods page is counter-intuitive to me). I'm glad I looked tho. It saved me from getting banned.
I will add "Thou shalt have fun" to my outposts rules. I won't actually punish anyone for not having fun... I just want to reinforce that this is a game. It's meant to be fun.
The original rule was meant like "If you notice that it is not fun (any more), then you need to (have to) know that you either need a break or a change. If it isn't fun you shouldn't use EMC services." I think this is actually quite important.
Yes. It is. I took some time off to manage some health concerns. I'm not on as often as I was before. But It was necessary and my outpost members have been amazing about it. They rock!
While rules are meant to keep people in line, and those who break them should be reasonably punished, I feel that removing such things as "Thou shalt have fun" also removes the humanity aspect of EMC piece by piece. When the wiki was first implemented and the rules redone (when the rules tab was removed) the first thing I did was look to make sure that rule 10 was still in place, which it wasn't (my timing may be slightly off). I am ranting now, so I will cut to the point. Being professional is important, but conveying a human side is equally as important. Many of us old members stuck around due to the staff/community, even when the server mechanics went to hell (1.3, and when natural mob spawns were nonexistent), when our friends left (there have been several major "exoduses"), and when our well liked leaders left/disappeared (whether that was forced or voluntary). It worries me about how "professionally" serious things are getting. I do not see myself leaving because of the stripping away of the things, but that is because I have seen the human side to EMC for a long time now. New players are a different bunch though; they don't experience what many of us have. In an internet where anonymity combined with hostility/heavy-handed-authority is becoming more and more common, a welcoming community (not a comment chain, debate forum, content hosting site) needs to show it's humanity at the first layers. It doesn't matter how awesome our staff and players are if they don't initially get a "this place could be fun" vibe from the beginning. I did it again, /rant.
It was a sensible rant and your concerns are why I'm adding the rule to my outpost rules. We are all humans. Real life comes first. And have fun when you play. Those are my guiding principles. While I love it when a company tries to instill similar values I won't require it to interact with one, so long as they behave in a way I find acceptable. The people running EMC behave quite a bit above and beyond acceptable, to me. Since the community that has been fostered by EMC seems to, by and large, embody these principles, I think that we, as community members, can keep the torch of humanity alive and burning bright. After all, if the community here hadn't adopted those principles embodied in "Thou shalt have fun" that rule would have been meaningless.
Thank you for this words! A strong community with high standards is able to provide greater freedom and more enjoyment for its members. Any rule and any staff action can only be a success if it is a sincere service to the community, never restricting its freedom to develop - even beyond the imagination of any particular member / staff.
Sorry it took a while to respond to this. The rule was not removed without cause. I am a full supporter that if you aren't having fun on EMC, that you need to take a break. (also if it's impeding your schoolwork or real life in any negative way). That being said, the rules were modified to remove it because of the following mock argument that we saw on a weekly basis when a player appealed their ban: Player: "I'm sorry. I didn't know that I would get banned for stealing." Staff: "The rules clearly state that you would be banned and you stole anyway. (Insert quote box with rule)" Player: "Yeah, but it also says 'Thou shalt have fun'. You can't tell when I am or am not having fun so you can't enforce that. If you can't enforce that, why would I think you'd enforce the other rules" I'll take a look at the current rules and see if I can work in something that can add the essence of it back.
