[Goyatuzo]

Jagex said:

Honour

We expect our players not to cheat or indulge in dishonest behaviour. With this in mind, the following behaviour is deemed unacceptable:

* Macroing, and use of bots or third-party software
* Real-world trading
* Buying, selling or sharing an account
* Multiple logging-in
* Knowingly exploiting a bug
* Jagex staff impersonation
* Password, account, bank PIN or item scamming
* Advert blocking
* Encouraging others to break the rules

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Respect

Every RuneScape player is entitled to the respect of the other members of the player community. With this in mind, the following behaviour is deemed unacceptable:

* Discrimination of any kind, whether based on another player's race, nationality, gender, sexual orientation or religious beliefs
* Solicitation
* Threatening another player, or bullying of any kind
* Using obscene or inappropriate language
* Spamming, or disruptive behaviour
* Misuse of the forums

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Security

It is of the utmost importance that the personal security of our players is not jeopardised while playing RuneScape. With this in mind, the following behaviour is deemed unacceptable:

* Asking for or providing contact information such as full names, ages, postal or email addresses, telephone numbers or bank details
* Discussing or advocating illegal activity of any kind, such as the use of illegal drugs
* Advertising other websites

We all know these rules. We all have come to HATE, in some point of our lives, some of the specific rules. However, are the rules there to annoy us, or to protect game integrity and gameplay?


* Macroing, and use of bots or third-party software
* Real-world trading
* Buying, selling or sharing an account
* Multiple logging-in
* Knowingly exploiting a bug

These rules are all very similar to one another. They prohibit any real-world economics to interact with the game. Obviously, it's to help prevent malicious websites or people from gaining personal information, but is it something more than that? If these rules were to disappear, what would happen to the RuneScape economy? The gold piece would become priceless and items would be worth little to nothing. In that stage, it would be better to just instigate a v-credit system like Warrock or MapleStory where you buy their points for money.

* Discrimination of any kind, whether based on another player's race, nationality, gender, sexual orientation or religious beliefs
* Solicitation
* Threatening another player, or bullying of any kind
* Using obscene or inappropriate language
* Spamming, or disruptive behaviour
* Misuse of the forums
* Asking for or providing contact information such as full names, ages, postal or email addresses, telephone numbers or bank details
* Discussing or advocating illegal activity of any kind, such as the use of illegal drugs
* Advertising other websites


Obviously, to promote integrity. If a person were to commit suicide because of RuneScape, the world would become aware of its problems overnight. (Maybe exaggerated, but close)

If a person were to advertise foreign game sites that takes away a portion of the RuneScape players, what would happen to the Jagex stock? If the people of the world catch wind RuneScape was a game that allowed racial discrimination, what would happen?

Are the rules there to annoy us, or rather to protect us and ultimately, Jagex?

This post has been edited by Defender17: 28 September 2009 - 06:44 PM

[Hail]

Saying that the rules are there to irritate you is a very childish mindset and, really, no one adopts it outside of the most morosely foolish. Of course the rules have a point; otherwise, people wouldn't continue to play even if they do tend to complain (there's a difference between, "This rule makes sense but hurts me :(" and, "I just got banned for using an emote in a certain place...WHAT THE HELL? Forget this!")

While crowds tend to sound stupid, individuals tend to have some relative sense of logic, and you'd be surprised how many people would actually oppose your point.

[Goyatuzo]

Aerocris, on Sep 24 2009, 08:44 PM, said:

Saying that the rules are there to irritate you is a very childish mindset and, really, no one adopts it outside of the most morosely foolish. Of course the rules have a point; otherwise, people wouldn't continue to play even if they do tend to complain (there's a difference between, "This rule makes sense but hurts me :(" and, "I just got banned for using an emote in a certain place...WHAT THE HELL? Forget this!")

While crowds tend to sound stupid, individuals tend to have some relative sense of logic, and you'd be surprised how many people would actually oppose your point.

Wait did I sound like I was saying the rules were there to annoy us? If so tell me which parts and I'll switch it right away. I was trying to make it sound neutral but it seems it was projected another way.

This post has been edited by Defender17: 24 September 2009 - 08:44 PM

[Hail]

Defender17, on Sep 24 2009, 08:46 PM, said:

Aerocris, on Sep 24 2009, 08:44 PM, said:

Saying that the rules are there to irritate you is a very childish mindset and, really, no one adopts it outside of the most morosely foolish. Of course the rules have a point; otherwise, people wouldn't continue to play even if they do tend to complain (there's a difference between, "This rule makes sense but hurts me :(" and, "I just got banned for using an emote in a certain place...WHAT THE HELL? Forget this!")

While crowds tend to sound stupid, individuals tend to have some relative sense of logic, and you'd be surprised how many people would actually oppose your point.

Wait did I sound like I was saying the rules were there to annoy us? If so tell me which parts and I'll switch it right away. I was trying to make it sound neutral but it seems it was projected another way.

No, you sounded like there's an actual reason that people would logically look down upon the rules. I can't see that at all. Really, there's almost no opposition to the fact that rules have a point whether they hinder you or not.

[Shauly]

You know, if you think about it, why would anyone want to put something into a game to make people not want to play it? Jagex wants Runescape to succeed; that is their ultimate goal. What sense is there in purposely trying to "annoy" their players?

Shauly

[Goyatuzo]

Aerocris, on Sep 24 2009, 08:48 PM, said:

No, you sounded like there's an actual reason that people would logically look down upon the rules. I can't see that at all. Really, there's almost no opposition to the fact that rules have a point whether they hinder you or not.

I primarily created this post to kind of remedy my other one (Profanity Filters) and to say there is a valid reasoning to all of these rules. It's a personal thing, but I just didn't feel right after reading all the responses from that other post.

Shauly, on Sep 24 2009, 08:54 PM, said:

You know, if you think about it, why would anyone want to put something into a game to make people not want to play it? Jagex wants Runescape to succeed; that is their ultimate goal. What sense is there in purposely trying to "annoy" their players?

Shauly

I never said anything about Jagex "purposely" enforcing the rules. There is no company that doesn't want their product to succeed and if Jagex is an exception, we might have a serious problem on our hands.

This post has been edited by Defender17: 24 September 2009 - 08:53 PM

[Hail]

Defender17, on Sep 24 2009, 08:55 PM, said:

Aerocris, on Sep 24 2009, 08:48 PM, said:

No, you sounded like there's an actual reason that people would logically look down upon the rules. I can't see that at all. Really, there's almost no opposition to the fact that rules have a point whether they hinder you or not.

I primarily created this post to kind of remedy my other one (Profanity Filters) and to say there is a valid reasoning to all of these rules. It's a personal thing, but I just didn't feel right after reading all the responses from that other post.

The Filter is hated not because it's not useful, but because it hinders childishness and the actual need for obscenities that realistically have no true need in the game. Even of the people who disagree with the filter, the ones that feel that it's more annoying than useful don't look at it through Jagex's perspective but, even then, Offensive Language is really the sole exception unless some unethical people feel it's right to AFK, macro, etc. which is, as I said, ignorant to a large extent.

[1337_Byte]

I think the rule for no botting is definitely needed. However, the very strict language rules and real world trading are not necesary. No matter how bad they don't want real world trading, it really wasn't worth making all the changes to the game just to deal with it, people will always be able to sell accounts anyways. Overall, the rules don't effect me much, but some are absolutely ridiculous.

[Kevin™]

To protect, they wouldn't simply create rules to annoy the players & the community, as they would simply lose money then from more people quitting the game.

-Kevin™

[bolshevik]

1337_Byte, on Sep 24 2009, 09:59 PM, said:

I think the rule for no botting is definitely needed. However, the very strict language rules and real world trading are not necesary. No matter how bad they don't want real world trading, it really wasn't worth making all the changes to the game just to deal with it, people will always be able to sell accounts anyways. Overall, the rules don't effect me much, but some are absolutely ridiculous.

Some are ridiculous from your perspective simply because you do not agree with them, that does not make them unnecessary, nor do other people feel the same way. The strict language rules are there for a reason, Jagex wants to keep their game under control without rampant cursing everywhere; plus, they want to bring in a younger population everyday, and in doing so, they need to keep the game cleaner. RWT was a problem simply because it caused economic problems not only in the game, but in places where the people were running the accounts as well. Why should you be able to go online and play a game, earn money, and then sell that for RL money? There are plenty of opportunities/ways for you to do so, why would you come to a place like Runescape to do so? I agree that it might be easier than other methods, but that's not the type of game Jagex wants to run, they want a clean environment clear of all of this.

Rules are rules, they are put into place to keep the game in somewhat of a state of order. Some might not be agreeable simply because they make the game harder/not like it was before, but that's how things go. Progress pushes things forward, and when it does so, other aspects get left behind in the dust. They weren't put there to annoy you, albeit some do because of their nature, they are there to guide you and other players, to make the game play more fair. It can be a pain, but it's something we've got to live with in order to actually play this game, and not get ourselves banned for frivolous reasons.

[Lord Murdoc]

They are there simply because it is in our self-interest to conform together underneath them. Often our self-interest will dictate that we may occasionally act like jackasses in order to get some short-term benefits from a particular situation, but through banding together, a society that upholds certain laws of justice and morals would remove specific threats from our line of vision and increase the community's stability, level of peace, and enhance the personal enjoyment of those who partake in it. Through the guidance of basic outlines like those, we are more secure in the long run, which is what's really important. Through mutual support in such fashion, we're each less likely to fall upon misfortune. Players need a way of making actions in our short-term interests as just as those that look way ahead. This is precisely what the given laws do -- the initial threat of punishments means that it is better to obey the law than break it. Because ultimately doing what is in our interests is rational, it is therefore also rational to submit oneself to an authority of some sort with regulations and corresponding concequences. At the end of the day, the benefits of hanging around in a law-governed society pays for itself.

However, that's all great on paper in a hypothetical situation. RuneScape has admirable markers on what is O.K. and what isn't, but the way developments are handled isn't altogether too great. The Jagex team isn't big enough to any way deal with the overwhelming flood of reports that the system receives every minute, and as a result often the wrong people are punished and the culprits have as high a chance of getting away unaccounted for. In my opinion, the basic structure of our game has been put together fine, it's just that when it comes down to executing the finer aspects of it - everything falls down.

This post has been edited by Murdoc: 25 September 2009 - 09:50 AM

[Arno]

Quote

We all have come to HATE some of the specific rules

I don't hate the rules. Why start off with such a subjective and false premise?

The rules are there because we need them. Plain and simple. They're not there to irritate us or to make us angry, they're there because we put them there, we come up with rules all day long and most of us don't even realize it. We need rules to define the world around us, to define our actions and to be able to live with ourselves day in and day out. A world without rules would quickly be reduced to chaos and fear.

There's no question in whether or not we need rules. The real question is: to what extent should rules be applied and enforced? And in that case, I see no problem with the Runescapian set of rules. If you consider everything that has happened to the game over the last 9 years, every one of those rules becomes understandable and tested through experience. What I consider to be a bigger problem is the spoiled-infant-attitude that seems to be so popular today. Take something away from a toddler and he'll start kicking and screaming to get it back. Give something to a pubescent teenager and he'll find every possible flaw and throw it out the window, then march upstairs, close his room and put on some ridiculous music like dragonslayer.

[The duck]

Jagex has made these rules with a reason, because certain things have gone wrong in the past.

[Goyatuzo]

The duck, on Sep 27 2009, 04:53 AM, said:

Jagex has made these rules with a reason, because certain things have gone wrong in the past.

Certain things have gone wrong in the past? Please enlighten me on this matter. I have never heard of that before.

[Lee Christmas]

Defender17, on Sep 27 2009, 10:55 PM, said:

The duck, on Sep 27 2009, 04:53 AM, said:

Jagex has made these rules with a reason, because certain things have gone wrong in the past.

Certain things have gone wrong in the past? Please enlighten me on this matter. I have never heard of that before.

Does RWT ring a bell? Players being scammed? All things that went wrong and needed rules put in place to (try to) stop them.

[bolshevik]

Defender17, on Sep 27 2009, 10:55 PM, said:

The duck, on Sep 27 2009, 04:53 AM, said:

Jagex has made these rules with a reason, because certain things have gone wrong in the past.

Certain things have gone wrong in the past? Please enlighten me on this matter. I have never heard of that before.

Macroing has cause people to level a stat to 99 in under a week, when it would normally be done in a period of three to four. RWT was letting people buy money, rather than earning it, to further themselves in the game. Logging in multiple accounts at the same time in order to move items between two accounts.

Need I go on more?

[Goyatuzo]

Bolshevik, on Sep 27 2009, 09:58 PM, said:

Defender17, on Sep 27 2009, 10:55 PM, said:

The duck, on Sep 27 2009, 04:53 AM, said:

Jagex has made these rules with a reason, because certain things have gone wrong in the past.

Certain things have gone wrong in the past? Please enlighten me on this matter. I have never heard of that before.

Macroing has cause people to level a stat to 99 in under a week, when it would normally be done in a period of three to four. RWT was letting people buy money, rather than earning it, to further themselves in the game. Logging in multiple accounts at the same time in order to move items between two accounts.

Need I go on more?

Those already were in place since the beginning I thought...

[bolshevik]

Defender17, on Sep 27 2009, 11:20 PM, said:

Those already were in place since the beginning I thought...

In place, but never enforced to the level in which they are now.

[Monky92]

The funny thing about Runescape is, it has managed to develop such a vast community of probably hundreds of thousands, if not millions of active players, which is quite certainly not a typical thing about any silly old game that we all love to waste our time on (that's us folks). In those, there are a wide range of kinds of players... yes, this does include the guys who fit into the 'selfish' or 'immature' category, such that they can go berserk to an extent that would have a fairly big impact on the others around them who also play.

Rules therefore are there to shove a cap into whatever evil deeds they'd go about doing, and as another person here has stated, they have been tested and tried for however long Runescape has been standing as a game packed with a community. For example, scammers have always been a prominent problem in the past, and with the current kind of audience that play, it's fair to say that they simply cannot be trusted with freedom of speech, which is where the profanity filter comes into play.

Not surprisingly, this could be compared with real-life, where a community has also been developed. Why are there laws that disallow violence, drug abuse, human trafficking etc.? It is so they cannot be abused such that ultimately, in the end, it is the innocent that suffer from constant fear of the above. Imagine a world without laws, and you'll find just how terrifying it could get. Of course, the list could go on and on and on, but that was just a short list of examples that I used to portray this kind of idea, and obviously it would not be as horrific if Runescape didn't have any rules whatsoever, compared to the absence of laws in real-life, but I trust that you get the image in that no rules would only damage the game.

[Aserwarth]

Kevin™, on 24 September 2009 - 11:15 PM, said:

To protect, they wouldn't simply create rules to annoy the players & the community, as they would simply lose money then from more people quitting the game.

-Kevin™

QFT

Rules are rules and most of the time they should be followed. There are rules that not everyone agrees with like the filter rule, but they are there for a reason. I am not saying however you should follow a rule just because it is there. For a real life example, Jim Crow laws were "rules," but they were fought against because they were thought to be wrong. If a rule annoys you; you should fight to have it changed.

~Aserwarth~