****UNOFFICIAL**** TOC Reporting Expectations - A Suggested Approach

This is, in no way, shape, or form, official or canon in any manner. This is my opinion based on 40 years in the corporate world.

Yes, that means I am old.

We’ve all seen the post concerning reporting TOC violations, but, for clarity and ease of navigation, the link is below:

[[PLEASE READ] Official servers - Terms of conduct, guidelines and procedures]

So, what to do to take advantage of this new process?

Consider the following:

  1. Follow the rules in the link
  2. Organize your report
    a) Provide the basic information
    a1) Platform
    a2) Server Name
    b) Be concise in your language
    c) Provide a readable format
    d) Spell and grammar check
    e) Avoid word salad, walls of text, and describing how you feel
  3. Describe exactly with facts
    a) List each violation of behavior on a separate line
    b) Reference the violation for the behavior from the link above, referencing the heading,
    b1) Hacks and Exploits
    c) Further reference the exact language from the TOC
    c1) Offensive and defamatory chat and user created content of racial, sexual, hateful, illicit or of other nature. This extends to character names, guild names, in-game signs and so on.
    d) Spell and grammar check
    e) Remove emotional language, word salad, walls of text, and describing how you feel
  4. Document extensively with screenshots/video/verifiable reports
    a) Everything you list should have a screenshot/video/verifiable report supporting your facts
    b) Stick to a single screenshot/video/verifiable report for each item
    c) Be able to provide additional information if requested
    d) Spell and grammar check
    e) Remove emotional language, word salad, walls of text, and describing how you feel
  5. Remove Emotion
    a) Let your message sit for at least one (1) hour
    b) Spell and grammar check
    c) Review your message in detail
    d) Remove emotional language
    e) Remove word salad
    f) Remove walls of text
    g) Remove anything that describes how you feel
  6. Wait
    a) Understand that this is a brand new process, it will take the length it will take
    b) Do not follow up your submission with a forum protest intended to initiate action
    c) Realize that you will not receive an immediate response
    d) Do not create a forum protest intended to initiate action after a few days of no communication
    e) Continue to document any issues
    f) Do not append your original report and resubmit it because you are. “just making sure you got this.”
    g) Continue to wait
    h) Trust the process
    i) Do not make a forum post complaining about communication and delay and how you feel about the process
  7. Accept the results calmly
    a) If your report results in positive action for you, do not gloat in the forums
    b) If your report results in negative action for you, do not complain in the forums
    c) For the love of all that is good and holy in the Universe, do not make a forum post complaining about how misunderstood you are and how this has destroyed your life and how now everyone will be sorry

The perspective I try to use is that, to me, this is my enjoyment and relaxation. To Funcom, this is business, so I must approach it like a professional and give them the tools to implement the process they have established.

If the process does not work for me, that will be a disappointment, but will not have a lasting impact on my life.

Additional thoughts and points of view are welcome.

9 Likes

Old guys rock. You’re right alot of people having issues are ticked off and don’t know how to report. My media skills are not very good. Old guy syndrome in my case. Wish I new how to send new folks to your post or funcoms. I just snap a picture with my phone and send part so they know what to look for.

2 Likes

I almost feel like creating a template for Funcom. HAve required fields like you state be

  1. Server Number:
  2. Your in game character name and platform ID:
  3. Offending Clan,Character and or Platform ID:
  4. A drop down for report reason: Under mesh, Spam Building, Resource Blocking, New Player Area Blocked,messaging harassment,toxic name of clan or player character
  5. Attachments
  6. Clearly stating false report could end up in punishment to the reporter box for agreement of this rule.
4 Likes

A solid checklist. The professional attitude and approach, repeating the important parts and just the right amount of humor make it a good read. Maybe Funcom should make it official.

That said, my 20 years of empirical studies on human behavior on the internet suggest that out of the seven items on your lists, approximately seven are too difficult to follow for many people. People are not patient. People are not able to detach their emotions and opinions from facts. People are not professional. Some are not even literate yet somehow find their way online.

As a friend and colleague of mine put it, “People are motivated by four things: greed, laziness, selfishness and stupidity.” As much as it pains me to admit it, he was right. Too often, people’s actions are driven by one or more of these four. I think the current global crisis highlights this behavior even more than usual.

Nevertheless, I think your checklist will prove very helpful for those who have the potential to act rationally and professionally but who may not have the skills or training to do so in this context. I’m sure there are people who read your list and think “Yeah, this looks good. This is how I’ll do it.”

3 Likes

I fear I must agree with you.

1 Like

Love it! That is how it needs to be. So when the guys in a clan that you know pretty well when it comes to game play and tactics, when they are banned and you know their alternate game tags, and can’t prove that is them. The grey area where that guy is friends with all those who are banned and he is refreshing bases for the gang, what’s the procedure for that kind of thing? I’m seeing alts everywhere…not just new players.

My understanding is anyone in the clan is banned, so even alts. So refreshing would be hard, unless on PVP, where setting off an explosive resets timers. Maybe in PVE, having an orb from an NPC does the same?

If you are talking about them playing on alts, well yeah, that will always be an issue,. They do state if they catch people using family share as a work around for a ban, it could cause more punishments for that player.

I don’t miss reading reports… i don’t. I wish I could get all the time back.

reading “insert name cheated, ban them” in some form of 2-3 sentences… was nerve racking.

Like… more info? Oh noes… your on forum now being mad mods do nothing… XD Maybe if you had tried as hard as cheater, i’d be able to help you. =p

1 Like

ANd Funcom has ways to investigate alts as well, and said those will be punished permanently (meaning family share may be banned on that account). I don;t know 100%, but the idea of no punishment because people will try to work around them is weak thinking. We shouldn’t give speeding tickets in school zones, because the speeder will still have a car to drive and will just speed somewhere else. That is the logic behind your argument. Punish, and if you catch them alting, punish again.

The fact you think leaping from server to server fully geared will not attribute to trolls is hilarious.

As for the refreshing, the only way they could do it while not in clan (Which again is why they ban the entire clan) is using an explosive or having the base damaged somehow. That is/should be a bug and fixed. Something they can do if they feel it is being abused.

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