Ban Dispute (Matthew)

[Pete Mckerdy]

Punishment Type: Ban
Punishment Subtype: Server Ban
Appeal Type: Dispute[Evidence]
Which staff member issued the punishment?: @Matthew
How long were you banned/blacklisted for?: 1 Day

Your Steam Name: [LOS] Yapping Frank [LOS]
Your Roleplay Name: Pete McKerdy
Your SteamID: STEAM_0:0:203148182

Why were you punished?: For starting a fight

Why should this appeal be considered?: I’m writing to appeal my ban under rule 2.5. I’ve reviewed the rule carefully (quoted below), and nowhere does it explicitly state that initiating a fight... especially without killing anyone, is prohibited. My actions did not result in any deaths, and my intent was not to cause death.

The explanation given was that I’m “not new” and should know better. However, this is only my 3rd or 4th day on the server, and my "new player" status disappeared just a few hours ago. There is no mention in the rule that the protections or expectations change based on that status, nor was I given any prior warning regarding this behavior.

I believe the punishment is disproportionate for a first-time offense of this rule, especially one that isn’t clearly outlined in the rule itself. I’m more than willing to learn and adjust my behavior, but I ask that this be reconsidered based on the actual wording of the rule and the context of my situation.

2.5 Excessive Negativity

Excessively impacting the experience of others negatively is not allowed unless it is a proportionate escalation against negative actions already performed.

When seeking revenge, players have a two hour window to do so, provided they are unaware that their target has died and respawned.

For example, it is excessive to:

Intentionally mug/target new players, or scam them for their items/money
Kill someone over verbal insults, or minor/accidental actions
Destroy valuable items due to basic distaste such as pricing
Kill someone without a good reason after mugging them
Scam/deceive others for their premium tokens, rare/seasonal items or their monetary value
Use explosives without ensuring that uninvolved players’ items are not damaged, or use molotovs in raids
Kill Paramedics/Firefighters, unless they have failed to follow reasonable orders at gunpoint.

When conducting raids on bases, players may kill occupants who are:

Known to be armed
Aren’t surrendering
Entering/exiting the building with visible weapons

Unarmed occupants caught off-guard during silent raids must not be killed on sight.

 

[Vollgas]

What was the reasoning behind starting the fight?

 

[Pete Mckerdy]

I didn’t like the individual and wanted to challenge him, shouting “1v1 me bro” to provoke a fair fight.
He refused at first, so I threw a single punch to get him going. It worked! The whole group responded.

But I’m still unsure how this violates rule 2.5. There’s no mention of initiating a fight... especially something like a boxing match being prohibited.
The rule doesn’t specify anything about provoked or unprovoked physical conflict, nor does it distinguish between serious violence and light combat.
I wasn’t trying to kill anyone, and the interaction was clearly meant as a challenge, not a random attack.

If this kind of behavior is against the rules, I’d appreciate clearer guidance.

But based on the current wording, I genuinely don’t believe I was breaking any rule or should receive a ban for a first-time offense of this rule, especially shortly after loosing the "new player" status.

 

[Vollgas]

But I’m still unsure how this violates rule 2.5. There’s no mention of initiating a fight.

As the rule itself states, those are examples of what constitutes 2.5. The definition of the rule is at the very top, and punching someone for no reason other than wanting to brawl with them is considered excessively impacting the experience of others negatively. No one wants to be punched and lose health for, quite literally, no reason.

Since you ask for guidance, a good rule of thumb with 2.5 is to put yourself in the place of the other player. Would you be OK with someone approaching you and punching you at random? Did he put himself in a position where he is bound to be punched or did you force him into that position without him doing anything to warrant it?

I hope this clarifies things a bit.

Also, you state you disagree with the severity of the punishment for a first-time offense. In this case, you will need to make a Staff Complaint on @Matthew

@Galle @Tilin