Goob Station Banning Policy
This is the ban policy for Goob Station. It applies only to our Goob Station servers. The admin policy can be found at Admin Policy
Definitions
- Indefinite: Refers to a ban with no defined end time. This type of ban generally requires a successful appeal for it to be removed. Indefinite bans which have no extra requirements are sometimes called appeal bans.
- Voucher: Confirmation from the admin team of another well known SS14 or SS13 server that you have played on that server for a significant amount of time without any recent major issues. A voucher is required when appealing a voucher ban.
- Voucher ban: A ban which requires a voucher to appeal. These bans can also typically only be appealed after at least 6 months from the date of the ban. They are often used as an alternative to a permanent ban that allows players to return if they can demonstrate an ability to follow a server’s rules.
- Warning: A warning is a clear communication from an admin that some behavior is not acceptable. Warnings should always be paired with an account note making note of the warning and behavior.
- Permanent ban: A ban which cannot be appealed. These bans are sometimes called perma bans.
- Game ban: A ban from the servers. A player who is game banned cannot connect to the servers during the ban. These bans are sometimes called server bans.
- Role ban: A ban from a specific role or roles.
- Ban evasion: Attempting to circumvent an active ban.
- Soft Voucher Ban: A ban usually applied due to repeat offenses and are only appealable after two months.
- Ban evasion: A ban usually applied due to repeat offenses after a Soft Voucher Ban or Ban Evasion and are only appealable after six months.
Special Banning Requirements
Permanent Bans
Permanent bans should typically only be placed as the result of an unsuccessful appeal of an indefinite ban or a voucher ban. Except for cases of ban evasion after an accepted voucher ban, a vote by the admin team is required to place a permanent ban. Placing a permanent ban may be an option in a vote for the appeal. It is recommended that any indefinite ban after a prior voucher ban within 6 months of the date of the current ban be upgraded to a permanent ban.
Soft And Hard Voucher Bans
Voucher Bans usually occur if a player is too problematic and must get a voucher (Prove of good behavior.) from another server in order for their appeal to be accepted.
Soft Voucher Bans are done if the player receives multiple offenses after an appeal ban. Soft Voucher Bans are only appealable after 2 months and the banned player appeals with a voucher from a well known Space Station 13 or 14 server.
Hard Voucher Bans are applied if the player receives multiple offenses after being Soft Voucher banned or if the player evades an ongoing ban. Hard Voucher Bans are only appealable after 6 months and require a voucher from a well known Space Station 13 or 14 server.
Banning Guidelines
Administrators are not required to follow the times suggested by the banning guidelines when placing a ban, but bans placed within the guidelines are presumed to be of an appropriate length.
All instructions in the subsections of the Banning Guidelines section only refer to the guidelines, not policy. A statement saying “X is not permitted” means it is not permitted under the guidelines, not that it may never be done.
Administrators who place bans outside of the guidelines are required to be able to justify the decision to the admin team.
Consulting the admin team via Discord, or consulting multiple (2 or more) other game admins in-game through admin chat or ahelp does not result in those bans being presumed to be of an appropriate length, but is sufficient justification for straying from the guidelines.
Any total suggested time greater than, not equal to, 7 days can be substituted with an indefinite ban and still be considered within guidelines.
Evading AHelp
A player is considered to have evaded an ahelp if:
- They disconnect almost immediately after breaking a rule or after being arrested/killed for breaking a rule.
- They disconnect during an ahelp where they should have reasonably believed the administrator was investigating an issue that they contributed to or were suspected of contributing to.
- Without responding, they continue to play after receiving at least 2 reasonably spaced ahelp messages asking them a question since their last response.
- They do not respond at least 5 minutes after receiving at least 2 reasonably spaced ahelp messages asking them a question since their last response.
If a player evades an ahelp:
- Their ban should be extended by at least 7 days.
- Their ban may be extended up to indefinite.
- If their ban is extended, it must include an instruction to appeal to explain the situation or continue the ahelp.
Ban reasons
In most cases, ban reasons should clearly communicate the reason for the ban to the banned player whenever they are not evading a ban. Admins should be able to easily identify the reason for a ban through either the ban or account’s notes.
Alternate account bans should typically be in the form Alt of OriginalUsername
or AltUsername alt of OriginalUsername
.
Bans of additional non-username information should typically include the GUID of the targeted player as a ban detail and should have a reason with just the account username. The earliest placed ban’s reason will appear for the player when trying to connect.
Dewhitelisting
Game admins may dewhitelist a player at their discretion in any case where an issue would likely have prevented whitelisting. Game admins are encouraged to pair bans which are either for a second offense of an issue or which are greater than 3 days with dewhitelisting.
Offense Table
First, second, third, and fourth offense refers to the amount of offenses in the grouping category in the last 6 months. Suggestions for subsequent offenses are double the last defined suggestion.
Rule violations not in the offense table can still have bans applied, but have no guidelines. Administrators can look to guidelines of similar offenses to aid in determining a response.
Any player who requests to be banned from a department or from the server may be banned indefinitely until appealed or requested to be unbanned via ingame admin help.
Abreviation | Meaning |
---|---|
W | Warning |
RB | Role ban or department ban |
GB | Game ban |
Indef | Indefinite |
Grouping Category | Offense | First Offense | Second Offense | Third Offense | Fourth Offense |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Non-grouping | Harassing staff through the game | Indef GB | |||
Non-grouping | Slurs, excluding “retard” and variants | Indef GB | |||
Non-grouping | “Retard” and variants | W | 1d - 3d GB | Indef GB | |
Non-grouping | Bigotry/discrimination1 | Indef GB | |||
Non-grouping | ERP | Indef GB | |||
Non-grouping | Sexual content | W - 3d GB | 7d GB | Indef GB | |
Non-grouping | Metacommunications | W - Indef GB | Indef GB | ||
Non-grouping | Ban Evasion | Hard Voucher Ban | If after an accepted hard voucher ban, permanent ban. Otherwise, extend hard voucher ban to 6 months from evasion attempt. | ||
Non-grouping | Multi-keying | W - Indef GB | Indef GB | ||
Non-grouping | Ahelp misuse in bad faith2 | W - 12hr GB | 12hr - 3d GB | 7d - 7.5d GB | |
Non-grouping | Threats to ahelp | W - 12hr GB | 12hr - 3d GB | 7d - 7.5d GB | |
Non-grouping | Under 16, or acts under 16. | Indef GB | |||
Non-grouping | Bad character name3 | W - 12hr GB | 12hr - 3d GB | 7d - 7.5d GB | |
Language | Non-english chat | W | W - 12hr GB | 3d GB | 7d - 7.5d GB |
Language | Solely non-english chat | W | Indef GB | ||
Exploits | Bugs/exploits | W - 7d GB | 12hr - 7d GB | 3d - 15d GB | 7d - 15d GB |
Exploits | Use of macros | W | W - 12hr GB | 3d GB | 7d - 7.5d GB |
AI Laws | Major failure to follow silicon laws | W - 5d RB | 3d - 7.5d RB | Indef RB | |
AI Laws | Minor failure to follow silicon laws | W | W - 5d RB | 3d - 7.5d RB | Indef RB |
Familiars | Familiar griefing master | 12hr GB | 3d GB | 7d - 7.5d GB | |
Familiars | Familiar unreasonable failure to obey orders | W | 12hr GB | 3d GB | 7d - 7.5d GB |
Immersion | Text speak | W | W | W - 12hr GB | W - 12hr GB |
Immersion | OOC terms IC4 | W | W - 12hr GB | 12hr - 3d GB | 3d - 7.5d GB |
Immersion | Bypassing chat restrictions | W | W - 4hr - 12hr GB | 12hr - 3d GB | 3d - 7.5d GB |
Metagaming | Using info from death5 | W - 12hr GB | 12hr - 3d GB | 3d - 7.5d GB | |
Metagaming | Using info from past life | 12hr - 48hr GB | 3d GB | 7d - 7.5d GB | |
Metagaming | Metagaming round type | W - 12hr GB | 12hr - 3d GB | 3d - 7.5d GB | |
Metagaming | IC in OOC6 | W | W - 12hr GB | 3d GB | 7d - 7.5d GB |
Powergaming | Preparing items not needed IC | W | W - 12hr GB | 12hr - 3d GB | 3d - 7.5d GB |
Self-antag | Self-antag7 | W - 1d GB | 1d - 3d GB | 3d - 7d GB | 7d - 9d |
Self-antag | Station sabotage8 | W - 3d GB | 12hr - 7d GB | 14d - 15d GB | |
Self-antag | Cults/riots/revolutions | 12hr - 3d GB | 12hr - 3d - 7d GB | 7d - 7.5d GB | |
Self-antag | Cooperating with known antags | 12hr GB | 3d GB | 7d - 7.5d GB | |
Griefing | Round stalling | W - 12hr GB | 12hr - 3d GB | 3d - 7d GB | 7d - 7.5d GB |
Griefing | Friendly antag9 | W - 12hr GB | 12hr - 3d GB | 7d - 7.5d GB | |
Griefing | Antagonist team sabotage9 | 12hr - 3d GB | 3d - Indef GB | 7d - Indef GB | |
Griefing | Early massive station sabotage9 | W - 12hr GB | 12hr - 3d GB | 7d - 7.5d GB | |
Griefing | Unreasonable failure to follow an order from a team leader | W - 5d RB | 3d - 7d RB | Indef RB | |
Griefing | Harassing a player/role/department with no IC conflict | W - 12hr GB | 12hr - 3d GB | 7d - 7.5d GB | |
Griefing | Abandoning a role10 | W - 5d RB | 3d - 7d RB | Indef RB | |
Griefing | Antag rolling | 12hr - 3d GB | 3d - 7d GB | 7d - 7.5d GB | |
Griefing | Damage/disruption to arrivals/arrivals shuttle | 12hr - 3d GB | 3d - 7d GB | 7d - 15d GB | |
Escalation | Over escalation11 | W | 12hr GB | 3d GB | 7d - 7.5d GB |
Escalation | RDM11 | 1d - 3d GB | 5d GB | 9d - 9.5d GB | Indef GB |
Escalation | Over escalation or RDM that is a secondary result of station sabotage12 | 12hr GB | 3d GB | 7d - 7.5d GB | |
Competence | Unreasonable incompetence in Command | W - 5d - 9d RB | 9d - 16d RB | Indef RB | |
Competence | Unreasonable incompetence in Security | W - 5d - 9d RB | 9d - 16d RB | Indef RB | |
Competence | Unreasonable incompetence in Engineering | W - 4d - 8d RB | 8 - 15d RB | Indef RB | |
Competence | Unreasonable incompetence in Medical | W - 4d - 7d RB | 7d - 14d RB | Indef RB | |
Competence | Unreasonable incompetence in Supply | W - 4d - 7d RB | 7d - 14d RB | Indef RB | |
Competence | Unreasonable incompetence in Science | W - 3d - 6d RB | 6d - 14d RB | 14d - 21d RB | Indef RB |
Competence | Unreasonable incompetence in Service | W - 2d - 5d RB | 5d - 10d RB | 10d - 15 RB | Indef RB |
Competence | Abuse of a position of authority | 3d - 7d RB | 7d - 15d RB | Indef RB | |
Competence | Taking actions a reasonable person would view as to be to the detriment of the station as security/command | 3d - 7d RB | 7d - 15d RB | Indef RB | |
Competence | Unreasonable failure of security/command to follow space law | W - 3d - 7d RB | 7d - 15d RB | Indef RB |
Guideline is multiplied by the number of victims.
This should be used in cases where there are deaths that result from a station sabotage offense, like people being killed by an AME being overloaded or dying in a loosed singularity.
Does not include escalation issues.
Acts that result in station wide, or near station wide disruption. Spacing a hallway is not station sabotage, but cutting HV or destroying substations likely is. Arrivals or arrivals terminal sabotage is not sufficient to apply the station sabotage offense.
Includes IC racism/speciesism.
To qualify as bad faith, there should be no reasonable way that something is being done with good intentions. It is not required for the person to actually be acting in bad faith, only that it is unreasonable for them to think that they are.
Only applies to antagonists and free agents.
Should be combined with an escalation offense from the perspective of the offender. Typically RDM if an execution occurs for no reason, or over escalation if there is a poor reason.
Use of admin discretion to not enact penalties is highly recommended in cases where the offending player only commits an offense after attempting and failing to teach a new player appropriately.
Use of admin discretion to not enact penalties is highly recommended in cases where the offending player is not negatively impacting players, and is attempting to ensure players have a positive experience. For example, using LOOC to get permission to perform an IC act which would be allowed even without that permission.
This includes any information that a character should have not known from the same “life”. Depending on server rules, this may include information like the information leading to your death. A “life” ends when a player takes a different role, like a ghost role. For the purposes of banning guidelines, a “life” does not end on cloning.
This includes frequently disconnecting in an important role, disconnecting in an important role without notification when there is reason to believe that the disconnection was not urgent, and failing to attempt to perform the duties of a role.
Offenses where the admin does not believe a violation to have been intentional may be reduced to a warning and do not need to be considered a past offense when evaluating guidelines for future offenses.
Modifiers Tables
Modifiers can be applied to each offense that meets their conditions. They are typically in the form of multipliers.
Warnings cannot be multiplied. An offense which lists W as a suggestion cannot have that suggestion multiplied into a GB, but the guideline can still be strayed from with the same conditions as other parts of the guidelines can be strayed from.
An offense which lists W - 12h GB as a suggestion that is affected by a 2x multiplier would become a W - 24h GB suggestion.
Mitigating: Discretionary
These mitigating modifiers are applied at the discretion of the admin and may be partially applied. Admins are highly encouraged to consider applying these when they are relevant as they can significantly help to avoid bans which will be accepted on appeal.
Modifier | Modification |
---|---|
New player | If there is no prior warning for the same issue, and if the minimum suggestion is not an indefinite ban, reduce to warning at admin discretion and instruct to read the rules. |
Caught before round effects | If there are no earlier similar issues, any issue caught before it affects the round and other players can be reduced to a warning at admin discretion. |
Admin intervention | Any reduction, including to nothing, may be applied for any offense which is plausibly the result of admin intervention. |
Self report | Reduce to warning. Applies to any offense where the player reports themselves as long as the offense was unlikely to be identified otherwise. |
Valid Rule Clarification | No more than a warning should be given to a player that justifies the offense with a reasonably cited active rule clarification, even if it is not up to date with current rules. |
Aggravating
Aggravating modifieres are applied at the discretion of the admin and may be partially applied.
Modifier | Modification |
---|---|
Repeat game bans | A multiplier equal to 1 plus the number of game bans in the last 6 months which resulted from offenses from other grouping categories. |
Metagrudging | 2x multiplier if the offense is the result of metagrudging by the offender. |
Prior indefinite ban | 7d can be added to the total game ban length if the player has had any prior indefinite ban in the last 6 months. Excluding bans used only for contact and ones where they were found to be not at fault. |
Round removal | 2x multiplier for any offense which results in someone being permanently removed from a round, including an attempt to do so and actions likely to result in permanent round removal. |
Lying in ahelp | 24h + 3x multiplier if the offender maliciously lies in the ahelp. You should be certain that they have lied. The multiplier is applied after the 24h addition is made. |
Command/Security | 2x multiplier if the offender is in command or security |
Intentional rule breaking | 3x multiplier. Includes any rule breaking where the player intentionally breaks a rule knowing they are breaking a rule, knowing they will get banned, or claims to not care if they get banned. Any reasonably clear rule violation can be presumed to be intentional if the player was told to read the rules in the last 12 hours. |
Role specific | Any issue that is likely to be prevented by a role ban should include a role ban if a game ban is applied. The role ban can be applied in addition to or as an alternative to the suggested game ban. Game ban suggestions can be converted to role ban suggestion times by doubling the time. |
Grouping and Stacking
- When separate offenses occur, the suggested time should be determined by summing the suggestions for each separate offense.
- Offenses across multiple rounds can always be treated as separate offenses, but are not required to be.
- Offenses within the same round are “grouped”, and not separate offenses if there is no relevant ahelp between them14 and if any of the following are true:
- the offenses are non-grouping and one is necessary for the other to have occurred, or
- the offenses are in the same grouping category.
- Grouped offenses should use the guideline for the most specific offense.
This means that if two otherwise grouped offenses occur within the same round, but the player is ahelped between the two offenses occurring about the first offense, the second offense does not need to be grouped with the first. The second offense may also be considered as a prior offense for determining suggested ban times.
Role Ban Rounding
The total time of a role ban may be rounded to the nearest available autofill.
Examples
These examples may be outdated due to a banning policy update. Please point out any issues if you notice them.
AME Sabotage
A technical assistant sets the AME to 50. Their offenses are:
- Self antag
- Station sabotage
- Unreasonable incompetence in role Self antag and station sabotage are part of the same grouping category, so are treated as only station sabotage. Both remaining offenses can have the new player modifier applied if the player is new to the game, which would allow the offenses to result in only a warning and an instruction to read the rules. The station sabotage offense may optionally have the role specific modifier applied. Any of the following total suggestions are valid:
- With new player modifier
- W - 3d GB + W - 7d RB
- With role specific modifier
- W - 3d GB + W - 13d RB if the role ban is applied in addition to the game ban, or
- W - 13d RB if the role ban is applied as an alternative
RDM + Lying
A player RDMs another. When asked why they killed the other player, they say they haven’t done anything all round other than walk around, despite having just beaten the victim to death with a bat. Their offenses are:
- 1x RDM
The lying in ahelp modifier applies. The resulting guideline is:
- 36hr - 4.5d GB
Over escalation with history of issues
A player over escalates in a way unlikely to result in the victim’s round removal. They have a prior offense of RDM, a prior offense of self-antagging, and a prior offense of griefing the arrivals terminal. They have no prior bans. The offenses in this case are:
- 1x over escalation
No modifiers apply. Only the prior RDM offense is relevant because it is the only one in the same grouping category. The prior RDM offense means that for the current over escalation incident, second offense guidelines are used.