Critical Feedback...Discord, Bans and Feelings.

An area to facilitate free-form feedback on systems (in-game or out) related to Arelith.

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Irongron
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Re: Critical Feedback...Discord, Bans and Feelings.

Post by Irongron » Wed Oct 17, 2018 11:24 am

Once again fellow staff and community members have put their points across so well that there is little left for me to say, but I did plan on replying to this thread after I'd heard from some members of the community, so here goes.

I can see 4 distinct topics being discussed here, some of which overlap, while others probably shouldn't. I'm going to give a response on each.

First, the specific case history of the OP, their threats to the server, and the circumstances of their ban.

This is an easy one for me, because I'm not about to start talking negatively about any specific individual on these forums (irrespective of their actions), players shouldn't, and so neither should I.

Second the broader question of bans & appeals.

This has been explained pretty clearly above. It's the least enjoyable part of a DM, and of running the server. A difficult case requires extensive log searches and background checks, which when followed by the actual interactions of explanation, ban, and appeal process, can heavily eat into the time we have to develop and run the server. In a community of thousands, all of whom deserve our focus and attention, spending 2-3 consecutive evenings addressing just one individual's case is backbreaking - it can leave us exhausted, demotivated to play & develop Arelith, and behind schedule on far more worthwhile protects.

The most problematic individuals do this many times, costing the server dozens, if not hundreds of staffing hours, meanwhile all those players with a healthy attitude are left waiting, for token approval, diverting quests and systems, and evaluations of their RPB level.

A ban, when permanent, can therefore have a noticeable positive effect on both the speed of developement, and culture among the community.

Thanfully such players are extremely rare, I could probably only name 3 or 4 in the last few years. It's a number worth thinking about, because its probably out of around....5000 players over that period? Arelith has always been known to forgive problematic conduct, but the opportunity cost for doing so too often, can be very high indeed.

Third is the question of the 'hack'

If anyone's thinking or worried that Arelith has its own version of Anonymous at work, then I'd like to reassure them that this is not the case. By our best working theory this is far more likely a Breach of Trust issue, whereby some now largely defunct data was extracted and later used to manipulate the forums. The very worst thing here is almost certainly the possibilty of passwords having been accessed, hence our asking the community to change them. The servers themselves are secure, and to my knowledge there has been no actual specialised hacking at all.

Some DMs also had the names of their player accounts released, which leads me think that those responsible might be more used to playing Arelith pre-EE where those names were fixed. It is far less of an issue on EE because many of us can (and do) just change our player name on each login.

It's also worth noting that while we may not realise it here, only a very small minority of our players use these forums, or even Discord. At most we have perhaps 50 people regularly posting here, out of a playerbase over 20x higher. Whatever is said on the forums, or released here, can have a very limited impact overall.

The sense of drama surrounding this hack is therefore likely far greater than the reality of the threat, and I suspect will fade away quite quickly if not fed.

Overall I am left with two take-aways. One is that its just plain disheartening seeing anyone attempting to harm Arelith collectively, because our players sure don't deserve such treatment. Second is that we're just damn lucky to have the people that we do. Both Mithreas and Liareth are retired from Arelith, but to see them rush in and give their best to help secure this place for all of us is, well, humbling. On both sides of this attack we've seen that Arelith is something that stays with us, even when we leave it behind.

"Welcome to the Hotel California. You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave."

The final issue I see being raised on this thread is that of Discord, and how it can, or should, be handled -

When Discord throws up issues that affect the server and its players, we're akin to the knights of Castle Arelith, running around a castle putting out fires as they start, and talking about how best to prevent them in future. But if we stuck our heads above the parapet we'd see the whole world is aflame.

The rise of Discord has had a radical impact on gaming throughout the world, the sucess and influence of which will resonate in the history of gaming for years to come. There have already been many articles on what has become a phenomenon. 87 million users and potentially on course to upseat Steam from the throne. The questions we are asking ourselves about it and being asked by thousands of other online gaming communities, where more and more often the largely unmoderated platform is replacing in-game communication.

If you're interested in this topic, I would recommend this article.

https://www.kotaku.com.au/2017/02/how-a ... -of-abuse/

As for Arelith and how we relate to it? This is far, far bigger than ourselves. Sure we'll keep our hydrants handly, but nobody should expect this debate to go away for many years to come.

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Re: Critical Feedback...Discord, Bans and Feelings.

Post by BegoneThoth » Wed Oct 17, 2018 4:19 pm

A side note; A server I was on previously quite literally imploded as the DM's refused to intervene in out-of-game harassment that was taking place in mega-group chats.

It's easy to say, 'just ignore them,' but when you find out months after the fact that a 40+ person chat has been doing nothing but shit-talking you for months on end, and perhaps that's why it seems like literally nobody will interact with you IG, because everyone thinks you're a huge POS due to a group chat you're not in, the advice of 'just ignore them' does not work.

This may sound like a strawman argument, and in some ways it is, but you can't 'ignore' bullying/harassment/stalking taking place in virtual spaces you don't have access to, and that is where it's most damaging.
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Re: Critical Feedback...Discord, Bans and Feelings.

Post by Rooshi49 » Wed Oct 17, 2018 6:16 pm

BegoneThoth wrote:
Wed Oct 17, 2018 4:19 pm
A side note; A server I was on previously quite literally imploded as the DM's refused to intervene in out-of-game harassment that was taking place in mega-group chats.

It's easy to say, 'just ignore them,' but when you find out months after the fact that a 40+ person chat has been doing nothing but shit-talking you for months on end, and perhaps that's why it seems like literally nobody will interact with you IG, because everyone thinks you're a huge POS due to a group chat you're not in, the advice of 'just ignore them' does not work.

This may sound like a strawman argument, and in some ways it is, but you can't 'ignore' bullying/harassment/stalking taking place in virtual spaces you don't have access to, and that is where it's most damaging.
I suppose everyone does have a good argument for policing outside spaces other than the game, but it really does still leave a bad taste in my mouth. I agree that there are certain situations where one should react to harassment outside the game. My primary concern would be that people could get others banned with essentially: "False positives". As I've read though, the repeal system is quite robust.

I'm not advocating allowing Bullying/harassment/stalking outside the game in other virtual spaces, but forcing people to close down discord channels potentially over certain people in them seems a bit extreme.

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Re: Critical Feedback...Discord, Bans and Feelings.

Post by BegoneThoth » Wed Oct 17, 2018 6:19 pm

The ideal situation is to be nice to one another and not shit-talk people or cheat maliciously.

Rather then worry about the DM's seeing your discord logs, make sure you arn't saying the kinds of things that make DM's want to see your discord logs.
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Re: Critical Feedback...Discord, Bans and Feelings.

Post by Seven Sons of Sin » Wed Oct 17, 2018 6:20 pm

I still question anyone who thinks Discord's positives outweighs the negatives.

I think anyone who wants to enjoy Arelith would stay far away from it. Banning will be the only way to regulate OOC behaviour. It's best to not demonstrate you have any OOC behaviour to begin with.
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Re: Critical Feedback...Discord, Bans and Feelings.

Post by BegoneThoth » Wed Oct 17, 2018 6:30 pm

I didn't get discord till I came here.

Unofficial one is good to coordinate things, find players of PC's, get quick DM questions solved, find builds, find grind spots, get info about longstanding bugs, and meme about Dagoth-Ur.

It's very useful.
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Re: Critical Feedback...Discord, Bans and Feelings.

Post by Cuchilla » Wed Oct 17, 2018 7:56 pm

I justs wish to express my 100 % trust in the staff. For their time, their efforts, and for what they are doing for the Arelithian community. Props to that they take time to answer this thread, even though you must be utmost busy at this moment. I don't see any reason to doubt in the staff, neither to distrust.

In this particular situation, I think it is important to speak this out.

And to any player doubting this, I'd just say: This is entertainment video game. And you can play it for free, if you want to. It's not real life. If the game didn't treat you well, take five. You don't ruin my fun, but you don't make it funnier.

P.S. I have no idea what Discord is, and honestly, I really don't care to know anything about it. Especially after reading the above.

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Re: Critical Feedback...Discord, Bans and Feelings.

Post by vaclavc » Wed Oct 17, 2018 9:05 pm

I found out what Discord is just yesterday, because it was discussed so heavily in this thread. I logged in and... I am really too old for such platform :D

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Re: Critical Feedback...Discord, Bans and Feelings.

Post by msterswrdsmn » Wed Oct 17, 2018 9:37 pm

In all fairness, issues with people gathering oocly to rage out isn't exactly anything new. Its been around for as long as I can remember, though it was usually in the form of MSN/other websites/the Arelith chatroom before Discord.

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Re: Critical Feedback...Discord, Bans and Feelings.

Post by Xerah » Wed Oct 17, 2018 9:42 pm

Seven Sons of Sin wrote:
Wed Oct 17, 2018 6:20 pm
I still question anyone who thinks Discord's positives outweighs the negatives
I want to be friends and develop relationships with people who share the same hobby as me. I think discord is 98% great, it's just some people end up shitty on it. Doesn't make the platform bad.
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Re: Critical Feedback...Discord, Bans and Feelings.

Post by Borin Drakkmurl » Wed Oct 17, 2018 10:02 pm

The problem with stuff like Discord is that it forces us to walk a very fine line.

Arelith , since forever, has been designed from its very core to be played without any need for ooc comunications. All you have to do is log on and play.

When programs like Discord, Skype and others come into play, they raise a whole lot of questions. Questions about fairness ( someone who has their entire faction on a discord channel has an absolute, clear advantage over three or four players who only talk through ig means), questions about morality and respect (as shown during the past few days), and it also questions the trust we put in each other as a comunity.

Discord has a clear potential to bring people closer together, but it also very easily puts players in a Us Vs Them mentality.

With that being said, I think it is pretty clear that at the very least DMs and Admins need to be aware of what goes on in such platforms. The same way they used to do on a chat as silly and apparently harmless as the one in the old gamespy service.

One other concept at the core of what makes Arelith what it is, is the notion that we are not just some random WoW server. Arelith is a very big DnD tabletop game, and we are all sitting around the same table...in someone else's living room, which they let us use. Literally, all it takes is for one single person to go: "You know what, that is enough." and push a button, thusly telling us all to get the hell out of their house.

So, if integrity-devoided mouth breathers want to yap all sorts of inbred nonsense with their friends and ignore the very few rules Arelith as a community has upheld for over a decade, they are more than welcome to. They should just not be surprised when they are told they cant come around the house anymore.
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Re: Critical Feedback...Discord, Bans and Feelings.

Post by Liareth » Wed Oct 17, 2018 10:43 pm

Rooshi49 wrote:
Wed Oct 17, 2018 6:16 pm
BegoneThoth wrote:
Wed Oct 17, 2018 4:19 pm
A side note; A server I was on previously quite literally imploded as the DM's refused to intervene in out-of-game harassment that was taking place in mega-group chats.

It's easy to say, 'just ignore them,' but when you find out months after the fact that a 40+ person chat has been doing nothing but shit-talking you for months on end, and perhaps that's why it seems like literally nobody will interact with you IG, because everyone thinks you're a huge POS due to a group chat you're not in, the advice of 'just ignore them' does not work.

This may sound like a strawman argument, and in some ways it is, but you can't 'ignore' bullying/harassment/stalking taking place in virtual spaces you don't have access to, and that is where it's most damaging.
I'm not advocating allowing Bullying/harassment/stalking outside the game in other virtual spaces, but forcing people to close down discord channels potentially over certain people in them seems a bit extreme.
I think it would be more effective to remove the toxic players than to shut down an entire server because of them. The quality of the chat and your enjoyment of the game will probably improve too!

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Re: Critical Feedback...Discord, Bans and Feelings.

Post by Royal Blood » Thu Oct 18, 2018 12:38 am

I've never liked to use Discord, sort of bending on actually setting one up for Arelith though. I just think it lets things get to personal. Far too often Discord in an RP sense is abused even if your intentions are good, or you may not even realize it. But maybe with care it can be okay.

I think when encounters between players follow a route of like,

A: Announce something on Discord
B: A series of events plays out IG because of Discord
C: RP starts FIRST on Discord and IG second

We miss a lot of things. This even goes down to planning, without Discord access if you're setting things up and just communicating via Discord you're taking out any opportunity for people not in your Discord group to interact with you.

The only middle ground here I see, and the only reason I am thinking about using Discord for Arelith is that coordinating times in a busy IRL schedule is helpful BUT BUT BUT I will -never- ever coordinate a time and then not also post that time by some means IG or make it available IG for someone else to pick up.

I play Clea, in Myon, if you're trying to assasinate my council but all our council meetings happen pre-planned on discord, how are you ever supposed to find us when the information can only be gleaned through OOC means? I think it's these small encounters that are important are played out IG even if they seem insignificant at the time.

How can you ever scry/spy or do anything to other players if actions are being determined out of game? Even if that action seems mundane like choosing a spot to adventure. I feel like we devalue the RP climate of Arelith when we perform functions Out Of Game that will effect directly how our characters act IG.

There is also the echo chamber effect. It is SUPER EASY to hate on people when THE ONLY OPINIONS you hear are the ones you get to hear in your discord group and anyone who says anything you don't like gets booted out. That is THE EHCO CHAMBER. So your judgement can break down because the only opinions you get are from people you like and who like you. That plays into hating on people. If a clique decides to dislike a player, that clique will just echo the same thoughts in the echo chamber then maybe effecting how people play IG. I don't like it.

Unrelated to Discord, but just OOC communications in general
If you have a beef with the Arelith team, fine. Say what you feel you need to say, but don't go hacking things and trying to harm people IRL.

I'm not always thrilled with the Arelith team, and I have some distinct disagreements about things. But we talk, yeah? If you can't do that then go somewhere else. Reacting with the intention of trying to harm people IRL is no good and may get you in trouble with the law.

I guess the biggest thing player wise is to realize that Arelith isn't proffesional, persay. Some of the people might have proffesional backgrounds in these fields, but it's not their jobs. AKA it's casual. So avoid using passwords or other information you would be afraid of being leaked. I think without the proffesional climate of a real business where people dialog with eachother voice to voice and face to face these things are bound to happen. All you can do is weather the storm and not expose yourself.
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Party in the forest at midnight
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Re: Critical Feedback...Discord, Bans and Feelings.

Post by Party in the forest at midnight » Thu Oct 18, 2018 1:55 am

Are people actually RPing in Discord?

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DM Sollers
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Re: Critical Feedback...Discord, Bans and Feelings.

Post by DM Sollers » Thu Oct 18, 2018 2:23 am

Hello.

I wasn't intending to post. I'm still going to keep out of the forums following this. I wanted to clarify that we do not honor roleplaying outside of the client. That means that if you are not logged in on Arelith, your roleplay didn't happen.

"Interactive roleplay" between 2 or more characters cannot be performed outside of the server. This includes IC stories, private messages, Discord, and so on. If you are not logged in and actively roleplaying with the others involved, it can't happen. If somebody is using Discord or PMs to roleplay outside of the client, this can be reported and ignored.

The reason for this is precisely in relation to what concerned Royal Blood: if it's not in-game, it can't be scried on, spied on, heard about, walked in on, whatever. If somebody is roleplaying everything outside of the game and then coming in-game and saying it happened, it's false. Report it or don't. If it didn't happen in-game? It didn't happen at all.

If we learn that it's happening, we will handle it case-by-case.

That, I think, is the major takeaway: it is, like everything else, case-by-case. We are not going to crack the whip at somebody who wrote a short story entry about their character doing a mean thing to an unnamed NPC or somebody who wrote a summary of something that happened in-game and shared it with permission from the others involved. We will handle the people who are trying to interactively roleplay outside of the IC server, such as through Tells, PMs, Discord servers, or any other messenger service.

If you have more questions or want to pose examples to see what we may or may not rule on, we're always open to discuss them. We prefer private messages to avoid bogging the forums down too much. If you want to talk to me about anything, you can reach me here or on Discord.

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Re: Critical Feedback...Discord, Bans and Feelings.

Post by Nobs » Thu Oct 18, 2018 6:42 am

I for one love chilling on discord with my Arelith buddy.
We laugh at one anothers mistakes , 'losses' and 'victories' and have a extreemly fun time.
And like all palls we bust Pufferfish :D

But yes when you do chill on discord you always need to have your brain on to not forget to not do stupid stuff...
In my own case where i failed my self and derped up....All a DM had to do was send me a tell with a question...and right away i hit my self in the face feeling like a idiot.

Gues what im trying to say is - use discord and have fun , But do keep in mind that its easy to stumble over your self. (Atleast thats the case for me).

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Re: Critical Feedback...Discord, Bans and Feelings.

Post by msterswrdsmn » Thu Oct 18, 2018 5:58 pm

Party in the forest at midnight wrote:
Thu Oct 18, 2018 1:55 am
Are people actually RPing in Discord?
At one point, people were cybering in the Arelith Test Build server.

Edit: I probably should be a little more productive than that

I honestly don't think Discord is the problem. The problems we're seeing stem from Discord have been around forever, as i've stated before. Rarely have I seen msn/other forums/the chat as the problem; its usually a very small and salty percentage of the playerbase. Which is going to throw up a big middle finger no matter what you do.

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Re: Critical Feedback...Discord, Bans and Feelings.

Post by BegoneThoth » Thu Oct 18, 2018 7:06 pm

I know there's an alternate Arelith "r-rated" furry discord that was advertised on these forums a while back. It was advertised as having rooms for a specific kind of RP.
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Re: Critical Feedback...Discord, Bans and Feelings.

Post by Party in the forest at midnight » Thu Oct 18, 2018 7:32 pm

Yeah, I personally like Discord, it gives a lot of excellent moderation tools and is good for community building. It's better than Skype group chats and IRC in that regard. Moderation is key in keeping things from going bad, Discord allows for clear cut rules to be kept at the top of a server's channel list, and I like being able to have a moderator channel so mods can communicate with one another.

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Re: Critical Feedback...Discord, Bans and Feelings.

Post by The Kriv » Fri Oct 19, 2018 1:22 am

Yeah, I wasnt goint to contribute, but I've been sufficiently irked by the topic recently, so here's 2 more coppers:


I think when it comes right down to it, this is a game with referees and judges. And like all games with Referees and judges, those who choose to play the game are subject to the rulings and decisions made by those referees and judges.

Appeals are always a welcome thing to see, as it states pretty clearly that the referees and judges acknowledge their own judgments and decisions can sometimes be flawed.

And as we're all human (even if we don't always act like it) judgments and decisions can sometimes be wrong, unfair, unjust or just plain idiotic.

You don't have to like it, you don't have to agree with it, but in order for the game to continue on, one thing must be absolutely acknowledged by all: ultimately the decisions of the referees and judges are the final word.

There will always be miscarriages of justice, just as there will always be whiny folk who stomp away mad, rage quit, or decide to participate in griefing/revenge behavior.

In the 7 years or so I've been part of the Arelith Community, I've seen some decisions I just plain thought were bad, and I've seen some decisions I thought were just plain wrong. And when I've felt some decisions didn't go my way, I certainly made my voice/concern made. And more often than not, the responses have always been well thought out, and respectful. Especially in the case when I had been acting like a complete douche and not realizing it. ( i know, hard to believe, right? )

And the very fact they've allowed the discussion to go on this long without locking the thread and telling us all to STFU, again, shows the length of which this group of people go to let our voices be heard.

If you find yourself "banned" and you find the reason unfair or too harsh, of course, make it known. But reading that the person took their behavior to the extreme of threats and participating in security hacking, that's just wrong.

If there were folk talking on Discord, or group-texting in a chat-room/channel, or talking privately in a secret bunker under Yucca Mountain, if it got out that any person expressed a real/credible/believable intent to do harm IG, or act IG in any malicious intent, or just behave (as stated above) in a toxic way, or have toxic attitudes... that's not the sort of person "I" want to be in a community with, and from what I understand from reading this, the DM/Admins don't either.

Playing NWN, participating in Arelith's server is a privilege, not a right. It's a tough job to run a community this large with folk of as diverse as we have, and they may not be perfect at it, but they do a pretty darn good job.


My "The Kriv" file in the DM forum, I don't doubt is long and colorful... but the DM's I've had to deal with, or who I have sometimes forced their hand to deal with me (you know who you are! ;) ) y'all have done so with poise, grace, and respect.

And from what I read thus far in this forum, the pattern remains true here as well.


Something not everyone understands or appreciates: sometimes you have to trample down rights of the few in order to protect the rights of the many, just as sometimes you have to trample on the rights of the many, in order to protect the rights of the few. Knowing which to do when is tough, and not always done right.

IMHO, in this difficult case, the decision made was the right one. And I think it was made on my (our) behalf with the best interest in mind for all.
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Re: Critical Feedback...Discord, Bans and Feelings.

Post by Hacker01 » Fri Oct 19, 2018 2:29 pm

Good day viewers of this post.

I respect the notifications of this post being made public as freedom of expression and speech is of paramount importance and the players deserve to know that this server has been and is being targeted by an assortment of hacking intent.

I would like to respond to this post publically as-well and make mention that the DM group are corrupted and favor the play-styles, choices and malicious pvp and bias intent of their friends and fellow DM players ingame.

Issues are as follows that the players have the right to know are the reasons for the hacking intent:

1. DMs manipulate storylines and playstyles to suit their own interests and that of their ingame FRIENDS.

We have images as proof of this and can easily email everyone that has registered on the Arelith site these pictures at a moments notice.

2. PVP and Rule breaking is to the absolute benefit of those in the discord and or who are friends with the DMs and the DM team are complete Hypocrites seeing as they allow for ingame pvp bullying of new players and metagaming on heightened levels to the benefit, AGAIN, of those LEGACY PLAYERS (Old time players or Friends of DMs)

3. Bans and appeals - I tested this entire scenario as follows and warned DM SPYRE in 2017 originally of the bias and unfair nature players were experiencing before being sharply banned for pvping legacy players and appeals ignored and not taken seriously and since then, we would easily bypass the unjustified bans and cause mayhem be it via website during its downtime(Obtaining email addresses) or DM Clients and ingame functionality.

It is important to note that we are not just 2 or 3 people in this group, we are old and new time players that have grouped together with IT experience and have setup channels of ongoing Software and server manipulation which will continue until such a time that the DM team are reshuffled and removed from their abuse of power and severe bias manipulation.

The Server Owner is a man i respect for making this post and his experience in law is evident however, the issue stems not amongst its players being banned but the DMS and their severe abuse of power.

The main DM Spyre and DM Titania are two social justice warriors who i, infact recently warned them both that i would not rest until i see this server back on its correct course of being a game enjoyed by its players as they too, just banned my recent test return in under a month of playing due to the pvp harassments of a lvl 30 legacy player. (Screenshots and evidence is also still on hand and ready to be sent)

Mass metagaming is a big issue on this server, and couple of months ago this was tested in Distant Shores as DM Spyre and Titania CHOSE to ignore and stop the issue of mass players metagaming on discord and ingame as a glitch amongst NPCs revolting against players and due to no DM intervention admitting and handling this system glitch SEVERE BIAS PVP Followed - with players being told to delete their now, level 20s and make new characters at the cost of their own time.

In closing, no doubt this reply will be removed but know this - It has been screenshotted and the online hacking fear will not cease until the server and issues are correctly dealt with and not hypocritically encouraged as it is being now.

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Re: Critical Feedback...Discord, Bans and Feelings.

Post by Liareth » Fri Oct 19, 2018 2:45 pm

Hacker01 wrote:
Fri Oct 19, 2018 2:29 pm
Good day viewers of this post.

I respect the notifications of this post being made public as freedom of expression and speech is of paramount importance and the players deserve to know that this server has been and is being targeted by an assortment of hacking intent.

I would like to respond to this post publically as-well and make mention that the DM group are corrupted and favor the play-styles, choices and malicious pvp and bias intent of their friends and fellow DM players ingame.

Issues are as follows that the players have the right to know are the reasons for the hacking intent:

1. DMs manipulate storylines and playstyles to suit their own interests and that of their ingame FRIENDS.

We have images as proof of this and can easily email everyone that has registered on the Arelith site these pictures at a moments notice.

2. PVP and Rule breaking is to the absolute benefit of those in the discord and or who are friends with the DMs and the DM team are complete Hypocrites seeing as they allow for ingame pvp bullying of new players and metagaming on heightened levels to the benefit, AGAIN, of those LEGACY PLAYERS (Old time players or Friends of DMs)

3. Bans and appeals - I tested this entire scenario as follows and warned DM SPYRE in 2017 originally of the bias and unfair nature players were experiencing before being sharply banned for pvping legacy players and appeals ignored and not taken seriously and since then, we would easily bypass the unjustified bans and cause mayhem be it via website during its downtime(Obtaining email addresses) or DM Clients and ingame functionality.

It is important to note that we are not just 2 or 3 people in this group, we are old and new time players that have grouped together with IT experience and have setup channels of ongoing Software and server manipulation which will continue until such a time that the DM team are reshuffled and removed from their abuse of power and severe bias manipulation.

The Server Owner is a man i respect for making this post and his experience in law is evident however, the issue stems not amongst its players being banned but the DMS and their severe abuse of power.

The main DM Spyre and DM Titania are two social justice warriors who i, infact recently warned them both that i would not rest until i see this server back on its correct course of being a game enjoyed by its players as they too, just banned my recent test return in under a month of playing due to the pvp harassments of a lvl 30 legacy player. (Screenshots and evidence is also still on hand and ready to be sent)

Mass metagaming is a big issue on this server, and couple of months ago this was tested in Distant Shores as DM Spyre and Titania CHOSE to ignore and stop the issue of mass players metagaming on discord and ingame as a glitch amongst NPCs revolting against players and due to no DM intervention admitting and handling this system glitch SEVERE BIAS PVP Followed - with players being told to delete their now, level 20s and make new characters at the cost of their own time.

In closing, no doubt this reply will be removed but know this - It has been screenshotted and the online hacking fear will not cease until the server and issues are correctly dealt with and not hypocritically encouraged as it is being now.

A nightmare for some. For others, a savior I come. My hand's cold and bleak. It's the warm hearts they seek.





The answer is Death
None of that happens. Your actions are unimpressive and cowardly. This post won't be removed - it should stand as eternal testament to the monumental ignorance and stupidity that results from spending too much time moping in an echo chamber of bitter Arelith rejects.

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DM Atropos
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Re: Critical Feedback...Discord, Bans and Feelings.

Post by DM Atropos » Fri Oct 19, 2018 2:53 pm

I suggest finding a new hobby. Your attachment is unhealthy, for you and others. Might I suggest knitting, or chainmaille?

Let me be among those who point out that simply telling people who I am will not frighten or shame me into stepping down, or changing my decisions now, in the past, or in the future. We act as we feel is best for the server, and that absolutely means each case is unique, and is treated as such. It also means removing problem players, regardless of if they have been here ten years or ten minutes, when that is the action that needs to be taken.

Those who have questions for me individually, or for the team as a whole, are always welcome to reach out. We work because we love this world, and a great many of the people here. There is no power. There is just responsibility, and a very big target.
What is woven will be.

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MissEvelyn
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Joined: Sun Jul 12, 2015 8:43 pm

Re: Critical Feedback...Discord, Bans and Feelings.

Post by MissEvelyn » Fri Oct 19, 2018 2:54 pm

I'm just going to leave this here.
RULE 5: Listen to the DMs wrote:The Dungeon Masters are to be considered the final authority in any dispute, question, or issue that comes up, and by playing on Arelith, you agree to abide by their decisions. If there is a dispute with a DM ruling, or if you feel you've been dealt with unfairly, OBEY THE RULING at the time, and then contact the administation team and they will resolve it. Send any complaints or compliments to them by PM on the forums.
IF you have a problem with any of the DMs, then you have to take action by letting your concerns known to the Admins. I've personally done this before and seen immediate action being taken. As long as you're respectful about the issues, the Admins do take your concern seriously.

But hacking a forum as a response to how some DMs act? It's not very mature and no one can take that serious, no matter how valid your claims and concerns are. And threats aren't going to resolve anything.


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DM Roku
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Re: Critical Feedback...Discord, Bans and Feelings.

Post by DM Roku » Fri Oct 19, 2018 3:38 pm

Hacker01 wrote: . . .
While I have generally stayed clear of responding to this situation publicly, I feel that I must at least follow up on this spectacle. Thus, here are a few comments from my own standpoint:

Your comments in this thread largely seem to be to diminish faith in the team, and to, for lack of better words, declare yourself an ally of fellow players. However, your actions of this have proven only the opposite: you've compromised the accounts of players, invaded their privacy, and recklessly threatened their peace of mind. This is far more concerning than my own identity being shared, or any other threats of exposure and harassment.

I won't address the claims made about the team's behavior, as Liareth has put it quite well; none of that happens.

Having been present for the entirety of this circus, I will say this; I've never seen the staff stronger. The attempts to dissuade us have only brought us together. I strongly stand behind the team's decisions, and their dedication to Arelith. Going forward, I only see great times ahead of us, and I must say, thank you for the morale boost!

On a more personal note, this destructive obsession with brewing chaos within our community is concerning. I additionally suggest taking up a more productive, or healthy hobby, as you will not be gaining any ground here.

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