Star Pirates Rules
From Star Pirates Wiki
No advertising of other games or websites.
Text-based urls in your signature on the forum are allowed to not-for-profit sites but banners aren't. You may not list links to for-profit websites. The discussion of other games is not allowed. Be respectful that you're part of our community while here - players are here to play THIS game not others.
No Spam, No Privacy Violations
SPAM is not permitted in the shoutbox, forums, private messages and other screens visible during gameplay. All requests or posting of any external links in the shoutbox is strictly forbidden. The Admins and Moderators may (at their discretion) ignore occasional and brief discussions but not if they continue beyond the immediate burst. English is the only language of the shoutbox and the forum (though a specific thread for another language is allowed). The repeated use of all CAPS in the shoutbox is considered spam.
We do not censor personal messages; however, spam is not tolerated. Also, any references to real life situations or events, asking for personal information or asking for contact information of any kind is strictly prohibited for safety reasons. We will generally ignore an outburst from one player to another if it's a single occurrence but we will NEVER ignore a 'real life' threat given or flat-out hate messages or those bordering on sexual harassment. This includes threats against oneself. We will try to avoid reviewing private messages but be advised that all data on the servers belong to Snakehead Games Inc. In some cases we must review game data including messages. This is generally, but not limited to, cases where real life threats are alleged to have been made. In addition, if requested by the appropriate legal bodies we will release information.
No Multi-Accounting
No multi-accounting; you are only allowed one account per person. A maximum of two separate players may play on the same IP or computer. An exception allowing more than two players on one IP may be made, but only if you contact us in advance of creating the additional account(s) and get approval. If one account on your IP address is banned, ALL accounts which have used that IP address will be banned. These bans will not be reversed - don't cause this issue for yourself.
Do NOT Exploit Bugs - Or be Banned
Exploitation of any bugs or weaknesses in game software will not be tolerated. We will use our discretion as to what we feel is cheating and we will take immediate action against the accounts we feel are violating the rules. If you encounter an exploit contact a moderator or admin immediately - do not publicly post it.
Admins, Staff and Moderators
We employ an in-house staff that develops, runs, and administers the games. We are not accepting any applications at this time. Moderators are volunteers - we will contact select players if we are expanding the Moderator group. If a Moderator, CSR or Admin gives you a clear directive and you ignore it you risk being frozen and/or banished from the site. Click here to see the game leaders.
Should you have an issue with moderation, the correct procedure is to contact the moderator(s) in question via Private Message and discuss it. Should this not resolve the problem, the next step is to contact an admin. At no stage should a personal issue with moderation be posted in the Shoutbox or on the forums. Breaching this process will result in a freeze in the first instance, and a permanent ban should it be repeated.
No Macros
The use of macro programs, scripts, browser plug-ins or any type of software that allows for automation is strictly prohibited. We have systems in place that monitor all accounts for automation and we do not give second chances for macro abuse. Essentially anything that replaces a "click" is considered a macro.
Respect Human Rights
The use of nudity and racism anywhere on this site is prohibited. You can say what you like, generally lightly swear as you will so long as you don't do this constantly. BUT: No hate (racist, sexist, religious, referencing names of 'hate groups' like the Nazis, repeatedly messaging someone "F U", etc. messages), no directly singling someone out or using real life names, no porn (including references to genitals or sex acts in description or name), no threats of physical, emotional or financial harm and no sexual harassment. That applies to logos, comments, forum posts, images - any and all content.
No Selling of Accounts
You may not sell accounts nor in-game forms of virtual property for 'real life funds'; we're supplying a service - it's not 'property'. This distinction is necessary for a number of legal reasons which otherwise could jeopardize the running of the game. Trading between any of the games engineered by Snakehead Games Inc. is allowed, but neither Admins nor Moderators police actively if anyone scams you.
Fair Business Ethics
Under no circumstances does purchasing a package from our donator area make you immune to the rules and penalties listed above. We appreciate all of the donations and purchases; however, we wish to create a fair environment to play in and will take action where it is needed to ensure this. You will not be credited for any account upgrades which are lost due to a freeze or ban. If you initiate the dispute process via PayPal, your account(s) here will be banned. If you file a report with the Better Business Bureau instead of giving us time to resolve the issue, your account(s) here will be banned. Basically we try HARD to ethically and diligently ensure people have fun, are safe and (if they support us) get what they've paid for; so if you've got an issue - contact us and we'll do our very best.
Teen-Rated and Mature Material
All material should be legitimate for Teens (those 13 and up) according to the descriptor guide at the Entertainment Software Rating Board. Some threads may be acknowledged as more mature than others and not of interest to those players who aren't interested in suggestive material. If you have a thread like that, you must put "Mature Thread: > name<" in the Subject/Title area. In no cases are threats (see rule 2) and other non-Teen concepts allowed in the website. Note that TEEN rating allows for infrequent use of strong language and excludes FREQUENT use of strong language. We take this rule as seriously as we do the other rules - violations of these will lead to warnings, freezings and/or banishment from the site.
Ownership of Items Uploaded
As always, all unique material posted becomes the property of Snakehead Games. If you are uncomfortable with this, then please do not post to the forums, shoutbox, etc.
If you post material created by others please ensure it does not violate Copyright. It is up to the individual poster (that's you) to ensure that all material is free of Copyright issues. This includes written content, images, videos, any another other form of material subject to Copyright and similar concepts. In other words, do not post material which breaks Copyright and your local statutes.
We may on occassion send newsletters to your registered email address. You may unsubscribe from this by a link at the bottom of newsletters.
Naming Rules
While you are free to name your Character and Ship, there are certain, mostly obvious limits: a) Names are not allowed to be racist, discriminating, religious, political, sexual or in any way be deemed as advertising. In obvious cases we will ask the offending player to change their name (or if offline we may do it for them). In other, borderline cases, we'll leave it until a player complains to the Moderators or Admins. b) Names can use mixed capital and normal letters however, this means you cannot use capital letters or numbers to try to "hide" insults/cussing/etc. c) Names may not be made to imitate another player. (Though generally Admins and Moderators will let this slide unless a player PM's us, i.e. for purposes of good-natured parody where the user in question clears it as okay, we'll let it slide.) d) Characters and ships are not allowed to be named "unnamed xx" for an extended period of time, name should be changed to an allowed name as fast as possible. (within 2 days)
Overreacting, Leaving and Overplaying
This is a game. Please remember that when things don't go your way - also remember it when things are great. We're here to have fun - as a community. If you're not having fun by all means you may leave. There is no contract keeping you here. We do NOT delete accounts however, although we may systematically retire them. Occasionally players leave the game as they feel they need to focus on real life. We support that. If you feel that you are playing excessively then consider cutting down or otherwise regulating your play.
Online Hits are not "Griefing"
Online hit are part of the game. The player community has decided it does not want any limits on hits by players on other players. We will NOT interfere with player vs. player hits, even if a player continues hitting dozens of times in a row. There are many in-game mechanics to solve this as per our threads in the forums.
These rules are subject to change and staff interpretation at any time. Essentially play nice and we'll do what we can to keep you part of our community but if you try to be a disruptive jerk you can expect to be quickly frozen or banned.
