AssaultCube Reloaded Master-Server Rules

Preamble

In order to ensure a decent experience for everyone, we have created some rules for our master-server. These rules may change anytime. If you do not like these rules, you can simply use another master-server.

Table of Contents

Preamble

Interpretation and Definitions

Division 1 — Clients

Cheating and Other Interference Abuse of Voting Power Responsibility of Administrators Auth Users

Division 2 — Servers

Nickname Blacklist Restrictions Modifications Bypassing Master-Server Features Pushing Maps (permitted) Operating Servers for Advertising

Division 3 — Administrative Penalties

Clients in Violation Servers in Violation Special Bans/Exceptions Evasion Level of Proof Required Appeals

Division 4 — Schedule

Schedule Expiry

Interpretation and Definitions

In this document,
  1. Master-server refers to the official service on which servers are registered.
  2. Clients are connected to servers, which are registered on the master-server.
  3. Auth users have privileges on the master-server to gain special access to its servers.

Division 1 — Clients

Cheating and Other Interference

Every client connected to any server shall not be modified in any way so as to
  1. provide any advantage (“cheat”) to that client over any other client, or
  2. otherwise interfere with the gameplay of other clients

unless that cheat or interference is

  1. fully prevented by the server,
  2. permitted by the server description1,
  3. partially prevented and immediately ceased upon the request of another client, or
  4. for the purpose of testing anti-cheat, when
    1. the server description is explicitly labelled with “development” or anything that refers to anti-cheat development, and
    2. the testing is immediately stopped at the request of that server’s admin.

Abuse of Voting Power

Every client shall provide a valid reason when voting to disconnect someone from a server.

Responsibility of Administrators

(1) Privileged clients on servers (“server administrators”) shall not veto any votes that
  1. provide a gameplay advantage to them,
  2. change the map,
  3. force users to switch teams excessively.
(2) Unless permitted by the server description, server administrators shall prevent clients from using cheats.

Auth Users

(1) No auth users shall abuse their privileges.
(2) Auth users shall not a use their deban access to unban themselves from a ban, unless that ban is targeted at another user or unreasonably given.

Division 2 — Servers

Nickname Blacklist Restrictions

Nickname blacklists shall not be used to
  1. block the use of generic clan tags listed at http://forum.acr.victorz.ca/thread-219.html, or
  2. prevent an unreasonably large scope of players from connecting.

Modifications

(1) All code modifications shall be labelled in the server description, extended information, or both.
(2) No modifications shall modify gameplay unless they
  1. provide no advantage, except when provided equally to everyone, and
  2. either run with native code or are labelled with their instructions.

Bypassing Master-Server Features

(1) Every server shall obey the default master-server API, including but not limited to the
  1. default registration ping interval,
  2. connect checks, and
  3. authentication verifications.
(2) Notwithstanding subsection (1), servers may ignore the ban and mute flags from a connection check if their status ping response indicates this change.
(3) Notwithstanding subsection (1), servers may ignore the permission flag from an authentication verification check if their status ping response indicates this change.

Pushing Maps (permitted)

(1) Servers may have any kind of map rotation, even if it consists entirely of unvarying maps and modes.
(2) This section has been marked for future review and might be changed in the future if poor map rotations degrade the quality of gameplay.

Operating Servers for Advertising

Server owners that operate more than three servers that advertise a subject other than
  1. an AssaultCube Reloaded clan,
  2. a public tournament for AssaultCube Reloaded, or
  3. any subject approved by at least 80% of the AssaultCube Reloaded Task Force
shall include in the server descriptions or extended information proof2 that the servers are not solely for the purpose of advertising.

Division 3 — Administrative Penalties

Clients in Violation

(1) Every client that violates sections 2-4 is guilty of an offence subject to a penalty for the
  1. third offence within 5 years:
    1. an immediate ban of at least 9 months
    2. but not exceeding 3 years
    3. that can be removed upon appeal after 6 months have been served,
  2. second offence within 3 years, but less than 3 offences within 5 years:
    1. an immediate ban of at least 6 months
    2. but not exceeding 10 months
    3. that can be removed upon appeal after 15 days have been served,
  3. first offence within 3 years and less than 3 offences within 5 years:
    1. an immediate ban of 1 month
    2. that can be removed upon appeal immediately.
(2) Bans described in section 11
  1. cause the master-server, during a connection check, to notify the server to prohibit the client from connecting because it is globally banned, and
  2. may be appealed if the offence is no longer prohibited.

Servers in Violation

(1) Every server that is in violation of sections 6-10 is punishable by the following penalties:
  1. for the third offence within 6 years:
    1. an immediate ban of 2 years that
    2. that can be removed upon appeal after 9 months have been served,
  2. for the second offence within 2 years but less than 3 offences within 6 years:
    1. an immediate ban of 1 year
    2. that can be removed upon appeal after 6 months have been served,
  3. for the first offence within 2 years and less than 3 offences within 6 years:
    1. an immediate ban of 2 months that
    2. that can be removed upon appeal immediately.
(2) Bans described in section 12
  1. disqualify the servers from being registered on the master-server, but
  2. do not prevent the banned identifier from playing as a client on other servers.
(3) Any server with admin abuse described in section 4 that has been committed by
  1. the server owner,
  2. a member of the clan that operates the server, or
  3. any player for whom the server owner has appointed special privileges,

is guilty of admin abuse by its operators, and the client offence under section 11 shall be

  1. completely waived and ignored, and
  2. considered a server offence and transferred to the server.

Special Bans/Exceptions

(1) The AssaultCube Reloaded Task Force may, for any reason, ban or unban any client or server, if
  1. there is reasonable cause not defined here, or
  2. they deem it is necessary to do so,

and either

  1. at least 30% of the AssaultCube Reloaded Task Force participate in a poll
    1. that has been active for at least 12 hours and
    2. at least 60% of voters vote in favor of the action,
  2. or if less than 30% of the AssaultCube Reloaded Task force voted in the previous poll, a public poll
    1. has at least 5 voters, and
    2. at least 55% of voters vote in favor of the action.
(2) In the event of a discrepancy between a decision by the AssaultCube Reloaded Task Force and the decision in a public vote, the former shall have precedence over the latter.

Evasion

If barred players attempt to circumvent their bans by
  1. changing their IP address at least twice, or
  2. spoofing their GUID,
their bans shall be extended by 21 days.

Level of Proof Required

(1) In order for a player to be guilty, it is not necessary to prove to mens rea of an offence. However, it must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt that the actus reus has occurred.3
(2) In lack of evidence to the contrary, players shall be presumed innocent.

Appeals

(1) If an appeal can prove that a ban was assigned in error, the person on whom the ban had effect shall be forthwith unbanned.
(2) Users may appeal their first bans by swearing not to repeat the violation, but subsequent bans may not be appealed in this manner.
(3) If an appeal is found to be invalid, the penalty is
  1. for client bans, a ban extension of 14 days, and
  2. for server bans, a ban extension of 7 days.

Division 4 — Schedule

Schedule

(1) This document enters into force on August 8, 2014.
(2) At any time, the latest possible version of this document shall be effective and used in rulings.

Expiry

For the purpose of allowing and encouraging future review and revisions, this document expires
  1. on August 8, 2019, or
  2. when a newer version is available,
whichever is earlier.
1 For example, it may be permitted through words such as “anarchy” or “cheating allowed”
2 Example: simply labelling that the servers are intended for different game modes or purposes suffices.
3 mens rea – guilty intention, actus rea – guilty act