Server Rules

Note: This page is moderated and can be referenced in OOC issues, such as ban appeals, complaints, reports, etc. This may not apply to the pages this page links to.

Read the rules and know them before joining.

  This is necessary to help avoid confusion/conflicts down the line as administrators may not always be forgiving. In general, use common sense and treat others how you would like to be treated. If you're unsure of something not mentioned here, adminhelp it. You can request for help by using the F1 key, through the Admin tab on the top right of your user interface, or through the top left Help menu.

What to expect:

  A continuous roleplaying environment: RP is constant here. If you’re not a fan of long extended rounds and staying in character, you’ll probably have more fun elsewhere sadly. Given the nature of roleplaying, steps are taken to help ensure the atmosphere of it isn’t disrupted.

Guideline links we use

Our SOP and Corporate regulations.

The guides can be found on Polaris, as Virgo is a mix of Polaris and its own code.

https://wiki.vore-station.net/Guides

Some general terms:

  RP(role-play): To act and speak as if you are the character you're portraying. To role-play is as much about what not to say as what TO say. It means to keep your speech in the context of the setting in which your character exists.

IC - short for In-Character: If you are IC, that means you are pretending to be someone else (your character) rather than being your “Real” self. IC applies to all things that happen in-game, OOC knowledge applied in-game falls under meta-gaming, which is prohibited.
OOC - Out Of Character: A term used in role-play when a person wants to step outside of their character for a minute and speak as themselves.
Meta-gaming: To bring OOC knowledge in-game is referred to as Meta-gaming. Sometimes it can be difficult to keep things separate, but it is important to make every effort not to mix these things. Essentially crossing OOC knowledge into IC in-game or vice versa falls under meta-gaming.

   Several examples of meta-gaming (Which should be avoided):

IC in OOC: Revealing in-game knowledge to other players. Generally, if someone not playing can tell what's going on using OOC, it's IC in OOC. This is generally not a good thing.
OOC in IC: Virtually un-needed and disruptive in most cases, considering the players access to OOC and LOOC (local-out-of-character).
Ghosting: Conveying in-game knowledge to someone else who would normally be unable to know otherwise, for example telling a friend out of game the identity of the antagonist who murdered you. Don’t do this.
Power-gaming: Playing to win is generally frowned upon in a role-playing setting and should be taken elsewhere. Characters in-game would typically try to avoid pain or bodily harm pre-emptively, fighting armed gunmen bare-handed, etc. Alternatively players shouldn’t casually wear hardsuits/internals “on the off chance” that something bad like a breach will randomly occur.

Griefing: examples of this include; injuring or killing crew, bombing the station, uploading AI laws allowing the AI to murder people, or otherwise screwing over other players for no reason. Don’t do this. Exceptions are for antags obviously, but even then don't use it as an excuse to grief the place over.

Ruleset

These are the actual rules that you must follow in the server, not following these rules will result in punishment from the moderators and/or administrators of the server. If you see someone else breaking these rules, please adminhelp it.

Be 18 years of age or above: You agree to be at least 18 years old of age before joining the game. The Discord server is open to all as it is PG.
Your character must be 18 years old of age or above: NT Does not hire children. Only exception are DRONES and BORGS. Positronics are not 'download data and become smart' brains. They act like real human brains in how they function.
Offset mean characters with okay characters: Don't always play as a racist, dickish, etc character constantly. Or someone who constantly breaks the law or causes trouble. Try to offset such characters with ones that are at least neutral in personality. This is because playing such characters will make others believe that is how you are OOC and create bias.

Leave SSD(disconnected players) alone: Refrain from looting/harming SSD players or otherwise interacting with SSD players unless it is to drag them to either a bed in the dorms or cyrosleep/tram/teleporter. (Traitor objectives are an exception if it's to steal an item from them. Otherwise adminhelp it.) To identify if someone is AFK/SSD/disconnected players look for “He/She has a vacant stare..." when examining their characters.
Being a Toxic Player In General: It doesn't matter if everything you do in and out of character doesn't break any rules, if the staff as a general whole agree on removing you, they can and will. This applies across the community as a whole, examples(OOC, discord, deathchat, forums, etc). What to avoid - continuously harass/instigate/annoy or provoke enough people that the staff get tired of hearing complaints about it.
Suicide is generally not okay, ICly and OOCly. Killing yourself because you're bored and want to observe/switch characters is not allowed. If you have a good reason, adminhelp it beforehand. Otherwise move your character’s body to the dormitories/cyrosleep. (One Exception is for AI, you can wipe yourself / shutdown to spawn as someone else if you're an AI - You can do so using the Store-Core command)
Playing a Head: Know your job before taking a Head Role, and have a general understanding of what you are expected to do. Head Roles are not for learning the game. Expect to get job-banned by Staff if you are deemed incompetent at your Head Role.
No stupid names: Things like 'Baldie McBald' and other dumb meme names are not allowed. You will be asked to rename yourself if the name is considered inappropriate.
Do not enter/hack into/take from the following areas without a reasonable in character reason: Captain's Quarters, Armory, Bridge Holdout Armoury, Bridge and the Vault. If you are unable to give a valid reasons to the admins you probably should not go ahead and do it. You should expect to get bwoinked after you do this so be prepared to defend your position. Better would be to A-help beforehand to get clearance from the Staff team. Every A-help is sent to the Discord staff being online or not.
Do not use/exploit bugs: If you find a bug, report it on the github or to the administrators. If it's already on the github, avoid using the exploit.
Cryo before Ghosting: If you are going to Ghost and stay in the server/play another character, we request you cryo your current character first. If you are using a job slot and are going to leave the server, we request you cryo or go off-duty before you disconnect from the server. This is to allow someone to possibly use that slot in your absence.
As a Head of Staff/Limited Job Role, Cryo before being AFK/Inactive for 30 minutes or SSDing: Heads of Staff are important roles that we request be used by active players. Limited Job Roles are jobs with only one or two slots. If you're not going to use a job slot, cryo and let someone else possibly use it. Examples of limited slots are the Warden (1 slot), Pathfinder (1 slot), and Pilot (2 slots). If you need to leave suddenly, please Ahelp your intention of leaving first. We understand real life comes first, and we will deal with your character if you need to leave suddenly.
Use English: If you’re unable to communicate well enough while out of character, this will result in a ban as you are unable to read the rules to the server.
Killing/mortally wounding other crew: Avoid doing this even within IC reasons, in self-defense or even as an antagonist, do everything within your power to avoid unnecessary deaths. This is prohibited more so to avoid ruining the fun for other players. If you and another are consenting, adminhelp it beforehand to notify the Staff so we know you both consent to possibly being out of the round. If you kill someone expect to be held accountable by the present crew like Security. Just because you both agreed to fight with death involved OOCly doesn’t mean Security will let you walk away from Murder ICly.
No end of round grief: Just don't, people like a proper closure. This includes staff.
Respawning: If you respawn, you must not respawn as the same character if that character is still in the round (Example, you died or killed yourself, which you shouldn't even do in the first place).
Character Skills: Try to limit how many things your character is ICly able to do, example. Your engineer should probably not be proficient in surgery. There is a skill system you can use on character setup, as a guideline, your maximum skill should not go more than 'Above Average' in term of skill level. If it is you are to lower it down, this is to prevent Mary-Sue characters and whatnot. And to restrict a character that can do everything. Increasing your character's age allows them to have more points in to compensate for experience.
The Gateway and Shuttle: If you take one of the shuttles solo, you must let the crew know. Either on common radio or directly to your IC supervisor or a head. And in the absence of crew, send a fax to central before departure.
Security Interceptor: Just like the Expedition Shuttle.
ERP: While it is allowed, you cannot mention or do any of it near any oocly non-consenting people. If you are caught ERPing ICly, you can be arrested for public indecency in the corporate regulations. So don't whine to us if you're caught ERPing outside of bolted dorms. When ERPing On-Duty, you must keep your headset on and still do your job in the event of emergencies (Ex: Breaches, invasions, someone is about to die and you're the only medic, On-Duty etc). If you are Off-Duty, you do not have to go do your job even if requested. You are Off-Duty. They cannot make you go On-Duty.
Subtles: Use subtle only in cases where it would make sense. That is, in cases where other crewmembers would not be able to see what you are doing to the other person in subtle range. Do not use subtle to whisper. Subtles can however be used in Dorms and Residential at will whether the action itself is subtle or not. But only in those areas.
Vore: Since we use the v.o.r.e codebase, the game allows you to omnom things and other players. Do not ever use it on a non-consenting player, even if your objective is to kill them. And do not use it on SSD/dead players either unless their OOC information allows vore while afk. If you are fine with it happening randomly, it must be written on in your OOC information.
Baldies: If a crewmember is a human and bald after arriving on station. And said person is actively seen breaking one of the above rules / griefing. Administrators are allowed to do whatever they please to them. If you are a bald human that just joined and whine about admin abuse. We will point out you haven't read the rules and we will just laugh and keep going.
Do not ghost during IC intervention: It's a dick move and we don't appreciate it, neither does the player. Don't ghost when you are being arrested or to avoid being in jail. If you are permabrigged, adminhelp it beforehand.

Residential

Treat the Residential level like dorms: Do not enter them unless you are allowed to by the residence owner, don’t break in there, etc.

Do not take items from the residential level back to the station: Treat it like there is a security checkpoint in the residential level as well, no taking things from the residential level (like medkits, etc) back to the station.

Going to the residential area considers you OUT OF THE GAME: Therefore, do not hold onto job slots, go off-duty before going, do not complain that your job was taken, etc.

Bad Roleplay

This is a rather vague one since it varies on one's perception of what is bad and not in terms of roleplay. But usually if you take actions that makes no sense for your character to make (IE: Randomly stabbing yourself with no explanation, or because you're bored OOC) is bad, and we will take action on you if you do it too often. Here other cases of bad roleplay to avoid.

Being completely dumb and incompetent as a hired crewmember: As you would probably not have been hired in that case.
Using netspeak in character and emojis: You can use those on PDA since they are a text medium however.
Characters that are good in everything (Like Mary-sues) are prohibited.

Avoid metagaming

Using knowledge that your own character wouldn't know is prohibited. And if your character leaves the station and you choose another character that is friends/etc of your first character. They do not know about events of the CURRENT ROUND. But might have been informed of what happened in previous rounds. - Here are other specifics metagame examples to avoid.

Metabias: Trying to go after a certain character because you know who the OOC player is, with negative intent.
Metagrudge: Wanting revenge on someone for something that happened in previous rounds using a character that would normally not know about it.

Notes about Job bans

There might be cases where your character gets fired from a position by CC or the Colony Director. In these cases, it is possible that you get job banned as a IC punishment from the staff. That does not mean you have broken any of the actual rules, but this is to prevent people who ha been 'fired' to just take the job immediately after. This is only for cases where you would be fired for longer than a day (like if only fired by the Director without CC knowing.)