Patch 5.4 patch notes
Virtual Realms feature revealed
The Proving Grounds are coming
The latest patch 5.4 newsBelfaire on community policing and GM subjectivity
by Daniel Whitcomb 
Mar 17th 2008 at 2:00PM
As you may recall, a few days ago, I wrote a little Dear Blizzard letter on the subject of enforcing the RP and Naming Policy. Of course, Once one writes a letter to someone, it is a good idea to deliver it, and thus I delivered it, or at least the issues therein, over on the Customer Service Forum. I was lucky enough to have Belfaire, who you may remember from his post explaining Blizzard's stance on multi-boxing, answer some of my questions and concerns. I also got some pretty well thought out feedback from a couple other people browsing the forums, including some roleplayers who disagreed with some of my points, so I think the threads worth a read in itself, and I'll comment a bit more on what Belfaire said after the break, now that I've had time to digest it a bit.
First things first, he actually offers some pretty handy tips for reporting. If you have a big batch of names or RP server policy violations to report (the latter hopefully appended with the time it occurred), you can send them to wowgm@blizzard.com, and they will be treated exactly like a report made in-game. In addition, he does confirm what some of our commenters on my last post said: if you could stand to skip the tells, you can simply say in the ticket that you don't wish to be contacted, and unless they need more information from you, they will skip the tell. Also, Belfaire assured me that even if you ask them to skip the tells, they will still take it just as seriously as any other ticket.
Moving on, he did try to explain how Blizzard approaches the issues of policing names and the RP policy. I didn't always agree with him, of course, but I certainly appreciated that he was up front and clear. I also appreciated that he showed a sympathy for the plight of the RPer that I'd like to see Blizzard show more often.
On the subject of changing names over multiple servers, he said that it was, in fact a question of workload. With over 200 realms in the US alone, he says, tracking down each individual name would be far too much of a pain, and actioning so many names would be too much of a strain. In addition, he says, by waiting for a member of the specific server community to report a name, it allows that community to decide what's acceptable.
On the subject of RP server policy violations, Belfaire said that it's a much more subjective process (Which any veteran reporter of RP server policy violations can most definitely tell you), but he also said that he feels that they do take reports of RP violations very seriously.
He ends by saying that when it comes to policy violations, they try to educate people instead of resorting to punitive measures whenever possible - which he admits is a bit of a business decision. But then again, I'm not against that either. When it comes to RP Violations, I generally only report the most flagrant violators myself, the type who run into the middle of your RP event, start jumping around, yelling gibberish, strip naked, pull mobs through it... that type of thing. Other than that, I try to politely ask people to honor the RP server rules and take OOC conversations to party chat (which is also technically supposed to be IC, but hey, if everyone consents to it being OOC, they aren't hurting any nearby RPers) or a private channel.
I think the one thing that I feel I can't quite get behind is the idea of too much subjectivity in RP server policy enforcement. From my point of view, I feel as if, if we as a community are supposed to decide what's acceptable on the naming policy, the same should be true of the RP Policy, and a reporter's opinion should matter a lot more than it sometimes seems to. Even if someone is able to give a very convincing argument as to why they feel "Missmoo" is totally a valid name for a Tauren RP-wise, I think there's an obvious line between when someone has a genuine RP back story and when they're just trying to get away with flaunting the server rules. At the least, a rule of thumb such as "can you imagine a parent of this character's race naming their child that?" really isn't too outlandish to expect. Of course, what is obvious to me does not seem to be quite as obvious to someone else, as others in the thread came down more on Belfaire's side of that argument. Subjectivity and giving people the benefit of the doubt on names seems to be the order of the day.
I'm still not sure I'm comfortable with the amount of subjectivity Blizzard uses for the RP server policies, but I'd like to give Belfaire credit, as he said RP servers are really stuck having to self-police more than other server types, and as a result, it can genuinely appear like enforcement isn't there. However, he says that enforcement is taken seriously. I honestly do get a bit of comfort from Belfaire's comments, if the GMs taking our tickets have as much passion as he does, there may be hope for us yet. He also mentions that he believes that the devs are looking into giving us RPers more tools, so perhaps some of those will help us enforce the policy and allow us a genuine IC haven more often.
For my part, I think I'm going to keep reporting like I always do, keeping those tricks Belfaire mentioned in mind. I'll be grateful for what does get changed, and live with -- or learn to ignore -- what doesn't. I also think there's a few hints in our conversation about how an RP Server can really get a chance to take off. It's all about community really. Unfortunately, the problem is that the "RP community" on a given RP server is sometimes smaller than the non-RP community. However, it does seem like if an RP community was really to band together and start reporting flagrant use of the the say and yell channels for OOC behavior, and start reporting names with a detailed description of why the name breaks the RP server rules, we might get somewhere. Right now, other solutions seem to be sparse, since Blizzard probably can't or won't hire the amount of people we'd need for them to take care of it for us.
I'd like to thank Belfaire for taking time to answer my questions and comments and generally being a good sport about the whole thing, and I'd invite you to go read the original thread. There was really good discussion there, I felt, no matter which side you agree with.
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Virtual selves, Blizzard, RP
Reader Comments (Page 3 of 4)
seankreynolds Mar 17th 2008 5:23PM
@23 (Zali)
There are no Hebrews in Azeroth. Thus, the name is inappropriate for an RP server.
Likewise, there are no tuna fish in Azeroth. Thus, the name is inappropriate for an RP server.
Just as if you had named your character Microwave, Bluetooth, Africa, Spaceshuttle, or Orthodontist. They don't exist in Azeroth. Their names are reminders of things that don't exist in the game. It breaks the suspension of disbelief of the other players who are trying to roleplay on an RP server. It's the equivalent of talking on your cell phone during a movie ... not illegal, just distracting, and ruining the experience of people who paid money to pay attention to the movie without distractions. Yes, you paid money to attend the movie, too, but that doesn't give you the right to disrupt other peoples' experience.
Zali Mar 17th 2008 5:29PM
Ever catch an albacore in Darkshore?
seankreynolds Mar 17th 2008 5:32PM
No creature or object in WOW is called "tuna," is my point.
Nice dodge of the rest of my intent, though. Good to see your fun is more important than everyone else's fun.
Starayo Mar 17th 2008 7:46PM
I would think Bluetooth would be perfectly acceptable for, say, a troll. With a blue tooth.
DonJuanito Mar 17th 2008 5:27PM
@Zali,
I'm w. LuckyJoe on this. There are plenty of servers where you can have guilds called 'Sapped girls dont say no' or 'get in the van i have candy', and you won't get reported (well possibly not anyways). IMO you are better off somewhere else for your own peace of mind.
DJ
Zali Mar 17th 2008 5:41PM
Sorry, that doesn't fly with AFK. It is an ingame mechanic that will show up any time someone is away from their keyboard regardless of the type of server they play on. It pops up on their names all the time.
I understand the reason that we were required to change it, as the rules currently stand. I understand that I rolled on the wrong server for my play style. (Although if all the non RP players on my server left, it would be a very lonely place for the RP players.)
What I'm saying, is that some people are just uptight ninny's who have nothing better to do than report a guild name that then find, at the very most, is nothing more than a mild irritant or a pet peeve. These are the kinds of people who grow up to be little old folks that threaten to have little kids arrested for riding their bikes on the sidewalk. They are being petulant, because it is petty.
They see AFK on a hundred different people a day, if not ten times that. That makes it a petty complaint. They only complain because they can.
You won't convince me that it was OK. I won't convince you that the person/people that reported it weren't childish, petulant, bitty's who ran out of family to run off, so they have to ruin the lives of other people by being jerks.
seankreynolds Mar 17th 2008 6:06PM
The difference is that you're making personal attacks at the people you disagree with, and I am not. Perhaps that says something about your attitude, the weakness of your position, and how those two things combine to be the real problem?
Luckyjoe13 Mar 17th 2008 10:19PM
@Zali, even though he's reaching troll status, and not the tusked kind! :)
Firstly, AFK the game mechanic and AFK the guild name are not comparable, and you know it. As has been stated before on this site before, roleplaying becomes tough when it clashes with game mechanics, like respsawns and dying only to return to life. However, guild names ARE easily meshed into a roleplay environment, and roleplayers don't need you adding one more thing to the list by picking silly guild names.
B'ly, I started out on a roleplay server, and the fact that it wasn't regulated enough, as well as being a majority ON A ROLEPLAY SERVER when I wanted to roleplay really turned me off to it. If there were a server with, say, a mass exodus of non-rpers from a rp server, I'd move my favorite toons to it that day, regardless of how tough it would be to raid, because when it comes to RP, it's definately quality, not quantity. :)
Now, calling people petulant and childish for upholding the rules makes you seem... Well, petulant and childish. :P
Let's face it, so far blizzard hasn't done rpers any favors, and what they do have is delicate and easily ruined by a naked gnome running through Goldshire /yelling that their server is down so just accept the fact that the rules are the rules and you got called out for breaking them.
Good game, guild AFK. We had some fun didn't we? :)
My girlfriend just bought a car she can't afford despite my sage advice, so I'm not going to wish you a wicked decent night. Take that! :P
Cynra Mar 18th 2008 7:50AM
Murlocs, LuckyJoe, murlocs. A couple of years back, there was a discussion on the Feathermoon US forums concerning how using the word "troll" to describe someone's behavior was considered speciest (or something of the sort!). Since murlocs are typically at the bottom of totem pole - unless you ask my girl Teca, who has taken quite a shining to them - that word is now used instead. As someone who's favorite playable race is the troll, I approve!
And sorry to hear about your girlfriend and her ill decision. Here's hoping that you have a wicked awesome day!
Calybos Mar 18th 2008 8:23AM
Hey, I've got a complaint. I randomly made up a character on a PvP server, and now I'm getting attacked all the time. That's no fun! Why don't those awful people just Leave Me Alone?
That's basically what you're saying here, Zali. It's why your argument isn't going anywhere.
Cynra Mar 18th 2008 9:12AM
Except it's not the same, Calybos. If someone were to do what you explained in your reply, that person would be mocked, ridiculed, and considered the scrub that he rightfully is. However, a person who complains about being on a roleplaying server as a non-roleplayer or who thinks it's unfair that his name or his guild's name or his pet's name was reported and changed doesn't get the same response; instead, the vast majority of the World of Warcraft community instead says that we're pushing too far, that we should "live and let live", and that we're getting our panties in a wad. It's a double standard that is a sign of how roleplayers are at the bottom of the hierarchy - how often do you see posts or comments from people saying that roleplayers can't PvP, that we can't raid, and that we can barely figure out the basic mechanics of the game?
Roleplayers are limited to a select few servers. We're given a set of guidelines for what is considered by Blizzard to be enforceable rules governing name selection and behavior. Yet we're told that we're to police ourselves. It's understandable why we're often frustrated, especially when you consider the fact that there are numerous Normal and PvP servers that could easily serve the needs of non-roleplayers on RP servers; roleplayers' options are limited while non-roleplayers don't have that problem.
We pay our fifteen dollars a month just like every other player. However, unlike many people, we have relatively unique expectations out of the game and Blizzard has attempted to fulfill those needs by giving us specific realms with unique rules. Your normal roleplayer isn't going to go out of the way to report names. Your typical roleplayer has blinders on because, frankly, we recognize that Blizzard maintains a strictly reactive stance on policing their own rules and we're just damned tired of trying to enforce them for the company.
That doesn't stop people from reporting. And, in general, people report non-roleplaying names or conduct for one of three reasons: they're starry-eyed neophytes who want to preserve the joy that they've recently discovered; they have extra scrutiny of a player because of disruptive conduct or poor behavior and it's just another nail in the coffin when they report; or they've built up enough frustration with the people who flagrantly and repeatedly break the rules that they go on a reporting frenzy. Movements do start up. People do talk about the decline of the roleplaying community and the appearance of leetdewds and non-roleplayers on a server. And, motivated by this bad sentiment, they'll go on reporting sprees, searching for any and every name that violates Blizzard's own rules because, hell, what else can they do?
The rest of us, however, are jaded by the lack of support from staff and the attitude of people like Zali who refuse to see why rules unique to a server that have been created to satisfy a niche in the community should be enforced. We don't have the flexibility to go to other servers because these ARE the servers intended to fulfill our unique needs - needs that Blizzard itself recognizes and has tried to cater to. If we become frustrated enough with the idiocy that runs rampant on our servers when the rules are flagrantly and almost condenscendingly violated by people who have absolutely no interest in roleplaying, then that's that. And if your name somehow gets thrown into the pot during one of these reporting frenzies, then that's that as well. Whether or not you recognize the rules, you may very well be forced to abide by them if the community collectively decides that you've broken them. If that's an issue, please consider again the fact that you are on a RP server.
Please, people, roleplayers by far are not the dominating group in World of Warcraft, but understand that we're enough of a group that Blizzard recognizes us and has attempted to cater to us. We have unique expectations of the game. In general, we don't care you decide not to roleplay and it's too much effort to police every infraction that we spot, but we're damned tired of hearing you complain when you broke the rules and got reprimanded for it. If you want to avoid these situations, don't join a roleplaying server. Or transfer off of that server. It's a relatively simple solution that avoids the hardships that we both go through.
And if you're looking to roleplay, don't be afraid to join! We're mostly friendly individuals that are looking for the opportunity to interact with new people and have fun. Groups do exist to help neophyte roleplayers and you shouldn't be afraid to turn to your community for guidance, assistance, or even ideas. No one started out as an expert!
Zali Mar 18th 2008 10:16AM
@Cyrna:
Look, I understand that there is a unique roll for RP servers. I would probably have picked an RP server back in my college or high school days when I was a drama geek. I just don't see myself getting into it today. The fact that I'm on an RP server is due to ignorance on my part when I first started the game. Sure, I could have spent a great deal of time on wowiki or here at Wow Insider before I rolled my first character but since I had never heard of these web sites, it would have been rather difficult.
My pain point is still the same. Most people in my guild were just casual players. Only two were heavy PVP'rs at all. Most of us were blindingly clueless about the game when we started. We too performed our function, which was to give other clueless folks a place to figure the game out together. People without high level mains, and people who wouldn't fit in an RP guild still need a place to hang their hat. We weren't harassing anyone and we weren't mocking anyone.
I'm sure I don't see things your way. True. To you it might seem like I have an attitude. Really I'm pretty laid back about the whole thing, but the experience left a bad taste in my mouth. I was frustrated and disappointed. I was ticked off that I had just purchased a domain name for a website that reflected the server and guild name... money that I can't get back now. We had just set up a guild bank with three tabs, which isn't cheap either. You are correct that I don't get it or understand it. Frankly, I don't want to play the game like you. I don't expect you to play the game like me either. Like I said, live and let live.
But I'm bored to tears with all the guild names that are just boring carbon copies of the next one. Defenders of this, raiders of that, Destined, Determined, Uthers Hand, Lords of Darkshore. /yawn
AFK fit us. Casual guild. Here to play, but.. you know... I got laundry in and water boilin. I might have to step away for a bit. BRB, the dogs barkin. There were a lot of characteristics that just made it all work together. The name was kind of the glue. We all came up with a list of names that we could agree on when they told us we had to change it, but in the end the GM's made up a totally silly name of their own and re-named us without our conscent.
I guess what it all comes down to is our in game identity. You have yours. I have mine. My character doesn't have a back story and the 9 alts that I have on that server don't either. But when I'm on my alts, people still call me Zali. I do have an in game persona, and it is the same one I use in the real world. It is who I am. The fact that I spend a great deal of time in a fantasy world as me, instead of as a fictional character just means I play a different role than you. When I am in game, I had a home, a neighborhood where I had friends. We had a name for each other, "guildren," because we all needed looking after, like children. We helped each other out.
In short, it was our home. Someone burned it down. I take that personally.
We still see each other in game. We all settled in different guilds, but we all agree that it just isn't the same. We can't all hang out in the same guild chat anymore, etc. Sure, we could have all rolled on a different server if we had understood what it was all about, but a year and a half ago we didn't. We were all truely noobs. We've all gotten it figured out now but we can't rewind the clock.
I don't mock RP'rs in game, and don't bully my way into their game because it is important to them. I just wish someone had shown me the same respect. Maybe, just maybe, I had as much invested in time, energy and emotion in my little rag tag bunch as you have in your characters. Maybe, just maybe, it was important to me.
On a happy note: One of my alts remains the sole member and guild leader of the guild formerly known as AFK, so I have 3 personal guild bank tabs for personal use. Those do come in handy.
Cynra Mar 18th 2008 11:03AM
True, you and I don't see eye-to-eye. And we both seem to agree that you don't belong on the server. What you choose to do with that is that. However, as much as I find it lamentable that you lost your guild name, lost guild members (though, to be sincere, if changing the name of the guild caused it to flounder, there wasn't much to offer or bring people together in the first place, which you did note), and lost money you spent on a website, you still broke the rules and you were punished for it. Again, I'd probably have ignored the guild entirely rather than reporting it, but I don't really want to see people complaining time and time again in those few instances that the rules are in fact enforced. You broke the rules and - whether you knew them or not - you now face the consequences. I am saddened by your plight, but I feel no pity for you.
What does upset me, however, is the fact that you've taken the fact that the rules were applied to you personally and then further went to bash roleplayers and call us names. Yes, you're upset. Yes, it sucks. But don't group all roleplayers together in the same bucket and don't go calling people names because you were held accountable for breaking commonly accepted rules on a RP server that are put in place by Blizzard itself.
To be honest, it doesn't just look like you have an attitude: you came here, posted very negative things about roleplayers, and has generally had bad things to say whenever anyone has mentioned roleplaying. Given what you've lost, it s understandable but it's really not acceptable. I'm angered by anti-roleplaying sentiment and the complaints of people who are asked to enforce the rules, but I don't feel the need to post provocative statements or remark negatively on any group of people. That's another way that you and I differ.
Keep in mind again that it wasn't any single person that burned it down. It was instead the GM who enforced a rule that is present on the server. As others have noted, if you have an issue with the decision, you should instead looks towards the individuals that felt the complaint was valid instead the individual who made the complaint. While most roleplayers probably wouldn't have reported you themselves, I feel that most of us would side with the decision and are probably secretly glad that the guild no longer exists by that name (which isn't the same as saying we're glad it fell apart!).
Staggerlee Mar 17th 2008 7:42PM
Real simple solution to people who dont understand getting reported for a name.
Dont roll on an RP server.
Pretty simple eh?
I dont care if your friends made you , which is the number one reason. Grow a spine and make them roll something else. Until then if you dont comply you get reported.
It is all about making you fell unwelcome. Number one pet peeve in WOW is lame names and I will spam a GM constantly until action is taken.
Its just my way of telling you to get the hell out.
Angus Mar 18th 2008 8:24AM
Okay, so here's a question:
Would Angusmcsteak be a RP violation?
Sounds like a very Irish Tauren name. I would, in fact, have him speak like a dwarf. I only ask because at one time I was thinking of transferring and after the way I was treated with my tankadin on that RP server I am not happy.
I do believe if you are a transfer from another server and had a valid name on that server that you should be able to pick your name on the RP server. I was reported (after killing an Alliance hunter doing the stupid snake trap trick on level 40s to flag them and then kill them) and they never gave me the option of picking my name. I could fork over $10 though...
That pissed me off more than anything else. Especially after I learned I could have gotten it changed for free when I transferred by being smart.
Cynra Mar 18th 2008 9:32AM
I sincerely hope that that is a joke, Angus. Yes, the name would probably be reported. Just as advice, picking any name for a tauren that has anything to do with steaks, cows, mooing, or burgers is probably a name violation. It may be reported. You may be forced to change it. Most people probably wouldn't care because it's either too much effort to report the name or they'll ignore it, but if your name was in fact reported then there isn't much you can do about it.
When selecting a name for a character on a roleplaying server, take a moment to think. Do you fail to adhere to the general name guidelines that are applied to every server, no matter the type? Does it sound inappropriate? Are you trying to reference - even obliquely - any aspect of the game? Have you used or included anything that would be considered modern and not a part of the Warcraft universe? Is your name intended to be funny or a joke for anything other than some aspect of your character's backstory, appearance, or personality? If you answered yes to any of the above questions, your name is probably innappropriate, shouldn't be rolled on a RP server, and will probably one day be reported. The end.
Choosing to have a character roleplay with an accent isn't a violation - even if it's not an accent that you'd normally hear for that chosen race. While I'd be interested in hearing the in-character justification for that idiosyncracy, it's something that would help your character stand out. Roleplayers like new and unique things and, hell, only the roleplaying elitists or loremongerers would probably get on your case. However, having a name include both Angus and Steak because it's a tauren? That's not only a faux pas, it's probably a blatant violaton of the standards enforced by the roleplaying community - who sometimes has the support of the Blizzard staff.
If you have a character currently on a roleplaying server with a name that violates the rules, you have three options: pay for a name change, wait until you are reported to change it, or ask someone on your server to report you so that you can change it. Hell, ask on Trade for help; if it flagrantly violates the rules, the roleplaying community might come out of the woodworks to help you in your plight, especially if you explain that you're trying to get it changed so that you can follow the server rules.
Angus Mar 18th 2008 3:01PM
That's funny. Because I had my name reported and they refused to let me pick the name. It was randomly assigned and I have to pay $10 to change it.
Why is no one pointing that part out of the naming policy? they refuse to let you pick your name now. The policy changed when the paid name changes started.
I asked about the name because I wanted to make sure it didn't happen to me again and I get stuck with some crap like "Ohia" on a blood elf. What's worse, picking a name that is legal and then transferring servers with it and hoping, or not being given a choice on what your character is named and then being told to pay $10?
Arabelli Mar 18th 2008 9:24AM
I play on an RP server, and am in a guild that's in BT/MT. One of our mages came to the server with the name Chodewarrior. He was reported, of course, and changed his name to Choder. Reported again, renamed to Clamechoder. Reported yet again, renamed to Clammchoder.
The fifth time that he was asked to relog (as we were clearing to Supremus, and rather bored), he groans on vent and says that the GMs are making him rename again. What he didn't know is that the fifth time, they rename you. Themselves.
His name is now Ondio, which when said out loud practically screams to be followed by ", the Italian Stallion." Moral of the story kiddos? Don't make Blizz keep getting something offensive out of your name. They'll rename you to something akin to a European Porn Star.
Cynra Mar 18th 2008 11:06AM
Haha, that is awesome! I didn't know about that. I'll be a little more careful in the future when I tell people to ask to be reported to change their names in the future. Definitely chuckle-worthy!
"Ondio, the Italian Stallion"
Arabelli Mar 18th 2008 11:21AM
You don't even -know- the crap he took on vent. We were all laughing our heads off straight through Teron. He still gets grief when he logs on about the name.
I'm pretty live-and-let-live about a lot of the RP stuff, but mainly I'm tired of the stupid name thing. If you don't want to be IC 24/7, I seriously don't view that impeding anyone's roleplay experience. Outright griefing of RP? Well that's like any griefing; stupid and pointless. The names can be jarring, and I can understand why people want to report them. I don't tend to notice them, or sometimes have nameplates on anyway, so meh.
That being said, the whole 'guild tag' of somehow being appropriate on an RP server is just silly. On an RP server, your guild is the classical sense of a guild, in that it is something to belong to, something to be a part of. That is completely seperated from the game mechanic of being away from a keyboard. You would not join a group of people named for the act of being away from an item that doesn't even exist, it's simply illogical.
If the name was more important than the people in the guild, then there's a lot of tough questions to be asked. And frankly, griefing an RP server because you chose to roll there and not follow the rules is not going to gain you a bit of sympathy. I just can't see what the problem is.