Communication
THIS IS THE RULE THAT MAKES THRESHOLD A UNIQUE, RP-INTENSIVE COMMUNITY. THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS RULE CANNOT BE STRESSED STRONGLY ENOUGH. READ CAREFULLY! WE KNOW THIS RULE MIGHT SOUND STRICT OR DOGMATIC, BUT TRUST US WHEN WE PROMISE YOU THAT THIS RULE IS THE BACKBONE OF A GOOD RP INTENSIVE GAMING EXPERIENCE.
OOC = Out of Character IC = In Character
1) Do not ever talk OOC inside the game. Inside the game means tells, all IC channels, says, whispers, emotes, or any other mode of communication that is not expressly labelled as an OOC communication method.
This includes saying "ooc" before you say something OOC in the game or saying "I know I'm not supposed to talk OOC, but can I ask you a quick question?" This rule is absolutely not flexible. When you are in the game or using IC channels, do not ever speak OOC. Threshold has thousands of players. If even a small fraction of the player base decided to make just one OOC comment here or there, the game would be flooded with OOC junk that spoils the IC mood and environment for everyone else.
Using "coded language" to talk about OOC things using IC language is not acceptable. This breaks immersion for everyone.
OOC also includes talking about registration or administrative issues. This includes work-arounds like using "the King" as a way to refer to the staff or anything of that nature.
There are OOC channels where any OOC issues can be resolved. New players can use the heritage channel. More experienced players can use the question channel. You can rent a room at The Minstrel's Manor to have an OOC (or IC) chat. When all else fails, seek out a member of the STEA for a private discussion in the STEA chambers.
2) There are a few topics that are not allowed on Threshold in any form on any channel. This means they are not allowed IC or OOC. These topics include:
- GAME CODE, CODING, OTHER ONLINE MMORPGS/MUDS: People come to Threshold to play Threshold. They do not come here to hear about other online games or game code. Further, it is disrespectful of the creators of Threshold to talk about or publicize other games.
- STATS, ADVANCEMENT, LEVELS, HP, SP, EP, XP, ETC: These topics are 100% OOC and should never, never, never be discussed IC. You should also not try to think of tricky ways to make reference to levels. Saying you "just trained", "visited my trainer", "advanced a season", "got older" (unless your character had a birthday), or "just learned <insert name of skill/spell/ability>" are all just alternate ways to talk about gaining a level. Furthermore, because this topic can so easily get totally out of hand, it should not be discussed OOC either. These are major game mechanics issues that should be left "under the hood" instead of being openly discussed. Talking about these things really spoils the mystery behind the game and that is a bad thing for everyone.
- LAG: Nobody wants to hear about your net connection problems. :) Threshold has a dedicated T1 from one of the best backbone providers in existence (UUnet). If you are experiencing internet lag, talking about it will not help the problem and it will only disrupt the gaming environment for everyone else. If a member of the administration asks you about your connection to Threshold in order to diagnose a problem then it is fine to talk about it. Otherwise, you should never say "I am lagging" or "I think I have some bad lag" or "Are you getting lag" or any other variation of such comments.
- CASH: This may seem silly but it really makes a big difference when people never use this word in the game. Cash is a very modern sounding way to refer to money. In Threshold, money is referred to as coin, wealth, or money. Avoid the word cash completely on ALL CHANNELS.
- MOB: Please do not refer to NPCs, monsters, etc. as "mobs." The origin of the word mob as a way to refer to NPCs is from DIKUMUD days when NPCs were called "mobiles." This word is very disruptive to the RP environment. There is nothing wrong with using the word mob when you are using its dictionary meaning.
- AUCTIONING: Few things are as spammy and annoying as people using channels to auction off goods or services. If you have an item or service you would like to sell, either set up a business and advertise it (via pamphlets, board posts, the hiring of a bard, etc.) or open a merchant stall in one of the major cities. Do not use channels to auction things off and do not go to a populated area (like a tavern) and start offering your wares or services. Bards (and thieves!), of course, are free to ply their trade in populated areas and taverns.
3) Foreign Languages: You may not speak in a foreign language anywhere in Threshold. If this were allowed people could easily cheat, chat ooc, or violate other rules without anyone being able to report them. You may, of course, speak in your racial language using the rsay command.
4) Illegal Activities: Please refrain from communication promoting illegal activities (drug use, stealing, robbery, mugging, etc.) It is ok to discuss current events or news items of this subject matter. (It is recognized that certain activities may be legal in some places, but overall, good judgment dictates erring on the side of caution.)
5) Administrative Exception: Although this should go without saying, the Administration is exempt from this and all other rules in order to provide a proper gaming environment. Accusing the Administration of rules violations (even when joking) gets old quite quickly and is not appropriate.
See Also: rules, channels, topics, posting logs, ascii, accents, roleplaying Help file: help communication
