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BattleMaster => Development => Topic started by: Vellos on October 11, 2011, 08:59:56 PM

Title: Notification for Account Locks
Post by: Vellos on October 11, 2011, 08:59:56 PM
Is there any chance that the ruler of a realm could get a notification when an account is locked in their realm?

I just noticed today that two accounts in Terran have been locked; presumably just recently. I don't know why (though I'm assuming multi-ing based on account similarities). It occurred to me that it would be nice for the ruler to be notified when the locks are made, in case players in the realm have questions.
Title: Re: Notification for Account Locks
Post by: Shizzle on October 12, 2011, 12:45:36 PM
How do you know they were locked - as opposed to players simply leaving?
Title: Re: Notification for Account Locks
Post by: Anaris on October 12, 2011, 01:17:45 PM
How do you know they were locked - as opposed to players simply leaving?

Because rather than the characters leaving, or simply going inactive, they cease responding to everything and there's a notice on their family page saying, "This account has been locked by the GameMasters."
Title: Re: Notification for Account Locks
Post by: Vellos on October 12, 2011, 04:09:11 PM
there's a notice on their family page saying, "This account has been locked by the GameMasters."

Mostly this.
Title: Re: Notification for Account Locks
Post by: Shizzle on October 12, 2011, 06:17:08 PM
Thanks :)

I do think Rulers should get a notice, though. Especially if the information is already out in public anyways.
Title: Re: Notification for Account Locks
Post by: Indirik on October 12, 2011, 06:28:15 PM
For permanent locks, this may be a good idea. But not for one day or three day locks.

If the lock was placed because of something that was done in your realm, then you'd get a notice from the Titans when the account was locked. If not, then the reason for the lock was really none of your business. If you're letting the other player play at his own pace, you would almost certainly never notice a one-day lock, and there's a good chance even a 3-day lock would go unnoticed. So IMO those don't really deserve any kind of special notice.
Title: Re: Notification for Account Locks
Post by: Chenier on October 12, 2011, 07:41:38 PM
For permanent locks, this may be a good idea. But not for one day or three day locks.

If the lock was placed because of something that was done in your realm, then you'd get a notice from the Titans when the account was locked. If not, then the reason for the lock was really none of your business. If you're letting the other player play at his own pace, you would almost certainly never notice a one-day lock, and there's a good chance even a 3-day lock would go unnoticed. So IMO those don't really deserve any kind of special notice.

General/marshal getting locked for 3 days, or ruler during crucial negotiations do have a noticeable absence.
Title: Re: Notification for Account Locks
Post by: Indirik on October 12, 2011, 07:50:25 PM
While I can't deny that, I also can't help but think that informing everyone that someone had their account locked just ...  feels wrong.
Title: Re: Notification for Account Locks
Post by: Anaris on October 12, 2011, 07:51:23 PM
While I can't deny that, I also can't help but think that informing everyone that someone had their account locked just ...  feels wrong.

Not doing so lends itself to rumours and, in some cases, exactly the kind of anti-Titan sentiment that we really want to avoid.
Title: Re: Notification for Account Locks
Post by: Chenier on October 12, 2011, 07:52:26 PM
While I can't deny that, I also can't help but think that informing everyone that someone had their account locked just ...  feels wrong.

The ruler only isn't "everyone". Mind you, if it's the ruler that's locked, then I don't really see any solution for that, but in all other cases, ruler knowing might help.
Title: Re: Notification for Account Locks
Post by: Indirik on October 12, 2011, 08:08:31 PM
The ruler only isn't "everyone".
Who then probably C/Ps it to the realm, if not immediately then as soon as someone asks what's going on, so that the realm knows. So sending it to the ruler is essentially sending it to the realm.

Not doing so lends itself to rumours and, in some cases, exactly the kind of anti-Titan sentiment that we really want to avoid.
With people that are predisposed to accusations of Titan-favoritism, is it really going to sway their opinions if they know that the account was locked because of something in some other realm? Or is it just as likely that they will accuse the Titans of being abusive about some other case?
Title: Re: Notification for Account Locks
Post by: Shizzle on October 12, 2011, 09:49:53 PM
Well, I think a Ruler has somewhat of a policing function as well. If someone crossed a line, it is partly because the ruler/some other senior player didn't notice it and stepped in, in time. Though that doesn't count for multihacking, or OOC clanning, of course.

I agree that making someone's sentence public might be too much of a punishment in many cases, but in some, it could be an advantage to let the Ruler know. But that's the Titans' call.

Title: Re: Notification for Account Locks
Post by: Geronus on October 12, 2011, 09:55:06 PM
1 to 3 day locks are issued only by Magistrates or Titans for violations of the IRs or the Social Contract, and in that case will often be accompanied by a public realm wide message explaining why. I they aren't, I assume there will be a reason it was kept private. However, in the event of permanent locks I see no reason not to notify the ruler, potentially even with the reason, i.e. multi-accounting.
Title: Re: Notification for Account Locks
Post by: Vellos on October 13, 2011, 01:14:42 AM
While I can't deny that, I also can't help but think that informing everyone that someone had their account locked just ...  feels wrong.

It's the ruler, not everyone. Maybe he would send it to everyone.

Let's be clear: two accounts with similar realm lists locked at once. I'm assuming multis. That's what everyone is assuming. These were prominent knights and lords in Terran; I normally have a good "nose" for multis. Apparently not these ones.

If it wasn't multis, I want to know. I just don't see the issue with a notification for rulers if one of the players in their realm is locked, for any amount of time. The rumor mill happens one way or another. Real information seems more likely to mitigate it rather than feed it.
Title: Re: Notification for Account Locks
Post by: Indirik on October 13, 2011, 02:12:28 AM
1 to 3 day locks are issued only by Magistrates or Titans for violations of the IRs or the Social Contract, and in that case will often be accompanied by a public realm wide message explaining why.
When accounts are locked, the realm in which the report was filed will get a message stating that the account was locked, and why. If your realm didn't get a notice that the account was locked, then there are a few ways this could have happened:


If it was a permanent lock, I don't really see a problem with sending a notification. I worry that it might cause people to take actions based on that OOC information, though, which has always been very strongly discouraged. i.e. banning the character, kicking him out of his estate, protesting him out of office, etc. The standard rule ha always been to just play on, and let the game take care of position removal, etc. And there are cases where accounts have been restored.

I don't have a strong conviction that the notification would be bad, just a vague feeling that for short term locks, it's really none of your business why the account was locked. If it was, then you'd already know that it was locked, and why.

But if Tom does go ahead and approve this, then it's one step toward full disclosure of Titan's cases, which has been something that he has always opposed. Then again, it should be noted that if Tom approves the Magistrates system for all islands, then it will probably handle most cases, in which case it's all public anyway, and then I really have no objections to it at all.
Title: Re: Notification for Account Locks
Post by: Chenier on October 13, 2011, 05:31:37 AM
Who then probably C/Ps it to the realm, if not immediately then as soon as someone asks what's going on, so that the realm knows. So sending it to the ruler is essentially sending it to the realm.

He could get a notice *not* to do this along with the notice about the lock.
Title: Re: Notification for Account Locks
Post by: Vellos on October 13, 2011, 07:12:27 AM
He could get a notice *not* to do this along with the notice about the lock.

Indeed.
Title: Re: Notification for Account Locks
Post by: Revan on October 15, 2011, 03:13:15 AM
So, I'm pretty sure I'm the one who flagged up those Terran boys. I'm ruler of a realm in the Colonies and noticed suspicious behaviour from three accounts, filed a titans report about it. I reckoned they were multi-accounting and there are now three locked accounts in my realm, but I've received no notification either way about what the titan ruling might have been and neither was there a realm-wide notification. The only reason I'm aware those accounts were locked is because I noticed this thread and was dimly aware that they had characters in Terran.

If it was a permanent lock, I don't really see a problem with sending a notification. I worry that it might cause people to take actions based on that OOC information, though, which has always been very strongly discouraged. i.e. banning the character, kicking him out of his estate, protesting him out of office, etc. The standard rule ha always been to just play on, and let the game take care of position removal, etc. And there are cases where accounts have been restored.

It would definitely be nice for notification at least to the folk who reports to the titans. Also, I'm afraid I've little sympathy as to what effects public revelation might cause. Right now I have three locked lords and a capital city going hungry because somebody really enjoyed running nine or so mute characters. Those characters should be automatically removed from positions immediately or otherwise paused. There is nothing more tedious than watching realm and/or regions go to !@#$ because there's nothing you can do to about a locked character.

EDIT: Also, have you any idea how badly we were struggling for nobles already? I think the least we players of such staggering integrity deserve is disclosure of locked accounts and/or better locked character handling.
Title: Re: Notification for Account Locks
Post by: Vellos on October 16, 2011, 01:18:03 AM
It would definitely be nice for notification at least to the folk who reports to the titans. Also, I'm afraid I've little sympathy as to what effects public revelation might cause. Right now I have three locked lords and a capital city going hungry because somebody really enjoyed running nine or so mute characters. Those characters should be automatically removed from positions immediately or otherwise paused. There is nothing more tedious than watching realm and/or regions go to !@#$ because there's nothing you can do to about a locked character.

EDIT: Also, have you any idea how badly we were struggling for nobles already? I think the least we players of such staggering integrity deserve is disclosure of locked accounts and/or better locked character handling.

Indeed.

Terran lost two Senators... which has seriously changed our efforts to expand...
Title: Re: Notification for Account Locks
Post by: Indirik on October 16, 2011, 03:24:03 AM
So, I'm pretty sure I'm the one who flagged up those Terran boys. I'm ruler of a realm in the Colonies and noticed suspicious behaviour from three accounts, filed a titans report about it. I reckoned they were multi-accounting and there are now three locked accounts in my realm, but I've received no notification either way about what the titan ruling might have been and neither was there a realm-wide notification. The only reason I'm aware those accounts were locked is because I noticed this thread and was dimly aware that they had characters in Terran.
Normally you would get notifications when Titans cases are closed. I know that I have received them in the past. if you reported this case, and you were told that the case had been accepted, and then did not get notification that it had been acted on, then I would have to guess that it has something to do with the fact that the Titans cannot permanently lock a player's account. Only Tom can do that. And I think he has special ways to do that, and they probably don't interact with the Titans cases.