Survival [PMC] Moderating the use of alternate accounts for a PvP advantage

[Tharine]

Not something we usually make posts for, but an incident cropped up on Survival recently that prompted me to set up a bit of a discussion on how best to moderate this type of issue.The rules regarding logging in combat scenarios are as follows:

 

Using logging as a function of PVP is not allowed. This includes, but is not limited to: 

• Logging off while engaged in combat. 
• Relogging to gain an advantage such as invulnerability for PvP or to prevent fall damage while being chased. 
• Timing logins to attack players at specific locations. 
• Playing with multiple accounts to give yourself a PvP-related advantage 
• Users who do any of these may get warned by a mod or kicked/banned by an admin

The incident in question revolves around this modreq:

 

[Redacted]

 

And whilst the circumstances were actually more innocent than they would initially appear for this, it did cause me to realise that we don't actually have a proper policy on how to handle this sort of issue. I was hoping we could get a similar kind of standard going for this sort of thing as we do with typically sticking to one month with xray bans. It's not the type of incident that I can see coming up quite often, which is why I think it important to set out something that wouldn't be too subjective. I thought something along the lines of ensuring that both accounts (despite being the same person) receive a warning and, if necessary to do so, the exact same ban length (and would perhaps require both accounts be appealed for?). Whilst using an alternate account to do something that the original one cannot do typically winds up in a permaban, I thought that might be too harsh for this sort of thing. Is there anyone that has any suggestions on how we could go about handling this sort of thing?

[Denevien]

I'd say just pick one of the accounts (one played on most) and ban it for combat logging. If they use the alt still it gets a permaban then. You only have to ban one account to punish them.

[Cyotie911]

I have a few situations that I'd like clarification on. 

 

Let's say that I'm in my base doing some mining or base expansion/building.  Someone sneaks up behind me and attacks me.  I don't log out and despite my efforts I was killed during combat.  Now, lets say I have an alternate account in my base that was equipped with proper armor and weapons the last time I logged out.  Is it going to be against the rules to log into that account to then attack the player who attacked killed?

 

Also lets say that a player logs out while I was approaching them..  I know that this is considered combat logging, but because there are no logs in this instance and because I also know that even if I modreq them I know that I'll never get the items that they were carrying.  So lets say that I logout of the account that I am looged into close to the spot that said player logged out at.  I then log into an alternate account to continue playing while waiting for that player to login.  Once I see that player login on my screen I relogin to the server using my other account to attack the player who I saw logout...   Is this considered against the rules?

 

Just some scenarios that ran through my mind.

[Draykhar]

I have a few situations that I'd like clarification on. 

 

Let's say that I'm in my base doing some mining or base expansion/building.  Someone sneaks up behind me and attacks me.  I don't log out and despite my efforts I was killed during combat.  Now, lets say I have an alternate account in my base that was equipped with proper armor and weapons the last time I logged out.  Is it going to be against the rules to log into that account to then attack the player who attacked killed?

 

Also lets say that a player logs out while I was approaching them..  I know that this is considered combat logging, but because there are no logs in this instance and because I also know that even if I modreq them I know that I'll never get the items that they were carrying.  So lets say that I logout of the account that I am looged into close to the spot that said player logged out at.  I then log into an alternate account to continue playing while waiting for that player to login.  Once I see that player login on my screen I relogin to the server using my other account to attack the player who I saw logout...   Is this considered against the rules?

 

Just some scenarios that ran through my mind.

 

I would say both of those situations are against the rules, albeit the second one harder to prove than the first one. You are timing a login as a function of pvp.

 

I agree with den, ban the main account.

 

As for a length? How long do we usually ban people who log out during combat? I'd say 2 weeks.