Administration FAQ

[(SL) Uncle Fred]

Rules & Server Features [www.specialistleague.com]

1.0ㅤCommon Issues

1.1ㅤA player is 'griefing.' Can someone kick them?
Administration is fully automated on SL servers. These systems handle administration independent of people, or empower players to self-police the servers in a manner that is fair to everyone. For administration options, see below.


1.2ㅤA player 'abused' the mute system or I've been muted a long time.
See 2.4-8 Microphone Issues below.


1.3ㅤI was banned.
The following may trigger an automatic ban by the server.

• Team Cycling: Disconnecting from the server as a zombie player and rejoining. This is used by some players to cheat the team selection, and the ban lasts 1 hour. To avoid this ban, please avoid disconnecting and rejoining after spawning as a zombie.
  
• Aimbotting/Speedhacking. Use of a speedhack script or aimbot script. First use is a 24 hour ban. If used a second time, the ban is permanent.
  
• Name cycling. This is a spam script that changes your name rapidly. Attempts to get around the name changer will also result in a temporary ban.
  
• Script/Console Exploits. Use of a known server crash exploit.
  
• DDOS/flood attacks. Players that attempt to flood the server with connections.

Players who engage in hacking do so with the full knowledge that they are cheating and or attempting to disrupt regular play. Thus if detected, this behavior may result in a permanent ban. There is no warnings, exceptions, or special cases to this rule.

The systems the SL servers use are not generic, off-the-self systems like other ZP:S servers, but are custom made. They are tuned to recognize known ZP:S vulnerabilities, and rejecting false positives, so there can be no excuses.


1.4ㅤI was kicked.
The server automatically kicks players with a ping over 250.


1.5ㅤA player abused the chat.
Chat that is considered abusive is blocked automatically by the server. If it is not blocked, it is permitted.


1.6ㅤA player hacked.
This is detected automatically and the player banned.


1.7ㅤHow can I access Player Perks?
Perks are automatically available and enabled when you reach a certain amount of server play experience. Player Perks are a reward for players who frequent the SL servers regularly.


1.8ㅤMy name was changed.
Some names are not allowed. See 3.0 below.

2.0ㅤMicrophone Issues

2.1ㅤA player is mic spamming.

• Players can mute a player on their client[www.specialistleague.com].
  
• Players with veteran status can type !mute to mute a player.

2.2ㅤMy microphone works elsewhere, but not on SL servers.

• The League uses a custom system called Microphone Whitelist.
  
• Whitelist restricts microphone use to players with a certain level of server experience.
  
• In most cases, your microphone will be automatically enabled with enough server experience.

2.3ㅤI have server experience, but I can't use my microphone.

• SL uses a custom country whitelist.
  
• This is to reduce the amount of non-English voice communication.
  
• If you are a good English speaker from a majority non-English speaking country, and frequent the SL servers, you may opt for (SL) membership.

2.4ㅤI've been muted.

• Veteran players and (SL) members earn the ability to mute players.
  
• !mute powers are a server right granted to all players who invest their time into the community.
  
• These mute powers can be used only twice a day, and wear off in a few minutes with one exception, see below.
  
• Don't like how a player muted you? You can opt to submit a protest flag against a veteran, see below.

2.5ㅤI've been muted and it's not wearing off.

• Microphone access is an earned privilege, not a right.
  
• If a large number of individual veteran players mute a player, the server automatically recognizes this as the wish of the community, and that player is permanently muted.
  
• If enough members of the community wish to see a player lose that privilege, there is likely a good reason.
  
• No player can go from a clean record to permamute overnight.
  
• The system is time limited. No group of friends can gang up on an individual.

2.6ㅤI don't like that a player can mute me.

• Not everyone will agree with how another veteran uses their mute privilege.
  
• Veterans can protest another player's use of their !mute power.
  
• To flag any veteran, type: !flagmute
  
• If a veteran accumulates too many unique flags, they will loose their !mute powers for several months.
  
• Veteran flags will reset twice a year.
  
• A !mute does not stop players from playing on the servers.
  
• Muted players can still use the chat, and all veterans may still use !mute.
  
• If muted, consider your mic usage from the perspective of other players.
  
• If you feel you have earned the right to !mute immunity, you are welcome to apply for membership.

2.7ㅤCan the server owner or admin unmute me?

• All administration is handled automatically, and the server owner respects the wishes of the community when it comes to mutes, so no.
  
• Players who are offered (SL) membership will have any perma-mutes removed. However, please be aware that a permamute record will impact your chances of being offered membership.

2.8ㅤI play quite a bit, but I don't feel I misuse the mic. Can I be immune to veteran mute powers? Can I have a perma-mute removed?
Yes! Players can apply for membership. (SL) members are trusted players, and that trust extends to microphone use. Anyone who has an extended mute applied by the community will have their mute erased automatically if accepted as a member.


2.9ㅤAn (SL) member is abusing the mic, how can I protest them?

• Veterans can flag an (SL) member by typing: !flagmute
  
• If a (SL) member receives enough flags, their membership perks will be suspended.

2.10ㅤI can't use !mute to mute players.
Most likely, your veteran perks are not enabled. In some rare cases, this can sometimes happen for a short period of time, and will work again later.


2.11]ㅤI can't use !flagmute powers.
There are some limitations to flagging. These are:

• Player must be a veteran to flag players. This is to avoid account misuse.
  
• The veteran must not have any active !mutes.
  
• The veteran must not have used a flag within the last 20 minutes.
  
• The veteran must not have used the power twice in 24 hours.
  
• The owner will not appear in the menu of playing (SL) members.

2.12ㅤMy mic works, but the volume is high/low.
The in-game microphone adjustment does not work. You can use microphone[www.specialistleague.com] guide to adjust your mic.

3.0ㅤName Issues

3.1ㅤMy name was changed to: "I should think up a better name".
Names that are not allowed are automatically changed. This includes:

• Attempts to impersonate the server owner.
  To prevent administration confusion, this is not allowed.
  
• Names that contain special characters.
  Names must be English Alphanumerical A-Z, 0-9. This is to reduce players harassing others by using special lettering to circumvent the name autochanger.
  
• Names that contain clan tag symbols.
  Clan tags are now considered a form of advertising and are not permitted.
  
• Names that spam the server.
  
• Names that contain a weblink.
  
• Names designed to provoke and are blatantly offensive.

If it is not changed, then it is allowed.

The server detects if there is an attempt to get around the name changer. If this is discovered, the server automatically enforces a 1 hour ban.


3.2ㅤA player is impersonating someone.
This is considered role play and is allowed. Take it as a complement.

4.0ㅤWeapon Issues

4.1ㅤI can't pick up weapons or ammo.

• If a player's ragequit reputation reaches 14+, they will loose the ability to pickup some weapons.
  
• Players are discouraged from rage quitting frequently as there is no game without zombies.
  
• To improve a rage quit reputation, avoid quitting after being killed as a survivor.

4.2ㅤI no longer start with a bat, armor, or other perks.

• A Steam account must have sufficient server experience to use Player Perks.
  
• The server must have an active connection to the stats database.
  
• The server owner reserves the right to remove a player's perks if they deem it appropriate.
  
• In most cases, the issue is temporary and will resolve itself with time.

5.0ㅤScore Issues

5.1ㅤI can't score or I start with a negative score.

• A negative score is a warning that your rage quit reputation is dangerously high.
  
• Further repercussions can be avoided by playing as a zombie more frequently.
  
• Your reputation will be restored with time.

6.0ㅤBehavior issues

6.1ㅤA player is AFK.

• Type: vafk. If enough players type this, it will check for afk zombies.
  
• If a zombie is active it will not consider them AFK.
  
• If a zombie is hiding but otherwise still active, it is up to the survivors if they wish to hunt them down.
  
• In some cases, a new zombie may be selected from survivors.
  
• Typically, the players who are spectating are not kicked.
  
• If the server is full, right click the server > join > select auto-Join.
  
• If a survivor is AFK, find them and eat them.

6.2ㅤA player glitched a door, removed a cade, didn't complete an objective, killed me with a prop, or some other form of 'griefing.'
Consider that ZP:S is a game about the experience of a lone band of survivors facing the undead hordes. In such a scenario, a mixture of different people also means a mixture of different kinds of people.

it is natural that unfriendly and uncooperative player will emerge to threaten your survival. To see this in action, look at the Walking Dead Series (TWD). In TWD, your fellow survivors may be just as dangerous as the zombies themselves.

Now, imagine The Walking Dead if everyone got along and helped each other. How realistic is that? How boring would such a show be?

The League takes a unique position among communities in that we believe the same behavioural dynamics that make TWD interesting also make ZP:S interesting. For many, including the server owner, adapting to the range of player is the high point of the game. In this view, frustrating players force gamers out of their comfort zone and add variety.


6.3ㅤWhat about enabling friendly fire as an option?
A common request to counter unhelpful behaviour is to enable friendly fire (ff). For example, in the TWD, the survivors can temper bad behaviour with ff, or the threat of it.

Unfortunately, in this specific case, ZP:S's arcade mechanics are not comparable to TWD. In ZP:S, there is no serious disincentive to trigger-happy play. Unlike games like Rust, Ark, or DayZ, there is no permadeath, long periods of trekking, or resupply play that would otherwise reduce the urge to engage in ff. In ZP:S, if a player dies, they can jump back into the action right away, knowing that they will be a human again in a few moments.

Friendly fire is occasionally enabled for events. Each time this is done, one or two survivors typically gun down 1/3 of the team straight away, and explosives do in most of the rest. This stacks the zombie team and shortens rounds to a couple minutes.

Lets be honest, it's far to tempting to be a troll like this if you could.

This gameplay gets old very fast. People get frustrated with ff and leave if it goes on for too long.


6.4ㅤWhat can I do to manage player behaviour?
Survivors have a lot of abilities to manage players, and League maps and systems place limits on bad behaviour.

Being a survivor, at least for any extended time, generally requires a fair amount of support from others. If players don't agree with the play of another player, they can choose to avoid helping them. For example, choosing not to shoot an approaching zombie is a very simple and effective way to communicate your displeasure at a player, and possibly remove an unhelpful teammate.

In addition to this, players can alter a given situation in various more subtle ways. For example, players can manipulate their surroundings to make a chosen player more attractive to zombies.

This gameplay is practised by more advanced players. It is context dependent, and requires an observant eye on where you are situated, where other players are and what these players like to do. It also requires awareness of where items and structures are, and the current state of the round.

As you experiment, you will discover that you can alter gameplay in ways that don't involve killing zombies, or even barricading.

Besides this, the maps are edited with consideration for player behaviour, and we have created custom systems to limit issues. Player behaviour that remains is very much survivable with the right planning, strategies, skills, and chance.

Gamers can and do succeed in this apocalypse, but it is not for everyone. Those who thrive tend to forge relationships and develop novel strategies, adding a level of skill to their play, and a layer of complexity to ZP:S. This challenge can be frustrating in the short term, but the skills and play are rewarding in the long term.

Stripping this layer of complexity via administration is not desirable, so it will never happen. A range of player behaviour is a feature of the game, and not a cause for administration.


6.5ㅤWhat about votekick/voteban?

• Votekick or voteban are not available and will never be implemented.
  
• Votekick/ban results in a flood of unhappy players.
  
• Despite best intentions, even mature players eventually abuse kick and ban powers.
  
• Players will always kick and ban for petty reasons. As a result, players become unhappy.

6.6ㅤWhat about exploits?

• There are currently no game exploits on SL servers that are subject to administration.
  
• The League considers exploits to be the fault of mappers and developers.
  
• If a new exploit is discovered, it may only be considered for inclusion if its use:
  
  • Significantly effects the server population, or;
    
  • Stops the game by making it impossible, or nearly impossible to kill a survivor.

6.7ㅤA player is hoarding, hiding supplies, or using multiple weapons.
There is plenty of ammo and weapons on SL maps. There are almost always defensive/offensive options for players if they are mindful of their surroundings.


6.8ㅤA player is harassing or disrespecting me in the chat.

• Chat is automatically filtered for reasonable levels of abuse.
  
• If it is not blocked, it is allowed.

6.9ㅤI'd like to discuss changes to the server rules.
The rules are settled into their final state.

7.0ㅤMaps & Content Questions

7.1ㅤWill SL open lakes, deathruns or funmaps servers?
No.


7.2ㅤWhere is Shreddingfield or Subway?

• Subway is a poor map, so it is not hosted.
  
• Shreddingfield has a number of map problems that prevent it from running in the rotation.

7.3ㅤWill there be any future SL content releases?
SL prefers to make no content promises. If there are any releases in the future, they will be announced here when ready and on the SL servers.


7.4ㅤHow do I recommend new server maps and feature ideas/suggestions?
Due to the rise of bot accounts posting malware in the forums, suggestions and general commenting are closed for the time being.

8.0ㅤSteam Group Issues & Questions

8.1ㅤI was banned from the Steam group.

• Currently, postings are disabled, see 8.7. There should be no further bans applied because of this change.
  
• All content posts must adhere to the Rules and Guidelines For Steam.
  
• Any content that violates these rules will be removed and the user banned.
  
• These limits include:
  
  Advertising. For example: gaming stream promotions, links to groups, raffles, or any kind of giveaways.
  • Prone to huge argument posts. The Specialist League Steam forums are not a sounding board for off-topic debates, personal vendettas, bigotry, or accusatory crusades.
  
  
  8.2ㅤCan I join the Specialist League Steam Community?
  Yes. This Steam group is open to the public. To stay updated on all things related to SL servers, feel free to join.
  
  
  8.3ㅤI am part of this Steam community. Am I a (SL) member?
  Not necessarily. All (SL) members are personally recruited by the server owner and can be found here. Players who wish to become full members may apply to join.
  
  
  8.4ㅤDoes the League have discussion or voice coms outside of the game?
  At present, these are disabled. TeamSpeak/forums are unnecessary as in-game voice and chat are available.
  
  
  8.5ㅤSomeone posted personal identifying information.
  If a player discovers personal information posted on a League asset, they are encouraged to use the Steam forum report tools immediately, as this behaviour is against Steam policies. A player can also:
  
  • Flag the content as harassment.
    
  • Select the Steam profile of the user and flag the user. Select the user's avatar→more→Flag User→Harassment and paste into the description: "Personal identity information posted without my consent: Doxing"
    
  • Immediately open a Valve Steam support Query.
• Do not attempt to contact the perpetrator or engage them in any way.
  
  
  8.6ㅤWhere is the SL ban list/admin panel/Sourcebans?
  The administration panel is no longer available. There is a critical security flaw native to all released versions of Sourcebans. Any server with public access to Sourcebans can be crashed if the attacker is aware of how to exploit this vulnerability.
  
  There is no known way to resolve this issue without a major rewrite to how Sourcebans interacts with user requests. Thus you can expect Sourcebans to be closed for public access for the foreseeable future.
  
  This shouldn't be a big issue on SL servers as administration is handled by the servers themselves, and is mostly temporary.
  
  
  8.7ㅤWhy can't I post in the Steam forums?
  Recently, there's been a sharp rise in bot accounts flooding Steam groups with malware advertising. As Valve does not offer any tools to stop or filter these posts, commenting rights are disabled for the time being.