Sioux Falls Server Rules

Section 1: General Respect

SFR recognises that the nature of the game may occasionally involve a level of role-played abusive language and other adult content. However;

• Mature content and language that is considered outside of the current rp situation will not be tolerated.
• Petty arguments and bickering will also not be tolerated.

1.1 New Members

SFR wants to make all new members feel welcome and confident in their role.

• All players must be able to understand basic English commands and instructions.

1.2 Discrimination

SFR respects and promotes equality, diversity and self-expression.

• Such language may be used in a role playing scenario if it does not cause offence to others present.
• Members who use gender, race, religion, physical/mental ability, background, etc. in a derogatory manner on the servers, forums or Discord will be removed and banned at an Admins discretion.
• Repeated incidents will result in a permanent ban.
• Racist or offensive skins (e.g Hitler skins) will result in a permanent ban.

1.3 Profanity/Cursing/Swearing

SFR promotes a relaxed environment and diverse culture. There are no current restrictions on cursing. However;

• SFR promotes members to be mindful of others. Those who repeatedly cause offence may face disciplinary action at the Admins discretion.

1.4 Rage Quitting

Rage quitting is the intentional disconnection from the server/discord to avoid undesirable events including, although not exhaustive of; role playing within the game, debate/argument with members, etc. SFR promotes fair play and sportsmanship. Players who disconnect and do not seek to resolve a role play event after returning from a disconnection may receive a temp ban. Therefore, those who legitimately disconnect during undesirable events must endeavour to make relevant arrangements to recommence a true reflection of role play concerned.

1.5 Common Sense

Always use common sense in situations and use better judgment on whether or not your current situation could be handled in Roleplay, or if a staff member may be required to assist you. If you are ever unsure about anything, contact Staff before you continue.

Section 2: Misuse and Abuse

2.1 Multiple Accounts

SFR allows ONE account ONLY per computer. Members are responsible for ensuring that only one account is created per computer.

• Creating/using multiple accounts on the Game Server/Discord is not permitted under any circumstances. SFR Alt Detection Systems will identify and highlight any Personal Computer (PC) with more than one membership account. This will result in an immediate block of the accounts concerned and the permanent ban of the IP and PC without appeal.
• There is an exception to this rule however if you have separate phone lines/IP addresses/PCs you can sign up just do not switch with the other account as that will flag a duplicate account and both will be banned. (This is still one account per player). If you have more than one person playing in the same house on the same WiFi, contact a Manager so you won’t get banned. Players must provide proof that there are two people on the account (e.g voice chat distinction)
• Members are responsible for their own accounts. Evading or avoiding punishment by the use of an alternate account will result in a permanent ban.

2.2 Server Spamming

Server spamming is the repeated and prolific disconnection followed rapidly by re-connection during short bursts. This can cause significant server lag. This may be caused by poor internet connection, ineffective game file set-up or malicious attacks.

• Members found spamming any SFR system will receive a temporary or permanent ban. This includes, but is not limited to; Alarm/Reports, Forums, in-game chat, email, Personal Messaging (PM).
• Spamming is not an accepted method of punishment or complaint. Those with issues are advised to follow the Complaints Policy and Chain of Command below.

2.3 Prohibited Software

The use of Proxy, VPN, or Anonymous IP Software is not permitted under any circumstances.

• The use of such software for any reason will result in immediate removal from the community.

2.4 Cheating

As stated, SFR promotes fair play and sportsmanship. To that end, SFR does not accept members using any method to cheat by creating beneficial opportunities, improving statistics, breaching rules, foul play, etc. (this list is by no means exhaustive).

• Where cheating is suspected, members are advised to follow the Chain of Command, discretion is advised. Whistleblowers are encouraged to provide evidence (e.g. video record) to aid Managements investigation. Malicious allegations of cheating will also not be tolerated and may result in a ban.
• Members alleged to be cheating will be subject to Management investigation.
• Subject to the outcome, members may be permanently removed from SFR servers and the server log files sent to the appropriate authorities.
• Evidence may also be passed to Mojang for assessment and appropriate action.

2.5 Hackers

SFR endeavors to minimize the effects of hacking on its members.

• Members are discouraged from generating publicity for hackers via gossip, forum posts, etc.
• Where hacking is suspected, members are encouraged to follow the Chain of Command, discretion is advised. Whistleblowers are encouraged to provide evidence (e.g. video record) to aid Managements investigation. Malicious allegations of hacking will also not be tolerated and may result in a ban.

2.6 Advertising

Advertising is a member poaching/encouraging other members to join another server/game without the expressed permission of a Manager and/or without this benefiting SFR.

• Members alleged to be leeching other members may be subject to account restrictions or a permanent ban depending on severity/frequency.
• The only exception to this rule is if the server being advertised is an official partner of SFR

2.7 Content Leaching

Content leaching is the use, copy, theft, etc. of SFR game/server content without the expressed permission from all of the Founders.

• SFR content is solely created and distributed by SFR. Members are NEVER permitted to share, sell, amend, publish, claim credit, etc. (not exhaustive) of any SFR content, no exceptions.
• Members alleged breaching this rule will be subject to Management investigation. Subject to the outcome, members may be placed on account restrictions or permanently banned.

2.8 Trolling

All players must respect other players from all sides. This includes but is not limited to:

• Annoying behavior (After being asked to stop being repeatedly)
• Deliberately trying to ruin a players game experiences by being a fool to them
• Activating alarms for no reason at all
• Detaining civilian players in an interview room without a reason

Section 3: In Game

3.1 Away From Keyboard (AFK): Game Server

Members are expected to use SFR servers appropriately and use when in communication with others. Bypassing the AFK kick will result in a punishment (e.g moving your mouse every few minutes to avoid the kick).

• Members alleged to be AFK whilst on Server will have 5 minutes before being kicked for inactivity
• If the member is killed/combat tagged during the time they were AFK they will not be compensated for items they lost in the process

3.2 Random Death Matching (RDM)

Random death matching (RDM) is the random killing of one or more players on the Server without valid and/or role playing reason or for self-seeking gain such as in-game items (not exhaustive). SFR is exactly what it says on the tin. The game aims to reflect real-life.

• To that extent, players are not authorised to cause the death of another player on the server for reasons considered outside the realms of real-life reflection role play; this includes random death matching.
• This will not be tolerated and those members that are considered acting outside the realms of role play (including Death Matching) may be issued with a time-limited or permanent ban at an Admins discretion.

3.3 New Life Rule (NLR)

You may not return to your place of death for 5 min after being killed.

• Returning to your place of death after being killed and then killing the person will result in a warning and on repeat offences, in a ban
• Only cops may return to an active roleplay situation. The exception to this rule is during a raid.
• You are in NLR and must not Roleplay knowing anything from the past Life Time like Names, Faces and any knowledge about people. Using knowledge against the NLR is considered Fail RP, which is the punishment which will be given.
• NLR applies when you are killed by PD or a Civ. However, if you die by your own means (i.e. jumping from building, commiting suicide) you will not be granted the NLR.
• The only exception to the above rule is when you die due to your own means outside of role play.

3.4 Griefing

a ) Destruction of Buildings/Griefing

Griefing is the intentional damage/destruction of buildings belonging to others.

• Any member who is alleged to have intentionally damaged/destroyed buildings will be removed from the server and face disciplinary action.
• Using weapons to set fire to certain areas for the purpose of destroying the buildings is also a violation of rule 3.6 and may result in Disciplinary action.
• You cannot light places on fire if there are not firefighters online.

b ) Destruction of non-essential objects:

Destruction (non-essential) is the intentional destruction/damage of walls, docks, fences, etc. (not exhaustive).

• Members intentionally destroying/damaging the above without the element of role play

3.5 FailRP

FailRP is when a player acts in a manner which would not fit a roleplay scenario or something that would not be possible in real life. You must always follow a roleplay scenario.

• Any player that is restrained by handcuffs or zip ties is not permitted to use global chat for any reason. You are also not permitted to shoot or hurt anyone while ziptied or handcuffed.
• Drug effects are not allowed to be used to escape or otherwise give you an advantage in an RP situation or fight.
• You may not use potions in a fight or to escape a roleplay situation.
• You may not teleport while being chased or while in a roleplay situation. Before teleporting, all participants in the RP situation must agree it is over (or the situation must be clearly over) before anyone it allowed to teleport away.
• You cannot place vehicles while in a roleplay situation, this includes robberies, or during a fight. Vehicles that were placed prior to the RP situation starting may be used.
• You may not spawn vehicles inside of a public or federal building

3.6 Major Crimes

• There must be at least 3 cops online to commit a major crime.
• Major crimes are: Bank robberies, Takeovers, Hostage Situations and Raiding the White House.
• You cannot commit crimes to become wanted just to get into a shootout or chase with cops.
• All cops are required to attempt to arrest and not shoot on sight unless they feel their life is in danger.
• 2 gangs may not join together to commit a major crime.

3.7 Chat Channels

All RP communication must take place in their respective chat channels.

• Global - For OOC (Out of Character) chat
• Local - For roleplay chat
• 911 - To call the emergency services
• PM (Text Message) - For player to player communication. It does not have to be RP.
• Do not spam. Flooding the server with messages is not allowed. You will be punished for this.

3.8 Raid Rules

Raids is the act of attacking a base.

• Raids may only last up to 15 minutes
• Do not raid the same base within 10 minutes in time
• After raiding a base you may not raid another for 5 minutes
• If you die while being raided, you may return to the raid after 2 minutes.
• If you disconnect from the game during a raid, the raid automatically ends.

3.9 Kidnap Rules

Kidnapping is the trapping and restraining of someone. The kidnapper may demand money from the government or companies to release the hostage. Below are the rules regarding kidnapping:

• Maximum Ransom is $500,000.
• Do not kidnap staff on duty
• Kidnapping cooldown is 15 minutes
• You may not kidnap the same person within 30 minutes
• If you are kidnapped you must listen to whatever the kidnapper says or it is FailRP
• The kidnapper may only kill the hostage if their demands are not met. It is severe FailRP if a kidnapper receives the money then kills the hostage

3.10 Mugging Rules

Rules for when mugging people.

• You must give the person a minimum of ten seconds to drop money when you tell them you are mugging them
• You may kill the player if they attempt to run
• The maximum mug amount is the max they have in their balance
• The cooldown for a mug is 5 minutes
• If you are armed and a player tries to mug you, you can defend yourself and kill them immediately
• Remember the purpose of mugging is get the money not to kill the person. It should not be used as such.

3.11 Compensation

In order to get compensation due to Glitch or Server Fault(IE: Unintentional Restart/Server Crash), You must be able to supply proper evidence of what you lost in the form of a screenshot. The screenshot must have the date, time and ownership. If you feel that the server may crash or you are at risk of losing stats; take two screenshots. One will show the date on time on the screenshot text. then go to requesting in-game support with the screenshot and a staff member will have you compensated if your screenshot was sufficient proof.

• For compensation due to player-inflicted damage, You will need to go to bot commands, and make a ticket, there, a Staff Member will decide whether or not you will be compensated. Screenshots are also appreciated, also evidence of fault of the other party may be required. You cannot receive compensation for items you lost in a valid RP situation

3.12 Bounties

Players may set bounties on players they don't like or want dead. Mafia members and hitmen will be able to take these bounties and claim them.

• You cannot kill people you set bounties on
• Bounties are not made for the intent to RDM. If you are found to be using bounties for that purpose then you will face a time limited ban or a perm ban.
• Your friend cannot place a bounty for the intent to bypass the "kill your own bounties rule" this will be considered RDM.
• You must be a hitman or a mafia member to claim a bounty.
• Bounties must be $2,000 or higher.
• You must have a valid RP reason to place a bounty

3.13 KOS Areas

KOS areas are areas in which the RDM rule does not apply. The below-listed areas are considered KOS areas and should be treated as such, it also lists the range of the KOS area:

• Drug dealer(s) – Range: The immediate area surrounding the dealer.
• Bank (During Takeovers) – Range: 58 blocks from the bank.
• Gas Station (During a robbery only) – Range: Vicinity around the gas station. Only applies to engaging civilians who pose a threat(armed). Civilians who don't pose a threat(unarmed) require roleplay.
• Bank (During a robbery) – Range: 10 blocks from the bank.
• Wild – Range: Anywhere in the wild.

3.14 Vehicle Rules

These rules are related on any vehicles. Vehicles are any planes, cars or boats.

• You may not spawn a vehicle inside a building.
• You may not enter a building inside a vehicle.
• Using a vehicle in any way that is not intended is map exploiting.

Section 4: Police Department (PD) and In-Game Justice System

4.1 Corruption

Police Corruption is not accepted, any form at all will result in a Permanent Cop side ban NO EXCEPTIONS.

4.2 Gang Area Chase

The search warrant rule applies to gang areas. An officer must have a search warrant to enter a gang area.

• Once police are inside a gang area all subjects inside are KOS. Reason for this is because if police enter a gang area they can be shot on sight as well.
• Only exception to having a search warrant is if a Police High Command approves entry.

Section 6: Management and Hierarchy

6.1 Hierarchy

• Owner and Co Owner
• Manager
• Senior Mod, Mod, and Trial Mod

6.2 Management Team Support

• Members are not permitted to approach Management Team Members directly and should refer to the Chain of Command.
• Repeated ignorance will result in permanent ban at the Management Team Members discretion.
• SFR is proud of the select and dedicated team of volunteers; full forums with enriching topics to answer any questions are also available to members.
• Executive Team Members may only be approached via the Chain of Command and ONLY for serious issues.
• Spamming, technical, verbal or written abuse/threats via email/private messaging/Discord/Forums to other members or SFR Managers (Managers and or Moderators) will not be tolerated.

6.3 Manager Decisions

A Managers decision is final. However:

• Players may appeal final decisions; one per incident/player.
• Lying to staff will get you banned
• If a staff member tells you to stop doing something, you need to follow their orders.
• Players appealing decisions are advised to submit the complaint in writing on the relevant Forum section.
• Members are advised to remain civilized and respectful whether accepting or appealing an Managers decision as issues will only cause delays.
• Members found to be involving other Admins unnecessarily, essentially causing rifts between Managers, will be Banned.
• Management Team Members reserve the right to discretion and hold the overruling decision.
• Management Team Members reserve the right to make any relevant amendments to the Rules at any time. Members will be advised of amendments.

6.4 Chain of Command (CoC)/Complaints Policy

SFR aims to run an enjoyable and harmonious RPG to which the members are proud to be a part of. This involves all Members to display respect and fair play to one another. If a Member is made aware of Rule breaches or lack of decorum or sportsmanship, it is their responsibility to follow the Chain of Command, here as follows:

• Rules - investigate the complaints relevance and significance.
• Friends – investigate frequency and/or severity of issue.
• Discord Help Channel – a ticket in bot commands.
• Support Team Member - talk to a member of the support team
• Moderator and Senior Mod – discuss issue with a view to manage or pass through the CoC.
• Management Team Members - Members are not authorised to contact the Management Team directly under any circumstances. Failure to comply may result in various time-limited restrictions to your account and delays on the complaint being processed.

Section 7: Property Rules

These rules are the rules for building, and properties built within Sioux Falls. Failure to abide by these rules will result in the rollback of the property, and possible removal from the build team if it applies. If required the staff may seize the property so it can be brought up to standards. If there are any violation with properties, please make a property complaint. To tear down any building or house, you must gain a construction permit from the Build Team Manager or the Owners. To build a new property you must gain a build permit from the Build Team Manager, Owners, or a Judge.

7.1 Design Standards

Houses must be built with a design that fits the modern nature of Sioux Falls. Houses must also be realistic and have a realistic structure that does not defy the laws of physics (No Floating houses or houses on a pillar).

• Houses must fit with the general theme of the surrounding area. If you are in an area of the city that is mostly towers then you should be building towers.
• All buildings must be made of semi-realistic blocks. Towers and homes made of blocks such as sponge are not permitted.

7.2 Realistic Entrance

There must be a way for any individual to enter any part of your property without requiring that any blocks be moved or removed. This means not to put any blocks in front of or behind any door with the intention of preventing usage of the door. If an individual violates this provision, the staff members have a right to remove the blocks that are in violation of this rule.

• Every chest and container must be able to be accessed at any point by a player. No block or blocks may be placed that prevent access to the container. This also applies to containers hidden from public view. If there is a container that is hidden from public view, it should be able to be opened without having to remove any blocks.
• You cannot have more than 5 locked doors per entrance of a property.

7.3 Zoning Types

There are different ways that plots can be zoned. The zoning types are: Residential, Commercial, Industrial, Agricultural and Historic. Each type of zoning has its own restrictions of what can be done on the plot. If you are unsure what type of zoning your building is classified as, contact a member of the Buildteam and they will assist you.

• 7.3.1 Residentially Zoned Properties
• Residential zoning is for individual family units or groups. It includes single-family homes, duplexes, condominiums, trailer parks, and apartments. Businesses cannot be based out of a residential property.
• 7.3.2 Commercially Zoned Properties
• Commercial properties includes almost everything that is not residential, from offices to retail stores, to shopping malls and strip malls, to bars and nightclubs. Most professional offices are zoned commercial. You may not live on a Commercially Zoned plot.
• 7.3.3 Industrially Zone Properties
• Industrial zoning is for manufacturing and warehousing operations.
• 7.3.4 Historic Zone Properties
• Historic zoning is used for buildings are areas that have historic or public value. These properties may not be changed, inside or out, without prior authorization by the Head of Buildteam, Build Team Lead or the Management Team
• 7.3.5 Agriculturally Zoned Properties
• Agricultural zoning is used for properties that are used for legal farming activities, and this kind of zoning mandates that a certain portion of the property consists of a farm.

7.4 Drug Farms

All buildings that have drug farms should ensure they are hidden. This means that your drug farm should not be visible from the outside of the property. Additionally, A building may not be solely used for the purpose of a drug farm. Your building must be able to be actively used.

7.5 Traps

Making traps inside and around properties is allowed. Abuse of traps can result in the trap being removed.

• 7.5.1 Route of Egress Required
• All traps must have a valid RP way for players to be able to exit the trap. This can include, but not limited to, buttons on doors, way out of a room, etc
• 7.5.2 Possibility of Survival Required
• All traps must have a way to survive the trap. This also means if you are not there the trap can’t be made to where a player can not escape the trap. Example.. Traps that use pistons to suffocate you would not be allowed.
• 7.5.3 Notification of Trespassing Required
• You must notify a player that they are trespassing. This should be done inside of local chat.Once you notified then they are trespassing you must give them at least 10 seconds to leave. You may not instantly kill them.
• 7.5.4 No Trespassing Sign
• As an option, regarding the 7.5.3 provision, “No Trespassing” signs may placed on the exterior of the property, that are 6 blocks from each subsequent sign along the perimeter of the property. This along with a “No Trespassing” sign clearly visible at each entrance to the property can be used instead of the warning in chat. These signs MUST be VISIBLE from the EXTERIOR of the region that they are designating as a “No Trespassing” zone. Should there be a dispute about the visibility of the “No Trespassing” sign, the benefit of the doubt will generally be given to the individual who has entered the property, rather than the owner of the property. The best way to ensure that individuals do not trespass onto your property is by utilizing local chat to tell them.

7.6 Basements and Sub-Basements

Properties that are built within Sioux Falls are not permitted to have more than 1 Level of basement. This includes tunneling below the property, or making multiple sub basements inside of the property.