[gouty] Suspicion of metacomms

[Jarek]

Post Content:
Byond account and character name: Loves-The-Lizards JarektheRaptor
Banning admin: Gouty
Ban type (What are you banned from?): The server
Ban reason and length: Perma, https://gyazo.com/a1cc6acb9d277b2d094bda23f9c34fe2
Time ban was placed (including time zone): 20:49 gmt + 0
Server you were playing when banned (Sybil or Bagil): Both.
Your side of the story: So I'm not entirely sure what this ban is about, I know it's suspicion, but I wasn't even playing space station 13 when I found out this ban was placed. From the top. I am in a discord server with a few people from TG that I would consider friends, we sit in a voice chat and talk, the voice chat is used for talking. We also use it to play video games such as one I'm currently addicted to called player unknown battlegrounds as well as some random ass games we feel like playing. I do understand because this is a suspicion that maybe an argument could be made that this rule extends to space station 13 as well, but I'll get into that in a moment. At the time I was banned, as I previously said, I wasn't even playing space station thirteen. I was playing player unknown battlegrounds and having a relatively good time. I was and still, am in the voice chat with people in this discord server whilst playing PUBG. I wasn't really planning to stick around but tabbing out of a game like PUBG is a pain in the ass and regardless I wasn't entirely done talking to them. I found out I got banned when the people I was talking to told me they'd been perma'd for suspected metacomms. I figured that i'd be involved because I was in the voice chat and tried to connect to sybil to find that I was actually banned.

Why you think you should be unbanned: At the time this ban was put in place I wasn't even playing on Sybil or basil. I am aware that being in a chat with people from TG in a discord may look shady but I haven't to my knowledge used meta knowledge to my advantage in any way shape or form, I wouldn't say I'm stupid enough to do something like that. I'm not going to pretend every time I connected and played on ss13 that I wasn't in a voice channel with someone else who was or vice versa, but we keep the game out of the equation for obvious reasons when this happens or straight up leave the voice chat altogether. If being in a voice chat or private chat with someone whilst playing the same round is a form of metacomming then I guess I have no argument. If that's how the cookie crumbles then I guess goodbye tg???

[Gouty]

Mostly copied and pasted from NewSta appeal:

You were recently in game and in the voice chat in the discord server "M3tasquad" (of which your are an administrator) with other people that were in game, or were in game recently. We don't moderate that server, admins have no presence there, we cannot monitor voice comms for metagaming, we were not even aware of it's existence before today and now I have (unsurprisingly) been kicked.

The ban required the input of a headmin and I think the appeals do too.

[Jarek]

I can see it from your perspective pretty easily and I get what you're saying, and my word is probably pretty much in the dirt considering the circumstances but I'll try to clear up what I can.

The server is called m3tasquad as a joke, It's not my discord server, I believe it's smells' discord server. IIRC it's a friends only discord run by smells and I was made an admin for some reason I actually don't remember. I think I asked as a joke or something and he went and made me one.

[Gouty]

I find the presence and use of an unmonitored by invitation only discord server entirely against the spirit of the game. While you can claim that name "M3tasquad" is just a joke and that no metacomms take place there I saw no introductory message, rules pages or pinned messages to tell users that. I find it highly unlikely that its purpose is innocent and just a place for like minded lizard players to play and discuss games other than SS13.

The decision to ban people came after some lengthy discussion and under advice. In hindsight I should have stayed and looked for confirmation of metacomms, however this would be an impossible task and not one we should have to undertake, if I had joined voice chat of course metacomms would stop.

General consensus of the headmins now is that the bans should be lifted due to no positive proof. So I will unban all involved.