As many of you are undoubtedly aware, the BAR community has a Code of Conduct which documents how we would like players to treat each other. This has served us well, but it has been some time since it was last updated, and we’ve noticed a few areas which could be improved. So, we improved them!

If you’re just now learning about the Code of Conduct, you can use that link to read through it. However, if you’re already an expert, then you may only be interested in what has changed; read on for a summary of what’s new.

Additions

(A5) A new “Boss Abuse” section has been added:

1. Boss mode is a tool to facilitate a good experience for everyone. Using boss mode to abuse other players is not acceptable, and may result in removal of boss privileges.
2. Examples of boss abuse include: kickbanning rule-abiding players after a match has begun, stopping matches because a player claimed a particular start position, and stopping matches to manipulate the skill rating system.
   • if you are the boss of a lobby, you can still start a kickban vote on a player using !cv kickban (“coordinator vote”) instead of !kickban .
3. It is not boss abuse to remove a spectator from an ongoing match, or to remove a player from the pre-game lobby.

(A1) A new rule has been added to address malicious accusations:

3. Intentionally making false accusations, with the intent to have a player removed from the game/lobby, is abusive. We understand that mistakes happen, and no one knows everything that goes on in each match they play.

(B5) Similar to the existing “no alt-accounts” policy, sharing accounts is now explicitly against the Code of Conduct:

6. Account sharing is not permitted. This includes both using an account registered by someone else, and providing someone else with access to your account.

Updates

(A4) The existing rules around leaving games have been rewritten. With this change, leaving individual matches for any reason (and at any time) is acceptable; however, leaving a significant portion of matches is still a violation of the Code of Conduct.

2. Players may leave games for a variety of valid reasons. Players who make a habit of leaving ongoing matches long before they end risk being met with moderation action. Matches thought to suffer from issues (balance, bugs etc.) require a restart and can be stopped by calling a stop vote with !cv stop in chat.

(A4) The rules related to pausing/unpausing a game have been expanded to cover additional ways that the feature may be abused:

4. Pausing when not needed, with the intent to disrupt the game, is not acceptable
5. Purposefully unpausing to disrupt a player reconnecting or to disrupt a discussion/vote to kickban a misbehaving player, unless a reasonable amount of time has passed, is unsportsmanlike and to be avoided

Clarifications

(B4) We see a large number of reports about a particular kind of behavior which is actually not against the Code of Conduct. So, we added a line to clarify the existing griefing rule:

3. Griefing does not include reclaiming or reviving wreckage/debris on the map, regardless of where it is located or which player owned the original unit/structure.

• You should, however, avoid reclaiming wrecks of allied commanders self-destructed to boost a tech rush. If on a map with plentiful energy reclaim trees, start your reclaim circle on a tree to only reclaim energy and avoid unfortunate accidents.