How Do I get into Skyrat?

Welcome to Skyrat!

• One thing you may quickly notice is that we have a thick packet of policies and rules. Do not be intimidated! Much of the policies in place are there to help staff rule more consistently!

• We do not expect new players to know every rule right away. New players are given significantly more leeway to adapt and improve as long as they cooperate with staff in good faith.

Recommended Reading! [10 Minutes~]

To get off on the right foot in both the application process and our server, please follow the following list:

• Carefully read our Community Rules here
• Quickly review over our Server Rules here - The idea is to get a basic overview of what is and what is not allowed.
• Lightly read through our Guiding Principles here

ERP Policy

Note: Command Staff and their ERP partners do not have protection against warranted interruptions. Only the "do not be a dick" and OOC consent rule applies for them.

1. Do not perform antag activities on the interlink (The starting area you spawn in when joining a round late). See Metagaming Rule AKA Server Rule #5. Bombing and doing various antagonist activities in dorms on-station is NOW allowed.
2. Before interrupting a private ERP session, always LOOC beforehand. Do not bomb your targets who are ERPing, rather confront them and create an interesting story, if possible.
3. Public ERP is not protected to the extent private ERPs are, especially if they are not done through subtle. If you are looking to get involved, roleplay appropriately. Do not be a dick. It is recommended but not required that you LOOC beforehand.
4. Do not interrupt people in a private place without gaining 100% OOC consent, unless there is a STRONG IC reason like having a target. ERP Policy #0, #1, and #2 still applies.
5. ASK in LOOC or on discord (preferably LOOC) before ERPing, unless their preference states 'Yes'. Also, if the person doesn’t respond to STOP in LOOC, AHELP it. Don't take matters into your hands.
6. SSD players should not be touched as stated by Server Rule #1, Subsection #7.
7. If you ever feel uncomfortable with the scene, say it clearly in LOOC. Communicate clearly with your partner to avoid misunderstandings. But, Don’t go out of your way to bother people who are ERPing. Let people have their fun.
8. As a head, you should prioritize your job. Keep your sensors and headset on. Don’t neglect your job to ERP if you are needed on the job. You can always join as assistant and ERP the whole shift with no one bothering you if that's all you want to focus on.
9. Roleplay in good faith, outing the perpetrator in an IC non-con scene without OOC consent makes drama that is disruptive to the whole server, rather than good story.

Action-RP Lawset

Note: This was present in the Guiding Principles. Please review over this in detail if you skimmed over it in the Guiding Principles. It's that important. If you did read this in detail, proceed ahead.

• Cooperation

Work to create a story with others. Whether you like it or not, roleplaying on the server is a communal and cooperative affair that works because the players within it agree to play a certain way. You cannot play selfishly, and you cannot ignore the rules. At the same, you cannot expect the roleplay to always go in your favor. Be a good winner and loser.

• When to Roleplay, When to Mechanic

Assume roleplay, i.e. saying and emoting, by default, until roleplay dictates that mechanics are needed to advance a scene or if mechanics, like a breach in the hull, gunfire, or an explosive device, inhibits roleplay. Keep in mind calling for help or for back-up is considered mechanics. If you are faced with a situation where you must lead with mechanics such as an ambush, it should be done infrequently with good IC motive and thought, not to mention preempted with the combat indicator. This is not an invitation to overrule roleplay with mechanics. Avoid doing this spontaneously and frequently. Keep in mind that mechanics serve the overarching story and the roleplay contained within, not the other way around. They are there to make the roleplaying experience more real, not prohibit it from happening.

• Ongoing Scene

If a roleplaying scene is present, you must create proper context and a lead-up into using mechanics. Good escalation is key to enhancing the action, while bad escalation is the enemy of roleplay. If possible, pretext a breakdown to mechanics with an emote or say, especially if a breakdown to mechanics is sudden. If you give a demand for someone to comply, give them either five to seven seconds to either break down into mechanics or to turn up their typing indicator. if they choose to go for the latter and do not comply, you can give them the five to seven seconds again to comply before taking them down.

• Combat Indicator

Be sure to predate breakdown into mechanics with the combat indicator when possible. Remember that a combat indicator is like a handshake. Do not "jump" someone by turning on the combat indicator to immediately attack someone. If you are the one initiating mechanics, give the other side five seconds to turn on their combat indicator (You do not need to turn on combat mode to do this. See the notes below). Ideally, both sides should turn their combat indicator on in recognition, but this is not always possible. Poor escalation will be punished for repeat offenders, particularly those that "jump" people in the middle of a roleplaying scene

• React and De-escalate

React to mechanics by mechanics, i.e. individual is running away, however, look to de-escalate to roleplay when you can. If you need to resort to mechanics and you intend to stick with it, use the combat indicator to indicate your intent such as when you intend to run away or fight. The red dot indicates that mechanics take priority. Disable it or surrender if you wish to revert back to roleplay. Every party should keep an eye on the combat indicator and react accordingly. Keep in mind that if someone is already using mechanics, you are not required to turn on the indicator immediately, as it is mostly there to indicate an escalation into mechanics.

• No Unnecessary Killing & Abusing Surrender

Do not unnecessarily take someone out of the round, however, you do not have to go out of your way to avoid killing someone. For example, if someone's combat indicator is turned off, that may indicate a willingness to de-escalate to roleplay. You can also surrender mechanically. Do not abuse surrendering. Turning the indicator on and off to gain an advantage is prohibited. Keep in mind the activation and deactivation of combat indicators are logged.

Additional Action-RP Lawset Notes

• By the way, the lizard question in the application is no joke. Please make sure to read the community rules to understand why. Combat indicators can be triggered either independently (Combat Indicator Only) or with combat mode. You can change the key-binding as needed for your convenience. You do not need to use combat mode to turn on combat indicators.
• You can also surrender by doing *surrender into the command bar or by clicking the UI Icon in the upper right showing a person waving a white flag.

Why do we necessitate the use of a combat indicator?

• We want to merge action and roleplay together. While the two can co-exist in the same server and enhance each other, the use of mechanics and roleplay can sometimes clash. In fact, it is inevitable. Now, improper use of mechanics or a dependence on mechanics can prevent roleplay from ever occurring, especially when the user of the mechanics is focused more on winning than playing out his character and creating an experience for others.
• Since we are a roleplay server, we prioritize that by default until mechanics is needed to resolve a situation. A proper escalation and breakdown into mechanics is needed, so the combat indicator is used to communicate to others that you are prioritizing mechanics over roleplay at the interval you turn it on and off. Remember at the end of the day that Skyrat is a roleplay first server.
• P.S. Abusing the 'leniency' given to stealth and ambush as described in Law #2 even by so-called "accident" will be dealt with harshly, as you will be suspected of following the law in bad faith to be LRP, regardless of your supposed intent.

Home Stretch!

• Phew! You're almost done. All you need to do is cooperate with an access request manager to get your application through. Again, you can find all the information you need for your application here

• Once your application is accepted, you are ready to be whitelisted. When this happens, you need to notify a staff member when you are able to join. They will need to whitelist, and you will need to join. A whitelist is not verified and made permanent, unless you join. Once you join, the whitelisting process is over. You are now part of the Skyrat Crew!