Fundamentals for Players

Skyrat policies

	Server Rules
	Fundamentals for Players
	General Player Policy and Standards
	Antagonist Policy
	Silicon policy
	Command Policy
	Ghost Role policy
	Corporate Regulations
	Contraband
	Security Policy
	Cargo Policy
	Medical Policy
	Misc Roleplaying Policy
	Guide to Roleplaying Excellency
	Administrative Guidelines

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Introduction to Skyrat

Welcome to Skyrat!

Tidbits to Remember:

• The application is essentially a test to see if you have taken the time to gain an understanding of some of our rules. Q4, Q6, and Q7 are essentially questions to test your knowledge. Please demonstrate a basic understanding in your answers in order to gain entry into the server.

• We are not a "Furry TG" server. While we are a direct downstream of their excellent codebase, our server provides a different experience with a focus on roleplay, and we differ significantly in our goals.

• 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! Unless you are acting in bad faith or are behaving maliciously or suspiciously, breaking what feels like an obscure rule will rarely ever result in punishment on the first offense. We prefer to take records and focus on long-term behavior when we can. Unless it's clear you are not a good fit and have no intent on actually adapting to the server, it's okay to make mistakes.

• 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. Conversely, we will not hesitate to throw you out if you treat the game as a meme or if you treat other players and staff poorly.

• Skyrat Main should be treated as a HRP-MRP server. You should aim to be "High Roleplay" and "Medium Roleplay" at the minimum.

If you don't know what this means, you will soon find out in Recommended Reading #3.

While we offer a mixed environment that doesn't take itself too seriously and allows room for amusing and funny roleplay, we do not tolerate players treating the game as a meme, especially if it comes at the expense of more serious roleplay. Be respectful of others.

Recommended Reading! [10 Minutes~]

To get off on the right foot in both the application process and our server, please follow the following list and read any document labeled as [Required]. A basic understanding of the required documents is required in order to gain entry into the server:

1. Carefully read our Community Rules here [Required]: https://discord.com/channels/596783386295795713/730857839374893123/730857971537674281
2. Quickly review over our Server Rules here [Recommended]: Skyrat 13 Ruleset and Temporary Measures - The idea is to get a basic overview of what is and what is not allowed. Most are just common sense.
3. Lightly read through our General Player Policy & Standards [Required]: General Player Policy and Standards
4. Read Skyrat Guide on Roleplay Excellent [Recommended; Required if Lacking in Heavy Roleplay Experience]: Guide to Roleplaying Excellency
5. Read our ERP Courtesy Policy [Required]: Miscellaneous Roleplaying Policy
6. Thoroughly read our Action-RP Lawset [Required]:

Action-RP Lawset

0. Definition

Play-to-Win Mechanics - Play to win mechanics is when you engage in mechanics with the intent of creating a favorable advantage for yourself. There is nothing inherently wrong with this. Rather, we define this, so people understand that the Action-RP Lawset deals strictly with 'play-to-win' mechanics rather than mechanics of all kinds. For instance, you can use mechanics to roleplay such as slapping or shoving someone, rather than to win.

What differentiates using mechanics to roleplay versus using mechanics to 'win' is the follow-up. Shoving someone or shoving someone to make them fall alone does not make it a 'play-to-win' mechanic. However, if you shove someone over and then follow it up to create a disadvantage for your opponent so as to "win an engagement", you are engaging in play-to-win engagement. Causing damage also falls into this category, especially if you follow through with it with the intent to win.

You must follow the action-RP lawset and use the combat indicator beforehand if you are using play-to-win mechanics. Conversely, we give much more leeway to mechanics that are meant for roleplay, not actual combat. You do not need to use CI for mechanics that are being used for strictly roleplay.

1. Combat Indicator

This is what the combat indicator looks like.

Combat indicators are instrumental in signaling the transitioning from roleplay to combat. Imagine that someone comes up to you and greets you, and you type back to greet him. Yet, just as you're typing your response, he begins to attack you and you're in a hurry to close out of your typing window while he lands hit after hit on you. You are already placed at a disadvantage for trying to roleplay, and this player has exploited that fact to gain an advantage over you. Inherently, anyone trying to earnestly roleplay will always be put at a disadvantage, thus discouraging roleplay-seeking behavior. The combat indicator seeks to mitigate that.

You may have seen other servers take our concept of combat indicators to use on their own server that befits their server and style, but please note that our approach is different. For one, the combat indicator is a way to show other players that you are interested in transitioning from roleplay into mechanics. Think of it as a handshake that should be returned by the other party, so that people cannot get the jump on someone who is typing, and or not paying attention.

So ideally, the combat indicator should preempt any breakdown into mechanics, and you should wait until the other party turns on their combat indicators or if the grace period of five to seven seconds passes. You can attack if the opposing party fails to de-escalate or fails to turn on their combat indicator, given that they are not SSD. If you turn on your CI and you see someone typing, please play in good faith and hear them out, especially if they are attempting to de-escalate. However, you do not have to do so if you made it clear this is your ultimatum.

Again, as a reminder, please wait until the other party has their combat indicator on or until the grace period has passed. If you see someone turn on their combat indicators, you must turn on your combat indicator before going into combat yourself. Lastly, you may not keep your combat indicator on if you are not going into combat. If at least seven second pass and you do not transition into combat, turn off your combat indicator. This is to keep people from "preloading" combat indicators.

The main aspect you need to keep in mind is to act in moderation, otherwise you will be seen as a player that prioritizes mechanics over roleplay which may get you into trouble. Just because you can doesn't mean you should. So, even if you can just attack them outright, you should attempt to roleplay first before transitioning into a fight if conditions permit for it. Furthermore, stealth items like a sleepy pen do not require combat indicators ever, even in roleplay.

Please note that open combat can happen and may be expected, especially if hostilities are expected like during an invasion of the station. So, prior context or prior hostilities may already be established, however, players should act in good faith if the hostile party wants to de-escalate for roleplay.

Keep in mind the activation and deactivation of combat indicators are logged. Abuse of combat indicators will be punished.

Key Takeways

• If you or your target is not in the middle of the roleplay (already fighting, or running away w/e), you do not have to wait the grace period, although you should still turn on the combat indicator. Keep in mind that this does not allow you to start bashing away. This is a roleplay server after all.
• You must wait the required grace period or until the other party has their combat indicator turned on. Turning on combat indicators and attacking immediately is still breaking the rules.
• Do not preload combat indicators. Use it or lose it.
• Again, as a final reminder, if someone is doing something that puts you on a timer to react, like actively hacking a door, you do not have to wait the timer after popping CI.

Example Scenarios

Remember - Combat Indicator or CI must be turned on first before the grace period timer begins.

a) If either party is in roleplay, emote hostile intentions or give a final demand. Give them a chance to relent. If they do not submit, turn on CI. Wait at least the grace period of 5-7 seconds for a CI response. If they fail to answer back with a combat indicator and do not show signs of de-escalation, i.e. you do not see a typing emote or perhaps a 'wait' from them, you are free to engage, given that they are not SSD. If they do try to de-escalate, give them a chance to do so in good faith if possible. However, you do not have to do so if you made it clear this is your ultimatum. Please see Action-RP Law #4 for more detail.

b) If neither you or your target is in your roleplay, you may engage in mechanics without a grace period. While turning on combat indicators is good practice, you may also choose to forgo activating CI if you or your target is not in roleplay and is actively running away. Do not abuse this. If we find that you are abusing this in a way that disrupts or prevents roleplay, you will be banned. If you do this in a way to get around roleplay, you will be banned. You need to establish prior context first. This is a roleplaying server after all. If you want pure action, there are more suitable servers for that.

c) If something is forcing mechanics, i.e. another player, an event like depressurization, and so forth, you are free to engage in mechanics. While it is preferred that you CI first, if you are under immediate duress, you do not have to turn on CI. Do not try to force mechanics in bad faith.

2. When to Roleplay, When to Mechanic

If you are in a roleplay, you should 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. Although you do not need to use combat indicators to call for help, other players can attack you without combat indicators if you call for help.

Keep in mind that mechanics serve the overarching story and the roleplay contained within, not the other way around. Mechanics are here to make the roleplaying experience more real, not prohibit it from happening.

3. Conduct During Ongoing Scene

If a roleplaying scene is present, you must create proper context and a lead-up into using mechanics, meaning you cannot engage mechanics immediately. Good escalation is key to enhancing the action, while bad escalation is the enemy of roleplay.

Therefore, the minimum requirement to engage in mechanics during a roleplaying scene is straightforward:

You must create a pretext leading up to the end of roleplay and the beginning of mechanics. This can be as simple as showing hostile intentions with an emote or giving a final demand with a say. You can have a full-blown scene beforehand or you could immediately start with a warning and a threat. Afterwards, give them a chance to comply or submit. If they do not, follow the guidelines set in the Combat Indicator section above.

4. 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.

5. No Unnecessary Round Removal & Abusing Surrender

Do not unnecessarily take someone out of the round. If someone is surrendering, please attempt to take them as a prisoner in good faith if possible. If you are unsure, people can surrender mechanically which puts them in a stamina stun-lock, preventing them from acting in bad faith. If you are someone who has surrendered, please act as a captive in good faith and do not try to make risky escapes. Being a pain in the ass discourages players from taking prisoners and is generally not fun for anyone, nor does it really require any level of skill or create any sort of interesting new story. So, even if you aren't bound to them fully, try to be cooperative and actually act as a captive, not as a fearless futuristic Jimmy James. If someone is proving to be too risky as a captive, you are allowed to execute them, although you should give them a chance to correct their behavior.

Again, avoid round removal if possible, i.e. hide their body in an obscure place or make it so that reviveable is impossible. There are no mechanical advantages for round removal. When a player gets killed and then revived, they are not allowed to remember their attackers or how they were attacked. Reserve round removal for extreme valid-hunters instead.

6. Cooperation

Why do we have all this? Well, at the end of the day, roleplay is a cooperative affair. It is not competitive where you are looking to create an edge for yourself. Rather, it is a community affair where you work together to craft stories for yourself and the group at large.

So, please work to create stories with others. Be a good winner and be a good loser. Whether you like it or not, roleplaying on the server is a communal and cooperative effort that works because the players within it agree to play a certain way. You cannot play selfishly, and you cannot ignore the rules. For instance, mechanics can kill ongoing roleplaying scenes if not done with consideration and thought. Roleplay can only exist if people know what to expect from one another.

In fact, this can be elaborated further through economic game theory. Consider the following:

Imagine you are playing in a game like Rust or DayZ where you have the option of cooperating with someone or killing them for their loot. If you cooperate, both players can benefit from each other's cooperation. It's no surprise that clans tend to dominate these games for this reason. However, if you shoot first and kill the other person when they want to cooperate, you will gain everything the other player has with no cost to yourself. Conversely, you could try to cooperate but they could kill you, meaning you lose everything. Since you do not know what the other party will do, you will most likely shoot first, most likely after you end up getting shot in the head several times yourself, as this is what others will default to as well over time. It is similar to the Prisoner's Dilemma where people will refuse to cooperate with one another due to a lack of information, resulting in a less-than-optimal solution.

We do not want to harbor an environment where shooting first is the default choice. Roleplay dies at that point. Yet, we do not want a server where no conflict happens. In order to have both conflict and roleplay, we have to shift the paradigm, so that conflict can happen in addition to roleplay. This is where the action-RP lawset and combat indicator comes into play. Love it or hate it, it is here to stay, so that roleplay is favored over combat without doing away with the latter. We work to intertwine roleplay and combat with this methodology. We have experimented with and without this lawset, and we ended up preferring this every single time. By the way, the lizard question in the application is no joke. Please make sure to read the community rules to understand why.

Home Stretch!

Phew! You're almost done. All you need to do is cooperate with an access request manager to get your application through. Remember the application is a test to see if you have gone through the required reading here. 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!

Skyrat policies

Server Rules • Fundamentals for Players • General Player Policy • Antagonist Policy • Silicon policy • Command Policy • Ghost Role policy • Corporate Regulations • Contraband • Security Policy • Cargo Policy • Medical Policy • Misc Roleplaying Policy • Guide to Roleplaying Excellency

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