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Servers Classification (Protected Mode #2)

Posted: Fri Mar 03, 2017 7:08 pm
by alfa1
Regarding to my previous thread on the topic, this new one is a suggestion about
implementing it not in the developing side (which has its own situation/difficulties) but in the servers side, in owners' side. And it's rather simple to be made also.

We were talking (or was my suggestion at the end) about making 3 kinds of servers; then now, the servers owners should just have to add the classification at the start of the title/description and people could just filter by them:

[FF] - Family-Friendly servers: neither bad nor mild words are allowed.
[INT] - Intermediate servers: mild words are allowed; bad words are not allowed.
[NFF] - Non-Family-Friendly servers: either mild and bad words are allowed.

Using brackets to make filters work well. Please note that the classification is, also, related to behaviours and topics, not only to language.

The filters for people would be:
- Pressing '/' to search.
- Writting either '/d)[FF]*', '/d)[INT]*' or '/d)[NFF]*' and pressing the enter key; note that the backslashs are needed to be included. (Searching for 2 kinds would be, in example: '/d)[FF]*/d)[INT]*'.)

Any issue, press the escape key and start again. Remember you can edit quick filters by 'e' and save the settings, just in case, by the main menu.

Why adding the classification at the start of the title/description? To make it easy-to-read, to make an 'standard', let's say, and, maybe too, to avoid missing the search by any other meaning (if anybody uses the same sign in other part of the phrase for other meaning).

I think that owners which agree with this could just start implementing it but, in the other hand, I think, also, that the developing/administrative team should give any kind of support to make it safer. In example, if a server says '[FF]' but it doesn't follow FF rules, after players' complaints, it should be disabled.

Some possible examples:

Pie Lovers: [FF].
Planet M*f*: [NFF].
Leagues United: [INT] (either this or they could have 2 groups of servers: [FF] and [INT]).

Hope it helps!

Re: Servers Classification (Protected Mode #2)

Posted: Sat Apr 01, 2017 7:58 pm
by blast
The wildcard on the filter is unnecessary. For example, you can just use the filter '[FF]' or '/d)[FF]'

Re: Servers Classification (Protected Mode #2)

Posted: Mon Jun 19, 2017 12:04 am
by alfa1
The Spanish version I started using together with the English one:

[FAM] - Servidores familiares: ni malas palabras ni palabras intermedias están permitidas.
[INT] - Servidores intermedios: palabras intermedias están permitidas; malas palabras no están permitidas.
[NFAM] - Servidores no familiares: tanto palabras intermedias como malas palabras están permitidas.

[FAM] = [FF].
[INT] = [INT].
[NFAM] = [NFF].

2 improvements (thanks for the feedback):

- As allejo did it, the classification is better placed at the end of the title, instead.
- Mostly agreeing with blast, the wildcards become, in the practice, rarely necessary.

Re: Servers Classification (Protected Mode #2)

Posted: Sun Dec 17, 2017 7:39 pm
by alfa1
Since, it seems, I am having some problems trying to make some owners strictly follow the rules (which are not hard both to understand and to follow but which need to be enforced strictly, to make the entire system really work), I feel forced to change a bit the codes, which will also help, I understand, for the future, both for clarification and as an improvement.

Please, before using them, ask me about it and wait for an approval. Also, if you are accepted, it will be expected that you keep following my instructions. Remember that nobody forces you to use this classification system (you could, even, invent your own one), nor are there (until now) any other authority enforcing it apart from the simple oral agreement between the parts. The spirit of this, as was said at the start, is to collaborate on a good and fun ambience for everybody; then, please, help on it.

Anyway, as a second guarantee, I will keep an updated approved servers list on my DiverSion server (non-24-hours one), available to see for any user by a '/help' command.

'PROTECTED MODE' SERVERS CLASSIFICATION:

[PMFF]: 'Protected Mode' Family-Friendly servers.
[PMINT]: 'Protected Mode' Intermediate servers.
[PMNFF]: 'Protected Mode' Non-Family-Friendly servers.

Español (Spanish):
CLASIFICACIÓN DE SERVIDORES DEL "MODO PROTEGIDO":

[FAMMP]: Servidores familiares del "Modo protegido".
[INTMP]: Servidores intermedios del "Modo protegido".
[NFAMMP]: Servidores no familiares del "Modo protegido".


Equivalences/Equivalencias:

[PMFF] = [FAMMP].
[PMINT] = [INTMP].
[PMNFF] = [NFAMMP].

Re: Servers Classification (Protected Mode #2)

Posted: Mon Dec 18, 2017 4:26 am
by JeffM
Perhaps they aren't following it because they don't like it. You have no authority to make or enforce anything.

You get more bees with honey rather than vinegar. Maybe you should worry less about enforcing your rules (or even thinking of them as your rules) and simply offer suggestions. Then be happy with whatever happens to it, even if it's not what you want.

Re: Servers Classification (Protected Mode #2)

Posted: Tue Dec 19, 2017 3:00 am
by allejo
alfa1 wrote: Sun Dec 17, 2017 7:39 pm Since, it seems, I am having some problems trying to make some owners strictly follow the rules (which are not hard both to understand and to follow but which need to be enforced strictly, to make the entire system really work), I feel forced to change a bit the codes, which will also help, I understand, for the future, both for clarification and as an improvement.

Please, before using them, ask me about it and wait for an approval. Also, if you are accepted, it will be expected that you keep following my instructions. Remember that nobody forces you to use this classification system (you could, even, invent your own one), nor are there (until now) any other authority enforcing it apart from the simple oral agreement between the parts. The spirit of this, as was said at the start, is to collaborate on a good and fun ambience for everybody; then, please, help on it.
You're having "problems" because you have no authority over the server list, that's a service maintained by the project. Additionally, you didn't invent anything revolutionary or innovative, no server host needs your approval to use a few letter acronyms in their server titles.

For the most part, I'm against classifying every single server; it just adds to a lot of clutter to server titles. These acronyms are not defined anywhere in the game client and unless players frequent the forums, they'll never know what the acronyms mean.

Re: Servers Classification (Protected Mode #2)

Posted: Fri Dec 22, 2017 11:38 pm
by alfa1
allejo wrote: Tue Dec 19, 2017 3:00 amThese acronyms are not defined anywhere in the game client and unless players frequent the forums, they'll never know what the acronyms mean.
When a player joins any classified server, he will get the full name of the acronym, at start. In example: "'Protected Mode' Family-Friendly"; pretty understandable at a first sight. But, also, I suggest to include a help page into the server saying which forum topic the classification comes from. This is apart from the fact that every player should check forums somewhat often, since it's the base of this community.

Re: Servers Classification (Protected Mode #2)

Posted: Sat Jun 30, 2018 7:46 pm
by alfa1
I return to my first idea of only 2 categories, based mainly on the Bible telling there are only 2 kinds of words: good and bad ones.

'Protected Mode' Servers Classification:

[PMFF]: 'Protected Mode' Family-Friendly server: bad words are NOT allowed.
[PMNFF]: 'Protected Mode' NON-Family-Friendly server: bad words are allowed.

Español (Spanish):

Clasificación de servidores del "Modo protegido":

[FAMMP]: Servidor familiar del "Modo protegido": las malas palabras NO están permitidas.
[NFAMMP]: Servidor NO familiar del "Modo protegido": las malas palabras están permitidas.


Equivalences/Equivalencias:

[PMFF] = [FAMMP].
[PMNFF] = [NFAMMP].

In case of doubt if a word is good or bad, it should be taken as bad, just in case. I understand that there is not a word that starts being bad and, after some time, ends being good or 'intermediate', even on other countries (its root keeps being bad or 'corrupt', keeping it bad, in essence). Note that Spanish is a very rich language compared to others, as it has lots of words, meanings, root on Latin and Greek, etc.

Some References:

- 'Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers' - Ephesians 4:29. In the Spanish version: 'palabra corrompida', 'corrupt word' y 'la que sea buena', 'that (word) which is good'.

- 'Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God' - 1 Corinthians 6:9, 10 (bold text to help reading). In the Spanish version: 'maldicientes', literally 'cursing men'; 'to curse/curse: it is not simply to say bad words, but the opposed to "bless". In the human level, it means to desire the evil to others (...)' - Spanish Biblical dictionary.

- 'The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable: but the mouth of the wicked speaketh frowardness' - Proverbs 10:32.

English version: King James. Spanish version: Reina-Valera revisada 1960.

Re: Servers Classification (Protected Mode #2)

Posted: Sat Jun 30, 2018 9:14 pm
by JeffM
This is not something the project will be doing. You should let this go.

Re: Servers Classification (Protected Mode #2)

Posted: Sun Jul 01, 2018 1:20 am
by Zehra
The idea is interesting, but the implementation is not good.

I can only think of it working in a few ways and this will be hard to say the least.

1. League style approved servers.
You could get a website and provide a list of servers which meet your "requirements" on them.
It would require the server owners support and at least some details on what is expected.
This way there would be the required help files, plug-ins, rules on it.
You simply let the owners decide if they like the idea or not, but if they want to get listed on your site, they have to work with you.
If they agree with you, then perhaps it could be an acronym plus "official" or something.
So maybe something like "Official [acronym]: Server name" would work. (Sort of how the leagues do it.)
Something you should note will be that it will require a lot of effort and some people might still use the title/whatever to try to draw players.
This is where your site would come in as an "official" reference for the players.

2. You start a server network.
Kind of like BZtank.net or allejo's, you could start a server network and this way only your servers can carry the name and title.
"Official alfa1: map name" or something could be added.
You get to decide how you want to run it and administrate it.
It takes a lot more effort to maintain it, than to start a league style approved server system.

3. De facto standard
It is something started and generally becomes a standard in practice, but never official.
Sometimes that standard becomes official in time, but this should be the easiest, if you do it right.
Run a server and administrate it according to your rules and opinions.
If people like it, they will come to your server and in time other server hosts will likely adopt similar practices.
You won't be able to control it down to the detail, but you'll have at least some form of being the first one to start the standard, if you are successful.

Either way, I don't think there is much if any in a future in this.
I honestly do not believe that there is much, if any future in this.
The solution will likely come in another form, and that form will most likely be client-side server filtering.
This way the players get to choose which servers they want to see, what order they see it in and which ones they don't want to see.

-Zehra

Re: Servers Classification (Protected Mode #2)

Posted: Sat Jul 07, 2018 7:18 pm
by alfa1
I don't know exactly what the last 2 posts are refering to, but seem wrong about the interpretation of mine, as happens often on communications, in general. To clarify it: all I did was just reducing 3 categories to 2; not anything more. The big suggestion, from my part, for servers owners to adopt it is what is still active (or mainly active, in any case; which is called "Servers Classification (Protected Mode #2)"). Any doubt, of course, read both topics entirely or send me a private message.

Re: Servers Classification (Protected Mode #2)

Posted: Tue Apr 07, 2020 5:40 pm
by alfa1
I make improvements on the codes by using arrobas instead of letters for a better clarification and by using lowercase letters on the Spanish ones:

'Protected Mode' Servers Classification:

[FF@]: 'Protected Mode' Family-Friendly server: bad words are NOT allowed.
[NFF@]: 'Protected Mode' NON-Family-Friendly server: bad words are allowed.

Español (Spanish):

Clasificación de servidores del "Modo protegido":

[Fam@]: Servidor familiar del "Modo protegido": las malas palabras NO están permitidas.
[Nfam@]: Servidor NO familiar del "Modo protegido": las malas palabras están permitidas.


Equivalences/Equivalencias:

[FF@] = [Fam@].
[NFF@] = [Nfam@].

I, also, return adding the classification at the start of the title; by the reasons I stated before but, also, because I understand it's important to remark family-friendly servers on these hard times we are living as society, where evilness seemed to be growing everywhere, specially on the entertaining industry (where BZFlag is immerse in) and on the broadcasting enterprises, which have relationship with the previous topic but, also, have their own followers and a massive general influence.

Go, BZFlag!

Note: as a plus, there is the possibility to make a favourite list of servers and only showing them on the Servers List, by pressing '+'/'-' keys (selection) and 'f' key (activating/deactivating it). This could be used, in example, by parents to prevent, somewhat, their children from seeing and playing on those non-wished servers. Also, there is the COPPA Forum group which can be used to filter players on a given server (more info at Forum Rules and FAQ).

Re: Servers Classification (Protected Mode #2)

Posted: Tue Apr 07, 2020 8:56 pm
by blast
There is no COPPA group.

Re: Servers Classification (Protected Mode #2)

Posted: Tue Apr 07, 2020 10:05 pm
by Zehra
Actually the subject of language, especially foul language is highly debatable.
Thus making attempts by limiting or trying to "standardize" it to any extent is quite difficult.
Even within the same server, much of what is defined as "foul" language is up to the discretion of the admin online at the time in question.

Client side language filtering already exists, as well as the ability to silence unregistered users and there very likely has been a patch to completely ignore all forms of chat in question. There was one to ignore all private messages from what I recall...

Additionally, I did propose a number of years ago a possible solution, which would likely address the issue you mention as well.
This might be read within both the Server Filtering and Server Filtering (version 2) threads I started some years back.

-Zehra

Re: Servers Classification (Protected Mode #2)

Posted: Sat Jun 20, 2020 1:38 pm
by WorldOfTanks23
Why don't you just prohibit messaging on Kid-friendly servers?

Also I don't understand the distinction between mild and bad words.