I don't think anyone's about to ban you for a statement, so long as its not a flame.
My opinion is covered in the big text file, I can see bits and pieces of my viewpoint there.
Ban system works, the only real problem is when people decide that the server rules are dumb and therefore feel exempt to following them. Justification of server settings/rules etc is all very well but lets not forget the example of the NS.org forums - one thread over 30 pages long full of a circular argument. Some people will not be happy with a "bs_1" server on pure principle, and will not accept any argument against their viewpoint. You can't have a mature discussion with these people.
I always thought it was to LMs credit that the banhammer is wielded against the nub and the elite with equal vigour. Its just the scores of nameless griefers never make a thread in PR about it, or run off to the NS.org forums to start a quest for the holy grail. Sure, some of the NS community will think "ogm tehy are banning teh clannorz" but anyone who's been on the server knows its not the case.
Look at servers where clanners have wilfully been banned on sight. They're clearing all their bans because they're dying. Yet LM is still pretty full and has a community with a broad range of skills, despite the propaganda of being a banhappy server. I'm not saying the server is perfect, but on some level SOMETHING is being done right.
As for the downward slide in NS gaming, I lay the blame squarely at the feet of a less than exciting B5, to the point where if I have a spare 15 minutes I'd rather blast through C&C than have a formulaic and stilted game. In fact I'm taking a break from C&C now, go figure.
I'll say this for LB and the admin team, I remember a game where I threw a hissy fit because I believed that we were being horribly spawncamped with the game being dragged out. Now, I wasn't banned, I wasn't griefed, I wasn't called a noob.. we had a rational discussion afterwards, shared our viewpoints, and it was all settled amicably. So anyone who picks up a line where LB is the powercrazy admin of banhammering doom, and means it SERIOUSLY, is working on a flawed premise in my eyes. Not unless a switch has been flicked sometime recently. And yes I have played games alongside the Onos.
"<Anonymous37> You wouldn't come over as a guest in his house and then whine that his "no feet on the couch rule" is lame and he should throw it out"
Gold star for that person. I know some people don't like the concept of "my way or the highway" but thats how the world works. NS is made the way Flayra wants it, LM run how LB likes it run, Star Wars is made as Lucas sees fit. Sure, we might not all like how it works, but that doesn't give us any real right to having them change it to suit us.
Anyhow, roll on B6. Hopefully it'll break up the formulaic play and make things a bit more enjoyable for us all.
Edit - I have no beef with Mal (not on my end), tbh it was fun to have a fellow person who suffered slotkicks and having to stay awake at unholy hours to get into a game. But I don't run the server. Fair enough I'm not on the server much anymore but jobhunting, dull play, and 7am starts mean I can't afford to stay awake late at night for sporadic gaming sessions of varying enjoyment.
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As to a specific line- "Anyone on the server knows that we don't ban clanners", I guess you haven't thought of me, Malibu Stacey, Leggionnaired, or anyone that doesn't look at clanners as a whole as bad people. Its obvious LM hates clanners, and I think its BS- and I've played on the server just as much, if not more, than 90% of the community. Malibu Stacey, when he wasn't banned, was there even more than me, and after 4+ months, STILL never got his RS, but instead, was banned for something he said in another channel altogether. And he was one of the prime things that made the server a better place, because unlike most of you, he believed that if people knew about the problems, they'd try and fix them. Sadly, because he had a vet icon and was a known clanner, no one listened to him. And because I am a known clan sympathizer, and go about things in a crude way, no one listened to me. The only reason people listened to Archi is because A: he's an admin, and B: he basically kissed ass to get them to say things(no offense Arch <3). I WAS telling everyone 2+ months ago how LM needs to clean itself up badly, and learn its old role all over again, because I knew that the regulars weren't liking it as much overall- especially when so many were leaving for piss poor reasons.
It just isn't right that we have to put up with BS rules at a place that didn't used to have them. Because as your anology from 37 about "You wouldn't go into someone's home and say the no feet on the couch rule was lame", I could equally say you BETTER say somethings wrong when you go into someone's house and find the dad raping the daughter. Sure, its a rule that she must get raped every day, but is it right? No, not even if she enjoys it. Saying we should just abide by rules doesn't make anything better.