Archi told me to add my points here since I wasn't talked to for the large text file. I see several issues with LM, the main one of which is unilateral decisions and interpretations of rules by certain admins. Many of the admins are quite fine, and I have no problems with strict rules, even if I find them ridiculous (I'll clearly state my opinion, doesn't mean I won't follow them to the best of my abilities). The problem is when an admin takes a disliking to someone or a group of people and singles them out for speccing, harassing, and eventually kicking/banning. I pubbed on LM for about 3 months using a smurf name and auth disabled, and not ONCE was I ever spoken to by an admin for anything I was doing. I played just like I always do, except my name was different. The first time I pubbed on LM with my normal name and my exigent tag on, I got harassed. I didn't even have a vet icon, I had a consti, and people still bothered me. Then I got a Guide icon, and I still got harassed. Then I got a PT icon, and it really got poured on. Here's an example of a game that lead up to my thread in the PR Forum.
Small 10-14 player game on ns_veil, I'm on Marines. Good commander in the chair, obviously either a pub allstar or a competitive player smurfing, he's giving me meds and stuff as I need them. I have text binds enabled so that when I hit keys that give impulses, they put text on the screen so the commander understands me. My mic cable was severed (gg steel case door) so I was micless and unable to verbally communicate. As the comm told me to do something I would hit my "Ackowledged" key which put ((.Yes/Ok/Thanks.)) on the screen. I did not spam the key, I only used it in direct response to my commander's questions or orders. Ammo/Meds/Orders also had the same layout as the previous bind. Throughout a 15 minute game I used all of them a total of maybe 20 times. About 6-7 minutes in I see a warning on the screen from Lightning_Blue that says "no spamming". I had multiple teammates muted, so I simply assumed some of them were incessantly yapping, which is why I had them muted in the first place. Nowhere was I named specifically. Pipeline hive starts going up, and the comm dropped me a JP/Shotty and sent me in there. I kill a fade on the way and several skulks, then get to the hive and meet another fade. I had 9 shells total at this point and 80 HP, so I called for ammo and a med. I get kicked halfway through soloing the hive with a message of "Text Spamming". I rejoin, am forced on aliens because of teams, and have to now turn the game back around. I apologize to the commander because I know that just threw the game, and he quits well before the game is over, most likely in frustration. The game ends and the map changes to Ayumi. The server was nearly full at one point, but once people started getting kicked it slowly lost players until we were around 10 at the mapchange.
Next game Vinnie is on the server speccing while lb is playing aliens. I'm on marines, starting hive is Pressure (top of the map) on ns_ayumi. A couple minutes into the game lb slays the entire team for spawncamping when the commander drops an armory at the pressure rt and exlicitely tells us on voicecomm "hurry up and build so I can drop shotties, hit the RT". The RT I was building isnt' completed when I die, and is destroyed before I can get back. We also lost 2 other RTs once the marines that were pushing ahead of them were slain. Once Hamasaki is going up we get a PG up nearby and push in with Shotties and possibly a HMG (I really don't remember, I had a shotty which is why I knew some were out). I pushed into ham and killed probably 2-3 skulks on the way. I killed lb just outside the hiveroom itself, and pushed in to nail a gorge I heard. As I was shooting the gorge I suddenly got kicked out of the game. No reason was given. I post on the PR Forums, I get magically unbanned but no reason was ever given.
Things like this should not happen. While LB does operate the server and makes the rules, you can't just randomly enforce your will like that and expect people to accept it and deal with it. I've talked to multiple regulars, res slotters, and even admins who don't like to play with LB on the server. When you slay random players or even teams, TK them, and make the game not fun for others, who wants to stick around. I remember the time I was banned for "pancaking" (lol) he slew the entire marine team multiple times and TK'd most of the game. Do you really think that's fun for the other marines? I refreshed the server the next game and it had like 10 people on, and by the time I was unbanned the server was empty. I guess everyone enjoys being slain repeatedly during a game. Kicking people for inane things like "text spam" (Which is most certainly was not) will make people not want to play on LM. Taking Necrosis' normal "You don't have to play here" argument into consideration, he's 100% right. I don't have to play on LM, and neither does anyone else. That's the point, plenty of people are saying enough is enough and just not playing at all, or at least not playing when certain admins/res slotters/regulars are on. Personal ideas, past grudges or experience, all that shouldn't factor into admin decisions. The rules and the spirit of them are what should be used. If someone is being a wanker, take care of them. Kicking people using ill-defined or non-existent rules is preposterous and will cause people tired of the bull^^ to stop playing. Saying "We don't ban for skill" then kicking people who are skilled for other ill-given reasons is the same as banning them for skill, you're simply doing it by proxy. If I were a poor lerk would I have been banned for pancaking, an exploit that rests on technicalities in Beta5 (BTW, I did the work to help test and give ideas on the lerk flight mechanics, you'll see some of my handiwork in Beta6. Rest assured that I'm not all Pro-Lerk exploits)? I most certainly would not have been. Would Lerklift still be on the server if I didn't fly around like a gork of doom with fatty for a couple of days last month? It most certainly would be. You can't say one thing and actually do another, actions speak far louder than words.
