Complain
| Game problem commands |
|---|
| /blackspot |
| /bug |
| /complain |
The /complain command is used to alert the Ocean Masters to a player who is being vulgar, abusive, or otherwise violating the terms of service. When a complaint is submitted, the OceanMasters then review it and may take disciplinary action ranging from a warning to a ban. For privacy reasons, the outcome of the complaint is only discussed with the player who was reported. Players who submit false or frivolous complaints are themselves subject to disciplinary action.
A complaint may also be submitted using the "Help" button on the Ye panel.
An alternate action to consider taking instead of a /complain would be a /blackspot, if the player is creating a public nuisance.
In the words of Bia, "It really is less helpful if you petition or complain on behalf of your friend rather than the friend contacting us his or herself."[1]
A primary effect of /complain is to capture a current relevant chatlog and forward it to the Ocean Masters for review. It should be noted that waiting too long to use /complain can result in the offending chat messages being lost, so it is always a good idea to /complain immediately after the offense in question. According to the OOO developer Cephalopod, the amount of chat log saved in a complaint is "not the last 10 lines; that would be way too short and easily circumvented. I don't think we publicly state just how long the chat history recorded with complaints is, but it's based on time, not length, and is substantially longer than anybody in this thread appears to think it is."[2]
If a player has not been ingame since the most recent server reboot they cannot be complained, however you can submit a complaint with your pirate name with the names in the body of the complaint.
Usage
/complain <piratename> <reason for complaint>
Complainspam
Complainspam refers to the use of one or more appeals to the OMs in order to secure a gameplay or political advantage that would not be available to the player without OM intervention. It includes protesting an action taken by another in hopes that the other player will be disciplined or stopped, or appealing to the OMs to undertake a specific course of action. Often complainspam implies an element of duplicity, where relevant information is withheld from the OM in question in hopes that the OM will act as the complainer wishes based on partial but misleading information, or an imputation of malicious motives that is unwarranted. Complainspam equally refers to appeals made via routes other than the /complain function, such as petition and /tell.
It should be noted that "However, if you are repeatedly submitting complaints (within minutes or seconds of each other) it will likely generate a response, which may include a suspension from the game as a time-out." and "Attempting to garner some political edge via multiple complaints or petitions is not likely to work."[3]
Historical notes
- The /complain command was implemented with Alpha release 2003-06-24.
- The pirate parameter was added to /complain with Beta release 2003-09-23.
