Game Rule Clarification Guide

  • I. Multi-Accounting



    Quote from Rules
    1. Multi accounts
    It is possible to maintain several accounts on one and the same server. These have to be announced to us by using a game internal function. Direct interaction between these multi accounts is not allowed. Circumventing these rules via other players is not allowed.

    Fleet contact while on the same IP is blocked by the system. This however does not change the requirement of users to have an IP share connection with both their own accounts and those that share their connection.




    Q: Can I have two accounts on a server if I don't play them at the same time?


    A: Yes, however they must have an IP-sharing treaty. If they do not, there is a high likelihood you will be banned. You can have up to 11 total accounts either owned by you or sharing your connection. To find out how to set up legal IP-sharing, please see this thread.



    Please note that account sitting and exchanges are no longer supported. Please do not share your login information with anyone. If you do allow someone to regularly login to your account, you risk the possibility of being banned for account sharing. If an account is given away - it will be at your own risk (without any rights to support).




    Q: What does it mean by "same network" and "same connection"?


    A: Both of these phrases refer to your internet connection. If you live or work with someone who plays Ikariam on your computer or on another computer sharing your public IP, then this rule applies to you. This rule also applies to people who play from a communal internet locations like cybercafes, colleges, work centers, etc.




    Q: I share a connection with my wife at home, but when I go to work I don’t. Is it okay for me to remove the IP-sharing treaty while I’m at work to have contact with my wife?


    A: No, if there is the possibility that you may sometimes share connection with another person, your accounts must remain linked anytime that possibility exists. If someone were to permanently move away from an area, that would be a good example of why you would remove an IP-sharing treaty.




    Q: What would happen if I didn't set up an IP-sharing agreement with another player I sometimes share connections with?


    A: The GO may contact you to connect your accounts, and then if you don’t comply, ban you. These bans are difficult to get removed, so please make sure you use the IP-sharing treaty function.




    Q: How long do I have before my accounts must be connected?


    A: No time is specified because the answer is immediately. Occasionally we will send warnings to users to connect accounts, but this is only a courtesy. If unconnected accounts are receiving advantage from others either owned by the same person or on the same connection they run the risk of being banned immediately when found.




    Q: If I share a connection with another player, do I have to wait before a GO gives me permission to login?


    A: No! This is a widely spread rumor, but is completely false. GOs don't want to impede the playing process of people who haven't broken rules, so you do not need to wait on their approval before logging in - just make sure you’ve activated the IP-sharing treaty ingame.




    Q: Am I allowed to use a proxy to get around the IP sharing rules?


    A: Absolutely not. This makes you look guilty and the GO may ban you, which is hard to get lifted.




    Q: How can I be sure that I will not be banned for using a proxy? What if my work uses one?


    A: If you don't know what it is, you are probably not employing the use of one. Quite often you will find that companies use proxies, but if you play from a large company where others also play Ikariam you will want to set up an IP sharing agreement with them anyway and you should have no problems.




    Q: Can I use a friend to help distribute goods, troops, or piracy points from one account to the other?


    A: No, this is what is meant by circumventing the rules to avoid the IP-sharing function. This cannot be done either actively (sending resources) nor passively (allowing an account to pillage). This can get all involved accounts banned (including the pass-through account) so please do not do this.



    Q: My old accounts that were previously banned are now inactive, can I pillage them?


    A: No, this is still getting illegal advantage from your accounts and can result in a ban.

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  • II. Account Sharing


    Quote from Rules
    II. Account Sharing
    It is not allowed to share your login data with other players.

    Q: What exactly is Account Sharing?


    A: Account Sharing is when one player logs in to another player's account for any reason.




    Q: If my friend in real life asks me to do something on his account while I am at the computer, and he is next to me in the room, is that legal?


    A: Technically that is also Account Sharing as you are the one in charge of the account. There should be no reason that the other player cannot do this himself, and so there is no excuse for you to EVER be logged in for anyone else, to know their password, or to make changes to their account - with or without their permission.




    Q: It used to be that when I left for a short period of time I could ask a friend to watch my account for me. Is account sitting allowed still and if not why?


    A: Due to the clarification of the T&C we can no longer allow account sitting. In the past, in order to have someone sit your account, you would have to give them your login. Because it's specified in the T&C this is not permitted we also can no longer allow account sits. There is always vmode and if that doesn't cover things ghosting to ensure that the accounts don't get deleted.




    Q: One of my alliance mates is having RL (real life) issues and cannot come online to put the account into vacation mode, can a GO do this for him?


    A: GO's cannot put accounts into vacation for you, regardless of the circumstances.




    Q: My friend has left me in charge of his account, do I need a GO's permission before logging into the account?


    A: Not Any longer. Account Exchange is no longer supported - so if you give away or take over an account, it is entirely at your own risk. If there is a problem in the transfer, the game team will be unable to assist you.




    Q: My alliance mate has gone into the armed forces for two months, is there no way that I can sit his account for this period or for a GO to ensure that it will not be deleted or removed from vacation mode?


    A: No, you cannot. Deletion is less of a problem now with ghosting (although long ghosted accounts are routinely deleted if there is no purchased ambrosia on the account). Which means that when a player has been inactive for set amount of time, accounts will ghost and when the owner logs back into it, the account will come back. For more information: Ghosting




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  • III. Account Exchanges


    Exchanges are no longer supported. If a user decides to give away or exchange an account anyways he waives any rights to support should the exchange or giveaway go badly.




    Q: What would the procedure then be if the new player did not already have an account on that given server?


    A: Exchanges are no longer supported, however if users decide to do so anyways it's good to keep in mind:

    • Passwords should be changed to something that is NOT shared by other accounts before being given away.
    • Because account ownership is shown through email, the email must belong to the new owner (And confirmation link clicked in the email that is sent - otherwise the email change will not complete.)




    You must make sure you own and have ongoing access to the email on your account. If you cannot provide proof of ownership to that email (by connecting and verifying it in the ticket system) we cannot provide support to you.



    Q: I had Ambrosia left on my account when I traded it, is there a way to get it transferred to a new account? Or how do I go about getting a refund?


    A: Ikariam.com staff cannot handle or process complaints/requests about Ambrosia purchases; also, Ambrosia is not transferable to another account. Since Game/Board staff are not able to handle your questions, we suggest that you contact billing.gameforge.com for information on how to get refunds and when they are available.




    Q: Why exactly does the email address have to be changed? What if my email address is in use, am I required to change?


    A: Yes! This is an extremely important part of the account exchange process. The email address holder is considered the owner of the account. This means, if you do not change the email address you are a) Account Sharing or b) subject to lose the account if the previous player changes their mind.

    Additionally, if you run into a problem where you are unable to login for some reason, there is absolutely nothing that Game Staff can do to help you fix this problem, nor can they help you if you are banned for some reason or encounter any number of other problems. We are only allowed to talk to the owner of the account, and the owner of the account is the email address holder.


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  • V. Pushing


    Quote from Rules
    V. Pushing

    It is not allowed to gain an advantage at the expense of weaker players. A player is considered weaker if his total highscore is lower than that of the accused.

    Q: Is there a limit on the ratio for trades on wood/lux goods? What ARE the official trade ratios?


    A: Currently there are no official trade rates, but the rules still apply. We are all expected to use common sense and reasonable trades. This is largely protected by the trade caps already in place - so when in doubt use these as a guide to figure out the current going value of a resource.


    Please note in UK/EN/ORG trades must be exactly 1:1, meaning resources must be exchanged in exact quantities for the other type. (for example 10k wood for 10k glass)


    Q Is it legal to send resources to a rarely logged into account, or otherwise defenseless town, to allow a higher ranked player to pillage it?


    A: No, and the GOs will check for this. We would suggest not doing that.




    Q: I've heard that pushing does not apply when the players are in the same alliance, is this true?


    A: This isn't stated in the rules because it DOES count as pushing.


    It is not allowed to send free resources to a higher ranked player, regardless if he is in your alliance or not.

    We understand the brunt placed on the founder, and we also understand that you want to help rebuilds or in wars, but we cannot allow the rule to be broken in this way. It would be too easily exploited.




    Q: What about third party trading for those sharing a connection?


    A: This is a very grey-area issue. It's best NOT to do this sort of thing, because all similarities between accounts on the same connection make you seem suspicious. However, be very careful that you aren't using this method to circumvent the rules as it will most likely get you banned if that's the obviously intended purpose.




    Q: What if we know each other in real life, or my alliance is at war? I've heard that the pushing rules don't apply here.


    A: The pushing rules are not dependent on situation. They apply for players whether or not the people know each other in real life or if one alliance is at war with another alliance.




    Q: I'm in the middle of a big project, is it okay to wait a week until I'm done to return the resources?


    A: No - the resources need to be returned within 48 hours. If you need an extension you need to request it from the GO BEFORE 48 hours are reached, and it needs to be a good reason. "I'm in the middle of a big project" is not a good reason.




    Q: What do I do if a player sends me resources unexpectedly?


    A: Check scores, first, if the player is lower ranked in total score than you simply send the resources back. If the player is far away from your town or it seems to continue after you send things back, please talk to the GO of your server (found here: US Game Staff | En/UK Game Staff) and they may be able to help you figure out an easier solution for you.


    Please note in the EN/UK servers that use of piracy multis only for raiding purposes and not actual playing of those accounts is also considered pushing. If a lower scored account is being only used to create piracy points and is not used for normal game play, this is also considered pushing.


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  • VI. Bugusing

    Quote from Rules
    VI. Bugusing

    Intentional use of a bug or intentionally not reporting a bug is not allowed.

    Q: How will I know if I am Bug Using? Is there some sort of list of exploitable bugs that I can cross reference?


    A: Not particularly. You can check the Bugs board for common bugs, but typically we hide bugs that are known exploits. (Though to be honest, there are not that many.)




    Q: The rule says intentional Bug Use, how do Game Staff know whether or not someone is meaning to abuse any certain bug?


    A: The bugs that fall under exploitative purposes are not things that you can easily do. If you are using a bug to gain profit, you are fully aware that you are doing so. There is no need to worry as long as you aren't intentionally breaking the rules. :)




    Q: Do Game Staff also ban for players using bugs where there is no profit, or only if they gain resources?


    A: The profit does not have to be strictly monetary. If using a bug gives one player an advantage over another player, their account should be banned to account for that. This is to keep the game/server fair for everyone.




    Q: I don't see a lot of Bug Use bans, do they ever happen?


    A: As said a moment ago, there are not a lot of bugs TO exploit. We have banned in the past however for some more serious instances of Bug Using. It isn't something we like to do without thoroughly checking matters out and without solid proof.


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  • Quote from Rules
    VII. Scripting
    Usage of software or scripts in order to gain advantages at the expense of other players is not allowed. This includes bots, macros and other automatisms.

    Q: How do I know what scripts are approved for use?


    A: There are currently no approved scripts. Because Game Forge have no control over these scripts, there is always the potential that they may be modified in a way that can actually damage your account irreparably. Game Forge cannot support nor provide compensation for loss of account or account characteristics in these cases.




    Q: Some of these illegal scripts sound neat and I would like to try them out, what would the punishment be if I were to do this?


    A: The punishment for using an illegal script is a permanent ban.




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  • VIII. Real Life Threats

    Quote
    VIII. Real Life Threats

    It is not allowed to make real life threats towards other players.

    Q: What exactly counts as a Real Life Threat? Where is the line drawn?


    A: Unfortunately this is one of the contextual areas of being a member of the Game Staff. We don't want to ban people who are merely saying "omg you destroyed my fleet, you are SO dead!" but we do have to take all comments such as this very seriously. I urge you all to be extremely careful when making any comments referring to death or finding anyone or ANYTHING remotely in this ballpark. If you think it is questionable: Do not say it!


    The ban for this is a universal ban on all servers, possibly including the board and IRC as well, so be careful and think before you speak.




    Q: Someone is threatening to hack my computer/account, what can I do?


    A: Again, this is very contextual. I would recommend going to an SGO or Administrator immediately.




    Q: Someone is seemingly stalking me and finding out my personal information, what do I do?


    A: Contact an Administrator immediately.




    Q: Someone threatened to find and kill me or my family, what do I do in this case?


    A: Don't panic, the chances that they will actually do this are slim but on anything remotely relating to this topic, contact an SGO or Administrator immediately.




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  • IX. Content

    Quote from Rules
    IX. Content

    Insults and inappropriate behavior towards other players are not allowed.
    Also it is not allowed to publish pornographic, racist or extremist views and opinions of any kind.
    Advertisements, political or religious opinions are unwanted and should not be published.

    Q: Exactly whose Moral Views are used as the standard for Inappropriate Content/Insult bans?


    A: The Administration of these communities are from English speaking countries. For this reason, we try to reasonably set the restrictions for GOs to enforce on users. If you get banned for something and feel that the GO is wrong, you will want to speak with the GO, then to the SGO, and then to the game administrators. Game staff List for your server can be found here for US Game Staff and here for En/UK Game Staff .




    Q: What exactly are Insult bans for?


    A: Content bans, which include but not limited to: in game messages, user/town/alliance names, as well as alliance and user descriptions. They are more for insulting language such as swearing, lewdness, universally offensive things. These bans are NOT for name calling.




    Q: Someone made their Username/Town Name/Alliance Information to mock me or my alliance. Can anything be done?


    A: Once again this is somewhat contextual. Report it using the Player Report tool (FAQ coming) and a GO will check it. If nothing happens, contact them via the support system at https://support.us.ikariam.gameforge.com/ for US servers and https://support.en.ikariam.gameforge.com/ for EN/UK Servers and ask them officially there to step in.




    Q: Is it considered advertising if I send a player a link to join me in a game?


    A: This depends, if the other game is in direct competition with GameForge (IE a browsergame or MMORPG) then yes. If the game is another GameForge game, no. :)




    Q: I am part of another online gaming community that does not actually have any games, but has a nice community base. Am I allowed to invite my friends to join that?


    A: Unless the website is inappropriate in nature and not asking for money or some other nefarious purpose then it should be fine. If you have questions and aren't 100% sure, you should contact a GO.




    Q: What if I want to invite everyone in my alliance to another website? Or random people on my island?


    A: If you get reported by a few people for advertising other websites, you can be banned for Spam.




    Q: Can I get banned for sending too many ingame messages to someone? Alternately, what if someone is sending me a lot of useless ingame messages?


    A: This is another contextual thing. Please always try to first use the ignore feature in the game - if this does not work because the player then uses other accounts to bypass this feature, please contact your server's GO.





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  • X. Language

    Quote
    X. Language

    The language of the game is English, however, in other communities English is generally tolerated.

    Q: This seems a little harsh, does that mean that you can only play if you can read and understand English? Do you have to be American or British to play these communities?


    A: The general meaning of this rule is that messages and texts should be in English in this community, including alliance external texts and descriptions. In general, we will not ban for non-English text unless it is excessive or also violates content rules. We realize that while this is an English speaking community, not everyone who plays here speaks English well or may feel more comfortable conversing with alliance-mates in their native tongue. However, due to this being an English based community - any support requests must be done in English. For those who don't know English well google translate is available.




    Q: When you say that all texts must be written in English, does that also apply to Town, User and Alliance Names? What about Non-English characters?


    A: Unless the subject at question is offensive, lewd or swearing in another language we do not censor it. The same goes for Non-English characters. As long as you are not being offensive, we will not ban you for this.




    Q: I'm in an alliance that is consisting mostly of people who are not from the United States and speak poor English. Are we allowed to communicate within our alliance in our native tongue?


    A: It is permitted to speak with each other if you both speak the same language (but content rules still apply) however please note that if you try to communicate with others in a language other than English, they may place you on ignore. Also please note that any communication with GO's or staff members needs to be done only in English.




    Q: Well again, my alliance consist mostly of people from one specific region and we all speak the language of that country, is it allowed to have our alliance page in said language?


    A: External texts must be kept in English or you will be asked to change them. (This may vary in the UK community) This includes alliance descriptions, but not internal text. For the most part, internal text is the business of the alliance itself and not subject to the same standards. (Unless extremely offensive.)




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