May I Please Come Back?

[IceSage 58]

Hello,

It's been almost 4 months since I was banned lately. I was banned for misusing donor privileges and constantly accusing people of being hackers, without justification. It was done in what I assumed at the time was good fun, since nobody requested formal complaints about me. (0 requests in the public ban request forum aside from some elitist guy "pro" guy.) However, whether people complained about it on the forums, in private, or if the administration just went, "Wow dude, you've been a douche" by looking at the stats log, is aside the point, apparently it was unwarranted behavior under Lotus.

I am fully capable of playing a game of TF2 without voting kicking people or harassing them in-game... I had just thought at the time that it wasn't a big deal, but it seemed to add up in the end. The increased activity of it made it appear as if I was a full-time troll with nothing better to do with my time then just harass everyone who entered a server. While it was done occasionally, that's not the case. I'm not a basement dwelling raging jerk... I just played one sometimes for server amusement.

Since that's not tolerable behavior, I duly apologize and own up to my past behavior, and can assure you if I'm allowed back, it'll never happen again.

I've been on these servers near since when they came into existence, and I haven't had any trouble before the past year or so. A blip under the radar. I'm fully capable of maintaining mature gameplay.

I don't play TF2 at all without Lotus, so not only have I been banned from here for 4 months, I haven't played tf2 in 4 months at all either.

I've had time to reflect on my erroneous past and I apologize for not only abusing any kicks I may have initiated, but also for any childish behavior. I thought it was funny, clearly it was not. (As it got me banned.)

I'd just like to be able to play some TF2. I've never hacked or intentionally tried to attack the server in disrespect, as I love Lotus and the people who play here. I've just had the unfortunate habit of selectively being an asshat to players in an immature manner.

I promise I've learned not to do these things and I can play maturely from now on.

I beg for your reconsideration to be able to play on Lotus again.

[A Drunk Irish Jew 0]

Ima put in my 2 cents and say worst should be allowed back in. He asked me, and as long as he doesn't abuse his powers anymore it should be fine. Don't know how many of the lotus clan still remember me, but I'll be coming back soon and I'd like to see some familiar faces in the crowd.

[Poops 0]

Lotus has been my primary server of play since I can remember. There are very few people that has upheld such a rapport as Worst. While I don't play TF2 as frequent, but I have kept contact with many throughout my experience playing at Lotus servers and TF2 alike. Worst represents the epitome of the TF2 community, despite his name. He has been humble and has been ardent over the server's well being. This has gone unnoticed and is disheartening. Most of us have an enjoyable sense of humor when playing. I have never witnessed any malicious intent or condescending nature by Worst, in fact, he has only expressed his desire for the best of the community. I sincerely deplore that further investigation be brought into matters before integral decisions are made. I enjoy Lotus and it's contribution it has made in the TF2 community, please reconsider.

[Ruby 9,039]

It's been almost 4 months since I was banned lately. I was banned for misusing donor privileges and constantly accusing people of being hackers, without justification. It was done in what I assumed at the time was good fun, since nobody requested formal complaints about me.

Yes, usually when I join a server my favorite thing to do is to yell "HAX" and ban a few innocent people because why not.

Anyway, I don't know the full story but you were banned for zero tolerance violation, and if we tolerate on zero tolerance policy violation then it's not really zero tolerance, is it? Here's Pro's post regarding your previous unban requests. While bringing two people from the servers to agree with you is definitely a charming touch, I'm not sure how much of an effect it will have. Either way, you'll be getting your final answer soon.

[IceSage 58]

Yes, usually when I join a server my favorite thing to do is to yell "HAX" and ban a few innocent people because why not.

I'd like to point out I haven't done that, and have never done that. In fact, I've never banned anyone from the server, only prompted votekicks. (With the exception of 2 well known trolls, the moment they entered the server I put up a vote to ban them.) Regardless, this is wrong.

I'd like to point out the "Zero Tolerence" from before, was when ProLoser decided to ban me for no reason with 0 evidence and 0 warnings, and 0 anything against me. It came out of the blue.

These recent past events I'm apologizing for weren't even intentionally malicious. My entire time playing on Lotus has always had an attitude like this, not from me, but from other players. Perhaps Lotus has changed over the years, but Lotus has been known for people jesting, kicking, and being asshats. It's survival of the fittest on these servers sometimes. If you don't speak up and don't act a certain way, trolls get away with harassing not only you, but other members who don't deserve it.

The context of the "evidence" against me in the last thread... well, there is none. A bunch of logs were gathered and decided I was just going around kicking people left and right, spouting "hacker." Truth is, it's a much rarer occasion, and a good portion of the time the people and context of the situation is usually the other person is imitating shit with Lotus... which I can't stand. Disrespecting the players and administrators, it's sick. Most of the behavior I exhibited was the same behavior as most of the server has... And in defense of it.

It was targeted behavior, not some weird "OH MAN GONNA JOIN A SERVER AND CAUSE TROUBLE."

Anyway, I don't know the full story but you were banned for zero tolerance violation, and if we tolerate on zero tolerance policy violation then it's not really zero tolerance, is it? Here's Pro's post regarding your previous unban requests. While bringing two people from the servers to agree with you is definitely a charming touch, I'm not sure how much of an effect it will have. Either way, you'll be getting your final answer soon.

I think some leniency is required considering the facts are obscure, nobody's EVER complained about me, and aside from the out of context chatlogs... Nobody's ever posted anything even remotely close to any actual severe behavior.

I'm being perma-banned for things that people get 3 day bans for.

I've never had 1st warning, second warning, never had anyone tell me I was even doing anything wrong.

People shouldn't cringe in fear when they want to use the voting feature. People shouldn't cringe in fear to try to fit in with the asshattery that takes place on the servers.

I've been an OUTSTANDING citizen of these servers and have ALWAYS DEFENDED THEM, across forums, to players in-game, etc. I've got people to donate, I've kept people playing TF2 who had never imagined they'd play a game like it, to continue playing on these servers.

I've created a small sub-community of faithful regulars on Arena! Chicago who would bend over backwards to make sure nobody ever fucks with Lotus.

I have an extreme dedication to this place, and it's absolutely absurd that I'm being harshly targeted for some silly banter that earns people a warning, or a 3 day / incremental ban.

But me? No. I've been an outstanding member of this community, and the first I've heard of any problems with me started last year OUT OF THE BLUE with no warning. Nobody even having an issue with me.

This time it seems like nobody's had an issue with me either, but someone I guess got REALLY BORED and decided to nitpick the stats log and find every time I'd call someone a hacker in jest and deem it that I was "harassing and kicking players."

I'd also like to point out that most of the time that you see me typing "votekick" in those longs, I obscured the text in a manner so the dialog box never even pops up.

If it does pop up, it's up for the server to decide if those players are removed, is it not? How was it ever my fault?

It's considered abuse if I spam kick a person over and over again, not if I use it once.

Regardless... The message conveyed by my latest ban is that simple asshattery is a bannable offense, and members / donators are suppose to be scared shitless of using the voting feature.

This is not the Lotus I remember.

This latest ban I was told that even joking around and being an asshat isn't accept. I get the message.

It's 100% possible for me to play without doing that. Is this common behavior on Lotus by other members or the amount of other members? No. I barely see 100%, non-witty banter, and 0 unwarranted joke votekicks. In fact, there's not one day on lotus you'll see someone trying to kick someone for some reason or another.

I feel like the fact that I keep getting permabanned is a direct targeted attack on me. I did some harmless immature stuff spaced out over periods of time... and somehow it warrants permanent ban?

This is 3-day ban stuff. Monthly ban stuff. Me? I got a permaban for DOING NOTHING my first time, and a permaban for calling people hackers and putting up a few votekicks. Which everyone does, always.

Now if there's this new kind of Lotus forming these days, so be it. I find it odd though that my latest ban occurred when I tried to report people who were blatantly harassing people and kicking them for playing "Gunslinger Engineer." I posted the evidence in the ban request forum, and was told that it was "OKAY TO SPAM VOTES LIKE THAT BECAUSE IT WAS A DEMOCRACY."

So, if it's a democracy to spam votes to voteban palyers for playing Gunslinger Engineers. (And they never got a ban or warning by the way) how on EARTH am I somehow a trouble maker and considered some sort of serious douchebag who needs to be permabanned, when I made some kicks that don't even go through, for laughs?

I'm not saying what I did was 100% right... But I'm also saying it wasn't noticed, nobody has a problem with it, and somehow some mere tomfoolery that NOBODY HAS COMPLAINED ABOUT warrants a permanent ban.

I'm not trying to justify past behavior... It just seems like nobody gets the correct context of how I played on Lotus, or how anyone acts or behaves on it.

Essentially, you are wrong. I never joined a server and started screaming, "hacks." Each moment and has event had a specific reason and meaning to it... usually involving the other party starting trouble. I, loving these servers to death, found witty ways to deal with them. That's it. That doesn't warrant a permanent ban.

If playing here means keeping my mouth shut and never participating in the self-moderation, so be it. I can 100% do that, I'm not a child.

Edited December 13, 2013 by IceSage

[Nano 7,892]

unban denied for the 3rd? time?

zero tolerance is zero tolerance.

Additional Note: On September 26th at 7:39PM (a few days after the ban was originally placed) this user connected from a newly created alt account (STEAM_0:0:74178513) to the Lotus servers.

Ban evasion (even without the other stuff) is also a permanent ban.

Edited December 13, 2013 by ProLoser
New information