Cybersphere and Sindome are two communities in an online universe of old-school RPG's that probably best represent the last bastions of true cyberpunk roleplaying on the net. Both Cybersphere and Sindome share common roots in a group of (many times shared between the two games) committed and talented folks who enjoy creating and playing in a deep, thought-provoking textual environment. The fact that these two games are all-text makes them an intellectual cut above 'newcomers' and pay-to-play games like Everquest, Asheron's Call, and other eye-candy experiences.
I begin with this long-winded introduction because I truly feel that CS and Sindome share two very meaningful and important aspects in common– they are both well-developed communities and they are both populated by smart individuals who want to have fun in creative and inventive ways. CS cannot ignore Sindome and vice versa, because we are inextricably linked by a common purpose and a shared playerbase.
That being said, the net is a community that polices itself and enforces its courtesies without police forces or governments. We look after each other and correct each other because we know that our communities will break down if we allow destructive or malicious activities in our midst. This brings me to the main point of this letter, from one member of a community to another.
A prominent programmer/administrator on the Sindome MOO, Damon ([email protected]), has maliciously and repeatedly attacked Cybersphere in a variety of ways. At one end of the spectrum, he has spammed Cybersphere's server and attacked the login prompt. At the other end of the spectrum, he has violated several of Cybersphere's rules, most notably the restrictions on OOC attacks and inflammatory statements against other players. He has used Cybersphere's benefit-of-the-doubt policy towards players to decieve and lie, gaining multiple player accounts in an attempt to return to the game after being sitebanned. Each time he returns, his goal is disruption of gameplay and slander of players and programmers alike. Cybersphere is a community that exists, in the end, because its population wants a fun place to roleplay. Damon is disruptive to that fun, not because he defies Cybersphere's administrators, but because he refuses to respect the worth of others in the community. Even more s!
erious, his attacks on the CS server-- a server that the CS admin don't even own or control-- risks the closure of Cybersphere. Our host, Netsville, has been very gracious to provide free support but any reasonable company would close down CS rather than expose itself to network problems associated with disruptive activities from the likes of Damon.
This brings me to my final point. Damon is not just another player. Damon is an administrator on Sindome, and as such, is an ambassador from that MOO. Certainly, no sane person sees Damon's actions as part of a concerted attack committed by Sindome against Cybersphere. However, Damon's actions reflect poorly upon Sindome, and his existance there as leadership sends the implicit message that Sindome condones destructive behavior on the net and in roleplaying communities. At the very least I hope that you will take a look at this individual and ensure that he's not using your resources to attack Cybersphere. At the very most, I hope that you will police your own and correct his abusive behavior. It is not my place as an administrator on Cybersphere to dictate how Damon should be handled on your MOO. However, when his actions threaten and disrupt Cybersphere, I assure you that our interest and response will be concerted and appropriate, and we will hold his actions and Sindome's !
response up to the light of public inspection in the meantime.
Respectfully,
The administrators of cs.vv.com.
