Rule Suggestion Panic Button and "/me strips comms" Rules Clarification or Removal

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1.2 Don’t FailRP - FailRP stands for "Fail Roleplay". It's when someone acts in a very unrealistic way that their character would not do. Decisions must be realistic and players must stay in character. For example, in a hostage situation if the negotiator kills the hostage to resolve the situation that would be unrealistic and FailRP. Other Examples of FailRP would be:

  • Speaking as an SCP that does not speak (see section 4).
  • Suiciding for no RP reason.
  • Using items while stripped other than cyanide pills (this counts as 'biting a cyanide tooth', requires a valid RP reason).
  • Playing as an SCP and doing inappropriate actions such as dancing as 106.
  • Obtaining disguises via Anomaly Destruction Beam or SCP-914 as a Juggernaut or Orange Suit
  • B-Hopping around.
  • Holstering a weapon in RP.

1.6 Don’t Metagame - Using information gained from an out-of-character source to gain an advantage against others and using out-of-character sources to give information and influence roleplay negatively. Some examples of third-party/OOC sources are:
  • Discord
  • OOC & LOOC chat
  • Using the names above the heads of players to identify who they are (This does not include ranks, all military roles have 'rank slips' that makes their ranks visible, excluding spy roles)

1.13 Don’t Powergame - Powergaming is when you use /me for unrealistic RP actions, examples are;
  • /me punches the man opposite him in the head and kills him.
  • Powergaming is also defined as forcing an RP situation or action onto somebody without giving them a chance via /roll (whoever gets the highest number wins). An example would be breaking someone's leg against their will. Both sides will roll and if the person who wants to break the other person's leg gets the higher roll then the victim who lost the roll will have to RP with a broken leg as they lost the roll in that RP scenario.
  • /its that place an advantage on the player in a way that prevents RP in an unrealistic fashion.

1.14 Mixing - Mixing is the term used for mixing IC and OOC-related topics together in character. Bringing up rules in character is classified as mixing, and it will not be tolerated. Keep everything in character and professional. Examples of OOC topics:
  • Discord
  • Rules
  • Teamspeak
  • Saying when you're going offline or online
  • Saying your going AFK
FailRP Clarifications
2.11 Realistic Equipment Use -
SCP 035 is allowed to use AA weapons on humans

Powergaming Clarifications
8.01 Site Admin/Affairs ID -
The use of /me to present a form of identification is considered powergaming.

What does this suggestion change/add/remove:
Create a provision in the rules that defines exact Panic Button and "/me strips comms" use parameters or make their usage FailRP / Powergaming

Has something similar been suggested before? If so, why is your suggestion different?:
. The removal of panic buttons has been suggested before

Possible Positives of the suggestion (At least 2):
. By creating a provision for this in the rules, there will be no confusion over what is and is not acceptable as a panic button or /me strip mechanic
. New players will not be at a disadvantage for not understanding panic button usage or /me strip usage or not having them set up for their own use
. By creating this provision a lot of needless staff sits will be avoided
. If the panic button and "/me strips comms" is correctly declared as failRP and powergaming then there will be no circumvension of the gag mechanic and to support this mechanic staff can see in logs when someone has had an elastic restrain used on them
. Kidnap RP will be more authentic as per the games mechanics

Possible Negatives of the suggestion:
. Players tasked with GOI defence will find it harder to secure VIPs
. Players who have previously relied on panic buttons as a layer of protection may have their security mitigated
. VIPs may feel as though their capacity to roam freely is mitigated and they may require a more constant and intrusive level of escorting

Based on the Positives & Negatives, why should this suggestion be accepted:
. There is currently, and never has been, a provision in the rules to define the usage of panic buttons or "/me strips comms", which means at some point players have started using these tools as a way to circumnavigate the gag function - which is in direct counterance to the current failRP and Powergaming rules - and staff have been consistently ruling that panic buttons and "/me strips comms" is acceptable - and that the use of panic buttons while gagged without being /me stripped is allowed

. With the current staff stance on panic buttons it is wholly possible for a player to have a <PANIC BUTTON> keybind with individual locations prepared on their keyboard, effectively allowing them to convey all relevant information that can counter their being kidnapped. Example:
- Keybind 1: <PANIC BUTTON> I am currently being kidnapped! I am in Core Sector
- Keybind 2: <PANIC BUTTON> I am currently being kidnapped! I am in Floor 3
- Keybind 3: <PANIC BUTTON> I am currently being kidnapped! I am in Lower HCZ
etc..

. With the current staff stance on panic buttons it is possible for a player to type their exact location out in real time, such as: "/c <PANIC BUTTON> I am being kidnapped in PW Lecture Hall" and there is no way for staff to tell the difference between a keybind and a message that has been typed

. In game communications in the form of /comms is a spoken, verbal method of communication, such as speaking into a radio. It is therefore the case that if someone is restrained and gagged then using a panic button keybind in character involves physically holding a comms piece up to their mouth and speaking into it while gagged.

. There is no clarification in the rules regarding when someone can be stripped of comms - is it an ear piece that can be pulled out? Is it a physical radio that has to be removed from a chest holster? Do they need to be restrained before it can be removed? Do they need to be under FearRP? Are handcuffs enough for them to be sufficiently restrained or must elastic restrains be used before comms can be stripped? The lack of clarity on the aforementioned leaves the use of "/me" to strip comms wide open to powergaming abuse

. The elastic restraint and gag mechanic has always been readily available for use as a way to limit a player's ability to communicate - and staff can see in logs when someone has been restrained - and this is both an effective and authentic game-mechanic that did not require additional complications of panic buttons and comms stripping

. It stands to reason that if someone is physically restrained by elastic restraints then their hands are not free to operate panic buttons, type using a text device, or speak into a radio by operating its buttons - if they are also gagged then they most certainly could not speak into a radio
 
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Requis

Community Supervisor
Community Sup.
Group Moderator
Apr 30, 2022
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Hi,

Thank you for this suggestion.

We will be making the following changes as a result of this suggestion;

- An addition of a rule to further clarify who can use panic buttons, and what they may entail.
This would be temporary as we await a possible addition of a genuine panic button SWEP in the future. A github ticket has already been made requesting its creation.

- The request of the addition of a strip comms SWEP, which is already available on a different server on the network, into the SCP servers.

While we await for this strip comms SWEP to be added, we will have to keep the ruling on the stripping of comms as is. People may use the /me strips comms when in a controlled RP scenario. This can be either be;
A. The person is under FearRP.
B. The person is cuffed.
C. The person is overpowered
D. The person is compliant.
E. The person is unarmed.
This means that a person can be stripped from their comms while they are cuffed, as well as, while they are being cuffed.
 
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