#1. Play with your team.

BF4 is an objective based, team-oriented game. It's a shame that so many servers are full of one-man hero's and the idea that the only time to play as a team is in a match. This server exists to end all of that. If you want to be a rogue, or you think you “play better alone", then go buy a single-player game, and go do that. On our server, you WILL play WITH your team, or you WILL be punished. Use your mic, follow your squad leader(or be the squad leader), and get your objectives completed. Those in positions of leadership WILL BE subject to these same rules. If you, or the group of people you play with on our server are the kinds of people that disregard orders from squad leaders, deny assistance to those requesting it, or honestly just don't care about anyone else on the server but yourselves......you are in the wrong place, and will learn quickly that you are not only unwelcome, but prohibited from playing here.

We have issued more bans for non-teamplaying than we have for hacking or abusive conduct.

All we ask is that you play the game as it was designed: as a coordinated army of air, armor, and ground forces tasked with occupying and holding enemy territory. Note the emphasis on the word coordinated.

#2. Communicate with your teammates.

There is more to do in an online game than to simply trudge through it solo or with only your clan mates. If you want to play by yourselves, without saying, typing, or responding to anything....why are you doing that in a public MULTIPLAYER SERVER? If a request is made of you, answer. If you are being spoken to, respond. If you want to talk with your friends through external VOIP to the detriment of communicating with your team, go play somewhere else. If the only communication skills you can muster are insults to your teammates, mutiny against the organization of the team, or to purposefully cause conflict, such as spamming your microphone with music or singing, be prepared for punishment by the admins. Nothing is taken more seriously than an insult to the team and spamming your microphone with “Shut up! You guys are noobs" is about as bad as it gets.

#3. Pursue your objective, or die trying.

The objectives are pretty simple:

A. Cause your opponents tickets to decrease by capturing territory.

B. Destroy Enemy Assets, like vehicles.

Increases in rank and gaining combat awards are secondary to the primary objective of winning.

Keep in mind, we are NOT asking you to run off into your deaths just because the squad leader told you to do so. But we ARE asking you to play BF4. That means forming squads, following orders, and working together. This is not Quake. This is not Doom. This is not Unreal. If you want to stand around and just shoot at things, I'm sure there's a “facing worlds" map open somewhere out there for you to sit around on.

Definitions and Rules on "Camping":
It is difficult to define camping in the context of battlefield games, since the game requires complex strategies of defending and holding territory, stealth, and timing, so it will be judged on a case by case basis. Camping, by definition, is remaining in a specific area only to take enemies by surprise, however offering no strategic advantage to the team, other than to pad your personal KD. And, as said above.....KD's don't win games. Flags win games.

Some examples of camping would include:

- Being in a position to take a flag, especially when if it is not taken your team will lose, and NOT taking it, simply because you are worried about being seen, or dying. Even worse would be if it is a multi-person flag capture point, and you are in a position to assist other players asking for your help, but do not. Worrying about LOSING should come BEFORE worrying about dying.In other words, Go for the Objective or Die trying

- Remaining in an area of the map that provides you with great cover and fire zones, but provides NO strategic benefit to your team (such as your spawn). Unless a flag is in your immediate fire zone, and you are justifiably protecting it, you know damn well that sitting in the backfield isn't helping anyone but your KD. Find a similar place, with great cover and fire zones, but that ALSO provides your team with a strategic advantage, and you are in the clear as far as the rules go.

Camping is NOT simply sitting in one place for a long time. That is a definition for simpleton games like Unreal and Quake. It's an outdated definition that does NOT apply here. If you are able to hold your tank, gun-emplacement, or sniping position for an extended time period because you have teammates guarding your flanks, offering you ammo, and keeping you supported, then you go ahead and give the enemy hell. So long as you are not directly disobeying your squad leader's wishes, you and your team's coordinated efforts are shutting out the enemy's ability to advance and take territory, which thus corresponds to your team's ability to hold territory and win.

Typically, if you are camping in a manner that does not benefit your team, you will know by the complaints and insults hurdled your way by your squad, squad leader. If you know something that your team/squad doesn't, such as WHY you feel you are JUSTIFIED in holding that position, all you have to do is speak up, calmly, and explain yourself. Your team, if they are true teammates, have a responsibility to listen to your goals and ideas just as much as you do to theirs. Teamwork is a two way street, so be sure to communicate, and do so often, especially if you think you may be considered a camper. If you are communicating and justifying your actions to your team, then you are immune from punishment from the admin. If the team feels that you are wrong, and a majority of them agree, and most especially if you are disobeying your squad leader.......then you will will be dealt with accordingly. The admin is about making the server happy. Not individual players like you. Keep that in mind.

In addition, if you are consistently camping, promoting camping, and losing while camping, expect the admin to take notice and become involved. The admin will become involved immediately when outbreaks of unjustified camping occur, and will do what admins do by issuing warnings, slapping, slaying, and perhaps including kicks or bans. Though we are reluctant to punish any one player for doing as his team does, we will identify and persecute the chief campers quickly, and move down the ladder from there.

Get out there and play. Take those flags, get on the offensive, or hold your ground. Call out desperately for reinforcements, set up your defenses, and win. Above all things, win.

A note on the definiton of "SPAWN CAMPING":

As has been highly discussed in our admin circles, it may be found that some definitions of camping that are legal, such as controlling choke points and suppressing the enemy's ability to move freely, could be stretched or construed to mean that the server and admins encourage spawn camping/suppression. This may or may not be true, but it is irrelevant. The server encourages winning. If a spawn is penetrable, and thus camp-able, it is that team's responsibility to ensure that it is protected. It is NOT the enemy's moral, ethical, or honorable responsibility to NOT attack it, even if it is uncapturable. If it is left exposed, and winds up with enemy MG's, vehicles, or snipers cutting down everyone that is spawning......yes, it's horrible. Oh, the agony. Oh, the suffering and gnashing of teeth. Yes, you are going to lose.

But before you cry out spawn camping, spawn raping, and asking the admin to save you.......think about what you are asking:

"Admin, kick these spawn campers!" in reality means, "Admin, please help me survive by slaying my enemies, so I can fight back, take enemy territory, and win."

This is something an admin can not do. It is not our job to help either side win or lose, or to perpetuate a game indefinitely by punishing the winning team and releasing the losing team from it's clutches.

If a player(s) is exploiting bugs and hacks, that is a different story, and the admins will punish these players before you probably even notice it is happening. Stacking players to climb fences and being creative in your negotiation of obstacles blocking a spawn entrance is NOT an exploit. It's a sign that the developers should have made a higher fence, since the developers are WELL AWARE of player abilities to jump, climb, and stack on one another. Don't blame the admins. Blame the map and game designers.


#4. Abusive conduct cannot be tolerated.

If you are an abusive player, a team killer, or use insulting communications with your squad, purposely playing to lose, expect to be punished very quickly and harshly. However, since we are a server of zealous teamplayers, occasionally it will be the responsibility of members of the team to speak out against slow acting, weak, or ignorant players (such as those monopolizing air vehicles when they do not know how to fly or commanders playing as soldiers, not paying attention to squad leaders requests and team needs). The admin's would GREATLY APPRECIATE the squad/team to take care of it's own problems rather than having to step in and start banning and kicking problem players. All players are encouraged to speak clearly and calmly to get their team on the same page, issuing mutinies and vote kicks when necessary; however the server understands that some people just don't listen. In these cases, some yelling and screaming may be involved. The admin will make a judgment depending on the circumstances for any case of abuse resulting in a hostile playing environment. Should you feel that the admin is the cause of the abuse, feel free to post such comments in our abuse forum.

If you are a player being berated by your teammates, instead of jumping up and shouting back, listen to their complaints. Did you just pilot the Viper off the deck and into the water? Did you ignore your squad leader orders? Are you ignoring your teammates requests? Are you not using your mic?

Yes?

Then you deserve to be criticized, and you should modify your playing style to help the team rather than defending your non-teamplayer attitude. The admin can always solve the problem easily in this situation. The problem isn't the yelling and cursing....the problem is you, the non-teamplayer, and you will be removed from the server.

#5. Punkbuster doesn't do everything.

Cheating is rampant in any multiplayer game. Though not as rampant in the Battlefield franchise.....they didn't add punkbuster functionality for nothing. Though PB is hopefully catching and banning a significant portion of hackers, that doesn't eliminate the need for admins to make their own judgements. Of course, obvious hacks that increase speed, or exploiting the game in order to move through walls or under buildings are easily detected and dealt with by admins. However, occasionally you meet a player who not only cheats, but knows how to do so without being very obvious. Though you may not know who the admins are, you should know that there is rarely a moment that the server is populated without at least 1 admin present. Should you feel someone is cheating, feel free to say so out loud, so that an admin can find and remove the player from the server.

Our decision to ban someone is based on a variety of things. Principally, it's based upon the opinions of SEVERAL admins, and at least all admins present on the server at that time. Rarely will anyone be banned by the decision of any single admin. Also, our bans are usually held off on until a larger investigation can be made into the suspicious player's statistics. Once enough information has been gathered, either by admins spectating the player, questionable anomalies in the player's statistics, and other issues, a decision to ban will be made.

It is important for us to point out that we don't want to ban anyone. We are not some punk server run by children who are here to pwn noobs and speek leet. We are here to play and manage the game. If we banned everyone that was good, we'd have to ban half our admins. If you get banned, and you think we're crazy, by all means, make a post in the banned forums about it. We'll listen. In fact, we've unbanned dozens players who made legible, clear, and open explanations or statements about their bannings.

Things to do that can get you punished, kicked, and/or banned on the server.

#1. Cheat, or refuse to reasonably explain yourself when questioned about cheating.

#2. Say nothing but insults in the chat and mic, especially about teamplay.

#3. Repeatedly refuse to join a squad or follow a squad leader's reasonable orders. Keep in mind: our admins are typically those squad leaders

#4. Blatantly challenge the authority of the admin.

#5. Team Kill & Exploit (i.e. working with members of the opposite team to kill/revive for medic points, damaging vehicles only to repair them, purposely destroying team vehicles, such as those in spawns.

#6. Outing an admin in game. Our admins are to always remain anonymous.

In the event that your account is banned by VAC, Punk Buster, or any other third party software installed on our servers, you will be required to appeal to those developers. Only then, if your ban is lifted you will be granted an appeal and be required to submit an unban request in the banned forums. If you are not able to resolve this issue with those developers, you are to remain banned from all TeamPlayerGaming property indefinitely. TeamPlayerGaming has zero tolerance for people that choose to cheat.