Mechanics Abuse
Mechanics Abuse refers to the act of utilizing game mechanics to gain any type of advantage in ways that were not intended. Mechanics Abuse is a violation of Simutronics Policy.
Bug Abuse
Bug Abuse is a type of Mechanics Abuse. The following policy can be found by typing POLICY 5 in game:
DragonRealms Player Policy: Bug Abuse
Attempts to gain an unfair advantage which circumnavigates the letter and/or spirit of the rules presented in the documentation and the version notes, as judged solely by Simutronics, are a violation of policy. Types of abuse range from sending special characters or signals to the software to obtain an unusual result, to using normal game mechanics in ways they are clearly not intended.
Examples of serious bug abuse: Disconnecting from the merchant manager to avoid paying the purchase price of an item; finding a "feedback loop" with spells or mana points, which allows spells to be cast multiple times with little or no cost; repeatedly injuring yourself (or another character) in order to generate experience for an empath or cleric; finding a special circumstance in which to use a potion whereby its quantity is not decremented when it is used; abusing game mechanics to cause duplication of items or coins.
Abusing bugs disrupts the balance of DragonRealms and reduces its effectiveness to remain an entertaining product. Sometimes there will be a great temptation to abuse a bug for personal gain because the negative effect is not readily apparent. However it should be understood that the consequences of allowing bugs and loopholes to be exploited is so detrimental to the product, that Simutronics will exercise no tolerance whatsoever for anyone participating in this type of activity.
Bugs should always be reported. If you observe someone else abusing a serious bug, or discussing a plan to abuse one, and fail to report it, you are subject to the same penalties as they are. Serious bugs should be reported through DragonRealms Feedback.
Benefits obtained from bug abuse may be confiscated, at Simutronics' sole discretion. Failure to cooperate with Simutronics as to the extent or nature of a bug, or failure to be honest about the benefits obtained from bug abuse, is grounds for immediate lock-out from DragonRealms.
Violations of Policy
Punishment for breaking game policies is laid out in POLICY 20 as shown below. Though it should be noted this policy item has probably not been changed in 10 years and may be out of date.
DragonRealms Player Policy: Violations Of Policy
Anyone found to be in violation of the policies described in this document, at the sole discretion of Simutronics, will be subject to the following:
1. First violation: The user will receive a warning describing the breach of policy Simutronics believes they have committed, either onscreen or via Email.
2. Second violation: The user will be locked out of DragonRealms for a period of up to one month, and will be notified via Email.
3. Third violation: The user will be locked out of DragonRealms permanently.
If the user has more than one account, all accounts, on all services, will be simultaneously subject to the above actions.
In certain circumstances, such as extremely abusive behavior, a user may be locked out without warning or notice of any kind. However, Simutronics will follow up with an Email explaining why this step was taken.
Players are also always subject to the policies of the online services that provide the connection to DragonRealms. If a player violates the policy of the online service, then that is also considered to be a violation of DragonRealms Player Policy. Reports of such policy violations will be forwarded to to the online service involved.