COMMUNITY CODE OF CONDUCT

Andy_RE

What is this for?

We love RTS games and we know you do too. Once you’ve caught the bug, it’s almost impossible to get rid of. Passion, however, can never be an excuse for inappropriate behaviour towards other players, whether they be a newcomer or seasoned veteran. It only takes a few bad interactions to turn someone away from the community, and a franchise that they otherwise enjoyed.

Hence, we have put together this Code of Conduct to ensure that all Company of Heroes players are treated fairly and with respect, and therefore enjoy coming back to the game.

Where and when does this apply?

Please note that the Code of Conduct applies to anyone that interacts with Company of Heroes content regardless of the platform or channel including but not limited to: in-game, official forums, tournaments run by Relic, community-led tournaments, Steam forums and social media.

Pssssst, by the way, this also includes developers; we’re totally open to adult criticism about the game, but insults and personal threats, not so much.

How to report violations?

If you witness and/or suffer from behaviors that violate the Code of Conduct, please help us make the community a better place by following the player reporting guidelines here

Reports must be issued correctly, and with all the necessary information as detailed in the reporting thread.

Reported acts will be investigated by Relic and our third party partners (if applicable) promptly and the appropriate action will be taken. Those who do not adhere to the Code of Conduct will be subject to sanctions as described below.

Our investigations

Relic monitors in-game activity using a secure software tool which has been developed internally by Relic. This tool collects certain data from players (such as hashed IP addresses, Steam IDs, etc.) and helps us to detect, investigate and prevent cheating in our games and tournaments, as well as the other violations listed in this Code of Conduct. Relic collects, processes and retains this data in accordance with our privacy policy, which you can access here: https://www.sega.co.uk/Privacy.

If the data we collect proves that cheating or another violation has occurred, Relic will apply the appropriate sanctions (see below).

General Guidelines

Users are asked to use language and actions which respect other players and are suitable for a general audience. Veteran players, in particular, are asked to pay special attention to newcomers: please treat them with respect, share your knowledge and help them enjoy the game as much as you do!

Any abusive and offensive behavior, either in general or directed at a specific player, is prohibited and proof of such infractions can result in sanctions. This ranges from offensive language and images used in chats and forums, to harassment, bullying, toxic in-game behaviors etc. Such offenses can come in many forms including but not limited to:

• Promotion of Nazism or fascism through any means
(iconography, profile names, in game chat etc.)
• Any form of bigotry including racism, sexism or homophobia
• Threats of violence against anyone in the Relic community
• Bullying and harassing players through insults and spamming chat
• Revealing other people's personal information
• Promoting illegal activity
• Spammed advertisements
• Posting offensive images/content
• Stream ghosting a player, specifically watching their stream in real time to gain an advantage
• Repeatedly stream sniping a target player with an arranged team, in order to grief said player
• Team killing, player impersonation and/or any other forms of in-game “trolling” deemed unacceptable by Relic

Exploits

An exploit can be defined as a bug, glitch or unintended game design that is used by a player to have an advantage in a manner not intended by the game’s designers. Use of exploits in Relic games is prohibited and proof of such an infraction can result in sanctions against a player. Mods designed to exploit certain systems such as War Spoils also fall into this category and users/creators of such mods are also subject to disciplinary action.

Cheating and Tournaments

Relic strives to ensure that anyone who participates in our tournaments plays by the rules. If you enter a tournament organized by Relic, you will need to agree to our competition terms as part of the registration process. These terms strictly prohibit cheating of any kind and Relic has the sole discretion to disqualify entrants who are found (or are suspected) to have breached those terms.

The Code of Conduct also extends to any violations that occur on third party platforms such as Steam, including but not limited to:

(1) The creation of false or multiple Steam accounts. In such cases, Relic may apply sanctions to each of the accounts in question; and

(2) Sharing your Steam account details with other participants. In such cases, both the authorized account holder and additional participant(s) would face sanctions.

This Code of Conduct equally applies to community-led tournaments, even where Relic is not directly responsible for the administration of those tournaments. If the tournament involves a cash prize and the winner is found to have breached the Code of Conduct, Relic has the right to ask the organizer to withhold the prize money.

Hacking

It goes without saying that the use of any type of hack in any Relic game is prohibited. Proof of such an infraction will result in an immediate permanent ban from all Relic games.

Sanctions

The following chart outlines some of the most common offenses and the corresponding sanction a user may incur. In most cases, sanctions can be defined as a ban from the community and/or in-game participation. In-game bans will result in a player no longer being able to participate in Company of Heroes 1 & 2 online play until the ban period has expired. The following guidelines are not always exact and will be assessed on a case-by-case basis by Relic. Repeat offenses will scale severely, and a third infraction will always result in a permaban. These infractions can also be extended to any secondary account associated with a penalized player.

Offensive language / speech and general toxicity (insults, slurs etc.)

• 2 week ban to permaban (depending on context and for repeat offenders)

Griefing / Team Killing

• 2 week ban to permaban (for repeat offenders) NOTE - Accidental teamkilling is not an issue. This is deliberately targeting teammates bases and units in a prolonged attempt to ruin the game.

Bug or exploit abuse

• 4 week ban to permaban (for repeat offenders) NOTE - This related to a couple of very specific, and very intentional exploits. Players do not need to worrry about fringe items.

External hacks / cheat programs
- Instant permaban from ALL Relic games

Tournament cheating/ deception

• 6 months to Instant permaban (for repeat offenders)

Posting or broadcasting Relic’s confidential content

• Instant permaban from ALL Relic games

Users will be informed of bans via an in-game message or an alternative means of communication (as determined by Relic in its sole discretion).

We would like to remind you that by participating in the Company of Heroes online community and/or services, you agree to be bound by this Code of Conduct, any other applicable Relic terms and conditions and the terms of any third party where relevant (i.e. Steam, Twitch, Facebook, Twitter, forums, Battlefy, etc.).

Relic reserves the right to remove players and/or content from the game/community that violate these guidelines at Relic’s sole discretion.