Moderation Guidelines
This guide outlines the moderation policies, procedures, and standards for MCWeb staff members to ensure consistent and fair enforcement.
This page contains sensitive moderation information. Staff members must follow these guidelines strictly.
🎯 Moderation Philosophy
Core Principles
- Fair and Consistent - Apply rules equally to all players
- Educational - Help players learn from mistakes
- Proportional - Punishment should fit the offense
- Transparent - Explain decisions when appropriate
- Community First - Protect the server community
Staff Responsibilities
- Lead by example in chat and behavior
- Respond promptly to player reports
- Maintain professionalism at all times
- Continue learning server policies and procedures
- Support other staff members
📋 Punishment Guidelines
Warning System
Most offenses follow an escalating warning system:
First Offense: Verbal warning + explanation
Second Offense: Formal warning + short mute (5-15 min)
Third Offense: Longer punishment (30min - 2 hours)
Continued Violations: Escalate to temporary ban
Punishment Severity Scale
Minor Offenses (Warning → Short Mute)
- Mild spam in chat
- Minor inappropriate language
- Accidental rule violations
- First-time minor griefing
Moderate Offenses (Mute → Short Temp Ban)
- Persistent spam after warning
- Harassment of other players
- Intentional rule breaking
- Disrespecting staff
Major Offenses (Long Temp Ban → Permanent Ban)
- Serious griefing/stealing
- Hate speech or severe harassment
- Cheating/hacking
- Evading punishments
- Doxxing or real-life threats
- Advertising competing servers
- Distributing malicious content
- Real money trading
🚫 Specific Rule Enforcement
Chat Violations
Spam
Definition: Repeated messages, excessive caps, character spam
First Response: “Please don’t spam chat”
Escalation: /mute <player> 5m Spamming after warning
Inappropriate Language
Minor: Single inappropriate word
- Response: Private warning about language
Major: Consistent profanity, sexual content
- Response:
/mute <player> 15m Inappropriate language
Harassment
Definition: Targeting specific players with negative behavior
Response:
- Immediate
/mute <player> 30m Harassment
- Investigate for pattern of behavior
- Consider longer punishment for repeat offenses
Griefing and Theft
Investigation Process
- Use CoreProtect -
/co inspect to check block changes
- Document evidence - Screenshots of damage and logs
- Assess intent - Accidental vs. malicious
- Check history - Previous violations
- Apply appropriate punishment
Minor Griefing (New Players)
- Small amount of damage, likely accidental
- Response: Warning + education about claims
- Action:
/co rollback u:<player> t:1h to restore damage
Major Griefing
- Extensive damage, clearly intentional
- Response:
/tempban <player> 1d Major griefing
- Action: Full rollback and alert senior staff
Cheating and Exploits
X-Ray Detection
Signs: Unusual mining patterns, finding hidden bases
Investigation:
- Check mining statistics
- Review mining paths in CoreProtect
- Look for pattern of finding valuable ores
Response: /ban <player> X-ray cheating (Permanent)
Duplication Exploits
Detection: Unusual item quantities, suspicious trading
Investigation:
- Check inventory history
- Monitor for item source
- Coordinate with other staff
Response: Item removal + temp ban minimum
Alternative Accounts (Alts)
Acceptable Alt Usage
- Decorative purposes (statues, shopkeepers)
- Additional storage (with main account supervision)
- Testing purposes (with staff permission)
Prohibited Alt Usage
- Ban evasion
- Vote manipulation
- Unfair economic advantage
- Circumventing claim limits
Detection Tools: /alts <player> command
Response: Ban all related accounts for violations
👥 Player Report System
Taking Reports
- Listen fully to the reporting player
- Ask for specifics - when, where, who, what
- Request evidence - screenshots if available
- Investigate immediately if serious
- Follow up with reporter after resolution
Documentation Requirements
For all significant punishments, document:
- Player name and UUID
- Time and date of incident
- Rule violated and evidence
- Witnesses if any
- Punishment applied and duration
Report Follow-up
- Inform reporter of outcome (when appropriate)
- Explain limitations if action seems insufficient
- Thank players for responsible reporting
- Log serious incidents in staff channels
🤝 De-escalation Techniques
Handling Angry Players
- Stay calm and professional
- Acknowledge their frustration
- Explain the situation clearly
- Offer solutions when possible
- Set boundaries if behavior continues
Common Phrases
- “I understand you’re upset, let me help explain…”
- “Let’s work together to resolve this issue”
- “I need you to calm down so we can discuss this properly”
- “That behavior isn’t acceptable, but let’s find a solution”
When to Get Help
- Player becomes abusive toward staff
- Situation escalates beyond your comfort level
- Complex rule interpretation needed
- Technical issues you can’t resolve
🔍 Investigation Procedures
CoreProtect Investigation
- Go to the location of reported damage
- Use
/co inspect and click affected blocks
- Document findings - who, when, what changed
- Check surrounding area for additional damage
- Look for patterns in player behavior
Chat Log Review
- Check relevant time periods for context
- Look for escalating behavior patterns
- Note any warnings given by other staff
- Document exact quotes for serious violations
Evidence Collection
- Screenshots of damage and chat logs
- CoreProtect queries saved as text
- Player coordinates and world information
- Witness statements from other players
⚖️ Appeal Process
Handling Appeals
- Review original punishment details
- Check punishment history for context
- Evaluate sincerity of the appeal
- Consider new evidence if provided
- Consult with original punishing staff
Appeal Criteria
Good Appeal:
- Acknowledges wrongdoing
- Shows understanding of rules
- Demonstrates changed attitude
- Provides new relevant information
Poor Appeal:
- Denies obvious violations
- Blames others for behavior
- Shows no remorse
- Repeats the same appeal arguments
Appeal Outcomes
- Accept: Remove or reduce punishment
- Modify: Adjust punishment terms
- Deny: Maintain original punishment
- Escalate: Refer to senior staff
🎖️ Staff Hierarchy and Support
Chain of Command
Helper → Moderator → Admin → Owner
When to Escalate
- Major grief requiring extensive rollback
- Suspected staff abuse or corruption
- Complex appeals you’re unsure about
- Technical issues affecting server stability
- Policy questions not covered in guidelines
Requesting Support
Use /staffchat or Discord to:
- Ask for guidance on difficult decisions
- Request backup for difficult players
- Report technical issues
- Coordinate major investigations
Response Times
- In-game reports: Within 10 minutes if online
- Discord reports: Within 30 minutes
- Appeal responses: Within 24 hours
- Staff chat: Acknowledge within 5 minutes
Quality Standards
- Consistent punishment application
- Clear communication with players
- Thorough documentation of actions
- Professional behavior at all times
- Continued education on server policies
Regular Duties
- Monitor chat for violations
- Patrol common areas for griefing
- Help new players with questions
- Update punishment logs regularly
- Participate in staff meetings
🚨 Emergency Procedures
Major Griefing Event
- Freeze the player to prevent more damage
- Alert senior staff immediately
- Begin CoreProtect investigation
- Document all evidence before rollback
- Apply appropriate punishment
Mass Chat Violations
- Enable slow chat if available
- Issue server-wide warning
- Mute worst offenders quickly
- Clear chat if necessary
- Monitor for continued issues
Staff Absence
- Notify other staff of extended absence
- Transfer urgent cases to online staff
- Update availability in staff channels
- Coordinate coverage for events
📝 Documentation and Logging
Required Logs
- All temp bans and permanent bans
- Major grief incidents and rollbacks
- Appeal decisions and reasoning
- Staff escalations and outcomes
[Date/Time] Player: Offense - Punishment Applied
Evidence: [CoreProtect/Screenshots/Chat logs]
Notes: [Additional context or considerations]
Staff: [Your username]
Monthly Reports
Staff may be asked to provide:
- Total punishments issued
- Major incidents handled
- Player feedback received
- Areas for improvement
🎯 Best Practices
Daily Moderation
- Be visible in-game regularly
- Engage positively with community
- Address issues promptly when they arise
- Support new players learning rules
- Coordinate with other staff on decisions
Communication Tips
- Use player names when addressing them
- Explain reasoning behind decisions
- Be patient with confused players
- Maintain calm tone even when frustrated
- Thank cooperative players
Professional Development
- Stay updated on rule changes
- Learn from experienced staff
- Ask questions when uncertain
- Practice de-escalation techniques
- Reflect on decisions and learn from mistakes
Remember: Effective moderation creates a positive environment where players feel safe, respected, and able to enjoy their Minecraft experience. Your role as staff is crucial to maintaining the community we’ve built together. 🛡️
