Ok, before I expres my opinion in this matter I'd like to stress the following:
- By no means is this the opinion of the entire CDZ team, this is my PERSONAL view alone.
- Nothing in this post is meant to be taken as critisism or accusations. This is just my opinion on this issue, nothing else.
Now, to the point:
Since I have not seen any of the evidence provided by CFC or the defense provided by I can only give my opinion on the jugdement and punishment handed out by the administrators.
Judgement
JokerDF:
The admins clearly found evidence that JokerDF created a DL at CFC to enter the private forum of the CFC ISDG community. This is an act of espionage and the only possible conclusion (apart from a CFC conspiracy all up the way to the site administrator) is that JokerDF cheated and was in violation of two ISDG rules (0.2.2 - Allowed Memberships
and 0.4.2 - Intentional Espionage). This seems pretty straightforward to me. I understand that C3B has a hard time believing that JokerDF did this, as he was apparently a longstanding and respected member of the community of C3B, but that does not change the fact that the evidence has led the admins to this conclusion.
C3B:
The C3B community states it had no knowledge of JokerDF cheating, some confusion to this claim is created by several C3B posts on the UN.
For example:
TheCat";p="1820 said:
No player is successfully elected for important positions if he got nothing to add.
This indicates that JokerDF became president of C3B because he had valuable insights to offer C3B. I am not saying that these insights are the information he took from the CFC forum, but this can not be ruled out immediately. What strikes me as odd in this line of though is that there is no reference to any validation effort C3B made to ascertain JokerDF did acquire his information in a public part of the CFC forum. I find it hard to believe that the C3B team would elect someone as president who has gotten 'sensitive' information from a dubious source without investigating that source.
The fact that JokerDF was president is also significant, because this indicates that he at least had 'sensitive' CFC information in the back of his head while governing CFC.
Lastly, I find it strange that C3B do not appeal to the administrator decision if 100% of their community thinks the verdict is wrong. If you think you are wronged by a deciding judge, you appeal to get the verdict overturned. To say:
Pggar said:
Anyway, what I can assure you is:
- 100% of our citizens is sure that the team did not take part on the espionage, if it indeed happen;
- from the beggining, we stated that we would accept any rulling that came from the admins;
- we don't think that the game should be delayed anymore, and the last actions from CFC is making most of us anxious since it looks like they want to delay the game even more.
That just is not logical. If you are wronged you try to get it straighted out, except if you think you can't do so and may get more punishment.
To say you won't appeal, because you want to get the game going again is simply is not a strong argument, and neither is it a strong argument to refuse to appeal because you said you wouldn't even though you believe the ruling to be wrong.
That makes me think that there's more to this than meets the eye.
Finally, I am of the very simple opinion that if one member of a team cheats (and especially if that member is team president or another high ranking official), the whole team is accountable for that team members' actions. That's why it's called a team! For example, if a member of a sprinting relay team at the Olympics is caught at using performance enhancing products, isn't that whole team punished for his actions?
The verdict
JokerDF:
He's been found guilty, so he's expelled. Simple as that!
C3B:
From the official game rules:
.2.2 - Allowed Memberships
Description: Each forum will be allowed to determine the requirements for membership of its team as it sees fit. However, a person may only be a member of one team at any given time. A double membership is automatically considered out-of-game espionage.
Purpose: To disallow the use of out-of-game espionage and prevent anything that resembles out-of-game espionage.
Verdict: Double membership is strictly prohibited and doing so is a violation of this rule.
Punishment Level: Red (Ejection Personal or Team)
and
0.4.2 - Intentional Espionage
Description: Any out-of-game espionage in any form is strictly prohibited.
Definition: Trying to hack the secure team forum(s), continuously logging team chat channels, inserting moles in an opponent's team, hacking screenshots or savegame upload location, or any other action considered espionage as determined by the game staff
Verdict: doing any of the above as determined by the game staff is a violation of this rule.
Punishment Level: Red (Ejection)
and again from the game rules:
A team that commits a Red Offence will forfeit an enormous amount of turns, in upwards of 30 or 40 turns, they may even be ejected from the current game. A repeat offense is easily enough for they to be expelled from the entire IDG or ever playing on CDG again.
Team Punishments include:
Skipping Turns (no actions taken, just hitting enter)
Anarchy*
Forfeiture of unfairly acquired assets (cities, units, etc.)
Ejection from the current game
Suspension From the rest of the IDG (to include the championship game)
Expulsion from ever playing on or with CDG again
So, a team member of C3B has committed two Red level offenses and he gets expelled and the team gets a 3-turn anarchy?
This is a dangerous precedent! This sets the punishment for extremely serious cheating at 3 turns of anarchy, whereas the rules specefy a much harder punishment. I can not see this as an appropriate verdict, and I suspect, neither can a lot (if not most) members of the wronged team (CFC). IMHO, a CFC appeal is the very logical next step.
But C3B claims (as is their good right) to be innocent as wel, so a C3B appeal would also seem quite logical.
The ammendment
JokerDF:
Punishment stays the same.
C3B:
No punishment??? :dknow: Why not? A C3B member spied on CFC, why shouldn't there be punishment?
Now C3B and CFC have to exchange screenshot? Why? CFC is the 'alledgedly' wronged party in this case. so why should they give information to C3B? And why would CFC want to have C3B inside information as compensation for this crime? I imagine they'll want to win the game in an honest and in-game way, so this ammendment is (and I don't mean to offend the admins with this) ridiculous!!!!
The captains poll
CDZ and CGN are not impartial in this matter and therefor their captains should not be on the ruling council in this issue. Simple as that!
My own conclusion
The judgement:
JokerDF is found guilty. He was a highranking C3B official, which makes this very delicate indeed. C3B is found not directly guilty. However, C3B behaviour is puzzling and not logical in this issue
The verdict:
JokerDF is expelled, following the game rules
C3B gets a 3-turn anarchy punishment, which means that IMHO they get of very easily and a dangerous precedent is set by the game admins.
The Ammendment:
No punishment for C3B, but an exchange of screenshots to balance the issue between C3B and CFC is not logical! The matter is not about balancing C3B and CFC, it's about deterring from further espionage and punishing those who our found guilty of cheating.
The captains' poll:
The captains are not objective in this issue, so they can not make an impartial ruling in this case.
Once more, I want to stress that this is my personal opinion, not the opinion of the entire CDZ team!
Edited for spelling...