London 2038 is a free-to-play, private Hellgate: London server. It is heavily based on the state of the game during its Test Center days (particularly the TCv4 build, “Abyss Chronicles”).
The following rules supplement the fundamental rules outlined in the project’s Terms and Conditions, to which players agree on signup.
1) Global Server Rules and Policies
#1 Third-Party Tools, Cheating, Exploiting, Botting
London 2038 is strictly against players using third-party programs / cheating or automation (“botting”). Any program that provides unintended advantages or in any way interacts with, inspects, or modifies the game client is strictly prohibited. In particular, the “mmBBQ” utility (and any program that behaves like it) is strictly disallowed.
London 2038 actively uses anti-cheat software to detect such behavior. Players caught using any such programs will be banned.
#2 (Multi-)Boxing
“Boxing” is strictly disallowed on London 2038. This is defined as playing more than one character at the same time by the same person, and is accomplished by such programs as “Sandboxie”.
Violation of this rule will result in disciplinary action such as temporary or permanent bans, depending on the severity of each case (eg violation duration, prior violations of the same rule).
#3 RMT (Real Money Trade)
The involvement of any currency, items, or services external to any London 2038 server is strictly forbidden.
This includes – but is not limited to – real money (USD, Euro, etc.), regulated or otherwise (Bitcoin), and virtual currency of any other game; for any of London 2038’s items or services (including, but not limited to: Items, Palladium, Power Leveling, Accounts/Characters).
Violation of this rule will result in permanent bans for all accounts involved (buyers, sellers, mules, transferrers).
#4 Language, Harassment, and Threats
Harassment, threats, and consistently disruptive language are all punishable.
Harassment is defined as the intentional, targeted abuse of another player by such behavior as taunting, being consistently profane, disrupting gameplay, or creating new accounts/characters to avoid filter mechanics. Penalties for harassment are decided on a case-by-case basis, and will typically be temporary for first offenders,
Threats include threats to physical safety or digital safety and integrity, as well as vague declarations of future harm, revenge, or payback. Any direct threat aimed at any player, staff member, or the project as a whole, made through any communication channel, will always result in a permanent ban.
Disruptive language is defined as excessive use of foul or inappropriate language in public channels, or any such language specifically and consistently used against a player. Players are advised to use the “ignore” function of the game for anyone exhibiting this behavior in public channels and/or guilds and parties. Penalties for this kind of behavior will typically be temporary for first offenders, and are decided on a case-by-case basis.
#5 Impersonating Staff
Impersonating staff, through such means as using staff members’ nicknames, using tags or guild names such as “GM” that claim staff membership, or directly claiming staff membership, are strictly forbidden. Unless such instances are wholly unintentional and only perceived as such by other parties (eg players having the same name as a staff member but not claiming staff membership in any other way),such violations will always result in permanent bans.
Players are advised to always communicate with staff members on the project’s Discord server before any in-game interaction, so that they are certain they are in fact interacting with a staff member.
Staff members will never make requests of players’ resources or credentials in-game. Game account or other credentials may only be requested from easily recognizable staff member accounts (eg through Discord or the forums), and only as needed to address a problem the player has previously reported. Staff members will never use such credentials after the initial problem has been addressed.
#6 Attempts to Bypass Penalties
Any attempts to bypass penalties by any means will result in additional penalties, including extensions of any temporary penalties.
If players wish to negotiate penalties, they are advised to contact staff through appropriate communication channels as outlined below.
2) Interactions with Staff and Appeals
The 2038 team and staff include all individuals who have any of the following roles on the project’s Discord server:
- Developer
- Content Developer
- Community Manager
It does not include any individuals who do not have at least one of the above roles. Such roles as “Shady One”, “Contributor”, and “Internal Guest” do not in any way signify that a person belongs to the 2038 team.
#1 Communication Channels
Players may contact staff through:
- Public posts or private messages on the project’s forum
- Public posts or private messages on the project’s Discord server
- In-game messages
Availability of private communication channels is, however, up to each individual staff member. Staff members may choose to not accept private communications, in which case players are advised to make a public post and request private communications about specific matters as needed.
Other communication channels that are not explicitly related to the project, such as any staff member’s social media profiles or emails, are best avoided unless urgently needed and all other options have been exhausted. Availability of such channels is also up to each individual staff member.
Repeated unwanted communications on such private channels may be perceived as harassment, at which point the individual staff member will warn the player about overstepping boundaries.
#2 Harassment
Harassing any staff member across any communication channel is strictly prohibited, and will result in penalties on a case-by-case basis.
Harassment is defined as repeated communications despite requests to stop, profanity and adversarial behavior, or direct threats.
Disagreements over the project’s creative direction, reasonable disagreements on any given topic, negative feedback of any kind, and similar practices do not constitute harassment.
Threatening the safety and integrity of the project as a whole is also punishable, as outlined above.
#3 Appeals
Players may appeal any penalty they receive through the communication channels outlined above. There is no formal appeals process, portal, or channel at the moment, but appeals can still be made. The safest way to do so is on the project’s Discord’s support channel.
Appeals will not be accepted in extreme cases, such as when there is overwhelming evidence of wrongdoing, an admission of knowledge of wrongdoing and a directly expressed intent to continue violating the rules, and so on. Any other contested case can be appealed.
3) Non-game Rules
Platforms external to the game itself have their own sets of rules, which players are also expected to follow. Most notably, the project’s Discord server’s rules outline the behavior expected of Discord members.
Violating the rules of any such platform, including the project’s forum, Discord, social media groups and pages, or others, does not incur in-game penalties by default. Such violations will only result in disciplinary action on said platforms themselves.
However, cases where violations concern or affect the project or staff may incur in-game penalties on a case-by-case basis. Behaviors and actions that can incur such penalties include threats to staff or other members, and attempts to share or promote knowledge or tools that allow for violations to occur. In cases of public admissions of violations of in-game rules, violations will first be confirmed and then penalized accordingly.