Can we talk about the ToS?

[linewalker]

  

16 hours ago, khzmusik said:

I would point you to the language of the EULA, but I can't read it any more. Once you read it in game you can't re-read it in game, it's not in Steam, and AFAICT it isn't available online anywhere. I did read it, but I have to go by memory to remember what I agreed to. That's not good.

 

I suppose you didn't look very hard for places to read it.

 

If you are on the Steam Store page.

That link takes you here.

http://store.steampowered.com//eula/251570_eula_0

 

Barring that, use a search engine for a grand total of 15 seconds.

 

Hey look! It is a page readily accessible on the official website for the game!

EULA | 7 Days to Die

 

The only thing "Not Good" is your ability to look for information.

[khzmusik]

On 6/28/2024 at 9:09 AM, linewalker said:

  

 

I suppose you didn't look very hard for places to read it.

 

If you are on the Steam Store page.

That link takes you here.

http://store.steampowered.com//eula/251570_eula_0

 

Barring that, use a search engine for a grand total of 15 seconds.

 

Hey look! It is a page readily accessible on the official website for the game!

EULA | 7 Days to Die

 

The only thing "Not Good" is your ability to look for information.

 

Thank you for finding those for me. I swear that I did look at the Steam page, and I didn't see it. I must have missed it.

 

I also tried looking for it from the web page. I finally found where that is. It's under the "Support" section. There's also a link to separate guidelines for video streamers, where it doesn't mention that their content may be taken by TFP ("USER CREATED CONTENT" includes "a video of your game play" and any UGC automatically grants to TFP an unlimited global right to use it for any purpose.)

 

But that only highlights the issue that I'm talking about. The section that I think is so troublesome is not in the Steam EULA page at all. It was apparently added on June 17th according to the 7D2D web page.

 

This is the section that I'm talking about:

 

Quote

COMMUNITY GUIDELINES. In addition to any community guidelines that may be applicable to your use of the Software when playing on any multiplayer platform (including the Sony PlayStation Network Code of Conduct found at PlayStation Network Code of Conduct and the Microsoft Services Agreement – Code of Conduct found at Microsoft Services Agreement), the following Fun Pimps Community Guidelines are intended to ensure a fun and safe environment for playing the Software and interacting with other players.  You agree to abide by these guidelines and understand that violating them may result in revocation of the Software license granted to you and access to any of our services, including those located on our website, http://www.7daystodie.com, sub-domains, and any associated web-based and mobile applications.  

 

You agree to:

 

Respect and Inclusivity.

• Treat all players with respect, regardless of their background, age, gender, race, ethnicity, religion, or sexual orientation.
• Avoid engaging in hate speech, discriminatory language or behavior that marginalizes or belittles others.
• Encourage and support inclusivity, fostering a welcoming environment where everyone feels safe and accepted (except for zombies).

Fair Play.

• Do not engage in cheating, hacking, or exploiting glitches in order to gain an unfair advantage over others.
• Encourage a level playing field by promoting fair competition and sportsmanship.
• Report any suspicious or malicious behavior to us.

Intellectual Property.

• Respect the intellectual property rights of others.
• Do not create, distribute, or upload content that infringes upon copyrighted material without proper authorization.
• If you suspect any violation of intellectual property rights, report it to us.

Content Guidelines.

• Do not create or share content that contains explicit, offensive, or inappropriate material, including but not limited to nudity, sexual content, violence, and hate speech.
• Refrain from sharing content that promotes or glorifies illegal activities, substance abuse or self-harm.
• Ensure that your content does not invade the privacy of others.

Collaboration and Communication.

• Encourage positive and constructive communication within the 7daystodie community.
• Do not engage in harassment, cyberbullying, or stalking behavior.
• Report any inappropriate or harmful behavior to us.

Reporting and Enforcement.

• Follow the 7daystodie reporting system to report any violations of these community guidelines.
• False reporting or misuse of the reporting system may result in penalties including revocation of the license to the Software granted hereunder.
• The 7daystodie game administrators will review reports and take actions we deem appropriate in our sole discretion to enforce these community guidelines.

Privacy and Security.

• Protect your personal information and others’ privacy. Do not share personal information, such as real names, addresses, or phone numbers.
• Report any attempts to scam, phish, or compromise the security of players or the game.
• Be vigilant and report any suspicious activity or attempts to exploit vulnerabilities within the game.

Remember, these community guidelines are meant to support a thriving and welcoming community. By adhering to these principles, you contribute to the positive atmosphere and help create an enjoyable experience for all players. Licensor has the final say in enforcing these guidelines, and any violation may result in penalties, including temporary or permanent suspension from the game.
 

 

Most of this is perfectly fine and nobody should have an issue with it.

 

But the parts I highlighted are different. Especially since I'm pretty sure mods must follow these guidelines as well. Or at the very least, if the mods don't follow the guidelines, then either they are not allowed on public servers, and/or the mod authors aren't allowed to distribute them publicly - it's not at all clear.

• I have a mod that adds back a stripper zombie that was removed from the game. Is that "nudity" and "sexual content?"
• At least one or two mods exist that allow you to grow and smoke marijuana. That's still illegal at a federal level and in many states, and may count as "substance abuse." If you host a server with one of these mods, will it get banned?
• Taking steroids is illegal. If you take steroids in the game, and it gives you a buff, doesn't that promote and glorify illegal activities and substance abuse?
• How on earth can a game where you violently slaughter zombies, and humans in future updates, not contain "violence?"

I completely understand why TFP added this section, and don't disagree with the intent. But I think it should be rewritten to make it clearer.

 

Was it even intended to cover mods at all?

 

If so, what specifically are mod authors not allowed to do with mods that may contain nudity, or drugs, or make the game more violent somehow (like more horrifying gore blocks or whatever)?

 

And, finally, this section must be added to the EULA page on the Steam store.

Edited yesterday at 09:03 AM by khzmusik (see edit history)

[meganoth]

I don't want to demonize the console companies, but today I have to 😉 : Those highlighted parts smell like "suggestion" from one or both of them.

 

Just speaking as a player (not a moderator), I would say a mod like the stripper is totally harmless anyway. Especially TFP won't bat an eye since they themselves put that zombie in. And IF someone from TFP or Microsony has a problem with any mod they better use the usual desist letters before drawing bigger guns or they will get the usual community bombing. I think both publishers legal departments know by now how not to shoot yourself in the foot with legal canons.

 

So generally I would say publish and wait for letter is a safe method to test the grey area.

 

 

[theFlu]

38 minutes ago, meganoth said:

So generally I would say publish and wait for letter is a safe method to test the grey area.

That's the standard practice, but it quite sucks - to publish something, you have already put all the work into making it. And since you usually won't get noticed by the studios until you've reached some notoriety, there's a whole lot work done until some DIE-manager gets triggered by your content.

 

Waiting for letters in a grey area is just.. crappy. It might be tolerable if you could request for greenlighting letters; but no studio is going to do that, it'd be costly and there's 'risks' involved for them.