Complaints

Complaints

Complaints are forum reports used to report players or forum users for rule breaking in CIT.

This page explains what the complaints board is for, when to use it, what can and cannot be reported there, how to prepare evidence, and which format to use.

Overview

The complaints board is mainly used to:

• report in-game rule breaking
• report forum rule breaking
• submit cases with proof for staff review

It is not used for every type of issue. Some matters must be sent to other boards instead.

The two main forum topics for this system are:

• Board Rules and Format
• Guidelines on Valid / Invalid Complaints

What the complaints board is for

You can use the complaints board to:

• report a player for breaking server rules
• report a forum user for breaking forum rules
• report serious offences with proper evidence

You may also be directed to:

• `Community Arbitration` in some cases
• a separate board for abuse of administrative power

Complaints in other languages

There are complaints boards for other languages, including:

• `Español`
• `عربي`
• `Türkçe`
• `Русский`

What you cannot post there

Do not use the complaints board for:

• forgot-password complaints
• ban appeals
• punishment appeals
• account-recovery requests
• normal support questions

These should go to their proper place instead.

Main complaint rules

When posting a complaint, follow these main rules:

• use the full complaint format
• provide proof
• keep the full conversation if the case is about flaming, trolling, or similar behaviour
• do not edit screenshots
• do not modify logs
• keep your evidence available until the appeal grace period is over
• use a permanent upload site for evidence

Recommended evidence hosting includes:

• `YouTube` for videos
• `FreeImage` for pictures

Evidence rules

Proof is required for complaints.

Accepted proof may include:

• screenshots
• videos
• quotes
• links to forum posts
• logs when appropriate

Pictures are preferred over logs in many cases.

Important evidence rules:

• screenshots should be full-screen
• do not crop screenshots
• do not hide parts with black boxes
• do not add red boxes or other edits
• do not modify logs

If your complaint is about flaming, trolling, or similar behaviour:

• post the full conversation or full argument

If the case is about health bug or network trouble:

• screenshots are not enough
• record a video instead

If the case is about exploiting lag or abnormal damage:

• use /debugplayerdamage
• use /shownetstat
• use /ping player when needed

Complaint time limits

Do not wait too long before making a complaint.

Time limits are:

• minor offences: no longer than `3` days
• major offences: no longer than `3` weeks

Who is allowed to reply

The following people are normally allowed to reply in complaints:

• the complainant
• the accused
• staff members

If the accused cannot defend themselves:

• one other person may reply on their behalf

Only one representative is allowed.

If nobody from staff has posted in a complaint for `48` hours:

• anyone may reply, as long as the reply is not useless

Basic things that can make a complaint invalid

A complaint may be denied or locked if:

• you did not use the format
• you did not provide evidence
• your evidence is not sufficient
• you edited screenshots or logs
• you report something that cannot be reported
• you got banned or muted while your open complaint still needs input from you
• you took too long to post the complaint
• you broke forum rules in your complaint
• you reported the wrong type of issue to the board

Important restrictions

Some situations are specifically not valid for normal complaints.

These include cases such as:

• reporting your own group member for minor internal matters
• complaining because you accidentally sent money to someone
• complaining after attempting an unguaranteed transfer
• reporting small or trivial local-chat one-time insults
• reporting for FMSG unless it is another server advertisement or a very serious offence

Contacting staff vs forum complaints

Some issues are better handled in game first.

For example:

• impersonation of group or squad tags should usually be reported to online staff first because it is faster
• health-bug abuse should be reported to online staff first if staff are online
• repeated disruptive behaviour can sometimes be handled by staff directly if they are present

The forum complaints board is mainly for cases where:

• proper forum review is needed
• punishment needs proof and staff review
• in-game staff were not available
• the accused must be allowed to defend themselves

Valid and invalid complaints topic

The `Guidelines on Valid / Invalid Complaints` topic explains many common rule-breaking situations and how they are treated.

It is meant to clarify frequent cases, but it does not list every punishable situation.

A situation can still be punishable even if it is not listed there.

You are not allowed to claim that something is automatically not punishable just because it is not listed in that topic.

Main complaint categories

The valid and invalid complaints guidelines are organized into these main sections:

• `Disruptive Behaviour`
• `General chat misuse and mutable codes`
• `Cheating/Exploiting/Scamming`
• `Miscellaneous offences`
• `LV Complaints`
• `Group/Squad Stuff`

Disruptive Behaviour

Disruptive behaviour means making someone else's gameplay uncomfortable through actions or repeated harassment.

Punishments can range from:

• mutes
• bans

depending on the seriousness of the case.

Griefing

Griefing is disruptive behaviour through actions instead of words.

Examples include:

• repeatedly punching, shooting, or ramming players just to annoy them
• blocking players in combat or events to give unfair advantage
• obstructing entrances, vehicles, or players
• moving players out of safe zones to get them killed
• crashing aircraft into someone doing an armed robbery
• using jetpack to reach an inaccessible area and then switching to gangster

Misconduct

Misconduct is misuse of special perks or systems to cause disturbance.

Examples include:

• using speaker features like /streamurl to annoy others
• refusing to stop disturbing an event with sounds
• playing obviously inappropriate or disgusting audio or video
• repeatedly using unacceptable names
• using protected tags
• placing barriers to block access or create unfair advantage
• using vehicles or other untouchable objects to block access

Impersonation

Impersonation includes:

• impersonating current staff
• impersonating former staff
• impersonating ICM members
• impersonating protected group or squad tags

Cyberbullying

Cyberbullying includes:

• mocking a player's real-life appearance
• using social-media details to attack someone
• threatening players to withdraw complaints

Sabotage

Sabotage means knowingly acting against a party to damage them or prevent success.

Examples include:

• harming a group on purpose
• kicking `3+` members from a group for no valid reason in order to hurt the group

Wasting staff time

This includes:

• intentionally annoying staff
• wasting a staff member's time
• submitting many invalid cases
• interfering while staff are handling something

General chat misuse and mutable codes

This section covers many mute-related offences.

Non-English in English-only chat

A small one-time occurrence is usually not enough for a forum report.

Repeated full conversations in public English-only chats may be reportable, especially if no staff were available.

General misuse, spam, or flooding

Do not report simple spam on forum unless:

• it was very excessive
• it was extreme
• no staff were available

Examples include:

• spam strings
• repeated useless commands
• copy-pasting annoying logs into public chat

Highly or multi-abusive language

This includes stronger offensive insults directed at real players, groups, or organizations.

Religious or political arguing or provoking

Starting, fuelling, insulting, or provoking through religious or political arguments is not allowed.

Provoking or trolling

Provoking or trolling players, groups, squads, or community teams is punishable.

Provoking groups in main chat may be treated differently than doing it in `super advert`.

Real-life identity insults

This includes insults directed at:

• age
• family
• life choices
• life circumstances

Racial insults

Racial insults are punishable.

Homophobic insults

Homophobic insults are punishable.

Cyberbullying campaign

This includes:

• repeated harassment
• spreading lies
• telling someone to harm themselves or others

Threatening real-life violence or crime

Threats of real-life violence or crime are punishable.

Advertising another MTA server

Mentioning a server name or IP is not automatically punishable unless:

• you promote it
• you ask players to join it

Illegal content and private-data sharing

Minor and major illegal content, and minor and major private-data sharing, are also covered under mutable-code offences.

Intending to cause drama

This includes repeated pointless arguments or useless negative comments made to cause drama.

Cheating, exploiting, and scamming

Cheating

Cheating includes:

• cheat software
• hacking
• network disruption tools
• macro software

Minor exploiting

Minor exploiting includes cases such as:

• wanted players abusing safe zones on pedal bikes or slow vehicles
• using VIP recover to get into inaccessible places
• knowingly continuing to fight while health bugged after being told
• hiding in inaccessible `CITy` zones while wanted and refusing entry to cops
• abusing CIT objects to become unreachable or immortal

Moderate exploiting

A main example is:

• being APB and letting a friend kill you

Both players can be punished.

Major exploiting

Major exploiting includes:

• infinite money exploits
• abusing admin tools for personal gain
• gaining large unfair amounts of resources

Scamming

Scamming means intentionally lying to make unfair gain.

Examples include:

• unguaranteed transfers
• selling something for more than its safe guaranteed value
• exchanging properties such as a zone for a house
• selling accounts, groups, squads, or units
• profiting from prohibited transfers
• skin plagiarism for profit

Scamming evidence rules

When reporting scamming:

• provide as much valid evidence as possible
• do not use Discord or other non-CIT chat logs
• if logs are needed, explain clearly where and when the evidence can be found
• add [LOGS NEEDED] at the end of the title if log access is needed

Miscellaneous offences

These include:

• `Evasion`
• `Assisting Evasion`
• `Real Harm`

Evasion and assisting evasion can result in repeated punishments.

Real harm includes causing or threatening something that would interfere with real life.

LV Complaints

`LV` complaints have extra rules.

If you break these rules, your complaint may be locked.

The rules include:

• your video must not be recorded via /uav
• your video must clearly show what the player is being reported for
• your video must clearly show the reported player's ping with /ping player
• your video must show your own ping and FPS
• you must use /debugplayerdamage when reporting abnormal damage

Extra `LV` notes:

• moving someone outside a protected area by any method is prohibited
• abusing exploits while switch-when-shooting is enabled is allowed only when that preference is enabled

Group and squad complaints

The rules also explain when group or squad issues are reportable.

Situations that can be reported

You can report cases such as:

• a member using access you gave them to remove you from founder position
• random players exploiting a deletion bug to steal your group
• a member kicking more than `3` players without valid reason
• a member with enough access stealing more than `100m` from the group and leaving

Situations that should not be reported

You should not report cases such as:

• you deleted your own group and somebody else recreated it
• you froze your group onto a second account and it auto-deleted
• you donated money to a group or squad bank and later wanted it back

The main exception is:

• if you were kicked right after depositing the money

FMSG complaints

You can only report FMSG complaints in special cases, such as:

• advertising another server
• very serious offences
• private-data sharing
• real-life threats

Otherwise:

• remove the player from `CITbook`

Local chat insult policy

There is a special policy for local-chat insults.

Forum reports about one-time local-chat flaming are treated as trivial and are usually closed without punishment.

What still can be reported:

• discriminatory insults
• insults about relatives or parents
• serious dignity-offending remarks

Public flames in chats like:

• main
• team
• support

can still be punished directly in game.

Format for in-game offences

Topic title:

• `Complaint - Offender's name - Reason`

Example:

• `Complaint - Dimit - Griefing`

Use this format:

[b]Your usual in-game name:[/b] 
[b]Your account name:[/b] 
[b]Your in-game group:[/b] 
[b]Your in-game squad:[/b] 
[b]The offence(s) you're reporting about:[/b] 
[b]Player name of the complained player(s):[/b] 
[b]Account name of the complained player(s) (case sensitive):[/b] 
[b]Around what time did this incident occur? (Include time-zone & date):[/b] 
[b]Detailed explanation of what happened:[/b] 
[b]Languages other than English used:[/b] 
[b]Evidence (Chat lines, full-screen screenshots or videos):[/b] 

For the player-name field, use this style:

• `Nickname (AccountName)`

Format for forum offences

Topic title:

• `Forum Complaint - Offender's name - Reason`

Example:

• `Forum Complaint - Dimit - Abusive PM`

Use this format:

[b]Link to forum profile of offender:[/b] 
[b]The rule(s) broken:[/b] 
[b]Around what time did this incident occur? (Include time-zone & date):[/b] 
[b]What language is used:[/b] 
[b]Proof (screenshot / quote / link to post):[/b] 
[b]If this is about a forum PM, I agree to temporarily give access to my account:[/b] 

If the complaint is about a forum PM:

• a staff member may need temporary access to verify the PM
• if you do not give access, the complaint may be denied

Related rule topics

For exact rules and borderline clarifications, see:

• In-Game and Forum Rules
• Rule Clarifications on Borderline Acts

You can also use the borderline-acts topic if you want to ask whether a situation is punishable.

Notes

• Not every punishable situation is listed in the valid and invalid complaints topic.
• A complaint can still be valid even if the exact situation is not listed there.
• Always use the proper format.
• Always keep your evidence available.
• Do not edit screenshots or logs.
• Use forum complaints for cases that really need forum review, not for every minor issue.

See also

• Punishment Appeal
• Bans Issued
• Forum Warning
• Rules
• CIT Forum
• Reporting Players