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What'cha Gonna Do When They Come for You? - PMC Rules You May Not be Aware of

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GrayRemnant's Avatar GrayRemnant
Level 64 : High Grandmaster Senpai
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Hello there, my PMC brethren!  Gray Remnant here!  Today, as a sort of apology for the project that wasn’t uploaded yesterday (give it time guys, I’m working on it), I’m doing this blog instead.  What kind of blog, you might ask?  Well, the kind that hopefully improves the PMC community.

I’ve included a Vlog version of this, so check out the provided video if you’re interested.

As you all know, plagiarism is against the rules on PMC.  I know, big surprise.  Interestingly, there are actually more rules than just that in the PMC Rules Book.  In fact, there are a lot more.  I’ve noticed in the past few weeks that some of you are unaware of these rules, and so I’ve taken it upon myself to spread the word on some of these lesser known issues.




Rule I - No diamond extortion or trading

One rule that might take you by surprise is Rule 4.7 - Forbidden Advertising Practices.  This rule exists to make sure that people aren’t using forbidden tactics to obtain diamonds and the like.  Now, let’s not panic, there are some things you can do to obtain diamonds.  Using the description to nicely ask the viewers to support your work is okay.  Nothing wrong with asking.  There are, however, other tactics that step over the very fine line of ‘asking’.

Usually, the line is crossed when something is promised in return for diamonds.  Asking viewers to give you diamonds in exchange for future content is the most common thing I see in the projects section.  This usually comes in the form of a quota.  Users will frequently demand 10 diamonds before he/she uploads a world save.  Sometimes, there are various tiers of rewards correlated with various amounts of diamonds, favorites, and subscriptions (kind of like kickstarter campaigns).

This kind of behavior is against the rules simply because it mimics extortion.  ‘Give me diamonds or no download for you! >:(‘ would be the comparative phrase that comes to mind.  It’s easy to see how moderators don’t like this.

Another way to violate Rule 4.7 would be to simply trade diamonds with other users.  ‘I’ll give you a diamond if you give me one’ is just not the kind of conduct PMC is about.  PMC is about giving diamonds because you like or were impressed by something, not about trading currency.

And, of course, creating multiple accounts to rack up tons of diamonds is a bad idea.  The moderators can read that one like a book.




Rule II - PMC isn’t for making money

The second rule that most people don’t know about is Rule 4.8 - Advertising External Website/Commercial Advertising.  This rule is worded in a very vague sense, so I’ll do my best to break it down for you.  This rule exists to prevent people from using PMC to generate revenue.  This may seem cut and dry, but the extrapolation within the rule creates a lot of gray area.

The main point Rule 4.8 tries to get across is that you can’t post referral links to sites designed to generate revenue or sites that provide services that PMC already offers.  Posting links to sites other than PMC that offer access to Minecraft servers is obviously against the rules.  PMC doesn’t want its competitors to be advertised; it’s just common sense.

The aforementioned gray area becomes apparent when we talk about revenue.  Obviously, linking Youtube videos or channels is okay.  If it were against the rules, 60% of all the projects here would be breaking it.  Linking videos to projects both adds to the explanation and the entertainment value of the project.  Now, granted, some people do generate revenue from Youtube.  You might think that makes linking Youtube videos an offense, but the simple truth is that most people don’t generate revenue from Youtube.  Most people just want to attribute a video to their work.

Now, linking advertising is obviously a no go.  So is linking an enterprise or commercial venture that is designed to generate revenue.  Kickstarter and other modes of donation fall into that very gray area.  I’m not a moderator and I’m not a psychic, but I would avoid it just to be safe.  Most mods aren’t going to bat an eye if you do it, but I can’t guarantee you won’t get in trouble for it.

Which brings us to the final cog in this very gray rule: Adfly.  For those of you who don’t know, Adfly is an advertising company that embeds links with an ad.  Now, I’m sure many of you have seen Adfly when you’ve downloaded a map.  Before you freak out and report the user, you have to keep in mind Rule 7.1.5 - Adfly.  This is an addendum to Rule 4.8 which gives some users the ability to use Adfly when linking world saves.  These users are only those level 20 and over.  If you want to use Adfly, you’re going to have to level up to ‘expert’ status before you do.




Rule III - Put some effort into it!

Now this is a rule I really want to talk about, because it’s one that’s broken all the time.  It’s Rule 7.3.3.2 - Minimal Project Requirements and it’s designed to ensure that all projects have some basic elements attributed to them.  This rule dictates that your project must have four things to be considered a project.

The first thing is a title.  I know, hard right?  This usually isn’t a problem for users.  What is a problem is the description.  I see maybe 10 projects a day that have absolutely no description whatsoever.  Come on guys, it doesn’t have to be a six paragraph essay.  A simple sentence will suffice.  If you’re posting a house, write: “this is a house”.  There.  Done.  You qualify.  Easy, right?

Screenshots are also required.  It’s not usually a problem, but I have occasionally encountered projects lacking even a single screenshot.  Now, it’s important to note something here.  It has to be a screenshot of the actual project.  If you’re posting a boat and your only image is a picture of a real-life boat, that’s not a screenshot.  A screenshot is a snapshot of your computer screen while you’re actually playing Minecraft.  You’ve got to give us something in-game that at least proves that the project exists without requiring someone to download the world save.

The forth thing isn’t required, but it is recommended that you link any mods that your project uses in the description.  Again, not required, but you’d be confusing your fans by not at least acknowledging that mods are needed to play the map.




Rule IV - Projects that aren’t projects

This is also a rule that I see broken constantly.  This is Rule 7.3.3.4 - Unacceptable Projects and it’s one of the most overlooked rules on PMC.  There are four basic things that seem like projects, but they’re really not.

The first thing that isn’t allowed is anything that doesn’t have blocks.  If it wasn’t built in the game, it’s not a project.  If it’s an animation, drawing, or let’s play it’s not a project.  Those belong in the ‘blog’ section.  If you post them in the project section, you’re forcing a moderator to waste his/her valuable time to move your post to the right section.  Don’t waste the mod’s time.  How would you like it if I came into your house and moved stuff around?  Not cool guys, not cool.  “I think the toilet looks better in the kitchen to be honest”.

The second thing (and this should be obvious) that isn’t a project is program-generated content.  Anything built with a third-party tool that works off a template rather than your creativity is not a project.  MCedit, WorldPainter, and programs that assist creativity are okay.  As long as you are the one designing it, a little help is not a bad thing.

The third thing is something that really makes me shake my head.  Unmodified default worlds.  These are not projects.  If you amplify a world, it’s not a project.  If you find a default world with six strongholds all right next to each other with a desert temple on top, it’s not a project.  It’s cool as hell, but it’s still not a project.  Finding a default world with six strongholds and a desert temple on top with the addition of a sign is not a project any more than a sign in the middle of a flatmap would be.  There has to be some discernible effort and creativity involved.

And the last thing, the thing that apparently nobody knows is against the rules, is pixel art.  Pixel art is not a project.  Now, of course, you’re going to ask why.  The answer is simple: most users use the pixel art category to create lazy reproductions of previously existing images.  Frankly, that type of pixel art is easy and requires virtually no creativity whatsoever.  All you do is take an image, pixelate it, and copy it pixel-by-pixel into a Minecraft world by hand.

Now, granted, it is possible to make original pixel art that isn’t based off an image.  While this is true, it’s too much of a hassle for the moderators to go through a bunch of pixel art trying to figure out what’s original and what’s not.  Because of this, there is a no-tolerance policy on pixel art here on PMC.  It’s just the rule.

If you create a pixel art image and incorporate it into a three-dimensional building, you’re good.  As long as the pixel art isn’t the sole attraction to your project, it’s acceptable.  Creating something that’s flat, but has multiple layers (texture on the surface) like a dish or an emblem is not pixel art and will qualify as a project.  As long as there is some discernible three-dimensionality, you’re okay.  Layering identical images three times over one another does not qualify and is still pixel art.  Now, you’re just being silly.




Rule V - The most broken rule, not only on PMC, but in the universe

Rule 7.1.6 - Update Log.  I see this rule broken over 20 times every day.  I kid you not.  It drives me crazy.  Well, not quite as crazy as Bouncy Boat, but you get the idea.  Apparently, nobody has any idea this rule exists.

The update log exists for the sole purpose of moving your project to the front of the ‘recently updated’ page when a major addition is made to your project.  Now, what is a major addition, you might ask?  Maybe it’s better if I tell you what’s not a major addition.

Description changes are not major additions.  Changes to spelling, title, or pictures are not major additions.  If you legitimately added something substantial to your project and you upload new pictures that show that new content, that is a major addition and you may use the update log.  If you’re adding pictures of content that already existed before the update, it’s not a major addition and you’re abusing the update log.

Oh, you think it’s bad now?  I haven’t even gotten to the really bad stuff yet.  Buckle your seatbelt folks.  There are some people who have either sheer nerve, or have no idea the rule even exists that bump their submissions.  Yes, there are some who neither change nor add any content whatsoever and type in a simple ‘bump’ into the update log.  Stop it.  Not cool.  Your project doesn’t get another trip to the front page just because you think it should.  There are people with new content who deserve attention far more than you.  Instead of abusing the update log, why not actually update the project?  Get back to work.

Also, using the update log to advertise a future update, another map, or thanking viewers for diamonds is completely unacceptable.  It’s not about content you’re making in the future, it’s about content that exists in the present.  If your map hasn’t changed in any way, don’t use the update log.  If your description changes, good for you.  Don’t use the update log for that either.

Now, there are two things that qualify you for the update log other than the aforementioned stuff.  Those things are downloads, and videos.  These are not listed in Rule 7.1.6, and are valid reasons to use the update log.  If you’re uploading a new version of your map in the form of a world save or schematic, you can use the update log.  If you made a video of the map, you can use the update log.

Okay, so are we all clear on what the update log is supposed to be used for?  Good.  It seems my work here is done.  The world will now return to a peaceful state and hopefully it will remain that way for a millennium.  Probably not, but hopefully I’ve improved PMC in some small way.



Thank you very much for reading/watching this!  If you learned something or found this entertaining, please consider tossing me something shiny.  That’s it for now, next Wednesday is the unveiling of the Temple of Oum parkour course.  Get ready to be blown away!  Bye guys!


-Gray Remnant
CreditThe PMC Rule Book
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1
11/01/2015 4:25 pm
Level 37 : Artisan Crafter
Will3crafter
Will3crafter's Avatar
A moderator said I misused the update log when I added 75% of the project, (only 25% of it was done) new pictures and a download. I said in the update log, "Added 75% of project". He made me change it to, "Added download".
1
11/01/2015 8:27 pm
Level 64 : High Grandmaster Senpai
GrayRemnant
GrayRemnant's Avatar
If you added a significant amount of in-game work to your project, then that should be an appropriate use of the update log.  I like to detail exactly what I added in the update log, just to ensure that everybody knows.
1
11/01/2015 9:52 pm
Level 37 : Artisan Crafter
Will3crafter
Will3crafter's Avatar
Yeah.
1
10/05/2015 3:32 pm
Level 32 : Artisan Engineer
TheBlackTII
TheBlackTII's Avatar
The update log confuses me sometimes.My only question is: is it acceptable to make large changes?
for example: making something bigger/taller or longer/wider
I know this question is a bit dumb.

And also, the moderation.On the rules it is written that you can receive 6 bans but i got banned for like 3 times due to not understanding some stuff and the 4th is gonna be my death on pmc (permaban).Is that changed or what happened? The rules are really really confusing.
1
10/05/2015 4:13 pm
Level 64 : High Grandmaster Senpai
GrayRemnant
GrayRemnant's Avatar
Any changes to the structure of a build are probably okay.  As for the banning system, your sixth ban is the permaban. ;)
1
10/03/2015 9:42 pm
Level 32 : Artisan Pixel Puncher
DoYouSeeMeYet
DoYouSeeMeYet's Avatar
Hopefully people WILL stop doing these things after reading/watching this post
1
09/15/2015 11:20 am
Level 27 : Expert Engineer
airship builder
airship builder's Avatar
Thank you for writing this, it has been very very usefull
1
08/25/2015 6:38 pm
Level 15 : Journeyman Robot
BB68
BB68's Avatar
Ty for the help Gray.
1
08/25/2015 6:40 pm
Level 64 : High Grandmaster Senpai
GrayRemnant
GrayRemnant's Avatar
No problem!  Glad you found it helpful.  ;)
1
08/08/2015 10:43 am
Level 44 : Master Lad
CAG2
CAG2's Avatar
"If you made a video of the map, you can use the update log."

Well, it appears PMC has been busy. Check it out.

"This includes but is not limited to:
  • Minor title/description/content changes

  • Adding or Editing pictures, videos or banners

  • Announcements that are not updates

  • Advertisements for server or other submissions

  • Bumping a submission/Blank Logs"

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