Bans and Punishments
Sometimes we have to issue punishments for players who do not adhere to our server rules.
See below for more information on the specific actions.
Project Zomboid Bans
We don't have many controls for providing punishments for players that break the rules in game. In most cases, if an admin is present, the player will be told about the issue to avoid it in future.
The only option other than a game ban is a kick, and we generally do not kick players. It's significantly more rare to get a kick than a ban. Read up on Project Zomboid Kicks for the specifics.
When someone breaks a rule, we issue a ban first in most cases. This is for several reasons.
- Due to time zones, it's difficult to always be present for discussing a rule breach.
- We ban to prevent any further rule breaches by the player.
- We ban to ensure the player understands this is a serious issue and not just a gentle talking-to.
- We ban to prevent any further damage or other issues that could affect other players or the community.
- We have automatic bans that are issued based on various criteria.
Being banned in Project Zomboid will prevent the player from logging in to the server with that account. Instead, the player will receive a simple "This account is banned" message when attempting to log in.
To appeal a ban, make a General Help ticket.
Project Zomboid Kicks
If you are new to Project Zomboid, you may not be aware of just how unstable this game can be.
Project Zomboid does automatic kicks for a whole host of reasons, including (but definitely not limited to):
- Triggering of various anti-cheats. You will see a "kicked for Type 3" or similar in these instances. This can happen a LOT for completely normal behaviour. If this happens just once or twice to you, you can safely ignore it and keep on playing. If this repeatedly happens, raise a ticket and we can try to see what is causing the kick.
- Desync. Desync is king. It happens during events, during non-events, when you are looting, when you are at home minding your own business, etc.. These kicks typically just say "You were kicked from the server" and give no context. Many falsely assume this was an Admin who kicked them but, as you may read in Project Zomboid Bans, we don't issue kicks as a form of punishment.
- Because it hates you. This is probably the biggest reason to be honest. You will just disconnect with no warning, notice, or information at all. This happens for, you guessed it, a LOT of reasons. The game is unstable, what can we say!
In short, if you are kicked, don't worry about it and just log straight back in. If it keeps happening, make a ticket to find out why.
Discord Bans
If you find you are banned from our Discord, we hope you should know why. Discord bans are rarely issued for any in-game behaviour.
We don't generally issue Discord bans as that is the only way you can appeal a Game ban. If you have received a Discord ban, it is likely due to breaking community rules and guidelines, such as being aggressive towards staff or others, posting indecent images and the like, harassing other players, or generally being a total douche. Don't do that. Stop it. Get some help.
For those who are Discord banned, you might have a friend on the server who can appeal on your behalf, though your chances are already slim if you made it far enough to be banned in the first place.
Discord Timeouts
Ahhh, the good ol' Discord timeout.
Professionally speaking, this is used to defuse situations that could escalate, most likely when some players get in an argument. This is quite rare and we usually try other methods first, but there's no harm in a little quiet time.
Not-so-professionally speaking, we may timeout Cobalt_Moon from time to time. He deserves it.
We don't typically timeout for any longer than a day. If you still haven't calmed down in 24 hours, you should consider therapy.