Online play is a shared space. The short version: compete hard, do not be cruel, do not cheat, do not walk out. This Code of Conduct applies whenever you use the Online Service (matchmaking, ranked, quick, or custom lobbies, and in-match chat) and is part of the End User License Agreement.
Not Tolerated in Chat, Call Signs, or Lobby Names
- Harassment, bullying, or targeted abuse of another player;
- Hate speech, slurs, or content attacking people based on race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, age, or any other protected characteristic;
- Threats of violence, intimidation, wishing harm on others, or encouraging anyone to harm themselves or others;
- Sharing another person's private information without consent (doxxing);
- Sexual content directed at other players, or any content sexualizing minors;
- Spam, flooding, phishing, scams, or advertising;
- Impersonating the Developer, staff, moderators, another player, or a real person, or a call sign that infringes anyone's rights or misleads others;
- Content that is unlawful where you or the Developer live; and
- Promoting cheats, exploits, or account trading.
Not Tolerated in Play
- Cheating: cheats, bots, automation, macros, memory editing, modified clients, edited save or record files, or any tool that gives an unfair advantage or reveals what the Game does not show you;
- Tampering with or manipulating match results, matchmaking, ratings, records, or the relay;
- Deliberate exploitation of bugs instead of reporting them;
- Match sabotage, deliberate throwing, griefing teammates, or deliberately feeding the enemy;
- Abandoning ranked matches, going absent, or disconnecting on purpose to avoid a loss; and
- Win-trading, boosting, smurfing to abuse newer players, or account sharing to manipulate ratings.
Absence, Abandonment, and the AI Stand-In
When a player in a live match disconnects, walks out, or stops giving orders, the Game hands that player's forces to an AI stand-in so the other players keep playing, and the absence is scored against the player at the end of the match. The consequences scale with the absence, whatever its cause, because the Game cannot tell a deliberate walk-out from a network failure:
- A short network drop that you return from costs a share of the match's experience reward and nothing else;
- A longer absence costs a larger share of the reward and the rating gain, and locks Ranked for a short cooldown;
- Leaving a ranked match for good, never giving a single order, or being absent for most of the match counts as a desertion: the match is recorded as a loss, no experience is awarded, and Ranked is locked for a cooldown that grows with every desertion inside a rolling window (currently ten minutes, then one hour, then one day). Quick play and custom lobbies stay open.
A seat under the AI stand-in remains yours until the match ends: the RECONNECT button on the online screen returns you to it at any time.
Enforcement
The Developer may restrict or remove access to the Online Service for violations. Depending on severity and history, actions may include: a warning; chat restrictions; matchmaking cooldowns; removal or reset of ratings, records, XP, streaks, or cosmetic unlocks obtained through misconduct; a ranked-season ban; or a full Online Service ban. Confirmed cheating or result-tampering may also lead to a platform-level ban (for example a Steam Game Ban), and unlawful conduct may be referred to the authorities.
Enforcement is carried out on a reasonable, good-faith basis. Automated signals may flag accounts for review, but consequential penalties are decided on human judgment where feasible.
Reporting, Appeals, and False Reports
You can report misconduct through the support channel published on the Game's Steam store page (there is no in-game report button yet). Report honestly: malicious or coordinated false reporting is itself a violation. Given a solo-developed service, a formal appeals process is not guaranteed, but you may contact the Developer to dispute a penalty and it will be reviewed as capacity allows.
Streaming, Recording, and Community Events
Recording, streaming, and publishing your matches is welcome, including on monetized channels, as described in the End User License Agreement. Other players may do the same, so your call sign, actions, and chat messages may appear in their content. Non-commercial community events and tournaments are welcome; commercial events need the Developer's written permission.
Fair Play Is the Point
Cosmetic rewards and rank are for prestige only. They never change the balance of a match. Every game is meant to be won on skill and decisions, not status, so protect that by playing straight.