We restored the DB on the other server as soon as we could.
You know I am sorry but we had need of the second server to test the new release.
I don't know what it is you want us to do, we are all volunteers working on donated gear.
The whole tone of your post isn't very friendly or understanding at all.
I am well aware of that. I am also well aware, of the fact, that in this community, everyone who does not subscribe to the "roleplay is holy" doctrine is considered to be a second class citizen at best and treated as such. If you are complaining about a lack of manpower in your voluntary effort, I might suggest thinking about how many potential volunteers you already lost, because you and others told them to "play somewhere else", which they happily did. And this is exactly the reason, why my tone is not very friendly or understanding at all. In all the time, I have been here, this community has taken every effort to drive people away and the dev team has always been happy to assist. The RP covenant only being the latest of these antics.
Do you guys actually think about, where PS could be today, if the game was more welcoming? And no, it is not welcomning, to just state, that everyone is welcome, if that is immediately qualified with "as long as your roleplay", without a definition of what "roleplay" is suppose to be (such a statement alone is a serious turn off to everyone, who does software development) and a threat, that you can be dealt with, if you do not follow the non-rules.
The thing I want you (as in "dev/gm team") to do, though I have no hope of that ever happening, is to stop catering to the idiots. Plain and simple. You managed to breed yourself an utmost vocal and utterly braindead community of people, who shoot themselves in their own foot with every wet dream they get fulfilled (anyone remember that time, where you had to mutually introduce yourself in order to not be labeled "Someone" in chat - Great roleplay feature!). With a little bit of sanity and throwing the moronic attitude of roleplaying is so holy, that it deserves no other place than the main chat over board, there would neither be a need for a covenant nor for a second server with relaxed rules (which as a statement is stupid to begin with, because the strict rules do not actually exist in any applicable way). In other words, what I expect you to do is to stop making PS a parody of "bacon of hope".
Here are some really easy ideas, that would instantly relief you of most of the quarrels:
* Scrap the covenant and rephrase the tutorial/loading screen hints. It's really basic psychology, that people are far more inclined to do something, if offered as an option instead of as a must. While at it, also clarify that [ooc bracket rule] to be a convention to be used
only, when you have to step out of character and want to prevent missunderstandings. Make it perfectly clear, that Brainy Smurf behaviour will not be tollerated in the future (currently, it is encouraged).
* Make the whole world open PVP. Roleplay is about consequences, right? Can you think of a better consequence for bad roleplay, than to be beaten up for it? I run around all the time with weapons drawn and seriously, when someone steps up to me, to remind me of the law, he'd better be in a position to actually enforce it (alone or grouped with others). This also opens up a path for real roleplay.
* In order to keep people from grieving others with random PK, install a criminal system. Every player starts out with zero PK points. Whenever someone assaults someone with zero PK, s/he gets 5 points, another 5, if that aussault results in a kill and even more, if new players are attacked. Every character having PK points can be attacked without penalty and also be looted by everyone, once defeated. Only way to remove PK points is by paying heavy bribes to government chars or similar.
* Heck, man the guards occasionally and hunt PKers in the city down!
* Get RP out of main. Seriously, I mean it. The whoe idea of main being the RP chat is flawed to begin with. For once, roleplayers love to be among themselves anyway and second, one channel does not scale anyway. You cannot have two stories take place in the tavern at the same time, one including it being set on fire, while the other being about whatever you do upstairs. Instead of RP taking place in main, make use of story specific channels, everyone interested in can subscribe to. If you want it really fancy, put a glowing beacon in the air, stating "a story is going on here", which also provides the last 5 minutes of chatlogs for those who come in late. That will completely remove the need for any covenant. People can just choose their own style, instead of having own shoved down their throat.
* Give players the ability to flag themselves as either strict or casual roleplayers. That way the evil powerlevers can know ahead, who is an roleplayer and vice versa, allowing both groups to ignore each other.
Poll