Private Server Monetisation
Private servers are the lifeblood of Mount & Blade multiplayer. Server owners offer a service to the community which brings players together and allows them to enjoy the game in a way in which we as a company are simply unable to. Community events, tournaments, new game modes and custom maps are just some of the ways in which people benefit from the generosity, dedication and hard work of these valued community members, and without them, the multiplayer side of the game would be a lesser experience.
This service often comes at a considerable cost to server owners and administrators. Not just in terms of the time and effort required to provide a quality service, but also with the monetary investment required to maintain a server. We recognise that it is important that server owners are able to raise funds to help with the general costs associated with running a service, however, recently we have noticed that some servers have started to move away from the traditional method of raising funds through donations towards a payment-based method which offers players in-game rewards in exchange for money.
We certainly appreciate the great contribution that server owners make and we believe that it is fair for them to ask for help with upkeep costs, however, we also strongly feel that the game should be enjoyed by all of our players in a fair and inclusive environment, and without them being subjected to any additional costs.
We think that it is time that we set some guidelines for server owners to be clear as to what we consider to be acceptable ways for them to raise funds to maintain their service, in a way which is fair to both server owners and players.
Server Owners
You are allowed to:
• Accept donations
• Charge players a flat fee to access your server (providing you have the explicit permission to use any mods, maps, game modes, intellectual property or any other additional content hosted on your server)
• Offer reserved slots for donators
• Offer out-of-game rewards
• Offer in-game custom titles as a reward
You are not allowed to:
• Restrict access to gameplay features
• Sell any form of in-game content, cosmetic or otherwise (items, perks, skins etc.) via payment or donation rewards
• Sell in-game currency for money (or any other means that facilitate the buying of in-game content through real spending)
Server Hosts
You are allowed to:
• Lease servers which include script-sets (such as administration tools) or modules, custom maps and other modifications, providing that your prices are consistent across servers (with and without game related content) and you have the explicit permission of the content creator to use their creation.
You are not allowed to:
• Lease servers which contain the intellectual property of another person or company without their explicit permission
• Act as a server owner for pay-to-access servers
Permissions
The only accepted methods to prove you have permission to use any assets (mods, maps, game modes, scripts, models, textures, or any other additional content) or intellectual property are:
• Letter (physical or scanned)
• Email
• A post or a reported personal message on our official forums
Letters, emails, forum posts or reported personal messages should be from the owner(s) of any assets or intellectual property and they should clearly state that you have their permission to use their creation. Screenshots are not an acceptable form of proof.
Given the complexity of the matter and with this being a new policy, we reserve the right to make any amendments or changes to these rules at any time.
Furthermore, we reserve the right to take action against any server which we feel goes against the spirit of the community by attempting to bypass this policy in any way, poor sportsmanship in competition or racist/sexist/etc conduct.
We intend to give server owners and hosts a grace period of one month to bring their servers in line with this new policy, however, after that period is over we will add any server that breaches these terms to our blacklist.
(09/06/1
If you have any enquiries regarding this policy or you would like to report a server which is in breach of these terms then please contact us at:
[email protected]