Preface
We believe it is important to understand what SakuraFalls is and what we are looking to turn it into over its lifespan. A lot of servers come and go, and this is especially true in the landscape of roleplay servers. In our mind, much of what causes servers to come and go has to do with lack of good principles. In a simpler way, we believe that when players grow tired, bored, or frustrated with whatever their current main server of choice is, they will inevitably group and attempt to form a new community to fill whatever is lost when they leave. Unfortunately, not much more thought is usually placed into these projects; besides serving as a necessary alternative. Once the frustration vanishes (as it tends to do with time), the original players who once left looking for something better will return to their old ways. This may also be, in part, due to human beings' ambivalent nature. Either way, in order to ensure that SakuraFalls does not meet a similar fate, we want to underline very clearly what our principles are.What this server wishes to be
Like all servers, our ultimate and inalienable goal is to give players a fun and unique experience. However, with these styles of roleplay servers, there is more to it than meets the eye. Here is then a mostly exhaustive list of what SakuraFalls is aiming for.SakuraFalls must remain:
- Reliable; not only in terms of its core functionalities, but also in terms of the server's operation. The server must not crash, lag, or burden the experience of the players, so much so that we would rather choose to limit the maximum player count or forego some features than to worsen the player experience. The map, the plugins, the resource pack, the website must be done in accordance with our standards, and custom work shall be used wherever public work does not suffice.
- Equal; in the sense that all players shall be treated the same, regardless of their personal beliefs, gender, religion, or cultural differences. Players who only enjoy certain aspects of the server's gameplay must be respected and we will try to ensure that all features are given equal love and care.
- Accessible; in the sense that our project's fundamental building blocks must never be locked behind an artificial gate. Players can adapt the idea, map, plugins etc. to their liking in order to create even more ambitious projects. Also, the server must be available to as many people as possible, regardless of how powerful their computers are, and we do not want to require players to have to install mods or launchers to enjoy the server properly.
- Modest; meaning that, although we don't outright remove all forms of donations from the server, the choices for players to donate must be very limited and our server will never turn into a for-profit or pay to win operation.
- Stable; meaning that we won't fix what is not broken. Thus, all features and community contributions will stick around until there is unquestionable need to replace them. We rely on the accessibility aspect to allow players to adapt the server's idea, should that be the case.
- Democratic; so that the players take part in the decisions made towards the server, especially large changes which will affect everyone. Likewise, we also wish to (although difficult) ensure equal representation amongst all players' views.
- Voluntary; so that the team behind the project consists of mostly volunteers instead of paid professionals. This goes hand in hand with our goal of modesty. The general rule is that we offer free and unambiguous access to the server, and so any improvements should also be kept free of any charges, legal rights, and such. It is very important that this silent agreement is understood by all involved parties, and that it never becomes unilateral - the management shall never overwork or demand from the volunteers, and the volunteers shall not abuse their positions.
What this server will forever avoid
There are a lot of things we would rather not touch. Unlike the previous list, it is probably impossible to write a truly exhaustive list of all the vile things we do not wish to do. However, there are a few notable mentions which we will make here so that you understand what's integral to this project.- This server shall not become a rug pull, which only seeks to make money from desperate and/or banned players.
- We will not be suck-ups who always do what certain larger communities of people want.
- We will not be afraid or intimidated by larger servers which try to undermine creativity and ensure that all players come to their community instead.
- We will be forgiving when it becomes reasonable that certain players have changed, and wish to extremely rarely issue permanent final bans.
- We do not want to become another "great" community that tries to intimidate or subdue other communities with dirty tactics such as raids.
- We will never tolerate toxic or nasty people only to increase our player counts.
- We will never lie about our features, player counts, or other limitations.
- We vehemently avoid concentrating power in the hands of few by means of staff ranks, unfair moderation, or excessive donations.
When things go wrong
In case that the current owner(s) of the server changes, or the current owner(s) do not follow the principles underlined here, we not only allow, but actively invite members of the community to participate in boycotting and public outcry. For a roleplay server, nothing is more destructive than uncontrollable drama. Although this presents a risk when malevolent actors attempt to create chaos, such a group of people is almost never large enough to cause a collapse of the server provided the principles outlined here were followed.We believe that all players can be capable of discerning lies from truth. A group of ill-intent players will never be able to truly destroy the integrity of the server. In the same sense, a group of ill-intent owners, staff, or volunteers must not be capable of destroying the hope of this project. Although most servers will condemn boycotts or outcries, we welcome those which have good intentions with open arms in order to stabilize and ensure the best outcome and longevity of this project.
For those who wish to donate or help us
We have tried above to make it very clear that we will try to stand by these principles no matter what. Thus, for all of those who wish to contribute either monetarily or through voluntary action to the project, we must offer a warning: taking part in the project will not protect you from ensuring that our principles are maintained. When donating or contributing, please be aware that we will take decisive action if necessary in order to ensure that the project remains grounded in its values.This means that punishment such as permanent final bans can still apply to all those who donate or contribute to the project, and donating or contributing does not serve as a waiver of immunity nor as a waiver of leniency. Please also note that this post was made before the server was de-facto released, thus all arguments resembling "not being warned about this" will be dismissed.
Closing thoughts
We hope that you can see our goals as a powerful motivator to remain active, kind, just, helpful, and empathetic in this community. Our values shape the direction we wish to take the server in. We believe that you can also share our values and help maintain them by using your presence in the community.Thank you for reading. May SakuraFalls be a roleplay project that can bring us all together!
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