Forum - DDraceNetwork

hmm, searching for ddnet servers now working much slowly. Its kind a protection or?

Ger servers are down.

@Welf: Sometimes the server attack is "silent", and no player may even claim it. Other times, a player is racing and gets blocked, and threatens to "DDoS" if he isn't allowed to race, then proceeds to do it, when the blockers stubbornly keep him frozen, even if he initially did nothing and is the only captive.

You can see it this way: these "blocker servers" are often ruled by the law of the strongest. People often use their power in game in the worst way, by rendering other players unable to move, toying with them while they are frozen, flaming them in chat. No fairness, respect or honor. The people who attack server find no other resort than to use their power like the blockers who attack them, by using the much bigger block that is DDoS or whatever they use: it acts the same, by making the players unable to move...

Nobody can improve the server. If you try from within, you will fail, because the malevolent will is overwhelming. Only moderators and new rules for the servers can improve the situation, but who wants to tackle such a troublesome case?
To begin with, blocker servers are born as a perversion of race servers, their aim being to reroute the blockers who were ruining the race servers to these dedicated servers. They are just leftover servers with no supervision, that are supposed to concentrate all the chaos that the race servers couldn't handle.
To change it is very tricky. If block players are dissatisfied, they may go rampage on race servers again. It would require constant moderation, just for the chat. Votes show already some limits of "democracy" in other mods such as zCatch or FNG (campers are banned, when it is a valid strategy, that is already taken into account in the gameplay and the maps), so it could be much worse in the "anarchy" that is a blocker server. There are no rules, and what's worse, the unofficial name of this "mod" is Blocker, so people tend to interpret it as its worst, just like road speed limitations that are always used as a must-reach speed and not a limit speed. This paradox is obvious when people attack you, often unfairly (without warning, camping on platform or wayblocking, with a team of helpers, etc. are usual cases), then complain when you defend yourself, or use the same treatment against them which they call unfair, which is hypocritical, as they started it, just like all the buzz expressions such as "life", "ez", "cry", etc. which ruin communication, relations and the general atmosphere even further.
This server can be seen as a good simulation of a "law of a jungle", though it should be made clear that is such, not a "blocker server" with no more indication, on a "XXLDR" mod, with occasional contradicting server messages saying "Always help a blocked tee, because he could be the one to save you next time." and "Don't block. Often, the race is delayed by blockers." and moderators inviting us to "Enjoy this server".
Even if the server doesn't change, it should assume what it is. If another type of blocker server is to be born, 1. moderators should enforce the forum rules on the chat when they are here, not necessarily regularly, but from times to times, to set an example, and not show leniency that is leading the server astray 2. new rules in game would have to be added, e.g. to add a road traffic-like system.

TL;DR: A real-life analogy would be modern professional football, where all the dirty tricks possible are used, and people who train in club sometime leave disgusted about the mentality. In this game, you can't be harmed physically, but other players try as hard as they can to make you bad in chat and by ruining your game experience.

Adding rules to the block-servers would make them somehow senseless, cause the non-existing rules are the reason why many people are playing it.

Isn't the block server senseless anyway?

No, it keeps the blocking kids aways from DDrace. It is good that it is there.

The idea of blocker server could give birth to another game mod who involves blocking, but with a more interesting gameplay.
About the current blocker "mod", my conclusion is that the only rules that should be written and enforced when a moderator is present are chat regulations.

I understand the goal of the blocker server, but it isn't good for it to be left as a throwaway server.

Chat behaviour should stay the same over all servers

It is much more lenient on blocker servers, for the worst. There is no moderation policy, in hope to contain all the chaos in the same server. It gets so bad players even think you have to be disrespectful and a mass wb to be a full-fledged blocker and in a way respect the game rules.