Fair play, chat rules and your data
This page is written in plain words. It is a draft that the operator of the service may refine; where it states a number, that is what the software does today.
Fair play
The server runs the game. Your computer sends your orders and nothing else counts: the server checks that the units are yours, that the place is on the map, that you can see your target, and that you are not sending more than 30 orders a second. It sends you only what your units can see, so a modified client has no hidden information to show. A client cannot make the game run faster for itself, because the server owns the clock.
The server also keeps a record of every game (the replay) and counts orders per player. A player whose rate stays superhuman for a minute is logged for a moderator to look at; nothing happens automatically. A replay can be replayed on the server and checked against the final state of the game.
W4 does not scan your computer and does not try to hide secrets in the game: the engine is open, so such checks would prove nothing. Fairness comes from the server doing the checking.
Chat rules
- Be civil. No hate, harassment or threats.
- No spam, advertising or flooding.
- Do not post other people's personal information.
Anyone signed in can report (see below) a chat line, a player, a game or an upload. A moderator can dismiss the report, hide the line or item, mute the player for a time, or ban the account. Every action is written to a log that administrators can read. Short mutes come before bans; a ban is for repeat or severe cases. If you are muted you can still play; only your chat is stopped.
Uploads
You may upload only what you made or have the right to share. Do not upload files taken from Blizzard's games (models, textures, sounds, maps): they are not yours to share, and they will be removed. An administrator can remove any item, and people who keep breaking the rule lose the right to upload.
What the service stores, and for how long
| What | How long |
|---|---|
| Your account (name, tag, email, hashed password) | Until you delete the account. Deleting removes it and its tokens. |
| Chat lines | 180 days |
| Private messages | 90 days |
| Hashes of the addresses you signed in from (to tell you about a new one) | 180 days. Only a salted hash is kept, never the address. |
| Finished games and their replays | The most recent 20,000 games |
| The moderators' action log | 2 years |
Nothing is sold or shared, and there is no advertising. W4 and the online service are free; there is no paid advantage of any kind.
Reporting
Reports go to the online service (POST /v1/reports, three an hour per account); the report buttons in the game and on the site are being added. Until then, tell a moderator in the chat.