Are there any server(s) that are more child friendly?

[Crystal Dragon]

40 minutes ago, Oubliette_Red said:

Something else you can do is check out the SG's in the server specific forums, to see if any list themselves as 'family friendly'. That may provide you and your kids a more active experience than just the three of you.

 

This is a good idea, I personally try to keep mine as family friendly as possible. There are moments adults get to talking, but that's usually after most of the younger folks are tucked into their beds. I'm generally careful of inviting younger players into my group, but I do aspire to keep Scions of Everlasting as a safe space for all ages.

[Arc-Mage]

There is a filter switch in the game options. It doesn’t catch everything but at least it’s another tool to catch questionable chat.

[BlackSpectre]

I like the idea of removing every channel from the tabs except a private custom channel specifically for the family. 
 

/chatsave  to make it the default after you configure it. 
 

Then in window explorer or Finder find the chat.txt file in the COH default folder, right click or select info or properties, and make the file “read only” in permissions to ensure that any changes the kids make to the chat will be reverted back to they way you want it when the game is restarted. Of course if you want to make any changes in the future  you’ll need to go back to that file and make it read/write again. 

[Player2]

A little late to this party, but I just want to say that I am against a child-friendly environment.

 

Children are evil, selfish jerks and I don't want them around my geezer-friendly servers.

[kito]

On 2/24/2023 at 2:37 PM, AboveTheChemist said:

It seems appropriate to post a reminder of section 5(c) of the User Agreement that we all agree to when clicking 'ACCEPT' to enter the game:

 

 

How can HC hope to inforce this when the game can be seen on Twitch and YouTube. There is no doubt kids under 13 watch this game. Most/any adult playing a superhero games that has kids will get some interest. 

[kito]

My 2 cents is the same filter chat and put in there bio the player is underage. When ever I see a bio with player is under 18 ik I start to self moderate better or try to be more helpful then one word answers to questions. 

 

If/when they start to play I had my kids start with farming. Let's them beat up rooms full of enemies and be super heroes. And where all around easy for them to do. Get mish talk to one person go into AE repeat. AE all over the city are mostly empty so low chance they will bump into people and they feel like there helping you as you get some inf out of it. 

 

Outher then that I would say don't let them play alone if there under 13 but as long as your playing with them and on there team should be little issues. 

Edited February 27, 2023 by kito

[Mjolnerd]

1 hour ago, kito said:

How can HC hope to inforce this when the game can be seen on Twitch and YouTube. There is no doubt kids under 13 watch this game. Most/any adult playing a superhero games that has kids will get some interest. 

 

Enforcement isn't the point -- it never is with this sort of thing.

 

My city has those rentable electric scooters all over the place and every time I get one, the app tells me I need to wear a helmet -- every single time. Yet I've never, not once, ever seen someone on one of those scooters wearing a helmet. Who just... carries one around with them all the time?

 

But because that message is there and I've acknowledged it, that means that if I fall off of my scooter and sustain a serious head injury, I can't blame the scooter company for it. They will have warned me to protect myself, and I will have chosen to ignore that warning. It's actually there to protect them more than it is me.

 

It's the same thing with items like age limitations in an EULA -- while Homecoming can and should certainly take reasonable steps to prevent their servers from being used for anything harmful or illegal, they can't possibly be expected to control every interaction a child might have with another user. But they can tell you "hey, don't bring kids under 13, this isn't the place for them" and if you choose to ignore that and the kids see or hear or experience something you don't want them to... well, they tried to warn you.

[Grouchybeast]

6 hours ago, kito said:

How can HC hope to inforce this when the game can be seen on Twitch and YouTube. There is no doubt kids under 13 watch this game. Most/any adult playing a superhero games that has kids will get some interest. 

 

HC is a small, American company.  Allowing children under 13 to sign up to play on the servers would require them to comply with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Rule (COPPA).  This introduces a whole raft of rules and legal requirements that HC would have to undertake to follow or be in violation, for which there are potentially large fines.  It's onerous and expensive.  This is why pretty much every website or online game based in the US that isn't specifically meant for kids has a minimum age of 13 or over.

[Number Six]

45 minutes ago, Grouchybeast said:

HC is a small, American company.  Allowing children under 13 to sign up to play on the servers would require them to comply with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Rule (COPPA).  This introduces a whole raft of rules and legal requirements that HC would have to undertake to follow or be in violation, for which there are potentially large fines.  It's onerous and expensive.  This is why pretty much every website or online game based in the US that isn't specifically meant for kids has a minimum age of 13 or over.

 

It's this. We're not thrilled about having to have the minimum age requirement, but in order to comply with US law and not incur potentially large legal expenses to deal with the intricacies of handling what might be considered personal information of children under 13 (and disastrous fines if we get it wrong), it's necessary to write that into the terms of service and enforce it as best as we're able. If we become aware of an account owned by a minor under 13, we'll have no choice but to take action on it.

[Seed22]

On 2/23/2023 at 4:51 PM, okpokalypse said:

I've come back to playing and my kids (12, 8 yrs) both see my playing, think the game is awesome, and very much want to play.  However, I've noticed in my server there's sometimes some fairly non child friendly banter going on.  Specifically people talking about OF accounts and sharing links to such in general.  It's not frequent, but it's also not something I want to risk my kids seeing and following.  I'm trying to preserve what little innocence they have left.  🙂 

 

Anyhow - any recommendations appreciated.  I'd love to get them playing along with me.

 

Thanks!

I completely understand, as I remember our dad getting us into CoH young and being mindful of the banter online to an extent.

 

What I can recommend now that we couldn't then is:

 

• Remove general chat IMMEDIATELY from all parties' chat window. Trust me on this one(I mean, you've seen it too so I doubt you need to trust me but still :P)
• To ease em into the game and to keep things from getting out of hand, start out with just y'all as a team. This allows for pacing at your leisure and can gradually introduce them into team play!
• Once they do go out on their own, impart these wise words: Some of these people are looney and outside of specific mission related instructions it may be best at times to ignore team chat.

[d4verman]

6 hours ago, Mjolnerd said:

 

Enforcement isn't the point -- it never is with this sort of thing.

 

My city has those rentable electric scooters all over the place and every time I get one, the app tells me I need to wear a helmet -- every single time. Yet I've never, not once, ever seen someone on one of those scooters wearing a helmet. Who just... carries one around with them all the time?

 

But because that message is there and I've acknowledged it, that means that if I fall off of my scooter and sustain a serious head injury, I can't blame the scooter company for it. They will have warned me to protect myself, and I will have chosen to ignore that warning. It's actually there to protect them more than it is me.

 

It's the same thing with items like age limitations in an EULA -- while Homecoming can and should certainly take reasonable steps to prevent their servers from being used for anything harmful or illegal, they can't possibly be expected to control every interaction a child might have with another user. But they can tell you "hey, don't bring kids under 13, this isn't the place for them" and if you choose to ignore that and the kids see or hear or experience something you don't want them to... well, they tried to warn you.

It's like that with almost everything. Thats why you have warnings on bottles and the like. And considering that people were eating tide pods awhile ago I can understand why it's that way. 

[Luminara]

Just don't let 'em on the forums.  I am definitely not rated PG.