IRC Chatroom

The IRC Chatroom was the original official external-chat medium used in Pokémon Revolution Online‘s network of services. It was supplanted by the current Discord server in April of 2017.

Its official channel was #pro, which operated on the now-inoperational AtomicEdge network.

Officiality

As the most prominently interlinked out-of-game chatting hub used by PRO, it is accepted as PRO’s official out-of-game chat; as such, it is used as the go-to player-support real-time chat outside of the game.

Its rules are codified similarly and thus the same guidelines and rulings should be expected here as you would expect from any other medium in PRO’s network of services. The chat-specific rules will be delineated below, but do take as a rule of thumb that the rules model themselves after the same regulatory goals pursued by PRO’s network of services; that means that you should not do any action that would be rule-breaking as it pertains to the game in this chat (scamming, for example).

As its an official part of PRO’s network of services, do bear in mind that extremities of abuse herein could warrant an in-game ban if deemed necessary.

Connecting to the Chat

The most readily accessible avenue of joining the chat is the website’s web-client, as is ubiquitously linked.

However, for improved performance, more client-side customizability, and so forth, application clients are considered optimal for regular users; the most popular ones are noted below:

• HexChat
• ChatZilla — a FireFox add-on.
• mIRC

To connect to AtomicEdge with these clients, input irc.atomicedge.org as the network address; if prompted for a port number, use 6667 for the standard-protocol number. Alternatively, you can use the /server irc.atomicedge.org command to connect if you are unable to find the network-address input window off-hand.

Once you’ve connected, input #pro when prompted for a channel; if not automatically prompted, use the /join #channel-name command manually.

Basic Commands

As a heavily command-oriented chat, you’ll need to be well-read on at least the basic commands to be fairly surefooted using it; they are outlined below. For more advanced and irroutine command information, you have an array of instructional commands to dive into—/help, /helpop, /msg NickServ help, /msg ChanServ help, /msg HostServ help, /msg MemoServ help, and so forth.

General Chat Usage

/me action

It’s used to chat in reported speech—example: Naero exemplifies this command.

/query username message

Opens up a PM window with the designated sendee. Optionally, you can also furnish the message argument to send them a message upon opening the PM window.

/nick newname

Lets you change your nickname without having to rejoin the network to reselect it. Remember to use it discreetly; read the ruleset herein for acceptable guidelines.

NickServ Account

In order to protect your nickname’s custody from other IRC-users, it is advisable to register and maintain it; see the instructional syntaxes below. Alternatively, you can use /ns in place of ‘/msg NickServ’ for command-prependings, as most clients have coded service-command shortenings such as that.

Nickname Registration

/ns register password email

If using an unregistered nickname, this command will register it under your ownership. Anyone trying to use that registered nickname will have a 60-second grace period to authenticate before they are forcibly changed to a Guest-namespace nickname by the service-enforcer bot.

Do note that there is a 30-day grace period of activity to use the nickname before it expires; if one hasn’t authenticated on that nickname for over 30 days, it will drop, thereby necessitating that it must be re-registered.

Authentication

/ns id password

It authenticates the user on a registered nickname when in custody of it.

/ns ghost nickname password

If another user is in custodial possession of the nickname or if the nickname has not yet logged out upon its client’s disconnection, you can use this command to forcibly disconnect the nickname, then it will auto-change and -authenticate you to that target nickname.

Account Management

/ns set password new-password

It changes your registered password. For obvious security purposes, you must be authenticated on that nickname to successfully use this command.

/ns group parental nickname parental nickname’s password

This command can be used to associate a new nickname with your already-registered nickname; doing so will inherit all nickname-associated privileges on your new one, as well as synchronizing all your data if you choose it.

Do note that this is a special mode of nickname registration; as such, you need to be attemptingly grouping an unregistered nickname to your parental one in order to do so successfully.

If the parental nickname drops while the grouped nicknames haven’t elapsed the 30-day grace period of inactivity yet, the most ancestral grouped nickname will supplant it as the new parental nickname.

/ns drop nickname

It deregisters the designated username. Be mindful of the fact that there is no confirmatory prompt upon using it, so be wary of what nickname you’re using it on if you desire to test it.

Rules & Regulations

With multiple channels, the rules can be subsumed into two coverages: overarching rules and channel-specific rules; the former is predominantly codified by this ruleset and will be imposed the same for both channels, but channel-specific rules are more well-defined under the topics subset of rules.

Staff Discretion

In addition to following all the rules outlined below, you are also expected to listen to IRC Staff when it pertains to potentially rule-breaking actions that are not unequivocally covered here.

For even the most comprehensive of rulesets, it is infeasible to cover the totality of circumstances in actions that may or may not be interpreted as rule-breaking, and there is therefore a grey zone; therein, discretion dictates the ruling as to whether or not is against the rules, and IRC staff are empowered to make the definitive ruling on it.

IRC Staff are entrusted to assert their authority where and if needed for peacekeeping purposes, and they are at times even empowered to supersede the equivocalities of this ruleset if they feel it is upholding the spirit of the rules. If you are ordered to cease a behavior by IRC Staff that is not covered by the ruleset, trust that they are that they generally trying to regulate the chat’s behavior using the same underpinnings that formed the chat’s rules.

Server-Wide Rules

1. pro is tenanted under the AtomicEdge IRC network and is inherently adoptive of all its federal-level rules.

In addition all chat-specific rules outlined below, you are also expected to follow the server-wide policies here: https://www.bitsjoint.net/index.php/site/policies

Language Usage

1. Use English only.

That is the central language of this project and (expectably) its community. We acknowledge that many non-native English-speakers are bound to join this chat; however, while we would like to accommodate for them, we can not guarantee multilingual communicators will be serviceable, and thus attempted interlingual communication can easily be blurred. You are advised to use translation for translingual communication, to speak English to the best of your knowledge, or to use a PMs if you prefer to speak in non-English languages with other users in particular.

2. Do not use profanity.

As this game attracts children-oriented audiences, we want to preserve a family-friendly environment for them unconditionally. Even if you believe there is a shortage of children or if they’ve ‘already been/are bound to be exposed’ to such language, it does not mean people coming in the chat with PG-oriented expectations will still be comfortable seeing it.

Words in on par with ‘hell,’ ‘damn’, and ‘crap’ are allowed when used inoffensively; anything more severe than that will not be tolerated.

If a word or phrase is not allowed, then implications of it are not either; as such, no more punitive leeway will be given if you circumvent the filters, as it still serves the same unacceptable role in the context it’s used in.

If you are in doubt of whether or not a word or phrase is (un)acceptable, it is best to ask an IRC Staff member beforehand or to simply use euphemisms instead. It is ultimately advisable to avoid potentially profane language altogether, as it isn’t much of a stretch to avoid usage of such language compared to how reprehensible it would be if the wrong eyes were exposed to it.

3. Use comprehensible language.

Use at least a degree grammatical and spelling correctness that you can reasonably expect others to understand. Not that there isn’t any wiggle room with ‘text speak;’ but when it dissolves closer to ‘1337 5p43k,’ you may be warned not to use it if IRC Staff reasonably believe that others have an unreasonably hard time deciphering it to keep up with you.

Spamming

‘Spamming’ is broadly encompassing in its definition, but it is generally defined as a purposeless message that is more inclined to disturb the chat than it is to contribute anything relevant or topical. Examples:

1. Repetition.

Do not post the same messages repetitively within a short time or recurrently after the message has already served its purpose; for example, if you’ve asked a question, do not post it again while it is still within the immediate backlog of the chat.

2. Capital-letter spam.

Do not use an excessive amount of capital letters in your messages. Capitalizing a single word or phrase is acceptable for emphasis, but you do not need to try to accentuate your message with too many capital letters.

3. Flooding.

Try not to post too many discrete lines of messages within a short time. One way to prevent it can be to merge most of your message in 1-2 lines, rather than posting a single word or phrase per line.

4. Symbols spam.

We do not mind if your messages are interspersed with symbols, such as ASCII art, every now and then; but do not post too much of it within a short time to the point where it consumes the active chat.

Precepts & Conduct

1. Respect other users.

We can not control your attitudes towards other people or demographics (racism, ageism, nationalism, religionism, etc.), but we are allowed to attempt to regulate your behavior here. You are allowed to harbor whatever thoughts you want, but once they manifest as a BEHAVIOR in the chat, we can take action if we feel it becomes offensive to the chat.

In general, avoid offensivity and hostility towards other users.

2. Do not impersonate staff and other users.

• Do not attempt to use nicknames of other users that you’d reasonably expect to be construed as an impersonation attempt.
• Do not claim to be the primary owner of any account in-game other than your own.
• Do not impersonate staff. Whether you are attempting to impersonate a staff member’s identity in particular or trying to mislead others into thinking you have general involvement in the staff, it will not be tolerated and will usually result in immediate punishment.

3. Harassment and inflammatory trolling will not be tolerated.

In general, if your actions (especially intentionally or maliciously) are poised to cause discomfort, annoyance, or elicit an otherwise-strong reaction from another user, they will not be tolerated.

Topics

As we want to conduce an enjoyable chatting atmosphere, users are given a wealth of freedom for topic discussions. However, as we want to preserve a child-friendly atmosphere, some topics are too invariably unacceptable that caveats must be made.

1. User support is the priority of the chat; treat it as such

While this channel encouragingly fields casual conversations, they are to yield to any support requests as they come in. It does not proscribe you from conducting casual conversations; but if the nature of the conversation obstructs the helping process in any manner, you may be asked to cease it until the support query has been adequately attended to.

2. Do not ask about the server status or when it will be operative again; also minimize discussions thereof during downtime.

While the primary goal of this channel and its staff is to help out users, it also wants to do so efficiently; as such, it encourages its users to be well-aware of the symptoms of downtime rather than to ask this channel, as the channel usually can not provide any information beyond that.

It is simple; ask yourself the following questions: is your client unable to connect? Is the user count on the website’s status-checker not fluctuating, or is it marked as maintenance? Are many other users reportedly experiencing the same issue? If so, it is fairly assumable that it isn’t an isolated issue with you but a systemic issue with the server.

Depending on the cause of the downtime, it usually depends on a developer to be around to reboot it, or for the host—more common cause—to be contacted by the client of the services (Shane) or for them to respond; in both cases, it is indeterminable as to how long it will take. Asking us how long it’ll take for it to be online again is as good as taking a shot in the dark yourself, because it is contingent on completely arbitrary factors (as mentioned above) before the server can be re-operationalized.

Asking in the channel typically will not provide any groundbreaking information in regards to the server; therefore, you are advised not to ask or discuss about the server altogether during its downtimes.

3. No sexual discussions or behavior; this is almost prohibitively absolute, aside from more mature, non-crude discussions.

If it gets too explicit, it is best to send the message in a private message (/query or /notice). If you have doubts on whether a topic is appropriate or not, it is incumbent on you to message an IRC Staff before doing so.

4. Do not discuss ban appeals here.

The go-to center for ban appeals is on the Discipline Appeals section of the forums.

Do not discuss your ban case here or try to solicit a GM’s attention regardingly, as they are not intended to be hosted on a public venue—especially since the forums are bound to field more attention to your ban case, due to the time-zone discrepancies. Continuing to raise up your ban case — especially after already being warned not to and pointed in the right direction — may result in an IRC ban, too.

Any other users — be it bystanders or staff — are disadvised from making any comments on the ban case in the channel, as well; doing so may result in punishment on their part, too, especially if it is topic-instigating in nature.

5. No unsolicited advertisement of other websites or services.

• You are allowed to mention other Pokemon MMOs as long as it is not done contemptuously or in an advertised manner.
• Do not post links just for the purpose of building a user count without actually contributing (lawfully) to the chat.
• External links should only be posted if the direct content comports to the rules herein.
• Do not post links to other IRC channels, apart from the official network channels (#help, etc.). The only other exceptions will be other official PRO channels that may be branched in the future if needed.

If you have an articulably reasonable belief that another user in particular may be interested in what other service you are posting, it would be wise to post it in a private message to them.

6. Do not discuss anything that would be rule-breaking as it pertains to the game—botting, scamming, hacking, and so on.

7. No discussions of illegal activities.

This includes drugs, hacking, attacks on other websites or services (such as (D)DoS attacks), and so on. Even if it may not be illegal in your area particularly, it may be on the majority’s ground and thus we can not make unnecessary caveats for the outliers.

8. Do not use the channel for online-dating.

PRO is not an online-dating site, and as long as it does not promote itself as such to its prospective members, it isn’t reasonably assumable that attempts at online-dating herein are an acceptable etiquette anywhere within its domain.

9. This is not a complaint channel; do not treat as such.

This is not the go-to complain medium; the General Complaint Area section of the forums specializes in that.

If you wish to passively express a dissatisfaction here or raise it up inquisitively for clarification, that is more acceptable; otherwise, if we feel that your mode of expression will consume the chat unhealthily, we will redirect you to the complaints section and may take disciplinary action depending on the degree and persistence of it.

Bans and mutes

If you are banned or muted at any point, you are expected to serve out the duration of it. Even if you disagree with it, attempting to evade them is bound to extend the punishment if not escalate it to a bigger threshold of punishment. For any grievances with bans and mutes, you are expected to private-message the operator that issued it, or to take the issue to a higher authority if you feel it is needed.

Ruleset Disputes

Remember that at all times, this chat’s ruleset and its staff are not infallible, are continually being re-examined, and we are constantly looking to amend them for the better. When and if rules (or loopholes thereof) and the IRC Staff’s conduct and habits prove themselves to be problematic, we will look to rectify them.

If you have any complaints about the rulesets or the staff enforcing them, feel free to contact Naero or one of its higher-ranked staff members. For incidents that they were not around to witness first-handedly, however, you will be expected to give substantive evidence—namely the chat logs—before they can properly evaluate it and take duly action.

IRC Staff

IRC staff are the official moderators and go-to general-support personnel of the IRC chat.

Ranks

If you see certain prefixed in front of a user’s name, they are an actively ranked IRC-staff member. Rank-representative symbols may vary depending on your client, but the following symbols are universally used to denote IRC-staff ranks in hierarchically ascending order:

• + — Voice
• % — Half-Operator
• @ — Operator
• & — Chat-administrator
• ~ — Chat Owner/Founder

Many IRC-staff members tend to downrank themselves, however, so they may not be visibly ranked most of the time; read below for a more confirmative list of them.

Current Staff

Do note that not all IRC-staff members are staff in-game; there is a broad overlap since many official staff members tend to use this chat and have inherent access to staff access, but it is a standalone rank from the main body of staff for the most part. See the official staff-group lists to identify in-game staff members.

IRC Staff
Naero Jerry Leo Chaos Reikou Sage Shamac Shaui Telume

Becoming IRC Staff

IRC staff can not be applied for; its users are hand-picked by Naero and the rest of the IRC staff if they feel that the individual has proven a level of maturity, dedication, a vested interest in contributing to PRO, and a good-faith disposition.