MFGG warn system

MFGG's warning system is intended to punish rule-breaking offenses. It has changed over time as discussions over a certain incarnation's effectiveness have uncovered problems.

Initially, it was a regular warning system; members had a set of five "hearts" which could be removed in the event of an infraction. The number of hearts removed from one warning was related to the severity of the offense. Later on, five hearts was seen as too lax and the system was later dropped to three. Once a member ran out of hearts, they were banned for a period of time. With good behavior, users would gradually regain lost hearts. Klobber was known for giving back a heart on Valentine's Day.

Again, the three-hearts system was considered too lax, and the current revision does away with warns entirely. Instead, members are effectively banned (though it is still often called warning) for differing lengths of time for any offense. This can be as short as a few hours to hundreds of thousands of years (the latter is effectively a quick permaban). This is somewhat controversial with some members, as even a minor offense could lead to loss of CCC access for a few months.

When MFGG switched over to phpBB3, it got a new warn system. Then at MFGG 5.5, the warn system was replaced by a tweaked version of it.

"	MFGG has switched to a hybrid points-based warning system. Everyone is starting with a clean slate, with 0 points on their record. Every time you are disciplined for breaking a rule, warn points will be added to your account. The exact number will depend on the offense. Periodically, points will expire from your account. Your current warning status can be seen in each of your profiles. Some of the major details are listed below: * Each user maxes out at 30 warn points. * If you reach your warn point maximum, you will be automatically suspended for one year. This replaces the permaban. * When you return from a one-year suspension, your warning level will be 90% of its maximum. * Every 20 days, one point will automatically expire from your account. * Except in special situations, users will be suspended by the warning system, not by a moderator. More on that below. At higher percentages, users will be automatically suspended each time they receive a warning. The suspension times are fixed by the board and relate only to your current warn status, not what you are receiving a warning for. The following list gives the times and warning levels. * 40%: Suspended for 1 day * 60%: Suspended for 2 days * 70%: Suspended for 4 days * 80%: Suspended for 7 days * 90%: Suspended for 10 days * 100%: Suspended for 1 year Mods will assign warning points from ranges defined for the following 4 categories: * Small offenses: 1 - 3 points * Medium offenses: 4 - 6 points * Big offenses: 8 - 12 points * Super offenses: 13 - 20 points The definition of small, medium, big, and super are up to the moderating team. The moderating team maintains a loose guide for which types of offenses fit into which category, and each mod will decide at the time of warning how many points to assign from within a given category.	"
— MFGG Rules

Badges are awarded to those who remain warn/ban free (and somewhat active) for a certain time period; due to their inclusive nature, only the highest of the applicable level of these badges can be possessed by a given member at any time:

• - Happy Heart: 2 months warn/ban free
• - Super Happy Heart: 6 months warn/ban free
• - Ultra Happy Heart: 2 years warn/ban free
• In addition, you must have one-hundred posts and have been a member the amount of time you have to stay warn/ban free to get any of these badges.

Administrators and Moderators are the only people issued to give warns, however this does not apply to staff members, namely Parakarry and Black Squirrel.