My 2-cents:
It's perfectly legitimate to play a loner. Just because you want to play a loner doesn't mean everybody you encounter will feel the same.
The easiest thing to play in SK, especially with low player counts, is a loner. If your intention really is to play alone, you can level up to Master while avoiding most players in the game, even without knowing the game inside & out. It might be slower, but it's possible.
It's extremely easy for any experienced player to know the difference between a new player and an experienced player who's just trying to stay under the radar. Just because you're trying to fly under the radar, doesn't mean everybody you encounter will feel the same. Just because you're not talking whilst quietly leveling up at the best-known rapid-leveling spots, don't assume that nobody will know you're a veteran player or that they will treat you like the newb they know you are not.
Even in the most clear-cut scenarios, there are still 2 sides to both stories. Sometimes one player is flat-out wrong, but usually the wronged has done something to attract attention, if not to earn whatever treatment they receive. Always there is a lot of assumption about what is going on behind the other keyboard.
Sometimes people suck and there are jerks in every facet of life. Multi-user domains are no exception to this rule. Sometimes you just need to have a stiff upper lip, and sometimes you just need to have the backbone to work through the adversity introduced by these jerks. It's one thing if you let a couple of challenging experiences turn you away forever- in these instances there is probably nothing that would keep you happy or satisfied anyway, so it's probably better that you go somewhere that doesn't provide an atmosphere allowing PvP.
It's another thing if you're rolling with the challenges and the jerks become griefers, actively intent on destroying your game experience and actively intent on driving you to quit. In these cases, you need logs to back up what you're experiencing, and to provide them to Dulrik and to the rules manager, so they can observe the full context of the situation and see exactly what you've experienced. This will give them the information they need to make a fair judgment with action. I understand and can certainly relate to being upset by the troll who is intentionally trying to ruin the game for you, but following that up by treating the staff with the same attitude that you've just received isn't going to make the experience any better for you or the staff member trying to help. Getting angry when a staff member doesn't respond soon enough is also understandable, but is also a possibility for a 100% free game that is open to all, works entirely on staff volunteerism and Dulrik's $$ to support the server, and that will never have pay-to-play bonuses to give you an edge over the other free players. Personally, I haven't found many games that offer free game-play AND no pay-to-play bonuses. So I try to respect the inevitable challenges that come with it, including occasionally slow staff response.
Quote:
Isn’t that one of the reasons Opey isn’t being allowed back? Because as an imperial he killed a lowbie for not showing the Elite Guard of the Empire enough respect to give their name?
OMG, wow. No. This instance may have been one action taken among many to earn this player's ban, but I've never heard it brought up among staff as one of the compelling reasons to ban or even to punish. Trust me, said player engaged in MANY repeated abusive behaviors to be removed from the game, none as innocent or in-character as that suggested above.