All right. Now that everyone has said their piece, I'd like to add an 'official' statement. If anything we do over at ShMo can be called official that is...
I want all of you to want to play on the server. I will never be the first to call 'my server' and do something just because I want to. I believe that it should be run with the server as a whole in mind. I want everyone to have fun there.
Therein lies the problem.
The server is a public server, with a core group of a dozen or so board members, and another dozen or so non-board members that come there on, at the very least, a weekly basis. The server will always be a server whose first and foremost concern is to be a fun place for anyone here to pick up a nice game of TF 2 with no hassle, no bitching, and as little drama as possible. Of course, it is also a public server and must be run like one. There are (at least, we (the admins) thought so) clearly defined rules that any regular knows to follow*.
It is my and my admin's task to insure that there is nothing stopping our server from running smoothly, delivering everything from a server our base of users wants and doing what we deem necessary to maintain an attitude on our server that makes the game fun.
The fact that you complained about micspam wasn't the issue, Geo. The problem with your complaint was the very nature of the complaint.
Explaining to someone that you don't like their mic spam, or even that you don't want to hear any micspam, is MILES away from announcing loudly, to anyone on the server, that you're going to mute someone, that you've already muted two other regulars and generally just being a big tosser about the whole ordeal. I don't expect much class out of the people who make it a habit of joining my server, but at the very least, I expect them not to be douche bags.
So here is what happened, or at least, how Niku and I saw it happen. Note here that this train of thought is what we follow EVERY TIME we kick someone, no matter if they're regulars, #finalfight guys or some 11 year old pubbie who is micspamming terrible rap at twice hldj's audible range.
You came in, and almost immediately start bitching about how you were muting people**. Fine, have a kick. Now at this point, the kick is supposed to tell you that if you come back, you'd better not come back in the same manner. This initial kick is usually enough to do one of two things. The first is make most of the assholes stay gone, and the second is to make most of the people that do come back straighten up.
OK, so you came back. That's good! Have you learned? You immediately, before even picking a team, start bitching about getting kicked***. So, because you're a seasoned member and all around OK dude from the community, I just mute you. I figured you'd cool off and by next map you'd have your mutes on all the spammers straightened out so you'd have nothing to bitch about.
OK. Right here, this is when people generally need to realize its quiet time for them for a little while. I don't really mean anything bad by muting you, I just don't want to hear you bitch for the next five minutes about getting kicked for being a d-bag. However you continue to take your bitching to the text box! Your last line of actual attack. As, that is your last line of attack, it is also the last straw. Had you been any normal pubbie, you'd have been bitching about a temp ban and not getting kicked again.
Whew. That was long. OK. Now, what did that all mean? All it really meant was this. You got kicked because you were being a d-bag and (some would say more importantly) it would have happened to anyone. You came back, and immediately started in again. I muted you and you started in on the chat box. So I kicked you (and some would say you got off easy because you aren't just anyone).
All and all, I wanted you to come back and it was more of a good natured pulling your pants down to get your attention, as opposed to kicking you in the groin to hurt your feelings. However, if all you were going to do is come back and complain about being kicked again, I'm glad you yelled it out here and not there.
*Because it seems these rules are not clear enough. Smiler will be updating the MoTD to more accurately explain the 'Don't be a douche-bag' policy.
**You not only made sure to tell everyone that you were muting Niku, you went ahead and threw in the fact that you had a two other people muted also. Hey, we all know how much we love to hear that we're being muted by a friend and supposed server regular. Also. In the State of The Worst topic, Kazz told Niku just to mute you. I personally found it hilarious that he's giving Niku that advice and not you.
***The only thing thats going to get you kicked faster than being a douche-bag is bitching about getting kicked from the server as soon as you reconnect to it. What's the point? Are you defiant that you got kicked? Are you trying to prove that you're not going to take that shit unchecked? If you really wanted to know why you got kicked, like you'd claimed, asking would have been nice. You know, instead of just bitching at Niku for kicking you.