Editing Rules and punishments (section)

== Server rules ==

=== Allying ===
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'''Allying is prohibited unless the server explicitly permits it.''' This is the single most enforced rule in competitive HCF, because unrestricted allying destroys the format — a map where the three largest factions cooperate has no contest left in it.

Servers implement this in one of several ways:

{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:92%;"
|- style="background:#3a6b8c; color:#ffffff;"
! Model !! Description
|-
| '''No allying''' || Any cooperation between factions is punishable. Common on competitive maps.
|-
| '''Capped allying''' || A faction may ally a fixed number of others, declared in-game and visible to everyone.
|-
| '''Ally-per-roster''' || Total combined roster across allied factions is capped, preventing large stacks.
|-
| '''Event-only''' || Cooperation permitted during [[KOTH]] or [[Citadel]] but not for raids or defence.
|}

Prohibited under a no-ally ruleset:

* Fighting alongside another faction against a third
* Sharing a base, [[Claiming|claim]] or supply stash
* Coordinated raids planned between factions
* Deliberately not fighting a faction you encounter, by arrangement
* Feeding gear, [[Potions|potions]] or information to another faction
* Using a second faction as a gear or member reserve ("stash faction")

Enforcement usually rests on staff reviewing logs, screenshots or VODs. Because intent is hard to prove, most networks judge on observable behaviour rather than stated agreements.
</div>

=== Alt accounts ===
Using a second account to circumvent a [[deathban]] is banned everywhere and treated as one of the most serious offences, since it removes the format's defining cost. Related prohibitions include alts used to inflate a faction's power, scout while dead, or hold gear during a ban.

=== Client modifications ===
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:92%;"
|- style="background:#3a6b8c; color:#ffffff;"
! Usually allowed !! Usually banned
|-
| Minimap without entity radar || X-ray and cave finders
|-
| FPS and performance mods || Reach, killaura, aimbot
|-
| Cosmetic and HUD mods || Auto-clickers and macros
|-
| Toggle sprint (server-dependent) || Anything automating combat input
|}

Toggle sprint is the common grey area — permitted on some networks, banned on others. Check before using it.

=== Conduct ===
Standard chat rules apply: no harassment, no doxxing, no advertising rival servers, no impersonating staff. HCF chat is famously hostile, but networks generally enforce a line at real-world threats and personal information regardless of how normal trash talk is considered.

=== Exploits ===
Duplication glitches, claim-bypass methods, base glitching and any method of entering protected regions are bannable. Discovering an exploit and reporting it is expected; using it quietly and being found out later is treated as intentional.