Code of Conduct

Hello! As some of you may be aware, recently I have been working on a Code of Conduct for mapping and modding, intended to apply across the entire community.

The aim of this was to ensure a productive and enjoyable experience for everyone, from those who are just starting out and looking for help and advice, all the way through to experienced members looking to polish their skills. Despite a large proportion of the work being "common sense", I felt it was necessary to have a clear point of reference for people to use as an example to when necessary. Over the internet, it is often easy to forget that mappers and modders are real people, with feelings just like you and I have. To help this, we want the mapping and modding community to be a civil and accessible place which its members are happy to be a part of.

Since this idea fell under the umbrella of the osu! Community Rules to some degree, it was decided that once finished, the Code of Conduct should be featured in the General Ranking Criteria, clearly visible to all. From an initial concept of "How to Behave in the Beatmap Subforums", the guide was gradually expanded to include advice and guidance on a number of additional topics, such as how to word suggestions effectively, responding to criticism, as well as dealing with qualified maps.

In order to get straight to the point, over time and with input from the community, the "informal" guide slowly transformed into a more concise, formal style befitting a Ranking Criteria entry. Now covering a wider scope applicable to the entire community, it was necessary to simplify things into a "bullet-point list" style. However I did receive some requests for the original document to be made available, so for anyone curious about the initial concept, or wanting to see things presented in a little more detail, you may read that here. Remember, however, that the Ranking Criteria version linked previously is the most up-to-date and as such, takes priority over this version.

One of the most important sections in the Code of Conduct (in my opinion, of course) is "Dealing with Qualified Maps". With the QAT now checking maps reactively, responsibility for reporting issues with Qualified beatmaps falls to the community. Clearly, Qualified maps need to be handled slightly differently to those in Pending due to the increase in exposure Qualification brings - including players who would otherwise have little to no involvement in the mapping and modding community. In case you missed these changes, refer to this thread where you can report Qualified beatmaps you deem to be not yet ready for Ranked status.

The draft itself has been through several rounds of community feedback already, for which I am very thankful. The response I received was overwhelmingly positive and a lot of great suggestions made their way into the finished article, reinforcing the belief that the community is far stronger when working together than alone. Following approval by the management, the final draft was recently added into the Ranking Criteria and can be seen here, so have a read through it and be sure to spread the word!

Hopefully this gives some insight into the necessity of the Code of Conduct as a valuable resource for shaping the future of the mapping and modding community. Of course, there is always room for improvement, so don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions or suggestions. Anyone can make positive change happen, so get out there and put these ideas into practice, make new friends, and ensure the community remains a safe and enjoyable place for all!

—JBHyperion