Petition System (Support Tickets)

Submit support requests to server administrators. Report bugs, request help, appeal bans, or get technical assistance. Rate limited to 5 petitions per 24 hours.

What Is the Petition System?

The Petition System is HogwartsLive's official support ticket system - your direct line to server administrators when you need help, want to report a bug, appeal a moderation action, or request assistance with account issues. Think of it as sending an owl to the Ministry of Magic, except instead of bureaucratic inefficiency, you get actual admin responses (eventually). It's the formal, tracked way to communicate with staff about problems too complex for in-game chat or too sensitive for public discussion.

Petitions are submitted via a web form (petition.php) that captures your character name, email, problem description, and detailed technical information (current page, session data, etc.) to help admins diagnose issues. The system includes rate limiting (max 5 petitions per IP per 24 hours) to prevent abuse, email notifications to admins, and module hooks for custom handling. Importantly: petitions are for bugs, technical problems, and administrative requests - NOT for gameplay questions. Read the FAQ first, or your petition will be ignored.

When to Use Petitions

Appropriate Uses:

Technical Issues:
  • Bug Reports: Game not working as intended, error messages, broken features
  • Account Problems: Can't log in, password reset, email change requests
  • Payment Issues: Donator points not received, transaction problems (include transaction ID!)
  • Data Corruption: Character stats incorrect, missing items, database errors
  • Technical Blocks: Can't get off the bad nav screen, white pages, weird blocking errors, etc.
Administrative Requests:
  • Appeal Moderation: Challenge mutes, bans, or bio blocks
  • Harassment Reports: Report rule violations, abusive behavior
  • Feature Requests: Suggest improvements (though no guarantee of implementation)
  • Permission Issues: Request access to locked content, special permissions
Special Circumstances:
  • Stuck States: Character trapped, infinite loops, broken navigation
  • Exploits: Report security vulnerabilities (responsibly!)
  • Lost Items: Items disappeared due to bug (not normal gameplay loss)
  • Server Issues: Widespread problems affecting multiple players

When NOT to Use Petitions

Inappropriate Uses (Will Be Ignored):

Gameplay Questions:
  • "How do I.?": Use the Player's Guide FAQ instead
  • "Where is.?": Check the guide or ask in commentary
  • "What does. do?": Game mechanics questions belong in FAQ/guide
  • "How does combat work?": Read the Combat guide
  • Strategy Questions: Ask other players, not admins
Normal Gameplay Results:
  • "I died and lost gold": Working as intended
  • "Someone attacked me": PvP is part of the game
  • "I can't afford.": Earn more gold
  • "This is too hard": Git gud (admins won't nerf content for you)
Known Issues:
  • Check the Blog First: If it's already announced, your petition wastes time
  • Read Recent News: Server issues often posted publicly
  • Search FAQ: Common problems documented

How to Submit a Petition

Petition Form:

Accessing the Form:
  • Direct URL: petition.php
  • Navigation: Usually linked from "Help" or "Contact" sections
  • Popup Window: Opens in popup (popup_header/footer)
  • Login Required: Must be logged in to submit
  • Anonymous View: Non-logged-in users see "You must be logged in to send a petition."
Form Fields:
  • Character Name: Auto-filled with your display name (hidden field)
  • Email Address: Auto-filled with your account email (hidden field)
  • Description of Problem: Textarea (55 cols x 7 rows) for your detailed explanation
  • Module Fields: Custom fields added by modules via petitionform hook
  • Submit Button: Click to send petition
Pre-Submission Warnings:
  • Read the Blog: "Before sending a petition, please make sure you have read the Hogwarts Live Blog"
  • Check the FAQ: "and the Player's Guide FAQ"
  • Known Issues: "Petitions about problems we already know about just take up time we could be using to fix those problems."
  • Gameplay Questions: "Gameplay questions will be ignored so also be sure to read the FAQ."
  • Donator Points: "If you are petitioning concerning donator points, please be sure to include your transaction ID number to ensure a quicker resolution."
Writing Your Petition:
  • Be Descriptive: "Please be as descriptive as possible in your petition."
  • Include Steps: How to reproduce the bug (if applicable)
  • Error Messages: Quote exact error text
  • Transaction IDs: For payment issues, mandatory!
  • Screenshots: Can't attach, but describe what you see
  • Timestamps: When did it happen?
  • Relevant Details: What were you doing when problem occurred?

Rate Limiting

Abuse Prevention:

5 Petitions Per 24 Hours:
  • Limit: Maximum 5 petitions per IP/network per rolling 24-hour period
  • IP Tracking: Checks your IP address (last 3 octets, e.g., "192.168.1.*")
  • Cookie Tracking: Also tracks by 'lgi' cookie ID
  • Either Trigger: IP OR cookie match counts toward limit
  • Error Message: "There have already been X petitions filed from your network in the last day; to prevent abuse of the petition system, you must wait until there have been 5 or fewer within the last 24 hours."
Consolidate Issues:
  • Multiple Problems: Combine related issues into one petition
  • Suggestion: "If you have multiple issues to bring up with the staff of this server, you might think about consolidating those issues to reduce the overall number of petitions you file."
  • Numbered Lists: Use "1. Issue A, 2. Issue B, 3. Issue C" format
  • Separate Critical: If one issue is urgent, submit separately
Bypass for Staff:
  • Superusers Exempt: SU_DOESNT_GIVE_GROTTO flag bypasses limit
  • Testing: Admins can test petition system without hitting limit
  • Regular Players: No bypass - everyone gets 5 max

What Happens After Submission

Confirmation Message:
  • Success: "Your petition has been sent to the server admin."
  • Patience: "Please be patient, most server admins have jobs and obligations beyond their game, so sometimes responses will take a while to be received."
  • No Tracking: You don't get a ticket number or status page
  • Response Method: Admins typically reply via Owl Post (in-game mail) or email

Abuse Reporting

Special Abuse Flag:

abuse Parameter:
  • URL: petition.php?abuse=yes&problem=[text]
  • Pre-Filled: "problem" parameter pre-fills description field
  • Hidden Field: Original problem text stored in hidden 'abuse' field
  • Display: Shows original text in 
     block below textarea
  • Purpose: Report inappropriate content with context preserved
  • Use Case: Report offensive bios, commentary, mail
How It Works:
  • User Adds Context: Can add explanation above the quoted text
  • Original Preserved: Ensures offensive content not lost/altered
  • Admin View: Sees both user's description and original problematic text

Strategy & Tips

Petition Best Practices

  • Read FAQ First: 90% of questions already answered - save everyone time
  • Check Blog: Known issues posted publicly before petition avalanche
  • Be Descriptive: "It's broken" is useless - explain WHAT, WHEN, HOW
  • Include Transaction IDs: Donator issues without IDs can't be resolved
  • Consolidate Issues: 5 petition limit means combine related problems
  • Reproduce First: Make sure bug is repeatable before reporting
  • Error Messages: Quote exact text - "some error" doesn't help
  • Timestamps: "When did it happen?" crucial for log analysis
  • Steps to Reproduce: "I did X, then Y, then Z broke"
  • Expected vs Actual: "I expected A, but got B instead"
  • Not for Gameplay: "How do I level up?" = wasted petition
  • Response Time: Be patient - admins have lives
  • No Tracking Number: Can't check status, just wait for response
  • Reply Via Mail: Watch Owl Post for admin response
  • Email Important: Valid email = admin can reply even if offline
  • One Issue Per Petition: Unless closely related, separate petitions clearer
  • Respect Rate Limit: Don't spam - makes admins ignore you
  • Appeal Politely: "This ban is bullshit" vs "I believe this was a misunderstanding."

Petition Summary: Access via petition.php (popup window). Login required to submit. Form fields: Character Name (auto), Email (auto), Description (textarea 55x7). Rate limit: 5 petitions per IP/cookie per 24 hours. Tracked by IP (last 3 octets) and 'lgi' cookie. Storage: petitions table (author, date, body=serialized POST, pageinfo=serialized session, ip, id). Email notification if Config::emailpetitions enabled to Config::gameadminemail. Success: "Your petition has been sent to the server admin. Please be patient." No tracking number, response via Owl Post/email. Pre-submission warnings: Read blog, check FAQ, gameplay questions ignored, include transaction ID for donator issues. Module hooks: addpetition (can cancel), petitionform (add fields). Abuse reporting: ?abuse=yes&problem=[text] pre-fills with quoted content. Superuser bypass rate limit with SU_DOESNT_GIVE_GROTTO. Use for: bugs, account issues, payment problems, appeals, harassment reports. DON'T use for: gameplay questions, normal game results, known issues.

Related Topics

FAQ

Read before petitioning

Owl Post

Admin responses arrive here

Preferences

Email address for responses