Change MapleStory's Bad Word Filter

We, players of MapleStory Global, MapleStory South East Asia, and MapleStory Europe, demand that the bad word filter that has been present in the game software for many years be replaced with a bad word filter appropriate for our writing systems.

Under the current implementation of the bad word filter, entire messages are blocked from being sent if the software finds one or more instances of a filtered sequence of characters. The matching system is designed so that the sequence of characters cannot appear anywhere in the text of messages entered by players. Words that begin with, end with, or contain the filtered sequence of characters are considered bad words. Additionally, the bad word filter ignores spaces, so words that contain the sequence of characters when combined are also considered bad words.

The current implementation of the filter was appropriate in the earlier versions of the game, MapleStory Korea and MapleStory Japan. Since the writing systems of the local languages use a large number of characters and spaces aren't significant, there was a low chance of filtered words colliding with words used in normal conversation. However, the writing systems used in MapleStory Global, MapleStory South East Asia, and MapleStory Europe utilize fewer characters and separate words with spaces, so there are many more opportunities for collisions.

As is, the bad word filter is a hindrance to communication between MapleStory players, especially in the Global version. From day one, players were unable to say the words "cash item" (shit), the term NEXON uses to refer to the virtual items sold in its cash shop, "mini game" (niga) or "document" (cum). Since the most recent update to the Global version, the words "Christ", "tit", and many more were added to the list of filtered words. Because of the way the filter was designed, words such as "Christmas", "Christopher", "Christina", "title", "repetitive", and others are blocked. Additionally, simple and common phrases such as "bought it", "get it", "got it", and "about it" can no longer be used. These latest additions have complicated communication in the game and future additions have the potential to complicate things further.

One way to improve the way text is matched against the list of bad words is to specify whether each entry should filter words that begin with, end with, contain, or are exact matches. Additionally, a list of exceptions, words that can never be filtered, should be added. These technologies have been used in many applications for over a decade. Combined, they can enable a more powerful but less obnoxious bad word filter when used responsibly.

In January NxJoeW, Community Relations Leader of NEXON America, informed us that fixing the bad word filter was a low priority at the time (URL: http://sleepywood.info/forum/showpost.php?p=6111983&postcount=89). It is unacceptable for it to remain a low priority any longer. We deserve a quality gaming experience from the leaders in online games. The bad word filter needs to be fixed immediately.