When you go over 1k grief points (the first time), you get a 30 second weapons lock. The second time, an 18minute weapons lock. A third time, you get a 30 minute weapons lock. Grief points currently dissipate at 2 per hour. Grief points are shared by all of your characters on a given server. Therefore if you have 300 on one, you have 300 on all of them on that server (up to 4). If they decrease or increase on one of your characters, they will decrease or increase on all of them.
The great oversimplification of the current grief system says: You accrue grief points for shooting your own teammates.
In reality, you get grief points for:
- Running over the idiot that runs in front of your moving vehicle.
- Destroying an enemy vehicle when there are members of your empire standing next to it. When the vehicle explodes, if it hurts them, you get grief.
- Shooting the member of your empire that walked in front of your field of fire while you had your gun zoomed in.
- Shooting a friendly vehicle that an enemy is attempting to use for cover.
- Shooting the friendly equipment terminal behind the enemy you're shooting as well.
Edit: Weapons lock is a bit of an oversimplification. You cannot use ANY weapons or support equipment, you can't fire any vehicle weapons, and any vehicle you pilot/drive can only move at 10% maximum speed for the duration of the lock (you can use afterburners on your jet, but your far better off just staying home). All time durations are online time only.
Edit2: FYI, that's the general portion of your 'character sheet'.