Preventing Company Hoarding

[Kemoth of Asteria]

There has been an issue on the board where a company was hoarded by someone who simply applied for a company, was approved, and then did nothing at all with the company. I was thinking that there could be a way to prevent things like this from happening, and insuring that people actually used their canon company. One of these things would be the requirement of a marketplace storefront that is active for the company, or some other kind of business that is active with other parties. Another could be company activity checks that require more than a single thing with the company being done during the entire week or month that the players had a chance to do stuff with the company. Another would be the immediate revoking of a company's approval if a player did nothing with the company, such as completing expansion obectives, making new things, or even making a marketplace for their company, so that it isn't hoarded.

 

[Matsu Ike]

there used to be monthly check ins a few years back. We moved away from that as for the most part... only maybe five canon companies people seem to want. others no one really thinks about or touches and they have done a lot of work for those.

 

[Jsc]

...I have also received a response from the other writer, they are still active and wish to retain ownership of the company/

[member="Kemoth of Asteria"] - Your Factory concern has been addressed already by your Judge and your submission process is currently undergoing edits.

#TooSoon
#WheatonsLaw

 

[Kemoth of Asteria]

[member="Kemoth of Asteria"] - Your Factory concern has been addressed already by your Judge and your submission process is currently undergoing edits.

#TooSoon
#WheatonsLaw

How it happened is irrelevant. It shouldn't happen again, and it probably will. This is a completely abusable loophole within the RP. If I want to make a canon company just to keep someone else from having it, and never do anything with it, then I could.

[member="Jay Scott Clark"]

For example, I could see a new faction being made, and remember that most of their tech came from a single company. If I want to make things harder on them, I just apply for that company, get approved, and then never do anything with it, and BAM, the entire aesthetic of the faction is gone, and they don't have access to any of their unique tech.

 

[Jsc]

[member="Kemoth of Asteria"] - I know. You're miffed. I would be too. It happens. I once subbed an X-Wing to the Factory and had Ilias, the head of Incom Corp, PM me about knocking off his brand. Haha. Lulz. It was super funny. We talked it over like buds and decided that he'd build the spec for me. Win win. Easy as pie. ...But funny.

If you'd like to help. And I mean, like really help in this way? Then yeah. Go for it. I'm sure everybody would appreciate having more canon companies come open more often. Sure. No sweat. Lead the charge for social justice in online gaming. *cough cough* However, given the timing? Ouch. You're undercutting yourself here. Looks kinda kneejerk-I'm-just-angry-sauce, ya know?

 

[Danger Arceneau]

There is already a system in place for canon companies. I doubt anyone will do anything for original companies -- because there is no way anyone with an original company will agree to letting their own company get taken over by someone else.


The rules are simple:

1) a canon company owner must be active within the last 30 days.
2) if they are not active after 30 days, anyone who doesn't currently own a canon company may post a submission requesting to take it over. The RPJ then contacts them and if no response is made within 72 hours, then the company is transfered to the new writer.
3) if the writer is again, not active after another 30 days then the following comes into effect:

If a canon company owner has been contacted previously with a contesting canon company claim, upon the second inquiry the owner must show themselves to be active in order to keep the canon company. Activity can be demonstrated with a substantial RP thread or 3+ Factory submissions which took place within the 60 days prior to the second inquiry. Activity after the second inquiry will not be taken into consideration.


Meaning, if the canon company owner is not active with it and they do not show proof of being active with it, they will lose their canon company.

 

[Danger Arceneau]

Also, we used to have company check ins every month. Staff thought it to be rather ridiculous to do so and far too much hassle to do so every month.

 

[Kemoth of Asteria]

[member="Kemoth of Asteria"] - I know. You're miffed. I would be too. It happens. I once subbed an X-Wing to the Factory and had Ilias, the head of Incom Corp, PM me about knocking off his brand. Haha. Lulz. It was super funny. We talked it over like buds and decided that he'd build the spec for me. Win win. Easy as pie. ...But funny.

If you'd like to help. And I mean, like really help in this way? Then yeah. Go for it. I'm sure everybody would appreciate having more canon companies come open more often. Sure. No sweat. Lead the charge for social justice in online gaming. *cough cough* However, given the timing? Ouch. You're undercutting yourself here. Looks kinda kneejerk-I'm-just-angry-sauce, ya know?

The timing is, in fact, irrelevant. I talked about doing this the other day, when the company was still archived, in GA chat. The timing also gives me validity. The only reason I'm suggesting this is because I have personal experience with an insane loophole that I could, right now, go use in the factory to "get back" at nearly anyone on the forum who has been problematic in any way for me, or the faction that they belong to. It is a loophole that could be seriously problematic.

 

[Kemoth of Asteria]

[member="Kemoth of Asteria"] - I know. You're miffed. I would be too. It happens. I once subbed an X-Wing to the Factory and had Ilias, the head of Incom Corp, PM me about knocking off his brand. Haha. Lulz. It was super funny. We talked it over like buds and decided that he'd build the spec for me. Win win. Easy as pie. ...But funny.

If you'd like to help. And I mean, like really help in this way? Then yeah. Go for it. I'm sure everybody would appreciate having more canon companies come open more often. Sure. No sweat. Lead the charge for social justice in online gaming. *cough cough* However, given the timing? Ouch. You're undercutting yourself here. Looks kinda kneejerk-I'm-just-angry-sauce, ya know?

The timing is, in fact, irrelevant. I talked about doing this the other day, when the company was still archived, in GA chat. The timing also gives me validity. The only reason I'm suggesting this is because I have personal experience with an insane loophole that I could, right now, go use in the factory to "get back" at nearly anyone on the forum who has been problematic in any way for me, or the faction that they belong to. It is a loophole that could be seriously problematic.

[member="Jay Scott Clark"]

 

[Jsc]

[member="Kemoth of Asteria"] - Welp. Then I'll let you do your thing. Give em' hell K.

 

[Teynara Jeralyr]

[member="Kemoth of Asteria"]

It hasn't been "seriously problematic" in the past 3-4 years of Chaos' operation...

 

[Kemoth of Asteria]

There is already a system in place for canon companies. I doubt anyone will do anything for original companies -- because there is no way anyone with an original company will agree to letting their own company get taken over by someone else.


The rules are simple:

1) a canon company owner must be active within the last 30 days.
2) if they are not active after 30 days, anyone who doesn't currently own a canon company may post a submission requesting to take it over. The RPJ then contacts them and if no response is made within 72 hours, then the company is transfered to the new writer.
3) if the writer is again, not active after another 30 days then the following comes into effect:

If a canon company owner has been contacted previously with a contesting canon company claim, upon the second inquiry the owner must show themselves to be active in order to keep the canon company. Activity can be demonstrated with a substantial RP thread or 3+ Factory submissions which took place within the 60 days prior to the second inquiry. Activity after the second inquiry will not be taken into consideration.


Meaning, if the canon company owner is not active with it and they do not show proof of being active with it, they will lose their canon company.

I don't want it to be done with original companies, but having to wait 60 days is kind of painful. It could easily be sped up. Other sites with around or over a hundred characters active have site-wide activity checks, run by a handful of staff. There are, what, like 40 active canon companies? It isn't so ridiculous when dozens of RP sites do exactly this. All you have to do is, once a month, do a handful of things that you would do in your normal activity, and then just link them in the activity thread, the latter of which would take around 5 minutes top.

 

[Republic Engineering]

For example, I could see a new faction being made, and remember that most of their tech came from a single company. If I want to make things harder on them, I just apply for that company, get approved, and then never do anything with it, and BAM, the entire aesthetic of the faction is gone, and they don't have access to any of their unique tech.

While this may be an inconvenience to some, the Factory allows for a Faction to be listed as the Manufacturer. So if someone were to do such a thing, all it would take is an alteration of a single line of text.

 

[Kemoth of Asteria]

[member="Kemoth of Asteria"]

It hasn't been "seriously problematic" in the past 3-4 years of Chaos' operation...

Rules have been added or changed because of a single incident, and lasted 3 or 4 years even though they are kind of just a problem, now, without any adjustment, some incidents being quite minor because people were concerned that wider trend could occur. It's a very easy thing to abuse if you want to get back at someone, or at an entire faction, and attempting to get back is something done by lots of people on this forum. Isn't it better to get back when you don't even have to put in much effort at all, aside from maybe 3 submissions that you just ripped from Wikipedia to create an "up to date" copy of canon stuff, or a thread only loosely linked to your company that is linked enough to connect to things because it involved business and your character? That way the 60 day limit doesn't really matter, and you can just breeze through with it.

 

[Danger Arceneau]

Then, a handful of threads is activity. I don't see an issue with this. If by the second time the writer is inactive to the point they can't do a handful of threads a month to maintain it, then they lose it.

I don't see a reason to make this any less as roleplaying is a pastime, not a job.

If you are so into wanting to make an active company, why not start your own? Put forth the activity and the passion to creating and building up your own company so it reaches the height of tier 6.

Trust me, I've done this with three of my own plus another three-tier fives I'm moving to tier 6.

Doing your own thing and away form canon companies is by far the most flexible and better option than simply sticking with a canon company name just because of the branding.

If anything ATC by far is as well known as any Baktoid, BlasTech, or Kuat shipyards just by simply roleplaying and making an IC reputation of yourself.

One does not need instant branding to make a name of yourself here with the company game.

 

[Kemoth of Asteria]

While this may be an inconvenience to some, the Factory allows for a Faction to be listed as the Manufacturer. So if someone were to do such a thing, all it would take is an alteration of a single line of text.

Yes, it could be, but that alteration of text can't be made when the company that directly owns a product or product time, such as a model of droids, doesn't want you to go anywhere near that. For example, Incom could have blocked nearly all types of X-Wings from being made if it had wanted to, preventing the GA or whomever from manufacturing them, and only manufacturing them themselves. This line of logic just tells me that canon companies serve no purpose if I can even loosely connect my faction to the tech that they made, and that they don't have ownership over their property.

 

[Kemoth of Asteria]

Then, a handful of threads is activity. I don't see an issue with this. If by the second time the writer is inactive to the point they can't do a handful of threads a month to maintain it, then they lose it.

I don't see a reason to make this any less as roleplaying is a pastime, not a job.

If you are so into wanting to make an active company, why not start your own? Put forth the activity and the passion to creating and building up your own company so it reaches the height of tier 6.

Trust me, I've done this with three of my own plus another three-tier fives I'm moving to tier 6.

Doing your own thing and away form canon companies is by far the most flexible and better option than simply sticking with a canon company name just because of the branding.

If anything ATC by far is as well known as any Baktoid, BlasTech, or Kuat shipyards just by simply roleplaying and making an IC reputation of yourself.

One does not need instant branding to make a name of yourself here with the company game.

I don't really have any argument with any of your comments here, because they're all entirely accurate, but I'm also not the kind of person to only do the minimum to keep something active so that I can keep something away from a group of people. I just don't want that to happen, tbh. There is a lot of bad blood on this site, with some people avoiding entire factions, others harassing other factions' members OOCly, and we don't need anymore created by a loophole.

 

[Republic Engineering]

[member="Kemoth of Asteria"] - I'm sorry to say that's exactly the purpose canon companies serve. There are no restrictions on naming conventions or use of images, so if someone started a faction and wanted to make their own X-wings - they could.

 

[Jorus Merrill]

In keeping with what [member="Arcanus Sunstrider"] said, here's a situation that's come up often.

Canon company X makes iconic ship type Y. Player Z (individual, company, faction) makes a version of ship type Y. The owner of company X objects hard. Player Z shrugs, removes company X from the sub, keeps the aesthetic and name, and makes it an IC knockoff. At that point it's an IC issue and completely approvable. Maybe company X attacks or sanctions or sues Z, and that's all normal and just fine.

Bottom line...if you want to make an X-wing and Incom does NOT like you, make your X-wing without Incom and take your chances IC. Lots of fun to be had on all sides.

 

[Teynara Jeralyr]

[member="Jorus Merrill"]

Not like reverse-engineering or corporate espionage isn't a thing...