Boundless United Planetary Headquarters

[Xaldafax]

Hello all,

I am sure some of you heard about a bit of disagreement on land rights and sovereignty that happened on Berlyn late last week. While things were a little stressful and contentious for us Mayors in the top 5 cities of Berlyn for a while, we were able to come to an agreement and sign a treaty to respect each cities needs. This shows that you can really solve situations and conflict between players in this game.

Afterward on Saturday @Havok40k and I had a long discussion about many things that have come up in the forum lately about player needs, player rights, land rights, griefing, ethics, and the player charter. We felt a community event would be a good way to bring people together to show support of these ideals and the other beliefs and values we are wanting to promote in the Boundless Universe…

In the end, we came up with a basic plan and approach on what we would like to do. Additionally, the idea speaks to the whole narrative we all have had with @james and the developers lately and will hopefully spur even more discussion and success in reaching our goals. We did share the plan with a few people, but asked them to keep it in confidence while we finished a finalized a few things.

I spent most of Sunday working on a few final details for the plan while Havok managed some logistics helping to ensure our ability to execute the vision we have. Ultimate success will only be achieved by this community and all you great designers, builders, resource gatherers, and passionate players.

So what will be happening on Berlyn that requires this post and Havok and I to reach out to the community for your help?

Late Friday night a few of us laid down a large block in New Berlyn city that was a symbol towards respecting players and clear communication in this game. It is now the cornerstone to what will become the United Planetary Headquarters for the Boundless Universe. This will be a rough basis on the current United Nations model here on Earth.

This building will house the 4 districts for each zone of the universe - Australia, EU, US East, and US West. Each section will contain a section for each planet Head Oortling and their delegation of representatives. This large room will be where we have our discussions, resolve disputes, and work together to solve many needs across the universe. There will also be a balcony for all citizens of the universe to be present. Ultimately, we plan to celebrate the signing of the player charter that is being worked on there in the great hall.

There will he a hall of seals for both the planets as well as all the official guilds that exist in Boundless. We have some other ideas of additional features in the building but will hold off sharing for right now because we want to see what other ideas the community as a whole has.

Lastly, the cornerstone with have an official United Planetary seal on it which hasn’t been finalized on. We are thinking of a rough design like the United Federation of Planets logo but it must be different enough to have copyright issues and also speak to the beauty of Boundless.

So what do we need from the community? Well…

1. We need some immediate ideas and examples of what you all think should chiseled on the wall for our flag/logo of the UPH. We plan to execute this right away.
2. We want tons of ideas and concept art of possible building designs. Right now we are shooting for a building that is 5 plots wide, 15 long, and 3 or so high.
3. The Boundless United Planetary Headquarters was a first pass at the name and we want suggestions there too.
4. We plan to have this to fully be a community build and resource gathering event tied with hunts and other things. 150% community participation. Ideas on how to proceed are welcome.
5. The build will happen in sections so we don’t overwhelm people and still allow time for individual projects, etc.

We know everyone is busy in the game doing their own builds and other things they are interested in. There is one thing that binds us together though…

That is our love for this game and the inherent need deep within us to make the game be fun and most importantly community based. We are all passionate on making this the best game and that is evident in the posts in this forums. Also we want a symbol to show that people are expected to play and act by a certain set of rules and values while in this game.

We really want this to be not my and Havok’s idea but the whole communities idea. That the community believes we need a physical representation in game that speaks to the vision we all want this game to be and shows that we have achieved it.

Havoc and I are a couple days into planning but now is the time to reach out to you all and ask for your help and suggestions. Let’s see some concept art for the building and hear your other suggestions…

Thank you for your support…

[SaltySloth]

100% cream gleam. That is my only input.

[Xaldafax]

Actually I think it was perfect that you were the first response especially since you were the one helping spur on the conversation and us coming to the point of needing this building and the player charter.

Thank you also for the mention of gleam. I completely forgot to say that the building will have limited gleam. So for those submitting concept area please focus on gleam use as lighting source not a prestige point. We are going with a more natural feel and a building that honors the deeper meaning of the player charter and the vision so many have for this game.

[Astralus]

This sounds really cool and i’m totally on board with this. I’ll help with anything that i can to see this realised!
As for the logo, we could create a “united nations” glyph using http://boundlesscrafting.com/guilds/glyphs.

Even if it’s a simple design, it will be easy to put it on almost any major “united nations” building and it should work with most building designs.

[Havok40k]

I’d love to hear input from @Cookviper, his pixel art is top notch and boundless famous!

[Cookviper]

I think if you’re going to have some kind of sign or representation of all the planets it should include the most valuable resource on each planet which at this point would be gems. Even though not every planet has gems I think using the ones that are available would get the point across. I would love to help in creating some kind of sign but unfortunately I already am having a hard time finding time to work on my own projects, but I look forward to seeing the progress on this one.

[Havok40k]

Very well, maybe there will be a later oprtunity where you can contribute your particular skills!

[MrGamer117]

I would total love to see a very large staircase that leads to the main entrance made out of stone steps and wood rails

[GotMittens]

Uh, no.
I don’t play games in order to experience the joy of other people’s bureaucratic fantasies.
This Charter thing is weird.

[Cookviper]

[the-moebius]

as i posted before

i visited last year san sebastian in spain saw this La Plaza de la Constitucion thats a good design for it
imageimage.jpg900x675 218 KB
in the old days the people there had a room with a number and when it was time to vote they just walk onto there balconys

heres a picture off it

imagine everybody there on his own balcony shouting votes out
a vote with sound you listnen to people saying yes or no or whatever yabos say
note to dev (agree and dissagree emote) lolz

[MrGamer117]

What if the High Oortling of the planet is in-active or very inconsistent to when he/she can play what then?

we could have a High Council made up of the High Oortlings and a Lower Council made up of people who are voted in by other players and they can get together separately to discuss lesser stuff, and together to discuss larger issues.

we could also have different departments made up of other players not part of the High or Lower Councils that deal with things too small to bring up in meetings.

[Xaldafax]

Thank you for the ideas and comments so far.

Havok and I were able to rough out some basic dimensions of what the building would be. We still need some ideas on the look and feel. So post your screenshots or something of what building you would like. (Thank you moebius for yours). To give some direction, though, we are shooting for something that has a feel like the factory building Havok already completed. We also like the Elven castles and things from Lord of the Rings or something fantasy in nature. Or something just unique in how it looks…

We have a couple people coming up with some logo ideas, etc. Also we are not opposed to actually paying for some work to be done as well but hope to try to keep this a community thing not an individual project.

I’m not sure how the government would work and I certainly want to keep that stuff on a separate thread. Until we see direction from @james and the developers on if that stuff even will matter I wouldn’t want to be confused by it no matter how important it might be to discuss.

We are certainly not trying to push government or a bunch of other red tape type situations in a place where people are just playing a game. But, the player charter and a basic framework on how people should behave in game is critical…

I say this because last night our friends Fafmaster and SaltySloth continued to due their due diligence to push the line and show via their actions and behavior why a player charter is needed. They tried hard to attempt player harassment and griefing by closely following Havok and I for 30 minutes as we did stuff. They chased us through portals or buildings, and in circles hitting us or things with a totem, etc. We didn’t ask them to stop to see how far they would go…

So they pushed that line and quickly claimed a plot beside our UN HQ and attempted to grief/block our build with some structure without asking if we might need that plot or anything. The good news is Havok and I had left that specific plot open to see if they would do exactly what they ended up doing. It even included a very high single block tower.

The good news is that area was going to become a garden and there area where we plan to hold an abstract art contest for the community. So Fafmaster was the first to enter and we need some more people to come create unique 1x1 abstract builds.

Tonight we will be continuing the layout work and look forward to some building examples from people so we can start laying down the rough outline. If you want to start helping let us know so we can add you to the beacon. Right now we probably need some refined stone resources I think…

[fafmaster]

I think it’s always dangerous to assume the intentions of other people’s action, so maybe hearing from my side of things will help clear things up and ensure that this player charter thing has sufficient coverage.

My Side:

Last night I realized that my beacon that I had in New Berlyn had been reclaimed by the wild due to fuel shortages, so I decided to go back out there and setup a new one with plenty of fuel. I really like Havok’s portal hub, so I wanted to build close to it. I simply went out on the glacial ice sheet hitting the ground with my totem until I found wild ground. I put down my beacon, fueled it, and chiseled out a cool looking base inspired by the local architecture. As for the very high single block tower (that SaltySloth built so that he could take a screenshot of the view), it’s in an unbeaconed plot, so it will be reclaimed by the world eventually.

I think that some of the tension that we have been experiencing may come down to the different play styles between players. To me, I see this game as an open-world sandbox and when I see an unclaimed piece of land that I am interested in I beacon it/buy the plot. Diplomatic player relations (e.g. asking permission to buy land close to others) is a new concept to me in a video game. I am a veteran video game player, and as such, I see video games as a set of in-game mechanics that players interact with. If it’s wrong to buy a plot that borders another player, then I would expect to see an in-game mechanic that handles a request for permission. Again, the whole idea of an out-of-game code of conduct (that goes beyond harassment and respect) is completely new to me.

Please know that I intend no harm to come to others from my actions in this game. I only ask that you be patient with me, and others that see video games like me.

If you would like my New Berlyn base moved, just let me know.

Thanks.

[Xaldafax]

I didn’t assume any actions or intentions. I don’t do that with anyone. I watched our interactions and the style of play I was presented by you over the course of the past few encounters with you and those you play with as well as how you all interacted with other people.

@Havok40k, myself, and others have clearly communicated that we are very protective of the land around our cities. We told you all many times about not just connecting or going into people’s places.

Added to that you all did follow us around very closely for a long while hitting us and things in the area. I don’t see how that conveys any gesture of being nice. Also, you could see that we were executing a very large build on a glacier that is almost completely owned by Havok.

Lastly, it is very unlikely that the beacon that ran out of fuel was in the exact plot you claimed. Instead of going back to your original plot or asking Havok or myself if we by chance needed that plot, you just claimed it and built something on it as well as left it with a tall pole that will not regen due to traffic in the area.

As an experienced video game player I am sure you are aware that Alpha development programs will have a limited feature set. Additionally, I am sure you have seen many scenarios where players actions could be misunderstood or ones that are clearly aggressive or could problems. Yet you still chose a series of actions that helped to convey those type of problem situations.

BUT, you have clearly taken responsibility and instead of just going off on me and acting childish, you expressed remorse and a plea to understand that I misconstrued your actions.

THAT is absolutely appreciated and I whole heartedly apologize if our series of encounters led me to misunderstand your actions and their intent. I take responsibility for that and am sorry. I know Havok well enough that I am sure he would apologize as well.

Yes, please if you all could remove that beacon it would be helpful since we are not finished with how the area will look. Clearing out that space will help us. If you want a beacon closer to town you can work with Havok and I am sure he will help you find a great spot that makes sense to your needs. Or if you are looking closer there are a few houses on the ice sheet on the other side of the water that likely could be built on. They look mostly abandoned…

Additionally, since you bring up a good point about the disconnect between “open-world sandbox” games and the style of play and mindset that the Boundless players have, I ask for your help. We need people to help in the Player Charter thread to give examples and suggestions on how we can tailor our communication style to let new players understand some of the nuances with the Boundless community. We also have a great set of developers that likely would adjust the tutorials or other game play things to help ensure we don’t have stupid conflicts and misunderstanding like what happened between us.

One of the biggest fears we have is that as new people come in they are used to a certain game style that will cause conflict and then result in the game losing player. No one wants that. We want a great mix of free open-world sandbox play and building with just a bit more respect and less chaos that you seen in games like Mindcraft.

Please help us in that…

Also, I’m sorry again for misunderstanding and ask that you all are patient with us too as we all are trying to fix some of the situations we just encountered because we do not want those to happen in the 1.0 version of the game.

[Havok40k]

This is some pretty senseless “drama”. I can’t reconcile your actions with your words. In game and in voice chat, I hear things like “you’re going to lose this war” and “makes me want to take over Eden” (a repeated threat, and continuation of aggressive annexation threats that began this sad conflict) “just tell them what they want to hear” and I can’t take your apology as sincere. Because for players who say they are wanting to play nicely, your actions have been anything but.

Your claim of a prior beacon in New Berlyn, frankly, is a fabrication. Choice of positioning and… horrid “arcitecture” shows intent to annoy. While not actually “griefing” and absolutely permissible, any sensible person would look at that mangled mess and know you’re being insincere. But hey, I don’t mind. It’s not a problem to me. I’m sure that if you’re as sincere as you claim, you’ll happily relocate your plot claim to where ever you alegedly had your previous claim. Or, perhaps you could recycle those plots into your globe spanning road? That is an interesting project that I would have directly supported were it not for the prior aggressive annexations of other players settlements without consent, but that’s resolved now, isn’t it?

I don’t think there is a need for petty accusations and feigned ignorance. Actions are louder than words, and your actions are deafening.

[SaltySloth]

That was me, just like to stir the pot a little bit. We have done one ‘aggressive’ action in game by taking tillweed market but we have backed off and left it alone. I am guilty of stirring the pot a little bit by a bit of mild (in terms of other games) banter. You guys forget pretty quickly about the possie you gathered to grief us by completely blocking our bridge.

I would like nothing more than to be on amicable terms with New Berlyn and Eden. I didn’t realize the hurt that the threat of changing New Berlyn’s / Eden’s name has caused.

[Dzchan94]

Well, getting to the topic of how the structural design should be. I was guessing something along the lines of a big entrance, with a garden of sorts. Some boundless themed statues along the entrance, wells and fountains, etc. Something like the palace of Versailles.

The building will pretty much consist of a series of walls with chiseled exteriors and interiors.

As for the interiors. I would suggest keeping a whole theme, but have each region, have elements of the cultures related to them.

[Astralus]

This would also be an interesting approach

Garden

With an interior garden that would look something like this

Portals

And a big imposing Archway as a portal to another planet with a bit of stylish decorations

Open place

Something a bit more open like this would also be interesting

[Havok40k]

Stir the pot indeed. When given the option before to back down, you refused. When we confronted you, it took your own friend (“just tell them what they want to hear!”) to get you to agree to back down, then you promptly contradicted that agreement with further “stirring the pot”. You continued to stir said pot yesterday. Clearly, somebody needs to pull you away from that pot, it’s pleanty stirred! It would be unfortunate if we decided to take the same actions you have been threatening to do! How would you like me to stir your pot for you, hmm?

The take home lesson here is, don’t do unto others what you would not want them to do to you!

That’s the last I will address on the matter.

@Dzchan94 that’s some excellent arcitecture, and it fits closely what I think we want to do!

@Astralus where are these images from? Some great content that I would love to study and adapt elements of into a build!