Most of the game is player choice. People used bombs to mine and it caused drama. Peoples prices for power coils caused drama. Building locations are causing drama. The real issue is finding a happy solution where the majority can be happy which is a difficult feat. Taking away the name does not take away footfall or the warden title (which for some people is a big deal).
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If I come through a portal no matter where it is in a settlement, I get the name of the settlement. It tells me where I am without having signs in front of every portal. I need to name my beacon so I can tell them apart in the places tab. How will I do this if we eliminate names? The beacon name is the settlement name. I am part of a group build it will have a number of ways to get into the settlement, I think we would prefer not to litter it with unnecessary signs.
I do not think choice always creates drama. I think the issue now is not enough choice is creating the drama. If people could have opted out of joining a lot of the current issues would have been avoided. I think the name is a symptom of the problem and not the real problem.
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Yes there will be some scenarios where people can attempt that. We have that in real life were people do not want to be part of things. That is handled via various ways like a buy out or legal domain right of way, etc.
Overall though people can go around that person’s plot and still connect. The only way to really stop it would be for someone to build a circle around the other person would then start showing that this is a troll, etc. Then that can be handled via our player code of conduct.
I know there is not an easy answer for any of this and that it isn’t the perfect system. But right now we have something that just doesn’t work and at least this option does move us in a new direction. We can always course correct, etc.
I’m on bored with things like no settlement name or anything that reduces conflict in the game. We don’t need mechanics that force people to fight where they don’t want to. That is PVP games, etc.
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Getting the sovreignty of “Pasta Carbonara - City” is less productive than “My guild rules over the world - city”
On top of that “My guild rules over the world” didn’t make it alone.
Some build portals, others roads, and others shops. The name of a settlement should not be used for a City. This will generate too much conflicts.
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If you feel this way then the opt in opt out solution still works. . if you do not want to let your city to have a single name don’t opt in. For those that do, opt in. I am part of and will be part of several group builds. We as a group have accepted a name for the city. We want the entire settlement to have a single name when people enter it. Why make it confusing to the people going there that might now see a different name every time they cross a street including a different name for the street. I personally do not want my UI crowded with all the names of each piece of a large city and its warden popping up every few seconds.
I still think the focus on the name is just a symptom of a larger issue, but I can tell we are never going to agree on this.
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It’s a shame that this system is causing problems for people. It was designed to represent the world and the buildings within it, and to give identity to the awesome locations that are created. It was not intended to produce friction or upset groups of people who are trying to build amazing things.
Any potential change to this is complicated from both a design and a technical perspective. Rest assured we are taking your feedback on-board and considering options.
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<Edited by Steggs - Please don’t pick out individuals in the community> If people are so in secure that they are going to toss there arms in the air and scream like a 2 year old in a sandbox because people are playing the game… Then are these the people whose opinions we should be taking stock in???
The game mechanics are fine! The Prestige system is fine… The problem is the thought process that because I was here first I have some special claim to the Land I DID NOT PLOT around me because I think my town and or community is special and more important then others!!!
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Please also lets not put too much stock into the deliberately and unnecessarily confrontational words chosen by Sulfurblade. If people are so insecure about possible change that they immediately revert to dismissing other peoples opinions with aggravating language… then are these the people who’s opinions we should be taking stock in?
Whatever the Devs decide, and however much you might disagree with it, there’s really no need not to be civil.
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It does suck its causing problems. I think it’s the basis is very cool. I hope you guys can spitball a great fix for peoples problems!
Again no fix is needed here…
If your kids are playing in a sandbox your oldest daughter is making an amazing sand castle with awesome detail and your youngest son, is lumping some sand clumps together on top of each other…
Then your oldest daughter takes your sons bucket and shovel away and tells he to leave the sandbox his building is terrible… who would you reprimand???
Your eldest Daughter for being a brat right???
So why are we considering this behavior in boundless to be okay to the point we are going to accommodate people who are old enough to know how to behave properly inside a sand box???
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Personally, I’d see if I could get them to fight over it for entertainment… but I’d make a terrible parent and definitely should never have children. Or maybe tell them I saw a cat pooing in the sandbox so they don’t even want to use it for a little while. I’m not sure what the Boundless equivalent would be though.
Also, I don’t entirely think you’re wrong. I’d say there are some flaws, but the system does ‘more or less’ work for a reasonable portion of the player-base. Sometimes, that’s the best that you can hope for, but that doesn’t necessarily follow that it couldn’t still be made better.
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We had quite a constructive conversation about this within our guild discord yesterday.
The outcome was that, players like to have a sense of identity - even more so when it comes to groups of players. We as players like to carve out a creative territory that we can call home. Somewhere we can feel proud of our collective accomplishments and achievements. Being absorbed by another settlement removes that identity and accomplishment and is seen as an invasion of that territory.
One possible solution we came up with was to keep the organic growth of settlements, so that players can still simply and easily build together and form great sprawling cities. In joining a settlement in this way, you are tagged as part of that settlement. That part of the implementation exists already in game.
An improvement I would like to see comes when you have existing settlements that share a border between them. I would like to see an option (which would likely need to happen at the time of the settlement bridging player placing their beacon), for the player to choose which settlement they would like to be a part of.
Additionally, any beacons that share a border between settlement would also have an option to change which settlement they want to belong to. This allows territorial progression between neighbouring settlements, but on a beacon by beacon basis, not via a complete absorption of one settlement by another.
Put the control in the players hands of where they want to belong.
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Our challenge and aim is to solve this problem in a way that makes everyone happy, and we might even have a few ideas how to do this…
We’ll share the ideas once we’ve thought through them a little more.
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I think you didn’t get what this discussion is about and you are missing the point. 
The discussion about themed cites is in another topic.
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its the Same discussion!!!
There is no sovereignty fix needed… As the system works fine… Work hard and be the Warden that’s the answer… If your a big group then utilize those numbers and be sure one of your’s is the warden!!! Both issues are the same thing…
It’s not that easy. On Nil Zed Ka… or whatever it is called, is a capital with a quite a prestige, the biggest plot has over 120K prestige. Few days ago I started to build a tower nearby, but miscalculated plots, and had to expand yesterday. It turns out now I’m part of this capital, having second most prestige, and soon, and by the looks of it I’ll be a Mayor today, tomorrow or by the end of week. Looking at the other buildings I don’t think they be able to “combat” my prestige gain, because they are just causal players that want to have fun.
…
And the real question left is… how do I name this capital when I take it over 
…
But seriously, it’s very, very easy to take over someone’s village, hamlet, whatever. And If you are dedicated, you can do it so quickly other won’t even notice that.
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And what is wrong with what you just said??? You name it whatever you want because you will be the warden… If there casual players thats on them… If there rational people they will be like oh well I am just a casual player guess I now live in the town known as “X” Because sztosz is a good player who has more prestige then me…
Or they say grrrr… they knuckle down and mine Iron hand it all to one of there guys who turns it into machined Iron and takes back the town…
Or
They could come to the forum and cry for a change to the game!
Even I, though I like to take over planets (be a Viceroy) just for fun, think that taking over the name of someone’s settlement by force (force of prestige) is borderline griefing in a game like boundless.
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Its most certainly not griefing…
Its the only competition in this MMO is the prestige competition and you want to take that out???
I think there have been far too many people who have grown up in the generation of everyone gets a participation trophy instead of giving out 1rst 2nd and 3rd…
Seriously that is basically the entire point of the game… Build up and be big and strong so your the Warden and rally your town to build big and strong so you become viceroy…
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Also you obviously put in more work if you have more prestige so Its griefing on there part if they complain about your right to name the town what you want… You have just as much right to do so as they do… Actually more so because your the warden!