Ban for shipname?

Ideally anything punny that isn't much beyond SoT skeleton captain names would be fine

but I have heard tale that mild puns about stuff and things have run into trouble

I'd keep the puns to witty but not adult themed just to be safe out there.

and nothing mean spirited or inside baseball where it could be seen as mean spirited, it might be witty but if it's mean or hurtful to individual or group it doesn't do anyone any good out there on the seas.

@sudsierboar5526
Is it a slur?

From what I've read, reported names are manually vetted, and if they're considered inappropriate your ship name will be changed to a generic name, I think it just changes it to Sloop if it's a sloop for example.

@sudsierboar5526 said in Ban for shipname?:

But I know some people get offended on others behalf.

this concerns me a bit as it appears that 1. there is reason to think that it is offensive to someone 2. there may be an attempt to be sneaky about it.

When choosing a name I would not look at it politically or socially in any sort of side way. I would look at the environment as one that largely tries to stay family friendly so all personal views aside does a name go against that goal?

Things can be witty and funny and fitting for an individual without being appropriate for the shared environment.

I would go with the cleanest name that you most enjoy as opposed to anything that leans dirty or edgy or whatever way something might lean.

@danbeardluff I found that one surprising. Rare almost banned a guy for "Big Deck Energy" and revoked his naming privileges when he reported someone's ship name being blatantly racist. Firstly, that's a great way to make sure people don't report ship names. Secondly, Rare has some innuendos in the game itself that are in the same ballpark. Just equip the "Glory Hull" and go fight skelly captains "Iron Johnson" and "Quick Dicken".

Rare should be banning people for some of the blatantly awful stuff out there, but leave simple juvenile innuendos alone. At worst, give them a warning and let them rename the boat. I've seen a lot of dirty and hilarious ship names out on the seas. Rare would be carving out a pretty significant chunk of their playerbase if they go overboard on this. The game is rated T for Teen, and I guarantee you that any player who has spent more than five minutes in this game has heard far worse over the mic than "Big Deck Energy".

@lordtaco111 The game is rated T for Teen and has open mics. It's a fair bet that kids playing this game have heard far worse from other players than "Big Deck Energy", "Megalodong", or "Master Baiters".

What I wouldn't give to be able to get a peek at the names in Rare's database. They're probably passing some of them around the office as we type.

@fatbeard1353 said in Ban for shipname?:

The game is rated T for Teen and has open mics. It's a fair bet that kids playing this game have heard far worse from other players than "Big Deck Energy", "Megalodong", or "Master Baiters".

What I wouldn't give to be able to get a peek at the names in Rare's database. They're probably passing some of them around the office as we type.

Safe and welcoming for a diverse population is the goal.

I chuckle at silly names, it doesn't bother me. Plenty of the names entertain me

but that's me and everyone isn't me. Some references bother people, makes them feel uncomfortable, unwelcome, might be something that is silly and funny to some but hurtful to others for one reason or another.

I'd never pretend I'm above it in private, I enjoy all sorts of humor with people that are comfortable around it but in a shared environment there is more to consider as everyone isn't on the same page with humor, not everyone is comfortable around some of these topics, and they don't need to be, in a family friendly environment there isn't a case to make for them being in the wrong place as it's a place for everyone of many ages and types.

@wolfmanbush And that's fair. However, I would contend that it doesn't mesh well with the reality of this kind of multiplayer game. If someone plays Sea of Thieves and doesn't think they'll hear dirty jokes or coarse language from other players then I would congratulate them on spending decades in a cryo-chamber and emerging yesterday. It also doesn't help that Rare themselves have thrown in some dirty jokes too (this is the company that made Conker's Bad Fur Day, after all). Rare can and should go after the really nasty stuff, of course. No one wants a bunch of kids screaming slurs like they just learned them all over the game or making various ship names using the word "slave", which I'm surprised wasn't already blocked by their filter.

But when Rare starts punishing players for innuendos that really aren't worse than what they themselves have already put in the game then it comes off as more than a little hypocritcal. Just like any pirate, you have to pick your battles. Let some things go, correct some, and ban the worst. Being too heavy-handed risks alienating a large chunk of the player base.

@fatbeard1353 said in Ban for shipname?:

@wolfmanbush And that's fair. However, I would contend that it doesn't mesh well with the reality of this kind of multiplayer game. If someone plays Sea of Thieves and doesn't think they'll hear dirty jokes or coarse language from other players then I would congratulate them on spending decades in a cryo-chamber and emerging yesterday. It also doesn't help that Rare themselves have thrown in some dirty jokes too (this is the company that made Conker's Bad Fur Day, after all). Rare can and should go after the really nasty stuff, of course. No one wants a bunch of kids screaming slurs like they just learned them all over the game or making various ship names using the word "slave", which I'm surprised wasn't already blocked by their filter.

But when Rare starts punishing players for innuendos that really aren't worse than what they themselves have already put in the game then it comes off as more than a little hypocritcal. Just like any pirate, you have to pick your battles. Let some things go, correct some, and ban the worst. Being too heavy-handed risks alienating a large chunk of the player base.

The examples you specifically gave (in the other post) are different imo

adults giggling at words/phrases that we choose to see as funny and references about adult themes is different than creating names that are intentionally and specifically focused on the topic with punny spelling

I understand what you are saying but I think there is a difference.

Quick Dicken for example sounds funny but it's more like an oldschool cowboy movie character name than actually referencing something dirty.

@wolfmanbush I'm pretty sure Quick Dicken was put in there with full knowledge of the innuendo. Same with Iron Johnson and the Magpie Glory Hull. They may not be blatant about it, but it's in there. Rare has a habit of sneaking little dirty jokes into their games, or blatant dirty jokes, depending on which one you're playing. SoT also features ample amounts of brutal murder and alcoholism to the point that you expect your pirate to barf out their liver, neither of which I'd describe as family-friendly.

@fatbeard1353 said in Ban for shipname?:

@wolfmanbush I'm pretty sure Quick Dicken was put in there with full knowledge of the innuendo. Same with Iron Johnson and the Magpie Glory Hull. They may not be blatant about it, but it's in there. Rare has a habit of sneaking little dirty jokes into their games, or blatant dirty jokes, depending on which one you're playing. SoT also features ample amounts of brutal murder and alcoholism to the point that you expect your pirate to barf out their liver, neither of which I'd describe as family-friendly.

Entirely possible but Iron Johnson not only was a boxer but in general just sounds like a boxer name to me

Personally I think the magpie one was entirely happenstance of wording.