Black Mark

@scurvywoof I don't think that is entirely accurate. They are the rules and guidelines, they are just flavored in a way to feel like they fit the world.

Article 1: This is about not harassing others about age, race, gender, sexuality, nationality, or creed. As it notes. Doing these things is a bannable offense so I would argue it is a rule and not a guideline.

Article 2: This is about not letting different playstyles evolve into heated issues (something the community struggles with and is hard to enforce). This feel like it is more aligned with the community spaces, like this forum, where if you do start getting aggressive with others about things and not fostering the behavior or of a respectable community it could lead to a ban as well. So again, this is a rule but flavored.

Article 3: This is about keeping things in the game and not spilling it over to targeted harassment because of an encounter. It applies to messaging people you had battles with and being offensive and combative outside of the game. It also applies to targeted harassment. Again, with evidence of this happening it is bannable to do this so it again sounds like it is a flavored rule.

Article 4 & 5: Both of these are related to the fact that within a Crew in this game you are not meant to troll your commrades and are expected to treat everyone on what is essentially your team with fairness and respect. It makes reference to some player tools that can be used to mitigate these in the moment while providing flavor (reference to sending to the Brig). And once again, with evidence you can be banned for doing harmful things to your Crew for no actual reason if the Crew is not on board for shenanigans. So again, this strikes me as a flavored set of rules.

Article 6: This one is the biggest guideline of the whole bunch as it is mostly a reminder to not be mean to people who are still getting their bearings with the game, and encouragement to do the whole community thing and provide newbies with advice and tips to help them along the way. There is little here that doesn't apply to other parts of the code more directly that can be enforced, so I will agree that this is for sure a guideline and just good practice in being a civil human.

Article 7: This one is explicitly about cheating in the game and how it is not allowed, a bannable offense once again so we are once again back to a rule and not just a guideline.

So, of the 7 Articles, it looks to me like 6 of them are essentially the rules of the game that have enforceable action that can happen if you don't follow them. So, it is 85% rules and 100% guidelines. But I would say it is disingenuous to say that "they are guidelines, not rules" because they are really both.

Granted, all of this said, I also think that this makes the Black Mark idea not really needed. If it is meant to address something related to the Code, there are already rules and enforcements in place for all of that. It doesn't need a game mechanic for breaking a rule. Also, doing it specifically for Article 1 strikes me as a real bad idea since that is a very bannable offense to be making and would be hard for the game to process and enforce realistically. And these folks would be best just being removed from the game, not just being marked to have PvP sent their way.

@redeyesith No, I'm talking about coming up with another code that will not relate to fraud, toxicity, and so on.

This is kinda confusing, but I think it is not necessary to send PvP towards a player that played their way, while not breaking The Code.
Giving players another code or set of 'rules' would actually go against the whole 'PIRATE As you wish' feel of the game itself.

Also giving a reward worth of Ashen Winds skull or Box of Wondrous secrets, just for killing one player seems highly exploitable and therefore illogical...

@foxi267 I didn't mention the ash wind skull and the box of secrets. I suggested this idea, but for some reason someone understands it somehow in their own way.

@foxi267 said in Black Mark:

@foxi267 I didn't mention the ash wind skull and the box of secrets.

But the suggested reward for defeating one player would be the same amount as selling Ashen Winds Skull at Grade 5 OoS or one of the rarest treasures out there, Box of Wondrous Secrets?

I get that it was just an idea, but it doesn't make any sense.

@foxi267 what would be the rules of the code? Cuz the one we have restricts "toxic" behaviour, we dont need other limitations. What would be the new rules that we can't break?

whoever violates the 1st rule of the "Pirate Code" will receive a black mark.

So…whom ever breaks the “everyone is welcome regardless of age, sex, color, religion. How does one know someone broke that rule?

The Pirate Code: “everyone is welcome regardless of age, sex, color, religion."

Reapers (who you can side with BTW): REJECT THE CODE!!!

Rare: Wait, That's illegal

@foxi267 And again, to come up with a new code that does not include the rules that already exist. And since it's pointless, then okay, but the idea is quite good

@foxi267 Hello foxi, Id like to say i like where your idea is headed though i believe that "violating pirate code" may be a bit to far fetched. What I do think is that handing out black marks to players is a good idea. The reasoning is what needs to be discussed because it can be handled in a few ways.

• A reporting system, the black mark would mark players frequently reported notifying players of their bad behavior. That system is flawed for a few reasons, being that reports can be used as a form of harassment, and over time they do not reflect the game well.

• A Bounty system, Now this is a fun option. Players can mark other players by offering a bounty reward for players who take this person down. The bounty can extend across servers.

• The Second form of this is that it is just an automatic Mark for defeating players in battle and having a high bounty means that you regularly go undefeated. Only players can collect on the bounty and it doesn't disappear until a player comes to collect.

• Now this next form I Am about to suggest may be ambitious but it involves adding radiant npc ships that are not skeletons, now hear me out. Non player human ships, that deliver cargo. Attacking these ships offer rewards similar to that of skeleton ships but the black mark is given to players who attack them as they are outlawed from the originating outpost of these cargo ships.

Well I added my two cents but It is your suggest and at the end of the day they should refer to your OP when deciding the course of action. Tell me what you think.

C.O.S.

@crowofstyx5569 It's genius! I also thought about it, but it didn't affect me much, I didn't come up with something. I think more people should see it. I liked it, but maybe someone else didn't.