Should Using the Builds of Another Group Be Allowed?

[Wonderland_Boy 1082]

This discussion concerns how buildings and other aspects of Lord of the Craft are meant to be treated. Many dismiss the issue by stating that it is “just a block game,” and therefore that no real importance should be attached to in-game structures.
 

However, this perspective overlooks a key reality of the server. Many builds were not created casually or spontaneously, but rather by individuals who invested significant time, skill, and effort into their construction. In many cases, these builders were explicitly commissioned and paid using real-world money, in much the same way that a skinner is paid to create Minecraft skins.
 

To provide an example: after the eviction of Haelu’nor, the Empire permitted its former build to be handed over for use by another group. If a similar situation were to occur elsewhere, but the original builders or group did not give their consent, would such a transfer still be acceptable? Should players be allowed to use or replicate the builds of others despite the fact that these structures represent hours of human labor, and in some cases, paid work?
 

This raises a broader ethical concern. If builds can be freely taken or reused without consent, does that imply that all commissioned creative work on the server lacks ownership? Following this logic, if I were to roleplay killing a character whose skin was commissioned and paid for, would I then be entitled to take their clothes and thus effectively take their skin

 

[Luxury 1085]

I feel if you apply any build to a collaborative roleplay environment, there is implied expectations for that build to be used and / or interacted with in the roleplay narrative. Sometimes that means it gets taken, damaged, improved, or otherwise. It's a dynamic world.

[Wolfy-D 483]

Short answer, no.

Long answer, it's 2 AM, I too tired to put together words the right way.

[JoshBright 3016]

Short awnser: no

Long awnser: no but more details but its 2am

[xo31 4013]

....yeah.... 

[Tav 4339]

as a biased wood elf/druid player my answer is wholeheartedly yes, it’s very fun to settle onto a build and having that be an abandoned city on the map.

 

i remember there was a huge problem oocly last map when Nevaehlen took over Talar’nor, saying we stole their build n stuff despite leaving it for dead with no second thought. at that point it’s just petty ooc, not something that should dictate the actions done in roleplay.

[xo31 4013]

1 minute ago, Tav said:

i remember there was a huge problem oocly last map when Nevaehlen took over Talar’nor, saying we stole their build n stuff despite leaving it for dead with no second thought. at that point it’s just petty ooc, not something that should dictate the actions done in roleplay.

nevaehlen's build was so cool. I stand by this. taken over overgrown city was so awesome

[Adelemphii 1766]

By building on the server you kinda agree that what happens to it is at the whims of roleplay. I think it's chill so long as the people who take it over don't go around saying they built the original thing.

 

The case with Aelwen (formerly hnor), they'd say "Yeah it was made by hnor's builders, and Danny, Mayios, and others have been changing it to fit their druidism vibes! It's really cool!"

[Benleft 2589]

Builds are roleplay too maaaaaaan

[Areon 947]

Yes if ownership is passed over through RP means.

 

What is the alternative you'd even consider; Do you expect staff to world edit the tiles back to their original states after someone gets conquered/wiped out, or something different?

The former isn't very good for narrative or story telling, and playing musical chairs with LC regions is kinda jarring when exploring the map.

[D3F4LT 1026]

Welcome to lord of the craft where you rp as medieval times where you get killed and your killers become its new homeowners

[Nectorist 12871]

I agree with what other people here have said. If you bring assets onto LoTC, then you are allowing them to be interacted with in RP. There's also the fact that plenty of builds, skins, posts, etc, are collaborative projects. If I did the interiors for every house in Haelun'or, but then decided to leave one day, should I just be able to take away the interior of every building? What if people have modified the interiors? What gets taken away then? 

 

4 hours ago, Wonderland_Boy said:

If builds can be freely taken or reused without consent, does that imply that all commissioned creative work on the server lacks ownership? Following this logic, if I were to roleplay killing a character whose skin was commissioned and paid for, would I then be entitled to take their clothes and thus effectively take their skin

 

I would consider skins, art, etc, to be different because those are entirely personal property, bought (or created) by one person with the intent of using that skin for themselves. With builds, it's generally expected that they are for communal use, for everyone to RP in, live in, etc, as they like (and if anyone is barred, it's done through RP). Just because someone has bought/made a build doesn't mean that they OOCly bar someone from ever RPing there on every character on the grounds of it being their creative work. It's understood that the build is a common ground of the nation/group that inhabits it, and any rules about players interacting with the build need to be grounded in RP, where OOC ownership of the creative property doesn't hold any weight.

 

I think a better example would be if I purchased a skin with the intent of using it for my nation's military, then distributed it to everyone and told them to give these skins to the new recruits. If I were to get fired IRP three months later, then decide to revoke everyone's permission to use these skins, I'd just get laughed out of the room because I gave the skins away freely to be used by my nation.

[Venomous_Pup 2978]

2 hours ago, Tav said:

as a biased wood elf/druid player my answer is wholeheartedly yes, it’s very fun to settle onto a build and having that be an abandoned city on the map.

 

i remember there was a huge problem oocly last map when Nevaehlen took over Talar’nor, saying we stole their build n stuff despite leaving it for dead with no second thought. at that point it’s just petty ooc, not something that should dictate the actions done in roleplay.

The main issue, from what I recall from the Talar'nor build, was specifically that the people who were commissioned to build it were never paid, so it kinda sucked. It wasn't really an issue with the Vale per se, as they didn't commission it and were unaware, but that is why a fuss of some description was kicked up, given those circumstances. Regardless of that, it is kinda in the TOS that when you post (in this case, paste) anything to LotC, it legally becomes LotC property, so it is really up to staff how they feel about build squatting or even copying styles.

[Ardory 2978]

If it is blatantly copying another build without any irp justification it should not be allowed.

 

If there is RP justification, such as haelunor falling to the empire or stealing a ship from some rich guy in another nation, then I find that fair game.

[Hom 1988]

agreeing with the choir here: when you create a build for LOTC, you are creating a build which is part of the whole server and all the roleplay possibilities that entails, not just your corner of it. if that’s something you aren’t cool with, totally okay! simply don’t build for lotc and make your builds elsewhere, that’s fine. but i think it’s pretty much what you sign up for when you build here, a contribution to the overall narrative and landscape, not just your group or friends. builds being overtaken through roleplay means is ethically different than someone for example, stealing a schematic and claiming it as their own.