805 replies to this topic

[SquareSphere]

Rnadmo, on 03 May 2012 - 01:37 PM, said:

"All of us". It was pretty clear to me that the topic in question was just a place to place your names and links to forums and such.

THIS, I never assume that placing our page on that thread STAKED THE UNIT CLAIM for us. In fact my unit has been well aware that there have been other incaration of the 12thVR from other MW games and leagues even before MWO was announced. Since making a 12thVR thread in the merc section we've even talked to some of the "ole timey Rangers", as we loving refer to them, to work with them if they wanted to use the 12thVR name again.

Folks, what we need is new ideas to help create a compromise that hasn't been on the table yet IF being in control of NAMED units is that important.

The devs have already mentioned one compromise that they're in discusions about, allowing joinable Merc Faction, but players won't control the overall unit, much like house units.

Might have noticed that I mention compromise, accept the fact that players won't be able to have direct control of famous merc unit then work from there.

[Barantor]

rafgod, on 03 May 2012 - 01:45 PM, said:

Do you want to play with friends and people you know or is it more important to pretend you're Jaime Wolf's other kid?

/thread

Well said.

[Opus]

rafgod, on 03 May 2012 - 01:45 PM, said:

Do you want to play with friends and people you know or is it more important to pretend you're Jaime Wolf's other kid?

I think the news is good. Any group of players can play as they like. Joining a House faction gives you the ability to lone wolf things, or for your buddies to fight together without a whole lot of larger responsibilities.

For those that must exert power on the interwebs, they can start a merc unit and set up more specific goals for their group.

And if you're really heartbroken, just start Lobo's Dragoons or The Highlanders of the Northern Winds or the Lou Vega Mambo #5s.

The World of Mechwarrior just became ours to recreate, in a way. to hell with the goldharmonies,whizkids, and such..

go make names for yourselves.... or better yet ourselves!

[Paul Inouye]

wwiiogre, on 03 May 2012 - 01:35 PM, said:

Paul that explains compression, but does not address the fact that PGI let this happen. Which in the end is the problem all of us are having at this point.

Chris

We stated very early on that faction names and unit names would be restricted. We even made it clear in the thread that was linked:
"As for canon protected faction/unit names, we will be locking out some of the key players in the BT timeline."

The ability to register your clan/unit name is nowhere in that thread or has it ever been offered by PGI.

I'm not trying to take the hard stance here but there was a misunderstanding somewhere that is causing this big uproar. Bryan has heard the pleadings in this thread and has taken them into consideration. What comes of it will be discussed at a later date (obviously) after it's had some time to boil into a nice stew.

[Tronchaser]

jimsolo, on 03 May 2012 - 01:38 PM, said:

I by no means speak for my Outfit but I have no intention of playing the game with this rule in place.

Denying use of Merc Names is wrong. Period.
Major houses I can understand but at the very least a player created outfit should be able to play as:

1) Sub-units of the Major Houses with House logo's/colors.
2) Battletech Lore Merc Units or at minimum Sub-units there of.
Preventing copies is the only rule that need be in place.

If I cannot play under the "Black Widow Company" AND her current logo's then I wont play at all.

END OF STORY

"The Customer is ALWAYS right"

Door ------->

We'll play the game the devs see fit. Ragequitting won't make them change. /shrug

[Bryan Ekman]

jimsolo, on 03 May 2012 - 01:38 PM, said:

I by no means speak for my Outfit but I have no intention of playing the game with this rule in place. Denying use of Merc Names is wrong. Period. Major houses I can understand but at the very least a player created outfit should be able to play as: 1) Sub-units of the Major Houses with House logo's/colors. 2) Battletech Lore Merc Units or at minimum Sub-units there of. Preventing copies is the only rule that need be in place. If I cannot play under the "Black Widow Company" AND her current logo's then I wont play at all. END OF STORY "The Customer is ALWAYS right"

Free hugs for this guy! I can be a heart breaker sometimes.. My apologies. Hopefully you caught some of my replies. We are considering adding some of the canon merc units into the faction rule system. These would not be player run organizations.

[wwiiogre]

No Guts No Galaxy should be interesting tonight

Thanks for the Nor[REDACTED BY ORDER OF COMSTAR] ders theme song.

Chris

[Opus]

jimsolo, on 03 May 2012 - 01:38 PM, said:

I by no means speak for my Outfit but I have no intention of playing the game with this rule in place.

Denying use of Merc Names is wrong. Period.
Major houses I can understand but at the very least a player created outfit should be able to play as:

1) Sub-units of the Major Houses with House logo's/colors.
2) Battletech Lore Merc Units or at minimum Sub-units there of.
Preventing copies is the only rule that need be in place.

If I cannot play under the "Black Widow Company" AND her current logo's then I wont play at all.

END OF STORY

"The Customer is ALWAYS right"

Sorry, but I am sure, there are lawsuits waiting to happen, Whizkids, and such are just waiting to pounce, so the customer isn't always right. When copyrights, and such apply to something like this

[Monky]

You steam a good ham, Paul. Good to see the practical considerations are being looked out for.

[wwiiogre]

Got that part, it did not say all known MERC names would be off limits just major players in Time/Fiction/Canon. Was wondering on the wording since, some is not same as all.



chris

[Carl Wrede]

wwiiogre, on 03 May 2012 - 02:04 PM, said:

Got that part, it did not say all known MERC names would be off limits just major players in Time/Fiction/Canon. Was wondering on the wording since, some is not same as all.



chris

Northwind Highlanders are big enough anyway to have fallen under some also.

[AlfalphaCat]

I think the Highlanders need to remember that this is not going to be an RPG. Role-playing and such will be mostly up to the units themselves, and not necessarily "in-game".

I know this has got you guys all worked up, but it really isn't the end of the world.

[Arturus]

So...if I got this right...our Lyran-affiliated unit would be designated (in game) as "SkyeRangers" (no space) as opposed to "Skye Rangers" (w/ a space)? Our small group of 'Mechwarriors identifies strongly with this unit and our website is built around the Skye Brigade, but we don't claim to 'own it'; just affiliated. So it appears as if we will be creating an in game "guild (unit)" named "SkyeRangers" (no space), signing up with House Steiner, winning some prestige (or infamy) and working our way up.

I can live with that. Seems reasonable.

[Dirk Le Daring]

Thanks Bryan and Paul, makes sense.

[Carl Wrede]

Arturus, on 03 May 2012 - 02:18 PM, said:

So...if I got this right...our Lyran-affiliated unit would be designated (in game) as "SkyeRangers" (no space) as opposed to "Skye Rangers" (w/ a space)? Our small group of 'Mechwarriors identifies strongly with this unit and our website is built around the Skye Brigade, but we don't claim to 'own it'; just affiliated. So it appears as if we will be creating an in game "guild (unit)" named "SkyeRangers" (no space), signing up with House Steiner, winning some prestige (or infamy) and working our way up.

I can live with that. Seems reasonable.

Wrong, the name without a space was just for the webpage list. You can not have it ingame.
If you absolutely need to belong to that unit you have to become a house affiliated mechwarrior and work yourselves up to the point were you can join that house unit.

[swamp hag]

Opus, on 03 May 2012 - 02:00 PM, said:

Sorry, but I am sure, there are lawsuits waiting to happen, Whizkids, and such are just waiting to pounce, so the customer isn't always right. When copyrights, and such apply to something like this

Exactly why we all need to remember to be fair to the devs about this. They took on a risky project making this game to begin with, the last thing they need is to risk legal issues by openly endorsing unlicensed use of trademark names.

Edited by Glory, 03 May 2012 - 02:22 PM.

[Korbyn McColl]

Carl Wrede, on 03 May 2012 - 02:06 PM, said:

Northwind Highlanders are big enough anyway to have fallen under some also.

We had this debate ad nauseum within NWH. Most hoped that since NWH doesn't really play a major role (the source book doesn't even pick up until 3058) we'd be able to slide in by not being major players. But that is irrelevant now.

Let me be clear:

We are MW/BT fans. We are playing this game.

We will acknowledge that we can not be the Northwind Highlanders.

But we will be from Northwind. And we will be Highlanders. We may say we split from the unit, or something like that. They may take our name, but they won't take our...

wait for it...





wait for it....





wait for it......

[Ghogiel]

jimsolo, on 03 May 2012 - 01:38 PM, said:

Preventing copies is the only rule that need be in place.

Preventing copies is what is happening it seems. Those units already exist, you can't make them again. Makes sense to me.

[Jaroth Corbett]

Wow as soon as I think I am finished the page for the thread, more replies come in & a new page goes up.

So Bryan getting to what you said:

Bryan Ekman, on 03 May 2012 - 11:18 AM, said:

Alright... long overdue, much distraction in between.

Players will NOT be able to claim canon units as their own. When it comes to Mercenary Units/Corps/Companies, these names will not be available during MC creation. Trying to circumvent the naming system will result in the Merc Corp being renamed/denied.

Faction units are being handled slightly different. When a player aligns themselves with one of the major factions, say House Kurita, they will have the opportunity to join famous house units as the rank up by earning loyalty points. Some house units will require additional feats of excellence and challenges to achieve before membership is granted. Since these units are not run by the players, and we can reserve/restrict access to very active/famous units for sake of preserving the BattleTech timeline.

Our general stance on player run merc units is simple - create your own legacy! It's very unfair for players to stake ownership over a canon unit, and creates a host of politic and pr issues. So we're avoiding the complexities and edge cases associate with players assuming the role of these units by encouraging you to forge your own destiny.

This is our launch POV. As always, we listen to your feedback and ways to improve the system.

Bryan Ekman, on 03 May 2012 - 11:27 AM, said:

Since Clans are Factions, and not player run (at launch), this would fall under the Faction Unit rules.

Players can earn the privilege to be a member by earning loyalty points and performing certain feats/actions.

So are you saying that Clan Wolf being the canon name is not allowed but someone can create ClanWolf/Clan_Wolf etc.?

I assume that is not the case but I just need clarification.

If so, are you also saying that the sub-unit names are also off limits? e.g 13th Battle Cluster or even their nicknames (The Stalkers)

If that is also the case, are you saying that we will only be allowed to create units from our own mind, denying us the ability to embody the factions & sub factions we have read about & come to love?

e.g 14th Battle Cluster nickname Elite Brutes

[Pvt Dancer]

Paul Inouye, on 03 May 2012 - 01:53 PM, said:

We stated very early on that faction names and unit names would be restricted. We even made it clear in the thread that was linked:
"As for canon protected faction/unit names, we will be locking out some of the key players in the BT timeline."

The ability to register your clan/unit name is nowhere in that thread or has it ever been offered by PGI.

I'm not trying to take the hard stance here but there was a misunderstanding somewhere that is causing this big uproar. Bryan has heard the pleadings in this thread and has taken them into consideration. What comes of it will be discussed at a later date (obviously) after it's had some time to boil into a nice stew.

Oh, you know how it is Paul.... "assume means make an @ss out of you and me". Now you guys are the bad guys for 'misleading' and the people involved feel 'betrayed' because they expected to be special, unique snowflakes.

I think making the Merc corp as a faction is fine, and I think folk who make fan sites for their 'versions' of the faction is fine. Since the Highlanders are posting alot, will use them for an example for how I see it. You guys can join the Highlanders as a faction. Once in, you can be Captain Radjak Ryan of the Bagpipers of Doom of the Northwind Highlanders. You can create your own group /inside/ of the faction, but you can not /claim/ the faction and thus direct it or boss people around. You can have a off-site webpage for the Bagpipers of Doom, but if someone wants to join the Northwind Highlanders, they do /not/ have to go through you to be part of it. If they want to be Bagpipers of Doom, well, that is your baby, your call.

I do not understand why people are so hung up as that they /have/ to be called 'Clan Wolf', NWHs, Kell Hounds, ect. Does it /really/ matter? Do people really care?