Rules for Age Content

[bluewyvern]

What's odd is that this IC explanation actually does allow for a player-created age that looks just like the planet Vulcan or Alderaan, since an age is merely what springs forth from an explorer's mind, and ironically this same IC explanation does not allow an age that was ever visited by a D'ni or has the slightest relation to the Uru IP(!).

This is actually something I've been thinking about...sure, you can't Write an Age and have it *be* Middle-Earth or Pern or something. But given the interests of the explorer base, if you were to give them the power to Write Ages, in real life, you can bet that somebody would try to Write an Age and model it after their favorite fictional world, if only to see what would happen or to get the joy of realizing (a close approximation of) a place they'd only read about.

As a stern and serious Guild, I'm sure we would discourage this sort of thing. But it would be totally reasonable and IC for something like that to happen -- and if a Writer wants to sneak in a little something here and there, that might even be okay, provided it's in good taste. (In my Everyage proposal for Showcase, for example, I mentioned adding lampposts to the islands, and that the one on the forest island might look a lot like the lamppost in the wood in the Narnia books -- which would be an intentional, and quite subtle, homage, without crossing any major boundaries.)

[Pryftan]

IC, yeah, it'd make sense. OOC, we have the same issues with everyone else's copyrights as we do with Cyan's. Making something similar to Narnia as a homage is fine, but if Mr. Tumnus, or anything that looks like Mr. Tumnus shows up, it's a problem OOC.

[Kierra]

This is a good point, yes.

I doubt we could keep Writers from paying homage to their favorite stories, and I'm not quite sure we'd want to.

Besides, where is the line?

Is a round wooden door infringing on Tolkien's copyrights, or is it just a round wooden door? Tolkien certainly isn't the first to think of round wooden doors.

But if you then call your Age "Hobbiton", then yes, that would be copyright infringement.

There is a blurry line, and I imagine the topic of copyright will always be a gray area.

Heck, one of my cameras in my Age is named "Cambot"...but I doubt the creators of Mystery Science Theater 3000 are gonna come knocking on my door with a subpoena.

~Kia

[The Noble Robot]

Well no, that's not the only thing we have to go on. We also have what grey dragon and Cyan have said to Age Creators since the shard days, and they've never explicitly said we cannot write Ages as "discoveries". When asked about it they'd just say to avoid messing with anything involved in their set story or trying to introduce new information about their copyrighted material.

I hope that's still true. I myself have little interest in creating "found" ages in the D'ni mold, I'm more interested in the modern-day storyline, but I *am* very interested in exploring other fans creations of this kind (some of the ideas I've seen so far have been fantastic).

[Kato]

I don't agree. I don't see unfinished, untested, unconsistent Ages being hosted on MOUL. I feel like the GoW should only send completed and serious Ages to Cyan to host on their servers. It's one thing to post something on a public forum, and it's another to ask them to make it part of their game, public to any and all paying explorers. They can't risk their copyrights being breached by outsiders, or anyone will be able to toy with their storyline and their material.

I agree completely here, Pryftan. Well said.

-Kato

[Whilyam]

I have only one guideline: It all is my own.

I think that's all we need.

[Pryftan]

I have only one guideline: It all is my own.

I think that's all we need.

There are a good number of Writers who don't want to do any "discovered" Ages and would rather stick to completely original content. That's fine. But for the people who do want to work on "discoveries", we'll need some rules. That's all this is about.

[belford]

"It's one thing to post something on a public forum, and it's another to ask them to make it part of their game, public to any and all paying explorers"

You're right. The forum is *more* public, and should therefore be subject to more stringent standards. Stuff that's part of the game is only available to paying explorers -- so it reflects less on Cyan's public image!

Seriously, why is any of this obvious? It's only true if we (and I include Cyan in "we") decide it's true. The situation with prose fanfic on forums (and external web sites) works perfectly well; I don't see any need for a new set of rules for 3D models.

As for "untested, inconsistent, etc" -- and submitting Ages to Cyan -- you're imagining a magic line that doesn't exist. We talk about the GoW developing an Age, the GoMa testing it, all those things. And I support those practices. But those statements are shorthand for *some players work on an Age, more players test it.* As soon as anyone can link into an Age -- even a Maintainer or Writer -- then the Age is part of Uru Live. That's not the last hurdle for a finished Age, it's the *first*.

[Whilyam]

I have only one guideline: It all is my own.

I think that's all we need.

There are a good number of Writers who don't want to do any "discovered" Ages and would rather stick to completely original content. That's fine. But for the people who do want to work on "discoveries", we'll need some rules. That's all this is about.

I'm not sure discovered ages would work. If they're discovered D'ni ages, that goes against the "don't use Cyan IP" idea. I also think the "make a home" directly refers to what we'll do. We'll make a home, not discover one. Perhaps this?

Rule 1: Writers may not use any content used or distributed by Cyan unless explicit written permission is given.

Rule 2: Writers may not use any content that would be deemed inappropriate by the Uru Live Code of Conduct.

Rule 3: Writers must make their ages "complete". No age should have visible holes exposing the area outside the Age. No age should be able to be "fallen through". Also, if the age has areas where the player is not supposed to go, these must be made inaccessible.

Rule 4: Writers may not use any form of code or triggers to cause harm to another players machine or to the servers of Cyan.

Rule 5: Writers may not use their content or age in a way that would violate the Uru Live Code of Conduct.

[Pryftan]

We'll make a home, not discover one.

I don't see any reason we can't do both.

And your rules are fine, though I'm pretty sure 2, 4, and 5 are the same thing.

You're right. The forum is *more* public, and should therefore be subject to more stringent standards. Stuff that's part of the game is only available to paying explorers -- so it reflects less on Cyan's public image!

But that doesn't make any sense. Cyan's public image is completely based on their paying customers. What do they care about people who visit forums but don't pay for their products?

As soon as anyone can link into an Age -- even a Maintainer or Writer -- then the Age is part of Uru Live.

No. Right now the idea is to test Ages on CC and then move them to Uru Live when they are 100% complete. Why should we ask Cyan to host Ages that might never be completed when we can test and finish Ages without hosting them on their servers?