ZacKing
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Posts posted by ZacKing
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On 4/13/2024 at 11:15 PM, Techwright said:
Yeah, you can take out Thaddeus Ross. No tears spilled (though likely he'll become Red Hulk).
That's going to be in the new Captain America mega-flop. McDonald's already spoiled it with the toys. Can't say I'm looking forward to this one at all and I see it as the next flop/disaster/money loser for the MCU.
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7 hours ago, Herotu said:
NOBODY teams with a specifically self-imposed cap of less than 8. The point being that although we are FREE to do so, we don't.
I can't speak for anyone else other than me, but I can guarantee you this isn't anywhere remotely close to true. I team with a few mates near every day and the four of us run missions just fine.
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6 minutes ago, Eiko-chan said:
That sure seemed to me to be what you were saying. How am I supposed to know that the words you wrote were not the meaning you meant to convey? 😕
Reading comprehension skills help.
44 minutes ago, ZacKing said:Those printed materials have been replaced with video tutorials and player generated instructional "how-to" videos all over social media.
Pay attention to how I didn't preface "video tutorials" with the words "player generated" as you thought.
36 minutes ago, Eiko-chan said:So something that developers used to do is now on their customers to do?
Where exactly did I say that developers have no responsibility and that the onus is 100% on the customers now? You made that up, not me.
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1 minute ago, Eiko-chan said:
"Player generated"? So something that developers used to do is now on their customers to do?
This isn't what I said and I think you know that.
The game already has tutorials which cover the basics of how to play and other stuff like the invention system, AE etc. That type of content is up to developers to create and maintain. Believe it or not, some game companies do make their own video walk-throughs and such to explain the game and new features. It's cheaper today for them to record someone doing a play session and uploading it to YouTube - where it can generate revenue for them - than it is to produce and ship expensive printed materials that will usually go out of date with the next game update.
As for player generated content, yes there's usually an abundance of it out there and provides a lot more valuable information and tribal knowledge than anything developers would create.-
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3 minutes ago, Eiko-chan said:
Yes. Because when we were young, our games came with little pretty booklets and manuals for us to read to learn how to play and experience the game. Now, games do not come with manuals, printed or digital, and thus the instructions on how to play and experience the game need to be baked into the game instead.
Those printed materials have been replaced with video tutorials and player generated instructional "how-to" videos all over social media.
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7 hours ago, mechahamham said:
I noticed one person advertising in help chat, "I've gotten level 50. So now what do I need to do to equip my character and start enjoying the game?"
We've failed that person. They're level 50 and want to START enjoying the game. They've missed most of the game on their first character.
Playing devil's advocate here, but your post seems to make quite a few assumptions. First, you're assuming this person got powerleveled to 50 and that's the sole reason why they don't enjoy the game. How do you know they didn't play story content the "right/correct" way and got to 50 on their own and didn't enjoy "the journey"? I know this comes as a real shock to quite a few people here, but the early game isn't enjoyable for everyone. Some people do like to reach max level, fully kit their characters and then go back and play through the content because their character will perform better.
I agree with others who have said let others play the game as they like and let them make their own decisions.
Trying to impose what we individually think is the best way to enjoy the game on others does way more damage than good in my opinion. I personally know a handful of people who have left the HC servers specifically because of that.
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14 hours ago, biostem said:
So you genuinely believe that if you asked people, (at least those who fall outside of the "don't care" category), why they created an exact copy of [character X], they'd honestly answer that since they were able to play [character X] on some other Marvel or DC game, that it's ok in 3rd party titles?
There are plenty of other games out there where there are free skins for Marvel, DC, Star Wars, Star Trek, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Scooby Doo, you name all readily available for free. Of course there's going to be those who expect it to not be a problem here. I know this because I've let people know about the rules in a PM and they've thanked me and said they weren't aware of it.
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12 minutes ago, biostem said:
I think you are being too generous in assuming that those creating obvious ripoffs don't know that what they are doing is wrong/against the ToS; At this stage of the game, and given the relative ease with which one can create a HC account, I'm inclined to believe that they just don't care...
How do you know that for certain? Supposedly there's a lot of new players coming in all the time, many of whom are used to playing other games where skins of trademarked characters are readily available for free. If you want to have such a negative view of others, knock yourself out. I prefer to give people the benefit of the doubt.
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5 hours ago, Player2 said:
It's funny, you don't preface your own statements with stating that you don't get to determine anything; you didn't tell anyone else the same. I made a statement counter to yours and very clearly indicated that it was my opinion, but you immediately tried to shut me down by telling me that I don't get to determine anything because that is the province of the HC team. Did I throw a hissy fit or was I just throwing some well-deserved sarcasm your way because you started our interaction by assuming that I misunderstood your post.
The same does apply to me just as it does to you and everyone else here. I don't get to determine what the HC team does or doesn't work on. None of us do. That's up to HC to set their own priorities. Does that make you feel better?
5 hours ago, Player2 said:I originally chimed in with some commentary about trademark law, which is relevant to the discussion, showing that it can be a confusing territory to navigate. Of course, at no time have I argued that this should be a grounds for permitting people to do what they want, but you dismissed my comments as irrelevant because HC makes the rules. Not only do I agree with that, I later explained why that is and should be the case beyond just "its theirs and they can do what they want."
Discussing opinions on the nuances of trademark law via Google search isn't relevant. Whether or not a character created here on these servers is or isn't a trademark violation isn't up to us or our opinion. Can any of us generic another players character? No, we can't. HC can. You could create a character here that were it taken to court would win a trademark violation case brought by Marvel. Who's going to pay for the legal fees for that? What you or I or anyone else feels is a violation or not is irrelevant. It's up to HC to make the call based on what their comfortable with and that fits within their established rules. It is their server and it is their rules. That's fact.
6 hours ago, Player2 said:Then you gave me what is clearly your opinion of the whole process of GM policing, stating that they have to spend the time looking at the violation and watching the transgressor's account to ensure it doesn't recur as justification for this idea, but you clearly don't know how much time the policing actually takes and just assume by stating that it seems wasteful of the GMs' time.
It's not my opinion on the process though. GMs have said this is what they do with these kinds of tickets. Are you suggesting that when a ticket comes in for a trademark violation, they don't even bother looking at the character? They just hit the magic generic button and that's it? They don't do any kind of follow up or account flagging to make sure the violating character isn't just recreated? You're right, I don't know how much time is involved with these tickets, but neither do you. Only HC knows that. Based on my experience and what I'm seeing, there's a lot of trademark violations running around lately, most likely with multiple reports coming from multiple players. Seems to me that this is something that might be helped by adding a simple bit of text into the costume editor letting people know copying trademarked characters isn't allowed.
6 hours ago, Player2 said:Maybe people keep suggesting it because it is the correct thing to do.
It is the correct thing to do. Read what I wrote again. You've missed the point of the thread yet again. If adding a note in the editor can help alleviate the problem and free up some of the time that our GMs are graciously volunteering for us, maybe it's worth it.
6 hours ago, Player2 said:We both offered anecdotal evidence regarding our experiences with people who commit the infringements, with me seeing a lot of people who know better and just don't care and you claiming that the people you've encountered just don't know because no one would ever try to deceive you on that if they've been called out for doing something they know is wrong, right? No one would try to play innocent in hopes of not getting reported...
I'm curious, what makes your experience more valid than mine here? How exactly do you know these people "know better" and aren't deceiving you?
4 hours ago, Player2 said:but it was stated to shut me down rather than really discuss the points I had made. I got the distinct impression from it that Zac wanted to talk at me rather than with me, as if his opinions were somehow more valid than my own.
This isn't true and you know it. I'm not trying to shut you down or prevent you from sharing your opinion. Shall I go back and re-quote you where you've told me to "drop it"? Who is trying to shut who down again?
4 hours ago, Player2 said:So play nice or don't play at all.
Fourth time now - I'm not your child or your pet dog. I'll continue to post, thanks. You're more than welcome to continue to do the same.
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2 hours ago, Erratic1 said:
See something problematic? Report it and move on.
Folks keep suggesting this and yes, that's the correct thing to do. We all know that. It's not the point of the thread though.
With that said, I'm personally seeing more and more people every day with clear copies of trademarked Disney/Lucasfilm and Marvel and DC characters running around. You can bet that they're all getting reported by someone and more than likely, multiple people. That's a lot of reports and a lot of volunteer GM time wasted on having to review each ticket, generic the costume and bio and then follow up to make sure it isn't changed back again. Maybe a short note or tooltip in the costume editor might help cut down on the number of tickets coming in for trademark violations because more people will be aware of the trademark rules due to it being more prominent and visible instead of buried in a lengthy CoC. Again, with very few exceptions, most people I PM about trademark violations respond with a thank you and say they didn't even know this was a rule.
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10 hours ago, PeregrineFalcon said:
Also, having a bit of text right in the character creator might not actually cut down on the amount of obvious violations that zone into Atlas Park everyday, but you know what it might do? Act as a very obvious bit of evidence that Homecoming does take IP violations seriously, and that might make the difference between a suit or a simple warning letter.
Very good point.
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10 hours ago, Player2 said:
Oh, do I have your permission now to disagree? Am I allowed to express an opinion on the matter that differs from your belief that they should do something?
It is my opinion that it would be a waste of their time. That is my determination. Deal with it. Whether or not the HC team chooses to act on that, or your opinion that it would be beneficial, is entirely up to them... but I can still state my opinion on the matter without having to listen to you tell me it's not for me to decide anything.
Nobody said anything of the sort. No one said you can't disagree or express your own opinion. No one said anything even remotely close to that and you know it. All I said was you don't get to say what is or isn't worth the effort for HC and you threw a hissy fit over it. Of course you're welcome to disagree and to express a different opinion. That's what these forums are for. If it were your server with you running the show, you'd be more than welcome to definitively say it isn't worth your time. But it isn't your server and you aren't running it, so let other people share ideas and let HC decide what is or isn't a good use of their time.
My determination is that it could help and do some good. Others have said the same thing and offered some great ideas. You're the one who can't seem to deal with that, not me. I'm perfectly fine with you disagreeing with me. And again, I'm not your child or your pet dog, so no, you don't get to tell me to deal with anything.
11 hours ago, Player2 said:None of anything is for any of the player base to decide... so why should anyone bother suggesting anything?
Because that's what discussion forums are for. It's not an all or nothing thing. We as the players can make suggestions and maybe the HC folk will take those suggestions into consideration. We as players with differing points of view can discuss an idea and provide our perspectives on whether the idea has merit or not. That can be useful for the HC team. Allowing discussion and getting multiple points of view is important. Trying to shout down others who disagree with you isn't helpful.
11 hours ago, Player2 said:So just go on about stating your wrong opinions and, again, drop it with regard to me having my own opinions.
My opinions aren't wrong, nor is anyone elses opinion wrong. For the third time now, you're more than welcome to have your own thoughts and opinions and share them here just like the rest of us. No one has suggested otherwise. You seem to be the one who has issues with people disagreeing with you, not me.
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29 minutes ago, Player2 said:
Yeah, I know, that's why I said that's how I see it and I let people know it's what I think... just like you are. And I'm saying my opinion differs from your opinion, so I'm against the idea of adding more fluff to the code just because some people can't or won't take the time to read and understand the rules. And unless you are part of the HC team making a statement that we do need that kind of thing, then same thing to you about letting them decide what to work on. You could keep your opinion to yourself, but you chose to share it and I chose to share mine. Drop it.
You're certainly welcome to agree or disagree. I was only pointing out that it's not up to you or me or anyone else to determine what is or isn't a good use of the volunteer time that the HC folk graciously give for us. You'll note that I didn't say expressly say anything about the idea being "worth their time". I'm only making a suggestion and leaving that decision up to HC to decide whether it's a good use of their time. If they feel it is, great. If not, that's fine too.
Also, I'm not one of your kids or your pet dog, so no, I won't "drop it". If you want to share your thoughts and opinions, go right ahead. I certainly won't stop you.
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29 minutes ago, Excraft said:
Folks, bickering and quibbling over what is or isn't a trademark violation or what is or isn't allowed isn't the point of the thread. It's none of our choice to make.
The discussion is focused on whether or not adding a tooltip or note of some kind into the costume editor about not copying existing trademarked/copyrighted works would help alleviate these violations and help clear some tickets off the plates of our volunteer GMs.
Agreed and thank you.
5 minutes ago, Player2 said:Well, I'm against it. Not because I'm for the breaking of rules but because I see it as unnecessary and intrusive on the character creation screen, and why waste resources on it when the people who make those kinds of characters will still make those kinds of characters.
For starters, it isn't for you to decide what is or isn't a "waste of resources" here. That's for the HC team to decide what they want to work on. It's also not meant to completely prevent people from making trademark violations. If it helps alleviate some of the workload with regard to GMs getting flooded by tickets over this, then that's a good thing in my opinion. I mean, look at what the GMs have said about the process here. GMs have to spend time taking a look at the violation, sometimes needing to pass it up the chain for others to look at, and then even sometimes going through an appeal process. They also have to monitor that account to make sure the character isn't recreated once its been genericed. That seems like more a waste of GM time that can be lessened by adding a brief note about not copying existing characters into the costume editor. Tooltips on the loading screens aren't intrusive, neither would a brief sentence or two be intrusive in the editor.
8 minutes ago, Player2 said:But I think most of the people who do it know damn well what they're doing and just don't care. They want to play their favorite character, or build off of someone else's intellectual property for their own "unique creation" that belongs-in-a-different-universe-but-they'll-rationalize-fitting-in-here-because-this-game-lets-them-make-what-they-want.
That isn't my experience at all. The overwhelming majority of players who I've PM'ed to let them know that copying Wolverine or The Hulk or whomever is against the rules here have replied and said thanks and that they genuinely didn't know. I can understand where they're coming from since most games have some sort of skins of Marvel or DC or whatever character freely available, so it's a surprise for players to not be allowed to do that kind of thing here.
16 minutes ago, Player2 said:Putting up signs saying "Don't do this" isn't going to discourage them any more than the EULA telling them it's against the rules.
Like I said, most people I encounter genuinely don't know it's in the rules. Yeah, that's their fault for not reading it fully before agreeing to log in, but I also understand why most people don't take the time to read that kind of stuff. Have you ever read the complete terms and conditions for your phone provider or a warranty for a car or anything like that? There's a big difference between reading through multiple pages of text and a brief sentence or two telling people not to copy trademarked characters.
18 minutes ago, Player2 said:Some might take it as a challenge, like how seeing a "Keep off the grass" sign makes some people want to walk on the grass... like maybe putting up an extra notice in the character creation screen will have some going "Oh yeah, we'll see about that" and others trying to push the envelope of how close can they get but still claim their creation is different enough from the original.
There's people doing this anyway and you've missed the intended targets here. Again, no one is suggesting it's going to stop people from making clones completely, nor do I agree it would make things worse. This is more for the people who genuinely don't know about the rule and providing them a note or tooltip in the editor that reminds them not to copy existing characters by name, bio or costume.
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13 hours ago, biostem said:
Yeah... heaven forbid we hold people accountable to the terms of service that they agreed to. If they didn't read it, then that's on them.
No one is suggesting people should not be held accountable for violating the CoC and ToS they agree to by logging in. Where you're getting that from is beyond me. I agree, the onus is on the player to read the rules, however I can totally understand why most people don't read it.
There is specific verbage in the CoC that talks about wasting volunteer time. If adding some instructions/clarification into the costume editor about not violating existing trademarks helps eliminate a good chunk of the trademark violation reports, that's freeing up volunteer time to do other things like helping out players with in-game bugs and issues.
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13 hours ago, biostem said:
Yes, but only in an extremely narrow and specific usage. If they're not an energy sword wielding force user clad in black or robes, you should be fine...
You seem to have missed the part in my post where I specifically pointed out that the names were only part of it. Costumes and character bios were violations too. Again, it's not up to any of us to decide. It's HC's call.
1 hour ago, Seed22 said:But as the OP pointed out it could be good to maybe I dunno highlight that part about infringement or whatever if its really an issue? I haven’t been on in a little while until yesterday and when I did get on I didnt see any supermans or batmans or what have you. What server are you seeing this on OP?
Making the parts in the CoC about not violating copyrights/trademarks somehow more prominent is what I was suggesting. I play mostly on Excelsior, Torchbearer and sometimes Everlasting. Mostly Excelsior. I see flagrant violations fairly regularly there. Spend some time in Atlas Park and they're cropping up.
13 minutes ago, PeregrineFalcon said:Agreed. That's why my suggestion is for Homecoming to have a big sign in the character creator that specifically tells people not to make trademarked characters.
Thank you. At least someone got it! I think you might have something there. We do have loading screen tips... maybe it could work in the character creator. Not a bad idea at all.
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Just now, Player2 said:
I did not. I was merely offering additional insight into trademark law.
That's wonderful, thank you. Still seem to be missing the point of the thread though. Insights into trademark law are totally irrelevant as the rules here are the rules here, so whatever armchair legal interpretation any one of us may make, they're ultimately irrelevant as what HC says goes. It's their server. I'm just wondering if there's a way to make this part of the CoC more visible / prominent so more people are aware of it.
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1 hour ago, biostem said:
Isn't *not* violating someone else's trademark/copyright somewhere in the ToS that every player agrees to when they create an account?
Yes, it is there. That wasn't really the point though.
8 hours ago, ZacKing said:Maybe the parts about not violating copyrights and trademarks needs to be made more prominent?
3 hours ago, ZacKing said:I'm just saying I'm seeing a lot of it lately and tossing out the idea that maybe something could be done to make the "no trademarks" part of the CoC more visible to be more obvious. I'm sure there's people who generally don't know about it.
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1 hour ago, Neiska said:
So ya, don't chase other people's characters. It's fine to use them as inspiration and the like, but you never know what you can make yourself!
Ok so I didn't start the thread to belittle and bash people over their "lack of creativity and/or imagination." Let's please not turn it into that. If you want to look down your nose at others because their character(s) don't live up to your creativity standards, go right ahead. You do you.
For the record, I don't care if people want to play Superman or Spider-Man or Wonder Woman or Batman or Iron Man or Howard the Duck. If playing your favorite character from your childhood brings back fond memories for you and makes you happy, go for it. More power to you. It's not my server though and not my decision to allow it. For better or for worse, we can't do that here and these are the rules we all have to agree to when we log in.
I'm just saying I'm seeing a lot of it lately and tossing out the idea that maybe something could be done to make the "no trademarks" part of the CoC more visible to be more obvious. I'm sure there's people who generally don't know about it. It would suck for them to get invested in the game only to log in one day and be disappointed to see GenericSuperDude0034543 where their favorite character once was and quit the game over it.
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47 minutes ago, Player2 said:
A common misconception is that having a trademark means you legally own a particular word or phrase and can prevent others from using it. However, you don’t have rights to the word or phrase in general, only to how that word or phrase is used with your specific goods or services.
1 hour ago, ZacKing said:you can't have a character named Jedi Fred or Darth Bob in the game with a costume that's spot on for Obi Wan Kenobi or Darth Maul with a profile that talks about your prowess with the force. You also can't be dressed up like Batman or the Flash or Superman and say your SS/INV tank with a profile that mentions how you're from Krypton is "cosplaying so it's ok".
For clarity as I think you might have misunderstood my post.
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Not sure about anyone else, but I've been seeing a whole lot of people using trademarked names, words and costumes of late. For those who don't know, the words Jedi and Sith are trademarked by Lucasfilm/Disney, so no, despite protestations to the contrary, you can't have a character named Jedi Fred or Darth Bob in the game with a costume that's spot on for Obi Wan Kenobi or Darth Maul with a profile that talks about your prowess with the force. You also can't be dressed up like Batman or the Flash or Superman and say your SS/INV tank with a profile that mentions how you're from Krypton is "cosplaying so it's ok".
I know hardly anyone reads the CoC or ToS when they agree to create an account and sign in. There's been a lot of this lately. I feel bad for the GMs who must be getting flooded with tickets over it. Maybe the parts about not violating copyrights and trademarks needs to be made more prominent?
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10 hours ago, ThatGuyCDude said:
I think a lot of the design decisions for these sorts of changes are aimed at making the game more challenging for teams, thereby encouraging players to seek out each other for support (a community-building measure, at least in theory). Unfortunately, anything that makes team content more challenging also makes solo content more challenging... at a geometric rate of growth.
Right. Moving toward the WoW model of must have tank/heal/DPS trinity to do anything.
10 hours ago, ThatGuyCDude said:If we could set advance modes on all content through the notoriety system instead of strictly on a smattering of TaskForces, then players could opt into advanced enemy mechanics like they can opt in to bosses and archvillains.
This would be sweet, although I suspect its way too much work to implement. Not saying HC couldn't do it, just that its a big project for a volunteer group.
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31 minutes ago, Shin Magmus said:
These bad-faith comparisons are genuinely hilarious.
Well no, there's no bad faith comparison being made. There's nothing wrong in pointing out the fact that your "you didn't try it, so you can't comment on it and your opinion doesn't matter" just doesn't work.
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1 hour ago, tidge said:
1) I don't know why "questioning other people" even comes up in the suggestions game forum, unless this is a specific comment along the lines of "I have a question only a dev can answer".
2) I think you underestimate how infrequently /jranger is used, especially compared with the first several years of Homecoming. Frankly, often when /jranger is used, someone else almost immediately comes along and explains why the suggestion probably merited a /jranger. See "Bring back Prestige"
I'm not underestimating anything. I'm speaking from personal experience. It's not worth re-hashing in this thread, but you do have a lot of people here who throw hissy fit temper tantrums when someone questions them, questions numbers they provide or offers an opposing point of view that runs counter to their world view. I'm happy to send you specifics via PM.
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Mount Olympus base is open
in Excelsior
Posted
Thank you for the compliments! The light bridge is made up of particle beam under the VFX tab with surface plates placed beneath it. Those surface plates are a newer addition to the editor. They're very handy!
Thank you!
Thank you! I built the base. I did get a lot of inspiration, ideas and guidance from @ShardWarrior who was an enormous help and really kind and generous with his time.