Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Payment vs. Compliance

Sometimes EVE players talk about the "butterfly effect", wherein seemingly small actions can have consequences that ripple onward, sometimes significantly. Nobody makes more ripples in highsec than the New Order. Actions taken by individual Agents echo throughout eternity.


Out on patrol, Agent Runeme Shilter spotted a Mackinaw piloted by Darcnite of the CreoDron Logistics corporation. Darcnite was passive-aggressively bullying highsec by mining ice without a permit. Others might look away in horror, but Runeme stared down the menace, unafraid. 'Twas another classic 1v1 duel of gank Catalyst versus exhumer.


Actions have consequences. Sling Shot, acting as the corp's chief liaison, learned about the Code after his corpmate told him of Runeme's heroism. Impressed, Sling came directly to me and purchased 12 mining permits. Victory! Sometimes a miner will send money to the Agent who takes action against him, while other times a miner will send money to the next Agent who visits, or to another Agent entirely. This is why Agents are never discouraged when a miner initially refuses to pay: We believe in paying it forward.


A few hours later, I received a complaint from Sling. He encountered some noble Agents of the New Order who had taken action against his corp for their violations of the Code.


One of the most common attacks made by our skeptics is the idea that we simply extort money from bots, who are then supposedly allowed to continue botting without interference. Not true. Every miner must pay, but he must also continue to follow the Code. A driver's license doesn't allow you to run people over, after all.


I'm always eager to help people who buy mining permits, so I gave Sling some good advice. But then he hinted that his motives in sending me all of that mining permit money might have been less than pure.


Still, I accommodate people from all walks of life. Some EVE players feel uncomfortable swearing allegiance to me. That's cool. If they prefer, they can "affirm" their loyalty to me instead.


I considered the matter settled, but Sling Shot started to weasel around a little bit. I was not encouraged. I began to suspect that he might be a bot-aspirant in permit-holder's clothing. To this day I have yet to hear a good excuse for why someone wouldn't want to pledge loyalty to me. Such refusals only make it easier to betray me later.


When one shoe falls, the other is never far behind--that's gravity for you. Sling Shot confessed that he did not even believe in the Code. *facepalm*


Out of nowhere, Sling Shot asked whether the purpose of the New Order was to encourage CCP to end suicide ganking. I couldn't have been more disappointed. Sling Shot seemed like a pretty smart guy when he was buying mining permits, but his EVEmail demonstrated how little he knew about the game. He didn't understand that (1) CCP already knows about the suicide ganking mechanic, (2) Code violators are not "minding their own business", (3) all mining activity in highsec is the New Order's "business", and (4) gankers suffer the consequences of losing their ship, insurance rights, and security status.


Ever since I announced the creation of the New Order, the word "bully" has been thrown around like a cheap hacky sack. Whether this is due to the incident with The Mittani or because people don't know the meaning of the word "bully", I don't know. In this case, it must have been the latter: Someone who enjoys helping people is a bully? Regardless, the authority of the Code was upheld. Sending money to Agents of the New Order is nice--and necessary--but complying with the Code in thought and deed is even better.

21 comments:

  1. Welcome your permit to stampy town, population 5:

    VOID
    VOID
    VOID
    VOID
    VOID

    really it will be 120 times...

    ReplyDelete
  2. Buying a permit is only the first step, to be part of the New Order you must follow the Code's rules. That's why the New Order is not an extortion racket, but a legitimate government.

    ReplyDelete
  3. But, if the new order was a "legitimate" government, then why are the new order agents being CONCORDOKKEN??? It is because you broke the "legitimate" laws to enforce your excuse for legitimacy on others, and the "legitimate" government has enforced it's laws on you. Which leaves the new order as an extortion racket that has a fancy excuse for it's FALSE legitimacy.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. As an Agent of the New Order, I've been called illegitimate on many occasions, but not in quite so many words.

      Delete
    2. Ah, riiiiight. And nobody controls NPC nullsec except Angels and Sansha. You gave a crappy RP excuse for why our real, player-driven claim over Highsec is invalid. Try again.

      -Galaxy Pig

      Delete
    3. By that logic, governments IRL are illegitimate because they have to follow physical laws like gravity. If you want to pay your permit fee to CONCORD instead of to the New Order, that's certainly your choice--a bad choice, but it exists.

      Delete
    4. perhaps youve heard the phrase "you cant make an omelette without breaking a few eggs"
      stop getting so caught up in the politics and get your mind around the real problem.
      come have a seat at our table, mr. anonymous. enjoy an omelette prepared by the finest chefs in new eden.

      Delete
    5. Concord is a corrupt police force, like the Mexican Federales. You can be violenced in hisec "legally" if you bribe them to look the other way. We of the New Order answer to a higher calling refuse to bribe them in order to enforce the Code.

      Delete
    6. Anon 11:32:

      The New Order is Spiderman.

      Concord is the police.

      You're the petty villains.

      Delete
    7. Ahh, the sound of ARROGANCE, just what I expected from you lot...

      Delete
    8. Space Logic TeacherJuly 3, 2013 at 5:19 PM

      " Ahh, the sound of ARROGANCE, just what I expected from you lot..."

      Arrogance is not possible in EVE, so that was a faulty expectation on your part.

      "Arrogate--To appropriate or lay claim to something for oneself without right."

      There are no rights to these claims in EVE online, save those which one makes for oneself, therefore to speak of someone not having a right is nonsense, therefore to speak of arrogating is meaningless, therefore to speak of being arrogant is specious. QED.

      Delete
    9. Nice Ad Hominem Anon 2:38, just what i expected from you.

      When people don't know what to say anymore about the point dicussed, they resort to personal attacks.

      Arrogance is claiming something without right. The New Order claims to be able to dictate if you can or can't mine in high sec, thus exercising sovereignity over asteroid belts. This claim is true and verifiable, even just by looking at angry comments here.

      No arrogance, just answering your accusations. In fact, arrogance would be ignoring your post. Instead, we're kind enough to read it and write answers.

      Delete
  4. You looked up the wrong word...

    Arrogance is an attitude of superiority manifested in an manner or in claims or assumptions

    And that is entirely possible in Eve

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Space Logic TeacherJuly 3, 2013 at 6:22 PM

      Actually, the error is entirely yours. The word 'Arrogance' derives from the latin arrogare, 'to claim as one's own'. EVE is all about claiming as one's own and has no 'rights'; and so the current English term arrogate, 'to claim as one's own without right.' doesn't actually make sense as applied to EVE. Arrogance as a current English word stems from this intermediary definition, so it doesn't make sense to use in EVE. If you want to use 'Arrogance' here anyway, in reference to the original latin 'arrogare', then all it would mean would be "The quality of being one who tends to lay claim to things.", in which case it would be an entirely positive adjective, but it would be equivocation to use this term in such a fashion without appropriate indication. :) I'm glad I could clear this up for you.

      Delete
    2. Space Logic TeacherJuly 3, 2013 at 6:27 PM

      Actually, looking at the precise definition you supplied: "Arrogance is an attitude of superiority manifested in an manner or in claims or assumptions"--

      Unusually for modern definitions of Arrogance, that's not an insulting or demeaning definition, as it omits the "without right" portion of the definition. By your own definition, your attempted insult is actually a compliment, though I suspect this to be beyond your comprehension. Basically, you've just said that you think the New Order is superior to you. *Applause*

      Delete
    3. Arrogance is claiming something without right. The New Order claims to be able to dictate if you can or can't mine in high sec, thus exercising sovereignity over asteroid belts. This claim is true and verifiable, even just by looking at angry comments here. No arrogance.

      Delete
  5. A rose by any other name is still...

    You lot show an ATTITUDE of superiority, which fits the definition, and that is all you got...and ATTITUDE...you are starting to sound like the people you are railing against...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Space Logic TeacherJuly 4, 2013 at 12:37 AM

      Jeez, if it means so much to you, I'll just give in and agree with you: I'm superior to you. I hope you're happy now.

      Delete
    2. Space Logic TeacherJuly 4, 2013 at 12:39 AM

      Or, to put it in a language you can understand:fine, you win, I'm SUPERIOR to you, good job perceiving your own INFERIORITY.

      Delete
  6. I love the rhetoric, you guys are both insufferable and amusing. Video game paladins doing the same thing everyone else was doing before just with a cult leader and a lot of consistency in your "mission". Works pretty well in shoving your propaganda through.

    I think you guys would be a good case study for the success of cults even in simulated environments. Have fun out there!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ad Hominem is cruise control for COOL! Right?

      Delete

Note: If you are unable to post a comment, try enabling the "allow third-party cookies" option on your browser.