Admin actions over nonexistant rules

[Valkuma]

Admin Key: Spacemanspark

Your Discord name (if applicable): Valkuma

Complaint: Pestered two days in a row over having a character with no 'last name' despite playing this charcter for a month or so now. This character also has a full RP backstory regarding her origin and last name status. Spacemanspark was not interested in any result other than my character having an arbitrary last name. I dont want to be banned for ignoring him but this isnt even listed in the rules. Additionally if this WAS to be a community requirement, every Vox/IPC on the station is also missing a last name.

 

When offered having a good reason for no last name, my statement was ignored and instead Spacemanspark continued to pester me to offer a name immediately. and the following day even removed me to the lobby so that i could change the name of my character (i did not, and instead sat out the round and made someone new rather than ruin my character profile to fit a rule that doesnt exist)

[Spacemanspark]

25 minutes ago, Valkuma said:

Additionally if this WAS to be a community requirement, every Vox/IPC on the station is also missing a last name.

Before I begin, vox/ IPCs are specifically given special rights in terms of names, due to, well, what they are.

As for the rest of this, my ruling of your name comes from me talking with other administrators and getting a confirmation that, yes, a last name is required. Prior to requesting you change yours, I had /just/ fixed someone else's name.

[Valkuma]

Just now, Spacemanspark said:

Before I begin, vox/ IPCs are specifically given special rights in terms of names, due to, well, what they are.

As for the rest of this, my ruling of your name comes from me talking with other administrators and getting a confirmation that, yes, a last name is required. Prior to requesting you change yours, I had /just/ fixed someone else's name.

It's also something thats not in the rules aside from 'Having a last name is suggested unless your character has a reason for it.

Rather than listening  to the reason that is established, the action was simply handed down as word from god.

I'm not 'Joe the Human'. The character has a self-assigned nickname with a reason behind it, down to the etymology and roots of the word that was being used being integrated with the backstory. The assigned nickname is also unique enough to have spawned differences in what people call her based on their familiarity and has even spawned interesting RP elements on the interaction with radio/written text.

[ZomgPonies]

If we want to aim for medium RP, rules should fit with the lore we're trying to enforce.

IPCs, Vox, Greys and Plasmamen get away from having only a single name, as long as the name fits the lore.

All other species need 2 names, and players for the most part pick lore-appropriate names, but we're much more lenient on the names fitting lore. Some players take a phonetic approach to their alien name: Ssshardor Ssshassssh while other pick a human 'translation': Love-To-Hug. Both are thematically appropriate.

Thanks for bringing this to our attention, we're looking at clarifying the naming rules now, but remember that at the end of the day the admins are the final arbiters of what constitutes an appropriate name. He was fully in the right to ask you to pick a last name.

Edited April 20, 2017 by ZomgPonies

[Valkuma]

7 minutes ago, ZomgPonies said:

If we want to aim for medium RP, rules should fit with the lore we're trying to enforce.

IPCs, Vox and Plasmamen get away from having only a single name, as long as the name fits the lore.

All other species need 2 names, and players for the most part pick lore-appropriate names, but we're much more lenient on the names fitting lore.

Thanks for bringing this to our attention, we're looking at clarifying the naming rules now, but remember that at the end of the day the admins are the final arbiters of what constitutes an appropriate name. He was fully in the right to ask you to pick a last name.

Is there really no consideration for backstory/RP reasons behind the choice to have a single name?

[ZomgPonies]

I'm not looking to personally hamper your choice of RP, but for the sake of simplicity it's easier if we have a single policy that is easily enforceable across the board. It's a whole lot better than having to judge your backstory's quality to make sure you fit into an exception, which is much more subjective.

[TullyBBurnalot]

Well, it's been nearly a month, so we'll be resolving this.

It has never been policy to consider individual backstories and RP reasons behind names, even after the recent Rules Revision. Administrators have always had some leeway to determine what is, and is not, acceptable in terms of "seriousness", especially after the Revision placed more importance on improving immersion and the RP Atmosphere.

Ultimately, there is not one solid answer here, and it depends on the context of the game and the server. As it stands, not having a last name does not mesh well with the overall context, where humans have, by default, at least a first and a last name. There is no wrongdoing on anyone's part asking you to come up with a last name, as individual backstories are not considered on a case-by-case basis.

Hopefully, this answers your questions.

Filing to Resolved.