[Suggestion]Just because it's not illegal doesn't make it right

Discussion in 'Suggestions' started by aracelas, Jul 9, 2013.

?

Should Horse Thievery be illegal?

Poll closed Jul 23, 2013.
  1. Yes

    68.2%
  2. No

    31.8%
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  1. aracelas

    aracelas Builder
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    A particular user has been stealing horses and then demanding ransom for said horses or selling them in /ch tr. I can think of at least 2 complaints about him in the forums for doing the exact same thing.

    http://www.ecocitycraft.com/forum/threads/complaint.59558/#post-282117
    http://www.ecocitycraft.com/forum/threads/complaint-stolen-horse-and-blackmail.59368/#post-281173


    There is something very very wrong with a community that tolerates a player like this on a server like this. AFAIK we can't lock our horses like we can our chests. Even if we could what is the point of a horse if we can't take it out of a protected stable to ride it around for fear of this guy stealing it and then offering to give it back for tens of thousands of dollars.


    MY SUGGESTION IS:
    Either make horse stealing illegal (which is going to very difficult to prove). It would give a great deterrence to horse thievery because in theory it could be proven. I think the linked complaints would suffice to prove an admission of guilt.

    or

    give us the ability to lock horses to players (logistically I don't even know if that is possible)

    I'm not sure if these are the best or the only solutions but it's just what I feel would be the logical course of action.

    The current situation is frankly unconscionable and I don't understand why it is currently being tolerated. I understand that it is a brand new feature to the game, but I think that we as a community should be adapting our rules and morays to new features. The demand for horses is very high. The impetus to steal or cheat people out of money or horses is great. I would like to see the admins/super/mods take some kind of action to prevent/punish this kind of anti-social, anti-community behavior.

    There isn't much I can't get over, but watching people like this guy get away with what he is doing to other people is just downright wrong and I don't get why this server is allowing it. From my limited time here in the community it seems to be completely out of bounds with community standards as I understood them. Its disheartening and disenfranchising.

    -Aracelas
     
  2. aracelas

    aracelas Builder
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    If this thread is considered flaming, please let me know and Ill remove the links, or if a mod considers it to be flaming, please remove the links him or herself.
    Thank you.
     
  3. Thecreator767

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    -Everybody has their different views on what's "right or what's wrong."
    -Also "in theory" doesn't work out too well. I can easily blame say... andrewkm or something. In theory, communism was supposed to solve most problems in society, but it just made countries with fascist leaders.

    The only thing I can really say is to secure your horse well. Make it so that people can't fly, TP+, stealth, or glitch their way in.
     
  4. Thecreator767

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    I do agree that we should have an ethics code, but it would be very hard to add because others would have different views.
     
  5. 12345shane

    12345shane ρяєѕι∂єитιαℓ ρяαєтσя
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    You can't lock horses. We do not have a developer that has to do with the lwc mod, and since it is an entity just like the chest minecart you cannot lock horses.
     
  6. rbaj

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  7. DarceBaug

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    The numbers on this business model are outstanding! Then again, theft usually does have pretty high margins in the absence of law or enforcement.

    Given that the complaints have pretty good evidence, it's probably not an issue to PM Mayors of towns he's a member of and members of Towns he's an owner of that evidence to see if it conflicts with their town policies. You are not slandering him if you are telling the proven truth, and so there should be no repercussion for doing so.

    This is a good time to bring back up the Suggestion we'd had awhile ago about Lawyers and Civil Cases. While the theft of the horse and extortion may not break bannable server rules, they're certainly something that cause an issue in the community.

    It would be great to have individual cases like this presented by players from both sides with compensation proposed by the claimant, and then adjudicated by mods approved to do so with a binding decision, no appeals, and with a bannable penalty for not providing the decided compensation within decided timeframe. To keep reports low, claims should only be made for damages/claims in excess of $50k, and failed claims resulting in a fine for the claimant.

    People will be much more apt to play nice when getting caught trying to exploit another player ends with them paying a penalty. The issue would be the very high standard of evidence, as most folks that are duped in a scam are also the folks that aren't sure how to take and find screenshots. However, in the complaints to linked to, it's likely there'd be enough evidence to have the player in question compensate his victims with a horse with all documented gear or return of all the funds paid to the offender for return of the steed, and then add 50% of the attempted or successful extortion for time lost since the economy moves so fast. That would be fair to make the claimant whole in the presence of evidence showing the offender intentionally caused harm.
     
  8. aracelas

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    Those are great ideas sir, kudos. Thank you for adding to the discussion.
    After posting this I found the following thread that has gone into the issue with moderated response in great detail.


    http://www.ecocitycraft.com/forum/threads/should-horse-stealing-be-allowed-poll.59374/

    I'm not sure the mods would like two lawyer arguing their cases to them... It just seems like there should be a way to prove guilt and punish offenders. With the linked complaints the only proof they really have are screenshot of the offender admitting it. In the future if it was made illegal no one would ever do that.
     
  9. RyanBlocks2

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    I absolutely agree with this. I would also go into getting rid of all this "legal" cheating and scamming but that's another thing.
    I think that horse stealing shouldn't be allowed or tolerated. The only problem I can see arise is how to prove that person stole the horse. For example if I had a horse and was riding it someone could just take shots and say "Ryan stole my horse!"
     
  10. aracelas

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    Can any of the No voters make their case for why horse thievery should be legal?
     
  11. DarceBaug

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    The theft would have to be proven with a preponderance of the evidence available. In the complaints linked by the TC, there's an acknowledgement and admission from the thief. That's a pretty good piece of evidence. If you have a screen of someone flying with a horse above a stable, and you take a screen a second later of you opening a gate to that stable locked by you, and then another screen of you yelling Stop! as the thief flies away with the horse on lead, you probably have good evidence. If the horse is just missing, and a logblock shows your stable roof was destroyed and X person destroyed the block, you probably have good evidence. I

    If you just have screenshots of you saying Ryan stole my horse, as Ryan rides off with a horse and never responds, you have given no evidence that Ryan stole your horse. However, if that horse he's riding is named Y's Horse and Y is making the claim, it's pretty good evidence. If Ryan comes back and says he returned Y's Horse and Y is just trying to scam, he'd better have a screenshot of the return after he just saw he was accused of theft, and make a reasonable counterclaim on top of the fine Y will get charged. Probably 50% as above of the scam attempt.
     
  12. aracelas

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    Basically we just need to fraps every second of gameplay and never leave sight of our horse.
    yeah
    that sounds totally like a great way to play
    *sigh*
    :confused:
     
  13. DarceBaug

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    1) If you protect it well, there's no need to always be in sight of the horse.

    2) If you do not protect it well, you have no business owning a horse.

    3) If you are letting someone see or use your horse in a way that might get it stolen or harmed, document it well. See #2
     
  14. aracelas

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  15. DarceBaug

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    I saw him in Tr chat yesterday looking to buy spawned horses.

    I have a question for mods. If there's someone advertising in Tr that they're buying horses, and you TP them to you to show you do indeed have a horse. Would the theft then be punishable under the Scamming clause of the Theft Section in the Server Rules in the presence of sufficient evidence that a scam occurred?

    Would it be safer to require Contracts which deal in screenshots to prevent the horse being stolen, and would it be punishable if, when the transaction occurred, for the the seller of the horse to immediately steal it back? How about if the buyer never actually pays, but just hops on and rides off into the sunset?

    In a case where somebody says they want to buy it, taking the opportunity to then steal the horse would seem to be a ban punishable scam if sufficiently proven. This would not be a case of horse thievery, but rather purely a case of scamming. I'm not sure that scamming is a crime that should go unpunished...
     
  16. aracelas

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    I like this supposition...

    Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 4 Beta
     
  17. ScottTheGOD

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    So you got some links to complaints placed on me and only me. I'm not the only one that has stolen a horse and if you look through complaints you will find other people as well, just because you hear I steal a lot of horses because the same people keep saying it in chat over and over and over again and if a horse goes missing you think it's me. I have stolen a total of 4 horses and it is your responsibly to lock them up in a safe stable check out revanrose6 stables. You guys must think I go around to every single town looking for horses why would I do that. If people are dumb enough to announce they are riding around their town on a horse and they accept my tpa's it's their fault. A horse is like a open chest leaving it un locked it's going to get stolen and that comment I was in trade asking to buy horses that's bull crap, I stopped stealing horses 2 days ago. People like to just go on and on and make up stuff because they either don't have a horse or had one stolen off me or some one else. I have not stolen a horse for 2 days and counting because I can't be asked with private messages and messages on forums every single day. If you see me asking to buy spawned horses pm me or take a screen shot for evidence because from 2 days ago I have stopped and I would love to see it.
     
  18. aracelas

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    I linked a thread with someone else fyi.

    Also it's disingenuous to get offended when people call you on your bad behaviours. You don't like being called out? Don't act like someone that warrants being called out.

    Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 4 Beta
     
  19. DarceBaug

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    I was referring to the link in the quote I was replying to, and TDogg was the one looking to buy spawned horses yesterday.
     
  20. ScottTheGOD

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