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Author Topic: Re: The IC/OOC divide thread...  (Read 1272 times)

Jade Constantine

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Re: The IC/OOC divide thread...
« on: 02 Nov 2010, 10:10 »

Well not sure how you can best sort it out Eran but by all means ask questions about my substantive post:

(reposted below)

As I recall I there was actually a poll here that collectively decided (71.4%) pro - that it was "fair game" to use the "intel" based on my ooc web address hosting as "ic" on the summit where it suited users of this forum to further their arguments and make "ic" attacks on my character.

I disagreed with this stance and said so.

(But do remember the thread "complaining" about this was actually posted by the person using this tactic seeking validation from the community here rather than me attempting to demonize it. I had already made my own position clear on chatsubo which was to have nothing whatsoever to do with the person involved in a consensual RP sense because I disagreed with his standards. That avenue is certainly open to the op here.)

But are people really now arguing that it can be right to use somebody's OOC web address data to construct an IC argument when convenient but mentioning IC propaganda comments from "IC/OOC" tagged blogs are off limits?

I simply can't see how that makes logical sense unless one takes a position of flexible standards depending on the target. (ie. its anti SF so anything goes.)

On the issue of "IC but OOC" journals it’s a discussion that has been had many times. The bottom line is that one roleplayer does not get the power to restrict how public IC information is used without the consent of others. There is no RP government here or Roleplaying GM that decides what is what in any absolute sense. Either you reach agreement with another player and decide a consensus or you agree to disagree. This forum was never marketed as a venue where people would get to stamp others with the "your RP is wrong!" tag.

In this particular case it was clear to me that the character in question was using an IC journal (tagged OOC) to make propaganda shots at SF including speculation of how we would lose the war with them due to the attack on our outpost in 0.0. The only possible way somebody could hope to have their character speaking publicly yet denying consequence or response in the matter is to try this "public IC but OOC" angle we've seen before in journals like this.

But really, how does this differ from Roleplayer A (for example) posting:

"My corp is planning to wardec your corp" (on CAOD - OOC venue) and then complaining of "cheating" when the victims take steps and respond first with counter propaganda on IGS and hiring mercs in game. Does Roleplayer A get to accuse the targets of "cheating" because they used intel from an ooc source to prepare for an ingame challenge?

Some here are quick to join a hue and cry but I wonder if it’s simple partisan condemnation on the identity of those involved rather than thoughtful analysis of the issue itself really.

I have also said many times before that if this kind of public "ic but ooc" stuff has no impact, influence, or reference to my character or organization then it’s pretty much guaranteed we'll make no use of it. But we reserve the right to respond to propaganda in any style if it is used against us.

(This is where the "Jade destroys any notion of IC creative writing in blogs" notion comes from. Because I will not offer a blanket protection to blog authors from the consequences of their writing, if they use their unilaterally declared ic/ooc divide position to fire out from behind I will fire back. And really the op in this instance does illustrate why I take that position.)

It was common knowledge in the 24th Crusade that Predator Elite had joined Providence Block to try and screw up SF by convincing the powers there to seize TAZ Norlonto to refocus our efforts on defence rather than grinding you guys down in Huola. You had other characters commenting on the material in your blog - and it was being used to spread the word that SF was somehow dead/finished/incapable of defending its holdings etc. I can name at least one other blog that referenced this whispering propaganda and it was used in local as "ic" by other people who have actually posted in this thread.

The fact is you were meddling in a war over a 25b isk asset that ultimately cost a 400 man alliance its existence and will likely trigger several revenge wars and alliance scourging that will deeply impact hundreds of players in the next few months.

Why you feel this would keep you free of a little propaganda blowback I don't know but it is not the way that eve online works and since there is no central RP community police or standards committee then I will advise you that seeking consensus with those you disagree with will work far better than seeking to harden divides and trigger witch hunts.

To others in this thread that simply felt it appropriate to make personal attacks against me I think you should stop.

The core issue is one of gaming ic/ooc divide as its always been. If a player wishes to unilaterally decide where the divide is drawn and is prepared to use that divide as a convenient chest-high wall from which to duck in and out of cover to snipe at will, then it is inevitable that people will fire back with mortars eventually. Are the people using "ic/ooc" as cover less to "blame" than the people bringing indirect fire explosives to a gunfight? There's probably a discussion there.

My conclusion though - if it really was intended purely for personal use and to have no impact on the wider IC environment then it would not be a public blog - it would be private or invite only. Making it publicly accessible means that the ideas there have a propaganda function for good or ill, and in this specific case the blog has quite definitely been used to attempt propaganda mileage against an in-game enemy the author is currently at war with.

***

To substantiate my assessment here are some random snippets of the blog in question by which I hope to demonstrate that it has a public propaganda role and we are quite right to respond to.

***

The "." bits come the blog the (brackets) bits are my commentary.

“Probably some Star Fraction spies as well. She knew they employed a few, had proof of it when she'd said something in the militia channel about the annoying alliance and within a minute, her words were sent back to her with a message, "We love you too."

(This one led to a challenge against us on the Summit about use of spies)

“Absently she read the reports from CONCORD and mentally dismissed them. Star Fraction declared war. Big deal, not like she wasn't already at war with them, her waning security status was proof of that.”

(Generalized “SF are rubbish” post)

“Huola had become a hotbed of activity lately with the Star Fraction moving into system and though they were not legally declared war targets, the Knights were encouraged to take them down at any given chance. Even if it meant taking a hit on their sec status.”

(tactical intel – 24th Crusaders authorized to flag to hit our ships)

“Oh how she loathed SF. They were nothing more than vultures in her eyes, nasty little creatures that swept in to pick over kills. She had heard that during a carrier attack off the 24th station, SF were 300 off from the fight, watching until it went down, warping in at the last minute to 'whore' on the kill.”

(Basic smacktalk and accusation against our combat tactics – in this case the ic/ooc blog is used as an form of unchallengeable caod I guess, a venue for cheap insults against our alliance that we are not “allowed” to answer back too.)

“She had more respect for the Tribals than she did the SF. Apparently some of the Tribals felt the same way. She had found herself in a mixed fleet the one night with Minmatar and Amarr, all in a grand scheme to take down a few SF who were reported to be out and about.”

(So this is a public IC but OOC blog post that is declaring that 24th Crusade and TLF were cooperating to take down SF ships – I guess we were not supposed to know about this due to the content of the blog)

“The fight never came about due to SF's docking up, but never-the-less, the general feeling was shared by both sides. Star Fraction was an unwanted nuisance that no one wanted around.”

(Tactical intel mixed with ic material that can be used to suggest the TLF is tainted by 24th crusader sentiment and some of them prefer to shoot the people also committing to the free their people from slavery rather than accept their help – this has RP significance.)

“One by one they withdrew from the fight until the Knighthood was only at war with Star Fraction. Knowing that things were about to get really complicated for the nefarious Alliance, she wondered how long it would be until they were withdrawing their war as well to concentrate elsewhere.”

(Hinting at the Predator Elite membership of BDEAL leading to the YWS0-Z sovereignty challenge again from the protection of an IC/OOC blog)

***

Point is I think we can see a pattern of this blog being used to make propaganda mileage against the fraction that we are not supposed to respond to even though it is being used to spread anti SF sentiment amongst the authors allies in the warzone.

I believe this is an unreasonable use of the “IC/OOC” tag and represents the writer erecting an “IC/OOC divide” barrier to use as cover to snipe from behind.

Logged

There are some arenas so corrupt that the only clean acts possible are nihilistic

Silver Night

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Re: The IC/OOC divide thread...
« Reply #1 on: 02 Nov 2010, 10:16 »

Off topic.