My first thought is that we should have a player strike.  I say we sit out the current IC rounds, just to flex our muscles a bit and let them know we're serious. 

We should mass delete our current presence in the galaxies.  And not rejoin a galaxy until we get some sort of dialogue going on with developers and owners of IC in this thread.

Thoughts?

Are you high?

No, i'm pretty sure he's serious.

I'm in!

I propose VIPs get voting rights on game changes to be implemented and they get part ownership (shares of company and dividends paid) for VIP members.

That's great!

I think we need to make IC a game owned by players; for their profit; change the design so that it attracts and facilitates new players, so that growth of IC game membership becomes the interest of the stakeholders.   

We need to grab power so we can redesign it to make it a game for the new player, rather than a game for the pessimistic, embittered, old veteran mod who just doesn't give a damn anymore.

The current IC game design bullies the new player; it is a design which inflicts actual (not just virtual) violence on the new player.

Think about it: the steep learning curve, the dog-eat-dog, big-fish-eat-little-fish paradigm, force the weak to capitulate to the demands of the veteran, and actually makes it illegal for the small, weaker players to rally together and come to each others' aid against the strong veteran player.

What should happen is the opposite, where the game actually fosters and facilitates new, weak players to rally together to come to each others' aid when the strong, veteran player attacks them.

While veteran players have an unspoken alliances with each other, the new players who don't have friends yet on IC, are disenfranchised and alone from the start, struggling in frustration to learn a game which, and let's be honest here, is not very user friendly.  There's an incredibly steep learning curve.

From the start, the new player is struggling to learn the game; they are disenfranchised and alone.  Then a veteran player attacks them and forces them to explore planets for a nap?

This is ACTUAL violence, not just virtual violence, because behind the screen is a new player who ACTUALLY feels oppressed and belittled.

This is ACTUAL bullying.

Why is the IC universe designed this way? 

Why is the IC universe is designed so that the veteran player is rewarded for oppressing and subjugating the new, weak player?

How can we redesign the game so that new players no longer end up wanting to leave the game the before they have a chance to learn how fun it can be?

I honestly don't think the current IC establishment is inclined to change their way of thinking on this.  They are stuck in the old paradigm where they think players want a dog-eat-dog world. 

We don't.  Neither veteran nor new players want this.

A game design which forces the strong, veteran player to win only by bullying the weak is as much an ACTUAL act of violence against the veteran player as it is an ACTUAL act of violence against the new player.

The game design based on an out-of-date paradigm.

For years they have shown no inclination to change this paradigm, but rather have actually gone in the opposite direction, and made it even worse for new players.

Now new players don't even have a family to join when they first start.

I am 100% convinced a changing of the guard is necessary.

We need to grab power from them so that we can get them OUT of the decision-making process.

They've got to go.

I think the only way forward is for us players to own this game and change the game design to stop this unnecessary ACTUAL violence that is being committed on the new player and veteran player alike.

It is preventing this game from being profitable.

Their paradigm of dog-eat-dog, big fish eats little fish - this paradigm people just don't respond to anymore.  They don't like this sort of thing. 

Until this paradigm is changed, this game won't be successful and we shouldn't even WANT to buy this game from them.

So BEFORE we buy it, they are going to have to change it.

Therefore, I think one of our demands should be as we have our walk-out and player strike until they implement certain changes that WE feel will make this game a good investment for US.

We are the ones who will be buying it.

Why should we buy a bad investment?

But we have to protect ourselves here.

We cannot tell them what changes we will require to be implemented before we buy it.  The contract of sale of the game to us will be at a predetermined price that we can start negotiating now.  But before we actually transfer the funds, a condition of sale will be that  they make the changes that we want and that will make this game successful beforehand.  And we won't tell them what changes these will be until AFTER they and we agree on and sign the sale agreement.

I propose the following:

An IMMEDIATE boycott of the ideas forum.  Nobody post there.

We demand immediate negotiations of the dollar amount for the sale of this game to the players.

The final transfer of funds and ownership is to be pending certain conditions of sale: changes that WE will specify and which must be made to the game to OUR satisfaction.

Oh, and I suppose we should also boycott the bugs forum.  They can find their own bugs.

I propose that when the strike occurs, moderators implement a lock-out of the log-in system for 24 ticks.

The lock-out can be for just 24-hours.  Galaxy resets can occur thereafter.

Moderators would have to see that such action is the mass will of the players, or they won't do it.

Xeno, you're the Leader of the rebellion.

Okay, well, if I am going to be the leader for now, I'm going to need help.

Can helpers post what activity they have done for our cause in this thread so that we can at least be aware of what's going on?

We're all fighting blind here if people don't report in and let everyone else know what they've done and what's happening.

We need to get enough players involved so we can start having votes on matters, including the leadership of the revolution.

But we don't want to pay the dollar value of the game after we get all this publicity.  No.  So we'll take our time making the facebook page, twitter account and contacting the media.

We want the game for its fair market value (after all debts are paid by the current ownership).

As it is now, the game isn't making any money, as per mods' admission.  probably losing money.

A priority, then is for us to get the game at a fair price.

I'll start with an initial offer of $1 (after proof that liabilities against the company have been cleared is provided).

Counter offer can be posted in this thread by Stefan, if in fact he still owns the game and is still around (maybe he really is in prison?).

We'll probably need a lawyer to draw up the paper work.  I don't know any good lawyers, though.  Such are few and far between, it seems...

Waiting for counter offer...

If no counter offer is forthcoming, strike is a go.