Elgea Community Harvesting Norms

Opinions vary widely on this issue. The following are my personal opinions, and some observations on common sense.

I distinguish between rare herbs and minerals, and hunting kills. I find it more reasonable to consider permanent resources within 5 squares of your city to be your personal property. However, I also believe that if you find a resource particularly valuable, you should establish a level 1 sov claim on that tile to clearly declare ownership. Many people argue that a sov claim is too expensive, to which I reply, if the sov claim is too expensive, then the resource isn't valuable enough to squabble over. I also post guards on herbs and mines, which also should be respected as establishing ownership. Guards prevent over-harvesting of herbs, and also protect your miners and herbalists from getting eaten by random animals. I have the unusual view that mines (and not herbs) with sov claims but no guards can be harvested by anyone, since mines cannot be destroyed. If the owner wants exclusive access, that's what armies are for. If the army cannot be spared, then the resource isn't worth squabbling over.

It is remarkably bad form to send large numbers of herbalists across the map, potentially destroying rare herbs that closer people might harvest.

For hunting, I avoid landing on people's sov claims, and I never put encampments next to their cities. Since hunting is active, ownership belongs to the hunter. It is good form to keep your army on a kill while you are harvesting. This resolves any ownership questions. Animals kill each other on the map frequently, and those piles are indistinguishable from player kills. When a player is finished with a kill, removing the army signals to everyone that the kill is now public property. If you want the kill but don't want to keep the army there, tough, if it isn't valuable enough to guard for several hours, it isn't valuable enough to squabble over ownership.

Under no circumstances should players send an army to a kill that isn't theirs. That's a great way to kill someone else's skinners and cause a pointless argument. I consider it foolish to send skinners to kills that aren't mine, for two reasons. First, some moron might send an army there and kill my skinners. Second, animals often re-spawn on the same tiles, and they can appear without warning between harvester dispatch and arrival. One baby puma can eat 25M gold worth of skinners, and that isn't worth the risk.

People who send armies to elementals more than 100 squares away should be buried to their neck in the sand and coated with honey and fire ants.

Regarding basic resource harvesting, people should be allowed to clean the map anywhere except sov claims. Whining about caravans when you don't intend to harvest yourself is just petty, no matter how close they get to your town. Likewise, if your caravans or cotters get killed by someone else, suck it up and rebuild them. Nobody cares about your 100 gold of lost units.

Diva wrote: Truly, that is a question. Some people do kill out side their normal territory for the variety that isn't found in their own neighborhood.

That's why the Artefores invented trade.

Not sure I understood the other comment about changing games.

My personal opinion is that if there is someone harvesting from 200 squares away (or 2000 squares away) and someone else wanting to harvest from 20 squares away, it's reasonable to give precedence to the person who is closer.

Harvesting is a sometimes hazardous occupation but I can honestly say that disputes are few and far between.  Some alliances and players have a much more stringent and greedy set of rules, but mine are fairly relaxed, almost horizontal in fact.  Most situations result in new friends, compromises and beneficial trade.  I could name exceptions to this "rule" and doubtless some would mention me as an exception.  One point - I don't deliberately kill other harvesters but scout and bump them and if necessary send a polite note to the other party.  Sometimes long distance harvesters run into my occupying army but as said before, it is their problem sending from so far away, it's more risky.  But I like to think that most of  those I've interacted with have become "allies" working together, swapping stuff, harvesting and so on.  Hell, I even sent a tentacle and a beer to someone the other week just because I was feeling generous after polishing off half a bottle of wine.  Just saying!

Edited by Dungshoveleux - 14 May 2015 at 20:27