Settlement upgrading: Individual control or mayoral?

[Ravenlute]

We've been told that settlements will decide how they want to upgrade their facilities but who will decide it? Will a settlement have a single mayor who chooses what to build, where to place it and when to upgrade it? Or will individuals in a settlement be able to establish their own and be in charge of how their facility upgrades?

[Valandur]

I believe the plan so far is for whoever sets up the settlement will get to choose how the settlement will be managed. They could be the sole person in charge, or they could name other players that run the settlement in the form of a counsel.

I'm not sure how decisions would be made, it's possible they could set it up where a vote is required in order to make certain changes, or they might be able to set things where each manager has the power to change things on their own.

[Dario]

I would imagine that would depend on the nature of the settlement charter and the governance policies contained therein.

[GozerTC]

My concern in all of these is what happens if the leader of a settlement goes offline for some reason forever/long lengths of time. Since they're not around they can't manage it and it just falls apart? Sounds like something that needs to be warned about.

[Tigari]

That is a good concern. If for some reason the leader of a town can't log in or chooses not too, is there a way maybe the second in command/someone else can take control, without taking over the town by force (destroying it)

[Xeen]

In similar player run things in Eve, there is usually a couple(or more) people for each Player Owned Station that can manipulate things. Whoever sets it up can really decide that... but who do you trust?

[Ravenlute]

In some games citizens can vote on a new mayor to replace their current one.

Also, wasn't there mention earlier that settlements will be more like alliances that multiple guilds and individuals can be a part of? Having it all rest in the hands of one person seems a little crazy.

[IronVanguard]

As far as we know, there's no "set" system to that. When the charter for the settlement is written, a form of government (and leaders) is chosen. Those are set, until those given power decide to change it. The ones they suggested in a previous blog were

Feudal: One character has all the votes
Oligarchy: A limited group of characters have votes as apportioned by the charter
Democracy: Every member of the settlement has an equal vote

There might be more, or changes to the system entirely, but that's what we know as of know.

[Hardin Steele]

Ravenlute wrote:

We've been told that settlements will decide how they want to upgrade their facilities but who will decide it? Will a settlement have a single mayor who chooses what to build, where to place it and when to upgrade it? Or will individuals in a settlement be able to establish their own and be in charge of how their facility upgrades?

See the blog entry called "Put it in Writing" posted on July 3, 2012. It covers most of this territory.

[theStormWeaver]

As others have stated, its all up to the Settlement Charter.

Several of the companies organizing here intend to have some kind of Supreme Leader and a kind of Council of Advisers. I imagine that the Supreme Leader will have total control, and each Adviser will have some sphere they have been delegated.

The Pax Mercatorum will have a Council of Oligarchs, each of which has equal authority over the development of the city.