Feature Request: Complex Voting Methods

[Nihimon]

We've been having some discussions at The Seventh Veil about our governing structure and voting methods.

Please allow us to set up an arbitrary number of Voting Methods in our Settlements and Nations, and then assign a proportion to each Method to determine the final vote. Also, please add support for a Veto Power.

For example (not a real example for T7V), someone might want to have a Council of Elders where specific named characters each have a vote, and a Senate where each Sponsored Company has an equal vote, and then a House where each Settlement Resident has an equal vote, and then combine those so that the Council of Elders is worth 40% of the final vote, and the Senate and House are worth 30% each.

[KitNyx]

Yes please (sorry for the lack of additional content).

[Areks]

Nihimon wrote:

We've been having some discussions at The Seventh Veil about our governing structure and voting methods.

Please allow us to set up an arbitrary number of Voting Methods in our Settlements and Nations, and then assign a proportion to each Method to determine the final vote. Also, please add support for a Veto Power.

For example (not a real example for T7V), someone might want to have a Council of Elders where specific named characters each have a vote, and a Senate where each Sponsored Company has an equal vote, and then a House where each Settlement Resident has an equal vote, and then combine those so that the Council of Elders is worth 40% of the final vote, and the Senate and House are worth 30% each.

I would be disappointed if voting rights were limited in versatility. I completely agree with you on this one, Nihimon.

[Moridian]

I am not quite sure if you mean they should add this into the game? Or simply stating this is something you are doing?

If the former, I pray to god they don't. Its another one of those small things GW should not waste their time on. If voting is important to you, just run it like any real life voting system. GW shouldn't have to create a program so you can be lazy.

If this is something your organizing on your own. Good for you. I myself highly approve of democracy within communities. Even though that is rarely how most groups end up operating.

[Psyblade]

Disagree. If you want something like this for your company, go for it. But don't go have a voting over other people or settlements. If GW wants to arrange something for players to interact with GW (like the CSM) then a general voting.

[AvenaOats]

Haha, I bet the turn-out will be higher in PFO for general elections than for most national democratic countries... can't wait for another politics blog!

[Areks]

I think Moridian and Psyblade are misconstruing the purpose. It's not so everyone can have a vote over things. It's to allow for customizable voting systems within your own organization, settlement, or alliance.

I think being mechanically included in the game is the way to go, as long as it is customizable. If you are a true democracy then, all your members get one vote and majority rules. If you are a republic, then some officers votes could weigh more than others.

If player interaction is truly important, the versatility of the systems by which player organizations / settlements are governed cannot be understated nor over-looked. Politics and Government may not be everyone's cup of tea, but to say that they will be a non-factor in the game is a far cry from what we have heard from GW.

[Nihimon]

This Feature Request is meant to augment the voting methods already described in Put It in Writing.

[DeciusBrutus]

Basically, if I can create the formula, I want to be able to implement the formula. I'm fine if it ends up requiring advanced math skills to implement a complicated voting scheme.

Keep in mind that there cannot exist a perfect rank-order voting system for creating a group ranking of three or more choices. The mathematical proof includes suitable definitions for 'fair', the only even remotely controversial one of which is the Independence if Irrelevent Alternatives (it doesn't matter how B is ranked with C in determining how A is ranked with C)

[Shane Gifford]

I agree that flexibility in voting/decision-making schemes should be a priority when developing the tools for player settlements and kingdoms.

On a separate note, I hope there's also flexibility in the roles you can assign people inside your settlement or kingdom, instead of predetermined citizen/officer/ruler roles. It would be nice to be able to assign your own roles, and give different privileges to those roles; this could allow a kingdom to manage different sections of their leadership while minimizing their chances of getting burned by an angry player leaving the game. The choice of political system for a settlement or kingdom would also better define each in terms of the alignment system, and give the settlements a greater degree of individuality.