Recently there has been a lot of anger over RSI going international; this is in part because anyone outside the United States will be subject to VAT and inevitably higher ship prices. In short only American members of the RSI community will be able to purchase ships cheaper than their fellow citizens outside the US.
Personally I don't see what all the hubbub is about. I have always stated that Star Citizen is a business and its constant usage of the 'Community' was simply a means to stoke enthusiasm, hype and inevitably profit from it. What brought me to this conclusion was the simple fact people were getting banned left and right for opinions that did not sit well with fanboys: nothing quells sales more than criticism and tempered optimism! And no doubt my posts expressing as much probably put me square in the sights of certain RSI moderators.
Some people would argue that the recent introduction of VAT does nothing to diminish the so called RSI 'Community'. I on the other hand believe VAT does everything to seal the fate of the 'Community' that never really was: I say 'never was' because a profit based company with 100% control over its members will never place the community's needs over its own. And I think the recent adoption of VAT expressly proves this.
So what is a 'Community' or at least how should it be defined? For me community is comprised of equals who have power over their own destiny. For example, in TEST, anyone can challenge Montoya's leadership and take over - and he may even welcome it after the headaches this post will no doubt cause. Self-determination is essential for any true community as is freedom of expression which are sorely absent on RSI Forums. Also the fact that TEST isn't pushing products at every turn demonstrates that here at least there are no ulterior motives. And I would venture to guess that if not a single person donated a cent to TEST, Montoya would still be at it because it's truly what he loves doing. To me TEST is a Community in every sense of the word - RSI is simply pretending to be.
And again I don't know what all the fuss is about. Companies are there to make money and the more money RSI makes, the better for the game. And I can tolerate the VAT charges I will have to pay although I will be a little more frugal regarding future purchases. But please devs, stop talking about the RSI community all the time - it really isn't funny anymore. After VAT it's downright insulting.
EDIT:
Finally, and after much discussion, I think this post is done and would like to ask mods to close it. I would like to add however that I can only base my opinions on my personal experiences; as a result I take everything CIG does with a grain of salt - because I have seen what they are capable of. I'm sorry but I cannot trust a company that bans people for speaking their mind, especially if CIG doesn't follow their own code of conduct guidelines for banning. And I'm not the only one. Many have been banned - even for wanting to start a woman's organization. And to those who keep saying it was all just a big misunderstanding, do you really think that this person would have been unbanned if the media hadn't interceded? Please....
So my opinion of CIG and Mr. Roberts is always tempered because I have seen some of their handywork up close and have been effected by it. Fortunately for us their handywork, extends beyond moderation: when it comes to building games no one can hold a candle to Mr. Roberts and CIG. I only wish I could be there on Reddit defending Star Citizen but somehow the motivation isn't there. lol. Of course I will never concede that companies with financial interests shouldn't be moderating 'communities' but if anyone is willing to dissuade me of this illusion then I am more than happy to let them try.
In the meantime I must concede that certain TESTies have made some compelling arguments that VAT was inevitable despite not seeing a single link to a reputable document that forces England to abide by the same VAT laws as the rest of Europe. But I would have to say it is logical conclusion that England would also fall under the jurisdiction of VAT despite it's long history of remaining independent. And the fact that said company in England was able to avoid VAT because it was considered a 'sister company that doesn't generate any profit' does make sense. Thanks CG Pepper for that information and I do appreciate your input. But I would appreciate it if you read the original post given that I did explain exactly how I defined Community.
On a personal note, I would like to ask everyone take whatever I say in stride because my history is not your history. We all experience different things and are shaped by them. Mine is particularly skewed so I ask everyone to take everything I say with the same grain of salt that I direct at CIG. I could be wrong. I probably am. But at least here you can prove me wrong. And that's what a real community does: it discusses, analysis, argues, helps and even endures its more vocal members - and it even forgives. And that is something you will never find in the RSI community. Oh and it drinks, but you already knew that.
Joe
Personally I don't see what all the hubbub is about. I have always stated that Star Citizen is a business and its constant usage of the 'Community' was simply a means to stoke enthusiasm, hype and inevitably profit from it. What brought me to this conclusion was the simple fact people were getting banned left and right for opinions that did not sit well with fanboys: nothing quells sales more than criticism and tempered optimism! And no doubt my posts expressing as much probably put me square in the sights of certain RSI moderators.
Some people would argue that the recent introduction of VAT does nothing to diminish the so called RSI 'Community'. I on the other hand believe VAT does everything to seal the fate of the 'Community' that never really was: I say 'never was' because a profit based company with 100% control over its members will never place the community's needs over its own. And I think the recent adoption of VAT expressly proves this.
So what is a 'Community' or at least how should it be defined? For me community is comprised of equals who have power over their own destiny. For example, in TEST, anyone can challenge Montoya's leadership and take over - and he may even welcome it after the headaches this post will no doubt cause. Self-determination is essential for any true community as is freedom of expression which are sorely absent on RSI Forums. Also the fact that TEST isn't pushing products at every turn demonstrates that here at least there are no ulterior motives. And I would venture to guess that if not a single person donated a cent to TEST, Montoya would still be at it because it's truly what he loves doing. To me TEST is a Community in every sense of the word - RSI is simply pretending to be.
And again I don't know what all the fuss is about. Companies are there to make money and the more money RSI makes, the better for the game. And I can tolerate the VAT charges I will have to pay although I will be a little more frugal regarding future purchases. But please devs, stop talking about the RSI community all the time - it really isn't funny anymore. After VAT it's downright insulting.
EDIT:
Finally, and after much discussion, I think this post is done and would like to ask mods to close it. I would like to add however that I can only base my opinions on my personal experiences; as a result I take everything CIG does with a grain of salt - because I have seen what they are capable of. I'm sorry but I cannot trust a company that bans people for speaking their mind, especially if CIG doesn't follow their own code of conduct guidelines for banning. And I'm not the only one. Many have been banned - even for wanting to start a woman's organization. And to those who keep saying it was all just a big misunderstanding, do you really think that this person would have been unbanned if the media hadn't interceded? Please....
So my opinion of CIG and Mr. Roberts is always tempered because I have seen some of their handywork up close and have been effected by it. Fortunately for us their handywork, extends beyond moderation: when it comes to building games no one can hold a candle to Mr. Roberts and CIG. I only wish I could be there on Reddit defending Star Citizen but somehow the motivation isn't there. lol. Of course I will never concede that companies with financial interests shouldn't be moderating 'communities' but if anyone is willing to dissuade me of this illusion then I am more than happy to let them try.
In the meantime I must concede that certain TESTies have made some compelling arguments that VAT was inevitable despite not seeing a single link to a reputable document that forces England to abide by the same VAT laws as the rest of Europe. But I would have to say it is logical conclusion that England would also fall under the jurisdiction of VAT despite it's long history of remaining independent. And the fact that said company in England was able to avoid VAT because it was considered a 'sister company that doesn't generate any profit' does make sense. Thanks CG Pepper for that information and I do appreciate your input. But I would appreciate it if you read the original post given that I did explain exactly how I defined Community.
On a personal note, I would like to ask everyone take whatever I say in stride because my history is not your history. We all experience different things and are shaped by them. Mine is particularly skewed so I ask everyone to take everything I say with the same grain of salt that I direct at CIG. I could be wrong. I probably am. But at least here you can prove me wrong. And that's what a real community does: it discusses, analysis, argues, helps and even endures its more vocal members - and it even forgives. And that is something you will never find in the RSI community. Oh and it drinks, but you already knew that.
Joe
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