View source for Rules around Claims and Inactivity

This page lists the server rules around how claims are to be made and how inactive claims should be handled.

== Motivation ==
Historically, there has been a lot of claimed territory that is effectively unused, usually because the person that made the claim
* claimed *way too much*, and haven’t been able to use all of it; or
* hasn’t been active on the server in months; or
* has left the server altogether.

This wasn’t really an issue in the early days of the server because there was a lot of unclaimed land left, but the map is getting more and more filled in now. Ultimately, it doesn’t really benefit anyone if there are huge areas that both are empty and which no-one can use.

== Rules ==
The following rules apply to both new and old claims:
# Claims should be small enough such that you can reasonably make use of most of the claimed territory within a reasonable amount of time.<ref>Basically, the question is ‘is your claim so big that you’re never reasonably going to make use of most it’; if yes, it’ll be reduced; additionally, if your claim is fairly small to begin with, it’s fine if it’s largely unused. We also considered defining exact limits here but decided that it wasn’t really worth it.</reF>
# Relatedly, you can’t expand your claim if most of your current claim is unused; if you want to claim a landmark somewhere, that’s fine, but then ''only'' claim that landmark and some of the surroundings and ''not'' everything in between it and your current claim.
# There are a number of claims that are just way too big (e.g. Corneria) and which will be reduced in size; we still need to figure out what claims exactly that applies to.
# If someone hasn’t been active<ref>Note that unless stated otherwise, ‘being active’ here includes not just playing on the server but also talking in any of the channels in the ‘Minecraft’ category. Additionally, it’s fine to be gone for a while if you announce ahead of time that and when you’ll be back.</ref> for a number of months, their claims may be reduced in size to encompass only a small buffer zone (like 100–200 blocks) around any structures they’ve built within their claims.
# Claims that are fairly small may be exempt from this. 
# Any natural maritime territory (lakes, oceans, rivers), but ''not'' player-made canals or lakes, does not count as unused claimed territory.
# If someone hasn’t been active for a number of months and additionally doesn’t respond to any of our questions as to when they’d be active again, their claims will be dissolved.
# The same applies if someone leaves the server without any indication of ever returning (we’ll wait a few days to see if they come back in that case).
# If someone hasn’t ''played'' on the server for over a year, irrespective of other participation, their claims may be dissolved (we’ll reach out to you ahead of time before doing that).
# If someone is banned, their claims are dissolved immediately.
# If, after someone’s claim has been dissolved, that person later rejoins, they do ''not'' regain their claim or any of the items that used to be part of it. They have to start from scratch, basically.
# A dissolved claim is terra nullius, and anything contained therein is for anyone to do with as they see fit.<ref>The UŊ may decide to protect such structures, or someone else may claim them, but this is outside the remit of the server rules.</ref>
# Excluded from this are structures that are part of server infrastructure, specifically rail lines and roads. These may also be build outside any claimed territory provided they actually serve a purpose and destroying them is disallowed; players may, however, relocate rail lines within their own territory if they are in the way, provided that this doesn’t prevent others from using the rail line so modified.
# Structures outside of claimed territory that are not infrastructure are, in general, not protected by these rules; players are encouraged to claim anything they do not wish to be destroyed.

== Additional Comments ==
Regarding the entire ‘will’ system that is currently in place, I’d like to make a point that people who have been banned from or left the server do ''not'' have a say in what anyone else can or cannot do, and they ''especially'' don’t get to decide how their previous claims are to be used by others.

''If'' they left amicably and ''if'' their wishes are reasonable (e.g. ‘maybe don’t blow up that one thing I built’), then you guys are free to decide whether or not e.g. some buildings should become protected by the UŊ or something. In this case, such a protected area should encompass only said buildings so the surrounding land can be repurposed.

Note, though, that going against the wishes of someone who’s no longer on the server is ''not'' against the server rules, just like how breaking a UŊ law isn’t against the server rules either. However, someone who has left trying to decide what others can or cannot do ''is'' expressly against the server rules from now on.

== Notes ==
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