zoning laws
Grand opening, today only, everything half off, head around to the bar later, tip your waiter, we're in it for the money!
Ever since that day the coins rained down from the sky and real currency came to the City, new businesses have been popping up like mushrooms. We've all got bills to pay, right?
New Construction
New construction in the City requires deity--it's their city, really--and/or mod approval. New locations are generally welcomed, provided they follow the basic zoning laws:
✗ Please contact a mod before beginning construction on any large in-game building. Massive structures cannot appear out of nowhere: the City's very nature prevents it.
✗ Players are allowed to "find" a space for a business, workshop, or to live in the City--but, again, contact a mod before settling in if you feel it is large or noticeable. The size requirements (see below) apply whether a building is new or found.
✗ Regarding residences, please see City Residency for more information. Constructing new residences is permitted, but please speak to a moderator before beginning anything on a larger scale than a single family (five family members) dwelling. Construction rules apply to all types of construction.
The moderators reserve the right to ask a player to edit their planned construction/destination for the sake of gameplay and fairness. They also reserve the right to refuse a destination because of gameplay concerns.
Property Lines
✗ A new business or store can be, at most, roughly the size of a small/medium-sized privately-owned streetfront or shopping mall shop.
✗ A new restaurant, bar, or club can be, at most, the size of an average neighborhood bar, restaurant, or club.
✗ A new office or firm can be, at most, the size of a typical moderate-sized privately-owned business. No large office parks please.
Paperwork and Details
✗ Players are allowed a maximum of 20 NPCs (non-player characters) as employees. They must be gained slowly, not overnight. We also highly encourage players to have their characters hire other players' characters rather than fall back on NPCs. Everyone needs a job, right?
✗ We also encourage players to use the planning, building/finding, hiring, and opening processes as RP opportunities. In real life, new shops don't generally open the day after someone decides to start a business: it's a long, strange process. Otherwise, come up with a plausible storyline for setting up your business even if you don't play it all out.
✗ As your character's business progresses, he or she earns a little money, hires a few more people, and establishes things, renovations are allowed, but, like the original building, if they are on a larger scale then they require mod approval.
Remember, the deities will be quick to levy a fee for breaking a zoning ordinance.
Hostile Takeovers (Or Not)
Places like the Hospital, Cafe Juliet, Cybernetics, and other established City "set pieces" cannot be owned by player characters. Their current (NPC? Deity?) owners don't like the idea of hostile takeovers at all. Characters may work and sometimes even live in these places, but the location itself will remain generally open and public for other characters to use at their leisure.
Player characters can take over old player businesses if the previous player character has been dropped from the game or publicly abandoned the business in-game. When possible, check with that previous player before taking over the business--one never knows when a going-out-of-business sale will turn things around, or what plots are in the works. Takeovers work best if one is an employee who doesn't want to be out of a job now that the boss has gone back home (lucky stiff). To get a plum job like that, contact the current owner of a player-run business and ask about their character hiring your character. Communication is the key.
And with that, we're in business.
If you have any questions about places you are unsure about submitting, places to adopt, or anything else related to destinations in the City please don't hesitate to ask in this entry!
Ever since that day the coins rained down from the sky and real currency came to the City, new businesses have been popping up like mushrooms. We've all got bills to pay, right?
New Construction
New construction in the City requires deity--it's their city, really--and/or mod approval. New locations are generally welcomed, provided they follow the basic zoning laws:
✗ Please contact a mod before beginning construction on any large in-game building. Massive structures cannot appear out of nowhere: the City's very nature prevents it.
✗ Players are allowed to "find" a space for a business, workshop, or to live in the City--but, again, contact a mod before settling in if you feel it is large or noticeable. The size requirements (see below) apply whether a building is new or found.
✗ Regarding residences, please see City Residency for more information. Constructing new residences is permitted, but please speak to a moderator before beginning anything on a larger scale than a single family (five family members) dwelling. Construction rules apply to all types of construction.
The moderators reserve the right to ask a player to edit their planned construction/destination for the sake of gameplay and fairness. They also reserve the right to refuse a destination because of gameplay concerns.
Property Lines
✗ A new business or store can be, at most, roughly the size of a small/medium-sized privately-owned streetfront or shopping mall shop.
✗ A new restaurant, bar, or club can be, at most, the size of an average neighborhood bar, restaurant, or club.
✗ A new office or firm can be, at most, the size of a typical moderate-sized privately-owned business. No large office parks please.
Paperwork and Details
✗ Players are allowed a maximum of 20 NPCs (non-player characters) as employees. They must be gained slowly, not overnight. We also highly encourage players to have their characters hire other players' characters rather than fall back on NPCs. Everyone needs a job, right?
✗ We also encourage players to use the planning, building/finding, hiring, and opening processes as RP opportunities. In real life, new shops don't generally open the day after someone decides to start a business: it's a long, strange process. Otherwise, come up with a plausible storyline for setting up your business even if you don't play it all out.
✗ As your character's business progresses, he or she earns a little money, hires a few more people, and establishes things, renovations are allowed, but, like the original building, if they are on a larger scale then they require mod approval.
Remember, the deities will be quick to levy a fee for breaking a zoning ordinance.
Hostile Takeovers (Or Not)
Places like the Hospital, Cafe Juliet, Cybernetics, and other established City "set pieces" cannot be owned by player characters. Their current (NPC? Deity?) owners don't like the idea of hostile takeovers at all. Characters may work and sometimes even live in these places, but the location itself will remain generally open and public for other characters to use at their leisure.
Player characters can take over old player businesses if the previous player character has been dropped from the game or publicly abandoned the business in-game. When possible, check with that previous player before taking over the business--one never knows when a going-out-of-business sale will turn things around, or what plots are in the works. Takeovers work best if one is an employee who doesn't want to be out of a job now that the boss has gone back home (lucky stiff). To get a plum job like that, contact the current owner of a player-run business and ask about their character hiring your character. Communication is the key.
And with that, we're in business.
If you have any questions about places you are unsure about submitting, places to adopt, or anything else related to destinations in the City please don't hesitate to ask in this entry!