Traditionally the Mob performs Protection rackets. They shake down local businesses for protection money, causing damage and injuring those who refuse to pay, going as far to close down the business or kill the person if they continually fall short or refuse to pay. A lot of this can of course be role-played. You can send guys into the business and role play a suitable interaction demanding money for protection. You can post rules in the city rules informing people that you run a protection racket in this city. You can even shoot people who choose to ignore your threats or demands for money. But what of the business itself?

Sure you can put a post in saying its closed, or burnt down etc, but unless you are willing to shoot everyone who posts in that business, how do you enforce it? Well I suggest that the GFC of a City, or the highest ranked CL in the Centre district, or his chosen representative be given the power to lock threads in his own city BD forum. This will allow them to RP closing said business, and actually close it, preventing any further posts in it. It would also address another issue with the BD that I have observed over the last year, that of people preferring to use the businesses of the long dead rather than those of the living in order to prevent their 'competition' from gaining exp for their posts.

I don't foresee many issues with this. Of course an over zealous GF could close down any business that wasn't run by his crew, but that is his prerogative even now, he could simply mail the owner of a business and inform them if they post in it again they will be shot, or shot that person. This would simply drive businesses to other cities that weren't ruled with such an iron fist.

Also, our rich history would not be lost to posterity as the threads would simply be locked and anyone who wished could still read them.

Thoughts, input?

-1 This would be too easily abused. Businesses could be closed to ruins a persons hard work. This would also be limiting the scope of a game feature which is against the rules

How could it be abused? We're talking the leader of a city Mercury, at the moment his only recourse is to shoot you if he orders your business closed and you refuse to follow his instructions. 

This way if he closes your business for whatever reason, you still have another 6 cities you can operate out of 

I think rather than automatically reopening, Chalk, perhaps the city leader or his replacement should have the ability to unlock the thread again. I've forgotten as it's so long since I locked a thread, but can a CL unlock a locked thread in the HQ again?

As for banning a game feature, Squishy recently offered clarification somewhere(irc/thread can't remember where tbh), but I dont think this would count. Of course a CL could say no businesses in my city business district at all (still not sure this counts as it doesn't ban the feature in the other 6 cities) likewise I can shoot someone with 4h etc in their profile, it's a game feature but most city heads ban it. 

I dont think having a standard for businesses operating in your town and closing those that dont meet that standard, or requiring a fee to operate a business in your town and closing those that don't pay would constitute banning a game feature.

Care to weigh in Squishy on whether something like this would constitute banning a game feature? No point in discussing it further if that where your POV.

We will have  cities using this to keep individuals from building their vision. It will wind up not having anything to do with the quality of posts. This would also cut VIP poster's rankings.

-1

Additional changes to businesses has already been discussed. https://mafiareturns.com/comm/thread/706833#108295235

Similar but different suggestion Mercury, as I'm suggesting 1 single slightly different aspect of that long rambling suggestion I believe it deserves it's own post.

How will it affect people from building vision? It doesn't stop you posting in an existing thread, it doesn't stop you posting in the streets, it doesn't stop you posting in other cities. Already a Godfather can curtail your VIP posts or vision building. Grin-07 as leader of Chicago could require a payment of $5 million to open a business in chicago. He could outlaw Philidelpians from opening businesses in Chicago. He could demand a 100k payment from TrashPanda everytime one of his crew posts in chicago. Stuff like this has all been used by CLs and GFs in the past.

If a GF blocks us from frequenting our old businesses or businesses of old friends .. or even people we don't know, we just like the business, why should we be forced to post in your new business? Maybe your new business doesn't have what we want. If we are limited in what we can do by restrictions forced upon us by a city it will affect our abilities to build vision. Since vision diminishes one must keep posting. By locking businesses and/or charging fees you would limit our abilities. We shouldn't have to post in a new business that we have no interest in. We should be able to post wherever we want.

Suggesting people pay to post will ruin the business districts. Squishy doesn't want RP to die. He encourages it with VIP status and such things. 

EOM, I've gave my input here.

-1

Mercury, it's already been done in the past and Squishy said nothing. Many cities have used business managers in the past, many cities have charged to set up businesses in the past with fees per week paid as protection. Squishy is perfectly fine with people role playing the closing of a business. So if directed to by Grin, I could walk into any business in chicago right now and post something along the lines of:

By Order of the Grin Gang this business is now closed. Any one in the future attempting to shop here or support this building will be shot.

That is quite within the rules of the game at present, and has been used in the past under various regimes. If a city doesn't have the business you want to use, then open that business. I've asked in the past for businesses to be allowed to be transferred to a new owner of the same bloodline, but this was shot down.

No one is forcing you to post in a business you dont want to frequent. If the business you want then open it, or get one of your friends to open it.

New businesses have an advantage over businesses owned by the dead, if you are an arsehole in a new business the owner can kick you out. You cant kick an arsehole out of a business you don't own. So there is nothing to stop people coming in and interrupting your RP. Sure you can just ignore them, but it doesn't look good to anyone else looking to use that business or get involved.

I really don't see how this is all that restrictive.

The restrictions are already able to be put in place, just without being hard-coded in. I don't want to repeat everything Master_Splinter has said, but the leader of the city can already 'close' a business, and then shoot anyone that posts in that business. Having a feature coded in so that the business would be locked and therefore not posted in, would just allow less people to be shot because of it. From a bigger picture point of view, surely the game benefits from people not dying to things like that?

I agree with the next city head being able to maybe open closed threads, maybe there's a timer added (could coincide with he NPC uprisings) where any locked threads automatically open in the event of nobody being made Godfather of the city?

I don't think this would necessarily work if any crew leader can be given, or give the ability to lock threads, it should only be available once a Godfather is established, (although minor, I think this would help but a bit more on being a Godfather, as there can now technically be so many.) At that point, the GF could lock the threads themselves, or appoint somebody to do it for them. The GF could revoke this privilege at any point if the individual wasn't up to it.

This is a terrible idea lmaoo. Yes let someone manipulate who is getting VIP credits who is gaining vision.  This is terrible for war reasons and more I seriously cannot believe that was even a suggestion. The game is already easy as it is, what is the purpose for control over every single detail. Next i wont be able to click wack unless my GF has deemed so. 

What if the old businesses went up for sale? 

Squishy I fail to see how this helps the weakest Godfathers. At the moment t we have a lot of folks that prefer to post in businesses owned by folks long dead, the oldest being about 9 years dead. Currently the only options available to a Godfather are this: threaten someone directly, 'this business is closed, come here again and you will be shot' or threaten their crew leader, 'sort your members out or you will be shot/fined'. Ultimately if the person posting refuses to capitulate, it means someone's death. The death of that person will probably piss them off, and may even drive them from the game. This gives GFs another option, to officially close a business and making another option available than death. If that GF is weak and is just closing businesses needlessly, then their competition will take them out, as it always has, restoring the balance.

The only other alternative is to allow people to take over the businesses of their parents, which at least would cover Mercury's desire to post in the businesses of friends or their ancestors. This has been suggested before as well, but if memory serves me right you didnt like that idea either.

We do, in essence, take over our old businesses when we revive them/post in them. We don't, however get the additional xp from building a business. There is no issue here.