Hi there,
I’m trying to set up an industrial project for the people in my corp and I find it weird that to manufacture something on behalf of the corporation a member needs BOTH:
- Factory Manager
- Rent Factory Facility (optionally + Rent Research Facility)
Just to clarify here’s a quote from Roles Listing support page:
Factory Manager
Allows management (set up, delivery or cancellation) for corporation jobs, even those installed by other members of the corporation. Also allows the listing and use of all corporation owned blueprints within the “Blueprints” tab of the Industry window, independent of corporation hangar access. Proper “Take” Access to the respective Hangars or containers is still required for any job requiring input materials.
Rent Factory Facility
Required to be able to start manufacturing jobs on behalf of the corporation.
A member needs the Rent Factory Facility to install jobs on behalf of the corporation in the Industry Window. However, even if he’s set up to see into a specific corp hangar with blueprints in it and even TAKE from that hangar - that member still can’t do jack, cause in the industry window his access will be denied. He needs the role of the Factory Manager to gain that access.
Now, even if someone was a titular Foreman and had the Factory Manager role he would still not be able to start a job. The Factory Manager role allows a member to see a list of corp blueprints in the Industry window. But that role alone would be insufficient, cause even though he can see the blueprints, he can’t click “start” on them. He needs the Rent Factory Facility role.
— Rant incoming —
My question is - WHY?
CCP has this awesome feature now that allows to make a project out of manufacturing something on behalf of the corporation (if set up in a certain way) - but regular members can’t do anything to profit from it. No sane CEO or Director would give out a Factory Manager role to random people and risk them having a fit cancelling all corp manufacturing.
To me this is ■■■■■■■■. Here are the tools to actually put skills of your members to use and create jobs for them that pay actual isk, give them a sence of going toward something together (like an MMO should!) - and then one malicious person can undo all that.
And before you say “it’s Eve and we need sabotage and drama” - I call ■■■■■■■■ again. Cancelling someone else’s Nyx manufacturing project without getting the input materials back is clicking a button, not skillful ascent on the trust ladder to a director position and stabbing someone in the back in an elaborate plan.
Regular members should have the chance to help their corporation’s industry efforts without breaking it and being trusted with way too much power over it.
— Rant over —
How to fix it?
I’m not a programmer or a database architect, but to me there are two ways this can be addressed:
1. Separate the need of a Factory Manager role from being able to manufacture for a corp
A Factory Manager role is fine where it is if only one trusted officer holds it. Otherwise it’s a problem. It’s good that a Factory Manager is able to deliver or cancel other members’ projects.
A regular member that only has the role for Renting Factory Facility should still be able to install a manufacturing job if they have access to see a hangar with blueprints and access to take from a hangar with materials. However that member should NOT be able to cancel that job. Only the Factory Manager should be able to. Of course this locks somone’s slot and this should be explained when clicking the ‘Start’ button so that members know what they’re getting into.
Yes, this still creates a risk that someone could just start manufacturing jobs and wasting resources on something that a corp doesn’t need. But that could be amended by a better organisation of corp hangars and what materials lie where.
2. Change the Manufacture corp project.
It would also work if the Manufacture project didn’t reward the act of installing a job but actually delivering something. Because jeez, somone can just install a job, cash in, and then cancel it immediately. First of all this should award a delivered product (no matter if the member delivers it or the Factory Manager). Not only that, make it an option so that the product is delivered to the specified corp hangar location if “on behalf of the corporation” is chosen!
But the change could go deeper than that. The Factory Manager that sets up the corp project could set up a manufacturing job inside the Industry window and instead of clicking a the start button - turn that job into a corp project (again, don’t know how projects are designed under the hood, so that might be impossible). A member that sees it can click “Accept” on that project - and install a job using their skills, but the Factory Managers permissions in terms of access to blueprints and materials. In effect that would be a member renting out their industry slot to the corp for isk. Still not able to cancel the job though, because after that the permission link ends.
So, you managed to see the end of this ranty post. Good job, a gold star for you!
I’d love to discuss this, because while CCP adding more ways to engage corp members into activities via the opportunities window is really awesome and we need more of that in an MMO game - a lot of it is being sabotaged by some really old stuff that should be updated to see that system shine. And by extension make multiplayer industry a thing instead of just one dude with a dozen alts.
Please do poke holes in my reasoning, or maybe explain how to set this up without relying on the Factory Manager role if you’re able 
)
