[s-d] Tentative Emergency Procedure fix

[Daniel Lepage <dpl33@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

The current Emergency Procedure rule has some flaws. For example, it  
refers to an "Emergency Forum" without defining it, and it also  
requires that Panic Buttons be Hit in a Public Forum, leaving us  
stuck if the emergency is that there is no forum.

I have a tentative draft of a new Emergency Procedures section I'm  
thinking about proposing, but I'd like input before I propose it.  
It's included below; it's also on the wiki at
http://b.nomic.net/wiki/index.php/WonkosEmergencyFix
since it's easier to read there.

-- 
Wonko



= Section 0: Emergency Procedures =

== Rule 0-1: Preface ==
This section defines procedures for dealing with various crises that  
could arise. Examples of such crises are
  * The absence of the Administrator
  * The failure of all Public Fora
  * A system crash on the server

Obviously some crises can't be dealt with. For example, if the  
internet is down because two-thirds of the world is destroyed by  
nuclear war, then presumably the game will simply end.

== Rule 0-2: Determining the Players ==

For the purposes of this rule and all other rules within this  
section, a "Potential Emergency Participant" (or PEP) is defined to  
be any current player of the game as defined by the other rules.  
However, if this definition is unclear, uncertain, or ambiguous, or  
if there are fewer than four such players, then it shall instead  
refer to anyone who was a player before at the last point when there  
were at least four players

== Rule 0-3: Emergency Actions ==

Emergency Actions are actions that any PEP may take by notifying all  
PEPs that e is doing so. Notifying a public forum suffices for this  
(but may not be possible, if the emergency is that the fora are down).

== Rule 0-4: Panic Buttons ==

Hitting the Panic Button is an Emergency Action; any PEP who performs  
it becomes Panicking.

Stopping the Panic Button is an Emergency Action; any PEP who  
performs it ceases to be Panicking.

== Rule 0-5: Emergency ==

If at least four PEPs are Panicking, then the game enters a State of  
Emergency. If at any time fewer than three PEPs are Panicking, then  
the game ceases to be in a State of Emergency.

== Rule 0-6: Frozen Time ==

When the game enters a State of Emergency, game time is stopped.  
Whatever means used in the Game to track time is stopped as of the  
beginning of the Emergency. Pending events and deadlines relative to  
Game time are postponed until Game time resumes. Pending events and  
deadlines with absolute dates and times do not occur while the game  
is in a State of Emergency, and game actions cannot be taken.

The exception is this section - Emergency Actions can be performed  
even during a State of Emergency, and any events that are described  
within this section continue to happen normally.

== Rule 0-7: Emergency Coordinator ==

One PEP is the Emergency Coordinator, or EC.

When the game enters a State of Emergency, the Administrator becomes  
the Emergency Coordinator. If there is no Administrator, or if the  
term is undefined, then nobody becomes EC.

If there is an EC but e has failed to fulfill a required duty of the  
EC for at least 48 hours, then e cease to be EC.

If there is no EC at any time during a State of Emergency, then any  
PEP may make emself the EC; this is an Emergency Action.

== Rule 0-8: Timing with the Pause ==

The EC may Initialize the Pause as an Emergency Action. When the EC  
initializes the Pause it is zero. Thereafter, the Pause is increased  
by one at 00:00:00 UTC every day until the game cease to be in a  
State of Emergency. The time from the Initializing of the Pause to  
the end of the State of Emergency is called an Emergency Period. If  
the rules in this section assert that the EC must perform some action  
when the pause reaches a given value x, then the Pause will not  
increase in value past x until the EC has performed all required  
actions.

== Rule 0-9: Refresh Proposals ==

While the game is in a State of Emergency and the Pause is less than  
5, all PEPs may create Refresh Proposals, or RPs. If a PEP creates  
multiple Refresh Proposals during a single Emergency Period, then  
only the last one submitted is ever considered; the others are  
destroyed.

A Refresh Proposal consists of a list of changes to the game which  
may affect any aspect of the Game or the state of the Game,  
including, but not limited to: rules, scores or other player  
attributes, the valid list of players, the identity of the  
Administrator, the legitimacy and/or actuality of any action taken in  
the context of the Game, etc.

Creating a Refresh Proposal is an Emergency Action.

When the Pause reaches 5, if there are no Refresh Props, the EC must  
create one.

== Rule 0-10: The Ballot ==

When the value of the Pause is 5, the EC must send to all players a  
list of all Refresh Proposals created during this Emergency Period  
(excluding those destroyed because their authors submitted new ones).  
This list is called the Ballot, and the Refresh Proposals on it are  
the Valid Proposals for the current Emergency Period.

== Rule 0-11: Voting ==

Once the EC has sent out the Ballot, each PEP may submit a Ranking as  
an Emergency Action. A Ranking is an ordered list of all the Valid  
Proposals for the current Emergency Period. If a PEP sends in  
multiple rankings, only the last one sent in is counted; the others  
are destroyed.

== Rule 0-12: Tallying ==

When the value of the Pause is 8, the EC must select a Refresh  
Proposal as follows (this is Instant-Runoff Voting):
  1. Each Refresh Proposal receives one Mark for each Ranking where  
it was the first RP listed.
  2. If one RP has more Marks than another, then all RPs tied for the  
fewest number of Marks are destroyed and removed from all Rankings.
  3. All Marks are destroyed.
  4. The process is repeated from step 1 until at step 2	 all RPs  
have the same number of Marks.

Once the above process terminates, the EC must select one Valid  
Proposal that wasn't destroyed. This RP becomes the Resolution  
Proposal for the current Emergency Period.

== Rule 0-13: Conclusion ==

When a Resolution Proposal is selected the list of changes in it are  
performed and the game ceases to be in a State of Emergency.

== Rule 0-14: Cleanup ==
When the game ceases to be in a State of Emergency all PEPs cease to  
be Panicking, all RPs and Rankings are destroyed, and the EC ceases  
to be the EC. (this happens regardless of whether the emergency ended  
because a Resolution Proposal was selected or because everyone  
stopped panicking).

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