@Reynolds
I'm pro well reasoned rules that can be clearly stated. I <3 solid, simple rules systems and I think the end goal is that approvals should be a straight forward, nearly automated process. Best case scenario you could just automate approval.
I am against going by gut instinct. Everyone has a different idea about what is acceptable and if we don't have rules to define what is and is not allowed then we are not going to have a healthy RP.
The rules being the only basis is precisely how people abuse the loopholes already. It's very clearly an issue that we don't consider the purpose and OOC gains someone has from their tech. Which, quite honestly, has been a focus: people OOCly making moves to ensure their tech is superior, rather than having reasonable IC RP to suggest it actually is/earned/worked to these points.
I'd hope that we didn't just approve things just because they fit the rules. That's how you invite cans of worms, and is partially why some technologies were banned. Because people could get things approved, they would until it grew ridiculous and nonsensical. With this tech war, however, it's simply further attempts to escalate the already too-high tech average. Even if your group is weaker than Yamatai, for example, you being stronger than every other faction increases the "average" field of technology. It puts the standards of what is/isn't "modern" in a new position.
We need to care about what we pass, not just pass things because the rules say they can fly. Otherwise, we have issues where PvP won't be taken into account, which will make it nigh impossible for such things to be carried out without stepping on someone's toes. PvP is discouraged already, but if we made it to where even a joint-FM attempt to have a PvE war becomes unreasonable? That's the road we're on right now if we don't tighten it up beyond just rules. It's also why we recommended the idea of making the NTSE require two people. If it got brought into deadlock, which would showcase a tech as being something that was questionable in the setting's standards, then it could be brought into a more open discussion.
Would it slow things down? Yes. But having a rapidly moving NTSE won't benefit us if it's only passing crap. And unfortunately, a high-quality article that forces members to have to make or reinvent technology (not face-lifting articles to the current standard of quality, but the standard of technology) isn't healthy for the site nor does it continue trying to promote that the average player-base can participate in building the setting. As you add layers of complexity and "unbeatable" weapon layout designs, it just makes it fucking stupid because then EVERYONE has to do that as well. You force the stats on people by maximizing your creation in something that's optional.
The weapon guidelines and rules aren't so you can see how far you're allowed to go. They're to try and keep you from going all the way to pushing them. To encourage you to NOT try and hit these "max" numbers. Admittedly, it does make arming things somewhat hard... but honestly, if arming things was hard but it kept people from constantly pushing the max amounts of slots, the max speed their class/size can achieve, the MAX MAX MAX then you know what?
Good. DRv3 was meant to try and pull us away from the extreme. Except now a few people insist that they're within the rules but continue pushing against the wall. It's why things slipped through. Not because of a "bad NTSE". It's because people are deliberately attempting to maximize the sheer capabilities of things, rather than focusing on the story, on the baseline functionality. Ira made a mention to how the Garts were designed with functionality versus maximized capabilities. As a result, they've had to create very little over the years and still have some interesting pieces of tech and the like around. This should be the mentality moving forward, alongside the DRv3 rules. These groups that DRv3 was meant to reign in? They're going to be producing things in the future that aren't nearly as ridiculous that REQUIRED these rules to be as flexible as they are.
DRv3, to my knowledge, was meant to prevent this absurd tech climb and bring things back to reasonable. Yet now there are still constant issues. Atop the fact that it's forcing people to produce something to respond to it, otherwise they ICly falter and lose out because they simply don't have enough slots like these abominations.