Please post here with the name of your Official faction and the ship name that you would like to have your Player Faction ID placed. Equipping this ID will allow you to purchase additional ID's for your faction members. There are a few ID's that might have some XML coding errors. I've spotted two already, Bowex and IDF Shipping. These will get fixed soon. If you discover that your ID has this, or any other errors, post here letting us know.
With the update being released, server population increasing and the newly instituted Official Faction perks, the Admins have decided to reinstate activity requirements for all Official factions enforced March 1st.
The new requirements are twenty four (24) hours of activity per month and five (5) active members.
Factions failing to achieve these standards will be warned after the first month. If a faction remains below activity requirements for any of the following three months, they will lose officialdom.
We know that some factions will have more difficulty reaching the activity requirement than others. This can be due to any number of reasons. If, as a faction leader, you feel it impossible to reach the activity threshold, you may make a Player Request stating your hardship, with ways you feel we can improve your situation for you. The Admins will discuss your options with you. I would suggest doing this ASAP and not waiting until your faction is about to be dropped for lack of activity.
We want each and every faction to succeed and grow, but we also don't want dead factions lying around not doing anything either. If you help yourselves, we will try and help you.
Official faction leaders and their members have long complained about the lack of benefits that arise from being part of an Official faction. Faction Rights have not sufficed to serve as a reward for being Official, nor has it induced players to join/create Official factions of their own. The Staff have been looking at ways to grant Official factions perks without taking away from what indie players currently enjoy. One way we did this was by creating an added Core to POB's and making it available to Official Factions only. This was a start, but we believe more perks are needed for those factions that act in a way that contributes to the excellence of this server.
In order to accommodate these perks, the Admins have decided to make individual Player Faction ID's for each Official Faction. They will start out nearly identical to the Open ID that their faction represents. The names on the IDs will differentiate themselves from their Open ID counterparts, thus making it easy to distinguish an Official Faction member from an indie Open ID user. When necessary, the ID will either be labeled as a Primary Fleet ID or a line will be added to the ID stating that this ID belongs to the Official Faction.
By giving each Official Faction their own ID apart from the one indies carry, it allows us to reward the conduct and RP Official Factions generally exhibit. It also allows us to make changes to the ID, in accordance with agreed upon movement in the faction's lore and diplomacy without enforcing it upon the Open ID, and without having to wait for another update in the mod. These Official Faction ID's would be made available to Faction Leaders upon the next update and placed on a TBD base where only those with the appropriate ID may purchase it.
What about the poor indie player? Indies may receive a trickle down benefit from a perk chosen by the Official Faction representing their ID. The Staff will examine each approved perk and decide if a 'lesser' version of this perk might be suitable for the Open ID. Nevertheless, these perks are designed primarily to reward and promote activity for Official Factions.
Types of Perks
Mining perks. A mining bonus would be a good example of a perk that could be added to an Official Faction ID. Of course, any perks doled out to non-Mining factions should be less than what Mining factions currently operate with, otherwise we either cannibalize the Mining factions, or we run the risk of making every official faction ID indistinguishable from the other. Obviously, Mining factions should be able to benefit the most from the mining perk, Trading factions less so and Military/Police/Unlawful the least, but still possible. This will continue our ability to distinguish the defining characteristics of Official factions, one from the other. The Admins will decide the amount of the bonus and whether indies might benefit from it in some way or not.
Commodity perks. With a Commodity perk, an Official faction could develop RP leading to the existence of a new commodity for the mod, purchasable only with the ID of the Official Faction. The Official Faction could choose to 'unlock' this new commodity for use by other factions if the RP warranted it. A line could also be added to the ID of the Official Faction allowing them to demand cargo of anyone else caught transporting their exclusive commodity. This, along with a good sell price, would provide a nice perk for Official factions, giving them the opportunity to engage in creative RP. Of course, the longer and more dangerous the trade route for this new commodity, the higher the sell point becomes. The Admins will decide on the final sell point based on the above criteria.
Additionally, Official factions, with strong RP support, can request "Super Economic Events" over a duration of two months. These events would make use of an existing commodity and be available to all, but with a higher sell point.
As with the mining perks, this would be something that could be made available to all factions, but on a sliding scale. Trading factions/Unlawful factions would benefit the most from this since trading/smuggling commodities are their defining characteristic. Mining companies would benefit less and Military/Police factions the least.
Techcompat exemptions. The ability to RP the use of an allies ship/guns, without a nerf, was done away with. However, we can carefully implement exceptions to this in Official Faction's ID with well thought out RP. Of course, there are absolute limits on what tech a player can use. For example, [LN] would not be using [RM] tech under any circumstances, but they could make full use of an ally's, or even an Official faction that was diplomatically neutral if the RP warranted it. This would give back to Official factions a lost perk, but this time, the Admins would have more control over it. Thus, we could mitigate the behind the scenes Skype deals that ruined this for everyone and created the technerf in the first place. Depending on the request, the Admins will consider if the RP warrants a full exemption or a partial one. In many cases, an approved perk in this area might result in a partial percentage increase, but still nerfed somewhat. It may take two, three or more requests to gain up to 100% use of another faction's tech. This will enable the Admins to determine whether an unfair imbalance is occurring as well as provide additional opportunities for the Official Faction to RP this perk. Again, as was stated with the other two perks, this one would act on a sliding scale as well. Military/Police/Unlawful factions would benefit the most from this. Trading and Mining factions less so.
Zone of Influence.Some factions have tried to RP with a view to making adjustments to their ZOI, but have been hampered by ID restrictions. Now, with the ZOI perk, they can potentially see some real movement with their faction and faction lore. Obviously, there has to be limits here. We cannot have House military/police factions with Sirius wide ZOI. However, there are tweaks that can be made here and there based on RP. Even Official factions with a Sirius wide ZOI could benefit from this perk. They may decide that certain actions could be permissible in specific systems and RP toward that effect. Of all the perks discussed, this is one that would have to be the most cautiously implemented as it could disrupt game balance severely. Small, carefully considered tweaks are probably best.
Ship Class Perk.This is another perk that would benefit the factions that possess a limited shipline. Upon qualifying, they could take advantage of their relationships with other factions and upgrade their ID's to allow for heavier class ships. Military factions, who possess the full complement of the ship class wouldn't see a benefit from this, but a few factions out there might enjoy it immensely.
Dispensation of Perks
How often will these perks be awarded? Every two months an Official Faction leader may request, in Official Faction Perk Request subforum, a perk from the list above. In order to qualify for this request, they must present to the Staff the RP supporting this request. The RP should be something that takes place over a period of weeks, not a day or two. It should be well thought out, well documented on the forums and involve, if possible, ingame activity/events. Admins will then vote on the perk request.
The Admins will be very stringent in handing out perks. Some requests will undoubtedly be beyond what we are willing to fulfill. Others may be handed out, but in a reduced fashion. Some perks may be a 'one and done' type of situation, where the perk only lasts for a specified period of time. Still others may be put on hold until we are certain of any game balance issues. Whether the perk is approved or not, the faction will have to wait two months before making any additional requests. We want to emphasize that perk requests are like a spice in cooking. Too much, and you ruin the meal. However, in the right amount, it can enhance it. This is the way Official Factions should view perks, small adjustments over an extended period of time, that enhance the game.
What are some of the questions the Staff will be asking when considering perk requests?
Has the Official Faction provided reasonable RP leading up to the perk desired?
Is the reputation of the Official Faction a positive one within the community?
How does the Official Faction respond to negative feedback?
How active is the faction?
Will this perk create a severe imbalance within the game?
How has the Official Faction made use of the perks they have, if any?
Does the requested perk make sense for the Official Faction?
How does the Official Faction treat new players or indies?
OPTIONAL CONSIDERATION:Is there a way for indies to benefit from this perk to some extent? (It would be nice if there was a trickle down effect for indies from the perks. Maybe they wouldn't benefit to the fullest extent, but it would be good if they saw some kind of positive out of the perk.)
How to Lose Perks Quickly
Anything that can given, with regard to perks, can be taken away. The goal is to reward excellent behavior and quality RP, however there are occasions when the conduct of an Official faction proves harmful to the server.
OORP hate manifesting itself as Metagaming/Powergaming will not be tolerated.
Breaking server rules in the use of any perks one might receive will result in its loss.
Low Activity in the Official Faction.
If the perk is discovered to create a severe game imbalance.
The Admins reserve the right to remove any perk if they see that it creates harm to the server.
The Admins reserve the right to alter any perk request.
If an Official Faction is found abusing their perks in any way, the first offense is loss of that perk. The second offense is loss of all perks. The third offense will result in loss of Officialdom. If a faction loses a perk in this manner, they will have to wait an additional two months from the date of its removal before applying for an additional one.
Conclusion
Official Factions are a valued part of this server. In order to qualify for Officialdom, they must exhibit excellence in RP. They must be active. They must respond well to negative feedback. Any decision they make, whether good or bad, they have to live with.
Since their standards are high, it has been hard for them to induce players to join. It's far easier to play an indie, where accountability is negligible and any bad decision can be erased with a name change.
Therefore, the Staff wishes to implement this Official Faction Perk concept to the community in an effort to reward those that choose to live up to the high standards of becoming Official and to provide them a way to induce others to join their ranks.
We are currently working on a ID update, to make them easier to understand for new players/and all other players as well and to close some very confusing points that have caused issues in the past. This will also serve as an overall ID update of sorts which could be used to integrate recent RP into the IDs.
The process for this is going to be pretty simple, we have created more or less standard templates for the different faction types (Military, Police, Corporate, Pirate, Terrorist, Guild & autonomous, Quasi-Lawful). Now we need information on how to make them fit to your factions.
Be reasonable with what you submit, we will only include things that make sense for the faction and dont make the ID overpowered compared to others.
In cases of factions without official representative, no reply, or contradicting replys of multiple factions we will design the ID ourselves, unofficial factions are however allowed to bring in a proposal as well in these cases.
What we need is:
- Your faction name
- Name of the NPC faction
- Description of the NPC faction)
- Which type of faction does your faction belong to (See above)?
You could integrate those in the ID templates below as that would likely speed things up a lot:
- What does your faction do/What should it be allowed to do and where?
- Which special enemies/special cargo dislikes does your faction have?
- Which ships does your faction use (keep it reasonable)?
- What is your ZOI?
Just to show you what the new IDs could look like:
Quote:Military ID (RM, BAF, LN, KNF; different version for LSF,...)
The pilot carrying this ID is a member of the MILITARY FACTION who:
Is allowed to do the following anywhere:
-Can defend itself
(-Can trade)
Is allowed to do the following within their Zone of Influence (ZOI here):
-Can demand contraband, levy fines and attack ships if they refuse to comply
-Can attack ships which violate HOUSE laws or belong to a house or organisation considered hostile by HOUSE
-Can defend allied or neutral ships and bases against anyone
-Can escort traders
Is not allowed to do the following:
-Cannot ally with unlawfuls
-Cannot participate in unlawful actions
-Cannot use transports with more than 4300 cargo
ZOI: House Core systems + surrounding systems + warzones
Allowed ships: Fighters, Freighters, Transports, Gunboats, Cruisers, Battleships.
Quote:Police ID (BPA, RFP, LPI, KSP)
The pilot carrying this ID is a member of the POLICE FACTION who:
Is allowed to do the following anywhere:
-Can defend itself
(-Can trade)
Is allowed to do the following within their Zone of Influence (ZOI here):
-Can demand contraband and levy fines, and attack if ships refuse to comply.
-Can attack ships which are in violation of HOUSE laws or belong to a house or organisation considered hostile by HOUSE
-Can defend allied or neutral lawful ships and bases against anyone
-Can escort traders
Is not allowed to do the following:
-Cannot ally with any unlawfuls
-Cannot participate in unlawful actions
-Cannot use any transports with more than 4,300 cargo.
ZOI: House Core systems + surrounding systems
Allowed ships: Fighters, Freighters, Transports, Gunboats, Cruisers.
Quote:Corporation ID (ALL THE CORPORATIONS )
The pilot carrying this ID is a member of the CORPORATION who:
Is allowed to do the following anyhwere:
-Can trade
-Can defend itself, ships and bases of the same affiliation and allied ships
-Can escort ships of the same affiliation and allied ships
(-Can engage in piracy against ENEMY TRADING FACTION outside of House systems) - for factions that might need this RP wise
Is allowed to do the following within their Zone of Influence (ZOI here):
-Can attack ships belonging to houses or organisations considered hostile by HOUSE
-Can engage in piracy against corporations affiliated with houses at war with HOUSE
-Can collect lawful bounties
Is not allowed to do the following:
-Cannot ally with any unlawfuls.
-Cannot participate in unlawful actions
ZOI: House Core systems + systems with FACTION bases
Allowed ships: Fighters, Freighters, Transports, Gunboats.
Quote:Pirate ID (Pirate and Criminal groups)
The pilot carrying this ID is a member of the PIRATE FACTION who:
Is allowed to do the following anyhwere:
-Can trade
-Can defend itself
Is allowed to do the following within their Zone of Influence (ZOI here):
-Can attack any ships except transports
-Can demand cargo and credits from any ship and attack them if they do not comply
-Can collect unlawful bounties
Is not allowed to do the following:
-Cannot ally with any lawfuls
-Cannot use any transports with more than 4,300 cargo.
ZOI: House Core systems+ systems of interest
Allowed ships: Fighters, Freighters, Transports, Gunboats, (Cruisers), (Battleships)
Quote:Terrorist ID (House terrorist factions)
The pilot carrying this ID is a member of the TERRORIST FACTION who:
Is allowed to do the following anyhwere:
-Can trade
-Can defend itself
-Can attack ARCHENEMY and treat ARCHENEMY transports as combat targets
Is allowed to do the following within their Zone of Influence (ZOI here):
-Can attack any ships except transports.
-Can demand cargo and credits from any ship, and attack them if they do not comply.
-Can treat transports carrying MEAN THINGS as combat targets.
Is not allowed to do the following:
-Cannot ally with any lawfuls.
-Cannot use any transports with more than 4,300 cargo.
ZOI: House Core systems + systems of interest
Allowed ships: Fighters, Freighters, Transports, Gunboats, (Cruisers), (Battleships)
Quote:Guild ID (Guilds and autonomous groups)
The pilot carrying this ID is a member of the GUILD
-Differs too much from Guild to guild, so nothing here yet
Is allowed to do the following anywhere:
-Can trade
-Can defend itself
Is allowed to do the following within their Zone of Influence (ZOI here):
Quote:Quasi-Lawful ID (Q-L factions)
-See above
The pilot carrying this ID is a member of the Q-L FACTION
Is allowed to do the following anywhere:
-Can trade
-Can defend itself
Is allowed to do the following within their Zone of Influence (ZOI here):
EDIT:
-Just to make this clear, this is not for official faction IDs, its for the simple standard ID everyone gets to use without being part of a faction.