01-17-2012, 09:36 PM
The consolidation of IDs is both a good idea and a bad idea. Before there were a bunch of different IDs that more or less said the same thing... IE Freelancer and Mercenary. Granted each of them had their own tiny differences, the Freelancer one was more inclined towards trade and the Mercenary one more towards combat, even by mere definition of what a mercenary is. Now with that said, freelancers fight, trade, explore, but we also have IDs that cover that, both the independent trader ID and the smuggler id...as well as a researcher ID for exploration and science.
Some things can be successfully consolidated in my mind, perhaps the Freelancer ID can cover Mercenary and Independent Trader IDs... maybe even the independent pirate ID and the slaver ID could be merged...
But again, there are IDs that simply are too...different to actually be merged into other IDs. The Smuggler ID provides and obvious unlawful affiliation for the trader, and even allows pirates to ignore you. The Slaver ID can be put into that same folder, but with even more inclination for the law to be hostile against them because of their bad reputations. Finally the Researcher ID and the Vigilante ID are so different from anything that has to do with Freelancer IDs that they simply cannot be merged successfully... The Researcher ID for one allows cruisers, and RP considered should not be inclined to look for fights. We even have an entire unofficial group based on the Researcher ID, Cambridge Stellar Research who's RP stuff is rather badly damaged by it from what I hear. Lastly the Vigilante ID simply is like...not sure what to even say, but the ability to actively hunt down criminals like that is not something that everyone with a Freelancer ID should be able to do... at least without bounties. This is an engage regardless of intent or bounty ID, who can kill pirates for them being pirates, not to protect a trader or for cash, so it is not something that translates well.
Some IDs can be mixed, like I said, combined, all that jazz. But there are some that simply cannot. Perhaps if there were more lawful/unlawful variations of Traders and Mercs or something, I do not know...
My two cents.
Some things can be successfully consolidated in my mind, perhaps the Freelancer ID can cover Mercenary and Independent Trader IDs... maybe even the independent pirate ID and the slaver ID could be merged...
But again, there are IDs that simply are too...different to actually be merged into other IDs. The Smuggler ID provides and obvious unlawful affiliation for the trader, and even allows pirates to ignore you. The Slaver ID can be put into that same folder, but with even more inclination for the law to be hostile against them because of their bad reputations. Finally the Researcher ID and the Vigilante ID are so different from anything that has to do with Freelancer IDs that they simply cannot be merged successfully... The Researcher ID for one allows cruisers, and RP considered should not be inclined to look for fights. We even have an entire unofficial group based on the Researcher ID, Cambridge Stellar Research who's RP stuff is rather badly damaged by it from what I hear. Lastly the Vigilante ID simply is like...not sure what to even say, but the ability to actively hunt down criminals like that is not something that everyone with a Freelancer ID should be able to do... at least without bounties. This is an engage regardless of intent or bounty ID, who can kill pirates for them being pirates, not to protect a trader or for cash, so it is not something that translates well.
Some IDs can be mixed, like I said, combined, all that jazz. But there are some that simply cannot. Perhaps if there were more lawful/unlawful variations of Traders and Mercs or something, I do not know...
My two cents.