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+--- Thread: Making Factions More Desirable (/showthread.php?tid=133134)
Making Factions More Desirable - Croft - 11-20-2015
The thread title says it all really, factions are on a steady decline in popularity and official factions even more so, with that in mind I thought I'd start looking for way to make factions appealing and hopefully reverse the dwindling player count in the process.
What I'm looking for is more in depth than a simple list of ideas, I'm looking for context so that we can narrow down the root issues and build a solution around it. If you could state what you think the problem is with factions, be it the process of joining, making, being apart of or running, what you would stand to gain by not being in a faction and what ideas you have to improve it would be fantastic.
To get the ball rolling, I'll start:
I think that official factions have very little to offer aside from group play which is often bogged down by politics and hampered by the minimal required online time which makes playing on the server more of a chore than a choice.
To fix this I would suggest switching to a system that only takes into account if the faction has a positive impact on the server, such as providing solid RP, keeping engagements balanced and generally receiving little to no sanctions against its members.
Please keep it on topic and to the point, thanks.
RE: Making Factions More Desirable - Timmy - 11-20-2015
I think that your suggestions are kind of not suggestions. They sound like the result you actually wanna see.
For me factions are not interesting because of poorly designed models, not a very appropriate in some cases leaders, not a very expected attitude of players towards subordination in factions that rely on it.
By poor faction models I mean that I am forced to play long on ships that I absolutely don't want to play in. Considering how different their combat mechanics work I'd say that it could be split on two kinds of recruitment. Also, the progression through ranking is kind of a choise of leader, rather then your own effords, which I find wrong.
The rest is kinda obvious. Sometimes faction leaders declare themselfs sort of kings, which I find disturbing. Imo faction leaders should be something alike with staff members - people who are supporting certain type of game play that his/her faction is supposed to follow. As for subordination, it is going to be tricky thing, because everyone want to be a cool dude who can talk any time he wants, out of turn, messing around and be forgiven for that. And fixing that is not going to be easy with another issue that factions meet - indies. You are free to do all that you want as indie, so joining the faction literately makes no sense or differense. There's just nothing in it that indies would not be able to do already. Quite oposite actually, factions limit your freedom, not offering anything in return, which most people do not like.
I have only two suggestions to that: limit freedom of indies (I'd actually remove such thing at all, leaving the free to play id only Freelancers, but most people do not agree) and standartise the faction models and roles of leaders in them. Currently factions can be created under any wicked model anyone ever can think of, and sometimes even win officialness. That is just making factions that are more driven to some sort of standards less attractive, thus leading to degradation of such thing as factions.
RE: Making Factions More Desirable - Black Widow - 11-20-2015
I think given the dwindling player population any restrictions on player activity due to RP will further dampen the chances of reversing it.
Therefore if you want to attract a new group of players that will join disco and stay there needs to be something that will appeal to them and that it not RP!
When we had 200 player population on the server then fine RP requirements were justified and people enjoyed it.
Now we have much less so we should relax the RP rules, derestrict ZOIs on all IDS and allow all people to fly any where in sirius they like. The only given RP restrictions should be that pirates cannot ally with lawfuls or other factions they are not friendly with. So just common sense rules, but the all borders relaxed i.e all factions should be able to take any ship any where and promote PVP interactions.
That will get em going.
Either Discovery holds on to its Freelancer Traditions with RP at the heart and slowly watch it fade away.
Or embrace a new approach that is against what discovery has always been about in return for more players and a longer survival turn.
RP + Death vs. PVP + Life ?
RE: Making Factions More Desirable - Croft - 11-20-2015
Guys, FACTIONS. I was pretty clear on the subject, how to improve factions. Not the new world order or how an RP server should suddenly shift focus to PvP. FACTIONS.
RE: Making Factions More Desirable - Black Widow - 11-20-2015
Any sort of change to RP Focus of a faction wont boost the server population because it RP and this is an old game. There are new pewpew games released everyday people are playing why would they waste time on a pew game like FL where RP is at its heart.
RE: Making Factions More Desirable - jammi - 11-20-2015
(11-20-2015, 11:05 PM)Black Widow Wrote: I think given the dwindling player population any restrictions on player activity due to RP will further dampen the chances of reversing it.
Therefore if you want to attract a new group of players that will join disco and stay there needs to be something that will appeal to them and that it not RP!
When we had 200 player population on the server then fine RP requirements were justified and people enjoyed it.
Now we have much less so we should relax the RP rules, derestrict ZOIs on all IDS and allow all people to fly any where in sirius they like. The only given RP restrictions should be that pirates cannot ally with lawfuls or other factions they are not friendly with. So just common sense rules, but the all borders relaxed i.e all factions should be able to take any ship any where and promote PVP interactions.
That will get em going.
Either Discovery holds on to its Freelancer Traditions with RP at the heart and slowly watch it fade away.
Or embrace a new approach that is against what discovery has always been about in return for more players and a longer survival turn.
RP + Death vs. PVP + Life ?
I guess that's why all the non-RP mods and servers are kicking our ass for activity. Oh wait.
(11-20-2015, 11:15 PM)Black Widow Wrote: Any sort of change to RP Focus of a faction wont boost the server population because it RP and this is an old game. There are new pewpew games released everyday people are playing why would they waste time on a pew game like FL where RP is at its heart.
You've basically just said we can't complete with "pewpew" because there are newer, better games that provide that. Your solution to this dilemma is basically to weaken roleplay and embrace subpar "pewpew" instead. Logical.
RE: Making Factions More Desirable - Croft - 11-20-2015
This must be a new record, having an entire thread derailed in under 5 posts.
RE: Making Factions More Desirable - Technogeist - 11-20-2015
welcome to disco
RE: Making Factions More Desirable - Laura C. - 11-21-2015
Okay, lets try to send the thread back to the original direction.
It was said many times during past few years that indie status will always have upper hand over factions if both provide same possibilities, but only factions are tied by responsibility.
Also, people including me in past suggested to give factions some benefits and that could make huge difference. Give factions slightly better cargo restrictions and slighty better gear (10-20 percent would be enough) and you would very likely see much more people interested in joining factions.
But nothing changed except introduction of perk system which is...some people laugh, some people cry about it, but from faction leaders I know no one consider it as something useful. Not to mention something what would make factions more appealing.
That´s what comes first to my mind.
RE: Making Factions More Desirable - Croft - 11-21-2015
Thanks Laura, I agree that the faction perks don't offer much to the actual members. Hopefully we can offer some ideas to improve upon it.