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+--- Thread: The past, present and future of Zoners as an NPC faction (/showthread.php?tid=93979)
The past, present and future of Zoners as an NPC faction - sindroms - 02-11-2013
First of all.
Tel-Aviv, please stay away from this thread, we already know your view of the situation and since every post you reply with is the same, there is really nothing else you can tell us we already did not read.
Again, this is my recollection of the encounters I had both with Zoners and as a Zoner myself. The text below is based on my experience alone and may not be the way others remember it.
With that in mind, let us go way back to Zoners as a NPC faction back in 84, 83 and even older. The Zoner ID was the main go to ID for trading. Being able to form individual ties with specific groups such as the Outcasts for their Cardamine, Corsairs for Artifacts, only to smuggle them through Alaska and Minor, much to the dismay of Order and LN alike.
Now, all of those actions never were punished by the zoner factions at the time, nor were those factions ever blamed by the actions of these few...well, no, they weren't few at all, were they?
Whole smuggling and trading groups emerged and that was when the popular belief that having a Zoner ID granted you immunity to piracy formed- the guy pirating you had no way to tell if you were a zoner who was allied with their group.
Not wishing for QQ, they would let you go, but soon it changed when the ID was nerfed, less people used it and more people sought to take control of the way the NPC faction was progressing.
I think it was around that time when the Zoner conference message dump thing was made, though I am not sure, I cannot seem to find it anymore.
It was about that time when one faction per ID rule came into effect, so things changed a lot.
After that, came the cargo limitation on Zoner IDs and Guard IDs were not allowed to dock in House space.
Zoners now have one of the most complete shiplines in the game, ranging from freighters to transports, both small and large, gunboats, cruisers both light and heavy, battleships and freeports.
It is not hard to imagine just how much money and resources are needed in RP to keep this going....so my question is this, have the Zoners become a house? In their own way, of course. They do not have a good chunk of Sirius owned by them, no, but they do have their Freeports and it is very hard to ignore their military size and technology, especially while being backed up by the GMG and Order.
I think it is time to view them as something far larger than a group of individuals who fled their houses for a more simple, corruption free life, because they have pretty much become what they were trying to evade. Mining, trading, jumping technology, cloaks, nomad farming, Freeports, a sizable economy and military might. Nope, they are not what they were long ago.
So is it really time to start judging Zoners as one would do the same about house coorporations and military? Should we start viewing them with the respect one would view a country, instead of a simple group? The idea behind this is that it has been far too long since the actions of one Zoner has NOT been written off to the whole Zoner collective. Smugglers are reported to the council, capital ships out of line are also returned to their rightful place.
So, Zoners as a legitimate House, with all the pros and cons and regulations and limitations that comes with the title. Neutrality is abolished and stable diplomatic ties are formed. Think about it.
Discuss.
RE: The past, present and future of Zoners as an NPC faction - Crackpunch - 02-11-2013
But then we can't play as Zoners anymore.
RE: The past, present and future of Zoners as an NPC faction - sindroms - 02-11-2013
True, but right now the concept of a Zoner is very outdated and, with how the npc faction is currently directed, does not make sense anymore.
RE: The past, present and future of Zoners as an NPC faction - Crackpunch - 02-11-2013
So if the people who didn't want to live in a house become a house, what do? Do we get double Zoners from those who still don't want to live in a house?
RE: The past, present and future of Zoners as an NPC faction - Hauruck - 02-11-2013
(02-11-2013, 09:37 AM)sindroms Wrote: So, Zoners as a legitimate House, with all the pros and cons and regulations and limitations that comes with the title. Neutrality is abolished and stable diplomatic ties are formed.
Zoners are not a house because they're a heterogenous group of people at totally different corners of psace.
Zoners should be encouraged to form their own subgroups with own tages and own diplomacy.
There never was any neutrality to begin with, only people who said there was.
RE: The past, present and future of Zoners as an NPC faction - Crackpunch - 02-11-2013
(02-11-2013, 10:02 AM)Hauruck Wrote:(02-11-2013, 09:37 AM)sindroms Wrote: So, Zoners as a legitimate House, with all the pros and cons and regulations and limitations that comes with the title. Neutrality is abolished and stable diplomatic ties are formed.
Zoners are not a house because they're a heterogenous group of people at totally different corners of psace.
Zoners should be encouraged to form their own subgroups with own tages and own diplomacy.
There never was any neutrality to begin with, only people who said there was.
Hmmm, North Zoners, South Zoners, etc could be interesting.
RE: The past, present and future of Zoners as an NPC faction - sindroms - 02-11-2013
I suppose pacifism is the word we are really looking for, since there is no way the Zoners had or ever could have neutrality as it is described. Still, it made little sense then, still makes little sense now, even less so, but I digress.
Will flesh out the thought as soon as I get back from work.
RE: The past, present and future of Zoners as an NPC faction - Crackpunch - 02-11-2013
(02-11-2013, 10:05 AM)sindroms Wrote: I suppose pacifism is the word we are really looking for, since there is no way the Zoners had or ever could have neutrality as it is described. Still, it made little sense then, still makes little sense now, even less so, but I digress.
Well they had the whole idea of breaking ties by leaving house space. Then they had the whole manner of "You don't mess with me and I won't mess with you" as demonstrated by their Freeports.
RE: The past, present and future of Zoners as an NPC faction - Hauruck - 02-11-2013
(02-11-2013, 10:04 AM)Crackpunch Wrote: Hmmm, North Zoners, South Zoners, etc could be interesting.
Any attempts to claim neutrality should bel inked with a tag that justifies it.
Maybe a tag showing which Freeport they live at. Fo example the FP 10 zoners will have a hard time getting along with Corsairs. And Bethlehem Zoners can parade their Juggy at Manahttan with all them falshy lights, but the FP 11 zoners cant. FP11 Zoners will be wanted criminals cause they help terrorist Order scum.
And tagless zoners can dock at zoner bases, but cant expect to not get shot by any non zoners.
RE: The past, present and future of Zoners as an NPC faction - Crackpunch - 02-11-2013
(02-11-2013, 10:09 AM)Hauruck Wrote:(02-11-2013, 10:04 AM)Crackpunch Wrote: Hmmm, North Zoners, South Zoners, etc could be interesting.
Any attempts to claim neutrality should bel inked with a tag that justifies it.
Maybe a tag showing which Freeport they live at. Fo example the FP 10 zoners will have a hard time getting along with Corsairs. And Bethlehem Zoners can parade their Juggy at Manahttan with all them falshy lights, but the FP 11 zoners cant. FP11 Zoners will be wanted criminals cause they help terrorist Order scum.
Woot post 2000.
We'd really need more division with IFF and ID if we really want to go deep into different relations based on the station you dock at.
Of course we'd want to keep the 'generic' Zoner ID for those who want to RP loners.