' Wrote:...
Question 2: What is discovery's main focus? I saw on youtube that there are many pilot-able and incredibly powerful battleships and capital ships in Discovery, and I'm wondering if those are the main focus of the mod as opposed to the fighter focus of the original freelancer, with lots of complex combat/dogfighting dynamics. I also don't really understand the rules of role-playing or the concept itself very well, though I did read the rules.
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Question 4: Where can general info such as starting money, starting ship, and faction options about the rp server specifically be found? I looked on the wiki, but all I found about the server specifically was update and donate information.
Welcome, welcome. NDiavolo's post is rather accurate in terms of the literal answers to your questions.
I might add a few thoughts, though. While the Wiki can be outdated, it is usually in terms of details and numbers - broadly speaking, it is correct conceptually. For example, basing your trade routes of wiki price listings would be a bad idea, since for some commodities these can be, and are, changed server-side.
All the factions present in vanilla (aka. original or unmodded) Freelancer are present in the Discovery mod; and a few more unique factions have been added over the course of Discovery's history.
When talking about a faction, there are two parts: there is the "overall" faction, which includes the faction NPCs. Then, there are player factions, some of which Roleplay as a specific part of a faction, as divergent subfactions, or most commonly consider themselves wholly integrated with the NPC faction.
Player factions are organised groups of players working together as members of a given faction. Player factions are either categorised as official or unofficial. Official Factions are typically players representing a NPC faction, following that faction's foundation lore. All Official Factions are well established on the server, and usually have a larger member base. They can exercise a number of "Faction Rights" but are expected to be responsible with this extra authority. The details aren't too important for now - if you're interested, join up to one and have them explain it to you. Unofficial Factions are typically smaller and newer on the server; however, they can often be more dynamic with their roleplay and less restricted by "red tape". Joining either kind of faction is often a good way to get into Discovery, as that way you can have more experienced players explain the more complicated things to you.
All Official Factions are listed here. Unofficial Factions are found in the "Other Factions" area.
Roleplay is the act of pretending to be a character within an alternate or fictional setting. In Discovery, players assume the roles, or become the characters, of pilots and/or crew of their ships, and their choices are driven by their membership, or lack thereof, to a particular faction.
In-game, Discovery introduces a new equippable item for a ship called an ID. An ID denotes to which faction your pilot belongs, and you will be treated accordingly. Have a Liberty Navy ID? The Liberty Police will come to your aid, and the Lane Hackers will find the first opportunity they can to turn your ship into a flaming wreck. IDs are only purchasable once you have gained a friendly reputation with the corresponding faction. In addition to faction IDs, there are generic IDs - these indicate membership of no particular faction.
Each ID has specific limitations with regards to a player's actions and available ships, and all players are expected to abide by their IDs. For example, as an Independent Trader, you can fly a wide range of smaller transports - but military Capital Ships are a big no-no. The wiki has all the ships listed by category.
On top of certain actions being "prelimited", what sort of character you play as also determines which faction's technology you are allowed to utilise. Technology Usage is explained in this thread.
To throw in another level of complexity, apart from the Server Rules (which include ID rules), there are a number of in-roleplay House laws. Breaking the former can result in action by server administration; whereas breaking the latter will only have in-roleplay consequences for your character, not you as a player. Reading these is strongly recommended once you gain a grasp of the mechanics of Discovery. They are written out in this thread.
A thought on making money: For new players, trading is by far the most straightforward way of making more credits. Buy a commodity cheaply on Base X, and sell it for a higher price at Base Y, creating a profit which you keep. Good trade routes depend on where your character is going to operate - feel free to ask other players there opinions about good trade routes.
Having a character on the server which is focussed around making money will make life easier if you intend to make other characters with more aggressive roles, which will not be able to generate as much money on their own.
A quick political overview of Sirius in Discovery: Liberty is at war with Rheinland. Kusari as at war with Bretonia. The Outcasts and Corsairs (still) share mutual hatred. Gallia (a whole new House) is in the midst of a civil war being fought between the Royalist forces of their King and revolutionaries called the Council.
Crossing these war-zones is possible, but you can often be treated with extreme suspicion by either side.
Every faction in Sirius has a Zone of Influence, often abbreviated as ZoI. Think of it like a jurisdiction; it is an area within which they operate and have influence. Outside of their ZoI, a faction's influence is greatly diminished. Rule of thumb: Taking a Law-enforcement character from their House and into another is generally not a good idea; and trading across a warzone is only for the brave who risk being labelled as smugglers or war profiteers. (Naturally, there are exceptions, but this is just a general guide.)
Ok, so, I have just given you a ludicrous amount of information. Go digest that and come back if you have more questions!
PS. Join an official trading faction - it's an easy way to get "set up" on the server.
hehe just kidding. Turns out I still need to find my copy of freelancer. Is it ok for a member of one faction to go on a rampage in enemy territory, killing everything in sight?:D
' Wrote:To question 4- Your starting money is 8500 credits and you will start in a starflier.
Greetings.
Make sure to check out all the possible restarts.
You will recieve a decently equiped fighter/CSV in a particular corner of the Galaxy that you find most interesting:
/showrestarts lists em all.
Be careful though, the /restart command will delete every cr, ship or equipment on the character that uses it.