You know what I like best in an official faction? I'm busy for half a year, but during that time, I'm sure that when I come back, it will still be there. Maybe not the same people, but more or less the same principles. It's good for me, but it's invaluable for the Administration. Those factions take down much weight from their backs.
New people has much energy, and a creative and well organized unofficial faction can generate so much activity and buzz, that no veteran group can cope with. That's a good thing. But if always the most active group would hold 'the power' of being official, there would be changes so frequent, that following all those would be serious work, not just for our admins, but for the average player too.
The proverb 'if it's not broken, don't fix it' comes to my mind.
(note: Sirius is big, and I might be right in some nebulas I'm familiar with, and completely wrong in others)
Proportional to influence and power? Like inRP? Or over the other players?
I know the answer. But if it were first, imagine how many hours IND should hit ( =D )... Would they do it?
Also, you say they have authority over indies. Yes. Limited. To leader and one rank below him. That's by the rules and faction rights.
Any other authority is null and void since indie is up to his choice, whether to keep silently reengaging or keep shooting snubcrafts with his capital ship.
Technology - good. Limiting is good roleplay. Since you don't get tech for merely paying some credits as many thinks to do the job.
FR5? Goes through admins.
So what real power are you talking about?
FR2? Indies who are properly roleplaying will not be ruled over. Unless roleplay dictates to do so to show off the power.
So is that so much of a power?
Also, why do you want factions to be more active? Do you see difference in meeting indie or same off. Faction player?
Raising time requirement won't help increase the quality of roleplay, which is most important in general. More time will be spent on playing same character over and over untill player gets sick and tired of it and ragequits after some bad situation.
Don't you think so?
' Wrote:Proportional to influence and power? Like inRP? Or over the other players?
I know the answer. But if it were first, imagine how many hours IND should hit ( =D )... Would they do it?
Just to point out for those to ignorant to understand, this has nothing to do with IND. Why? I am glad you asked, because IND has no oorp power. No faction rights, no tech rights no nothing. So why you always got to try and bring IND into it Snake?
I think that the necessity for Official Factions to exist arises from the need for consistency in RP and for factions which NEED a centralized command and control structure to have one. The system available for official factions now works well enough, the real problem regarding activity seems to be something that can't really be solved by changing rules; people get bored. Disillusioned. Real life takes them. They simply don't play as much, and it's no fault of anyone involved. Hell, it's why a lot of trade and mining groups trend towards untimely departure from anything but hopeful daydreaming, without ever reaching official status.
If the problem is making sure that official factions have a presence, the solution I'd suggest is to make it easier for a succession, so to speak, so that when one official faction loses its momentum in representing the NPC group, a new group can reorder the ranks, redistribute the power, or whatever you want to call it, to get new blood in and keep things working. Above all, keeping a tangible continuity for the RP, maintain a general sense of authority and central structure without dropping a deuce on the indies, and as Evan said, taking that tech management load off of the Admins' collective back.
As it stands, the system is a pretty good one. There are official factions to provide central RP continuity and represent the mainstream, and there are indies and unofficial factions who can affiliate with the officials or not, and create ancillary but equally vibrant RP to bolster the mainstream continuity. Imagine if you will, officials being the spine of a faction's roleplay, and unofficials and indies being the bones branching off of it. The problem is balance, and making sure that when the spine is weak, when the activity of the official group lags a bit, the others can be incorporated or somehow adapted to support that central continuity. The roleplay must flow.
edit: To clarify, what I'm suggesting is not increasing or decreasing time requirements for Officials, or creating restrictions. What I think should be done is to create infrastructure that will give an incentive to adapt, incorporate, and include unofficial groups and indies into the umbrella of the Official faction for the purposes of pumping in new blood, without a hostile take over, on a relatively equal basis.
"Things will not calm down, Daniel Jackson. They will, in fact, calm up."
' Wrote:Just to point out for those to ignorant to understand, this has nothing to do with IND. Why? I am glad you asked, because IND has no oorp power. No faction rights, no tech rights no nothing. So why you always got to try and bring IND into it Snake?
I think he was talking about in-RP power, and asking whether that is Ingenious's point of reference for activity demands.
' Wrote:Just to point out for those to ignorant to understand, this has nothing to do with IND. Why? I am glad you asked, because IND has no oorp power. No faction rights, no tech rights no nothing. So why you always got to try and bring IND into it Snake?
Hey there, mate. I said if it were for first, inRP, power and influence. Do read beyond what you are used to see.
Also, I like biting IND. Don't worry. It's not poisonous. Much. Probably.
' Wrote:If the problem is making sure that official factions have a presence, the solution I'd suggest is to make it easier for a succession, so to speak, so that when one official faction loses its momentum in representing the NPC group, a new group can reorder the ranks, redistribute the power, or whatever you want to call it, to get new blood in and keep things working.
Here's the problem with the current system (as I see it). There are no factions clamoring for the spot of the Bundies, or RepEx, or SynthFoods. So right now you're killing those factions, and there's nothing to take their place.
' Wrote:Here's the problem with the current system (as I see it). There are no factions clamoring for the spot of the Bundies, or RepEx, or SynthFoods. So right now you're killing those factions, and there's nothing to take their place.
Yea, I cant think of a single unofficial group of FA players in my entire time here. Not much challenge for the officialdom of the AFA.