Well I can defenitely say that the routes for GMG make us plenty of profit but we, of course, don't go through Rheinland. The routes are primarily between GMG and Kusari, Liberty, as well as Zoners. The treaty between GMG and Rheinland still presently stands. Rekindled negotiations may lead to traders coming to and through Rheinland from our corner of Sirius. The flip side is that negotiations can be made so that GMG becomes affronted and re-sparks their grudge mentality. This would mean that the GMG raids that have ended 8-9 years ago would start to even full scale battles involving allies and such. Of course the RP consequences of fighting both Liberty and GMG may be the subject of much heated speculation and debate. It's a thought.
' Wrote:.
Another thing is time-zones. I get home at 8:00pm, GMT -5. I somehow doubt I'll see you Germans when I get home, as much as I'd like to (opportunity to practice German!? Heck yeah!). I've heard that during Aussie and Eastern Europe hours, Rheinland is booming, but during EST hours, I can't say the LWB has met many people.
Timezone is my biggest deterrent from Rheinland, I've tried to make a Rheinie Unlawful twice now but I never sse people on when I play, even Kusari gets more activity when I'm on. Maybe there should be some incentive program to get players to play there.
Maybe having a Liberty/Rheinland cease-fire, dropping the embargo and adding some profitable Liberty-Rheinland routes might bring some traders in. Nerfing other areas will just cause resentment.
In my opinion, the inactivity of Rheinland has many reasons, which need to be worked on:
Corporations are left behind
Why should the average player use ALG/Daumann/Kruger/Republican, if they can grab a Zoner Whale and go the high profit Cardamine/Slave route? The average player values the combat RP with fighters/bombers/caps higher then the trader RP. Trading is just some expedient for fighting. I see this attitude as a major reason, why people tend to get money as fast as they can.
If they would accept a little lower profit in exchange for more RP, then the Rheinland companies would get more employees, I guess.
That's why can choose between more profit for the companies, or players, who give RP a higher priority.
Rheinland mentality
I want to give you an example from myself, to clarify this point: I am not capable of acting as a blood-thirsty pirate. I just cannot do it, because my personality isn't capable of it. I can't imagine to be cruel and a bully. That's why I have no character in unlawful factions. (The only semi-lawful is Dean Kadwell, the technology addict Junker, but he isn't a murderer or never-do-well.)
I believe that most of the players in this community are similar: Rheinland RP requires some basic personal properties in my eyes. You do not have them? Well, then go play somewhere else. Just take a look at my beloved RM: We have only a handful of people, who I consider the core of the faction. All of them show outstanding RP, cleverness and adaptability within their role. Don't tell me that you can do that, if you have a character, which has completely different properties.
We need to find those, who suit the role, and not people who want to try out the role and only come up with odd stereotypes.
The RM itself
Well, as much as I like the RM, I see huge problems between their RP mission and the general common sense. Don't get that wrong, I consider us to be fair, respectful and we show common sense if we are treated equally.
I am referring to the traders and the embargo. We have very strict rules, and we even plan to make them more restrictive. Why? Because it is the role that we play. I personally would like to see more traders come in and adapt to our RP, trying to deal with us. But the only traders I see, are ZBT slavers or people who don't understand us at all. Where are the supporters of Rheinland outside? Who risks his life for supporting us with needed resources, like Platinum? All people bring in Neon and other stuff, which brings high profits... heck. Look at my first mentioned point. Rheinland rises and falls with the value of RP YOU give to it.
i think Rhineland is the hardest place to get new players into because of vanilla FL's leveling and unbalanced ships.
first step for every new player is to make enough money to buy a rhino, that's only 50,000 in liberty where as if you travel to rhineland, the most basic freighter you can get, the humpback, is 500,000
then what's a new player going to do? after asking over system, they'll be mining scrap near pitsburg. rhineland doesnt really have an attractive safe and profitable mining field.
so because of this it's hard to get new players in, as for established players.... no idea, i like rhineland, i like how professional your RM are.
honestly i think all houses populations could be improved by having profitable trade routes within the house, dedicated inter-rhineland traders, i might think about setting one up if i can find some good routes tonight.
i spose if you removed the blockade, you'd get an influx of players bringing neon to dresden and metals out.
sorry, i'm just typing as i think and some of this could be better written.
The embargo cuts Rheinland from Liberty. Liberty is the most populated house, so if you cut the direct way for traders, they will search other routes.
Second, the zoners whale: Most traders are zoners. And as zoners, they shouldnt trade between the houses, but between zoner bases.
Possible solution:
Rheinlanders should allow traders to come from liberty. If Liberty want to enforce the embargo, let them do it. Also liberty should open the embargo for goods, coming from Rheinland.
The traders: Allow 5k transports only for house trading companies. That would force most traders into house corporations.
"Powertraders" mostly want the biggest ship. We are all powertraders, dont forget this. We want to make money in shortest time - inRP, of course. Nerf the whale to 4500 or so, then other trading factions can get fresh blood.
' Wrote:Ok, I haven't read everyone's posts yet but I would recommend you restart the Rheinland Bounty Board to attract BHG/FLs/Mercs to Rheinland. I've checked the bounty board index and niether the [RM] nor the RFP have a bounty board (anymore).
There was a heap of role-play done between me and Gronath to establish this in the first place. And then the new leadership in the lawful Rheinland authorities simply stopped it - despite the fact that it did bring more players to Rheinland. The real question is why? Often decisions are made and people are told they can't do x, y and z for no real reason other than because a lawful faction has authority and wants to order people around. The old RM could afford to be a little strong when it came to imposing law and order, but that was in 4.84. Continue to try to be erveything to everybody in this version and Rheinland will choke.
Police factions will always struggle. Stay focussed one job and one job only and you might have a chance. But don't try to be RM's B-team. There are plenty of trade opportunities between Rheinland and Bretonia - Im sure that a solid campaign that organised the workload more effectively could help get things flowing. If the RFP is still around, they could take care of that route and even extend into Omega 7, while the RM could handle the northern frontier. Even the BPA could alter its role to extend into Omega 3. The point is that RP should adapt within reason to suit players - we don't have to be slaves to established ways of doing things.
Another reason is a more problematic one - faction over-subscription. Most people are in several factions all over the place - and invariably will log on where there is more activity (often that means a potential fight) rather than creating the action themselves. I know we're all supposed to be one happy family here, but of the five or six factions people may be in, could they claim that their Rheinland faction character is their most active? Why not have one character, who just flies several different ships? It's way more immersive.
"The traders: Allow 5k transports only for house trading companies. That would force most traders into house corporations.
"Powertraders" mostly want the biggest ship. We are all powertraders, dont forget this. We want to make money in shortest time - inRP, of course. Nerf the whale to 4500 or so, then other trading factions can get fresh blood."
this one describes a "culture" employed by players when its about "other" people than themselves. - i am certain you just wanted to make a point and that you may not have thought thouroughly about the rethorics. - but i d like to suggest that the idea of "forcing" something or "nerfing" something never works as well as giving a positive incentive.
make house cooperations better by all means - slightly more profit if thats the key ( which i think it is not - at least not entirely )
again - the main reason edgeworld trade ( or even smuggling routes ) are chosen over classic house routes are - that they are easier.
house routes are predictable. - house systems are generally larger than edgeworld systems. - spanning over 100k or so - and it is the lanes that cut them down. - but taking the lane is the predictability.
one of the MAJOR factors also is the NPCs that cut lanes - sometimes every now and then..... sometimes at an annoying rate.
we cannot get rid of the NPCs ( or maybe we can, now that we have cannon ... i wouldn t know ) - but routes are measured with a flawless travel in mind. - and so they are mostly balanced. - so the edgeworld routes are measured with flying from A to B. - the house routes are also balanced towards getting from A to B. - only - in order to get from A to B in the edgeworlds means - plotting a direct course and getting a coffee. - in the house systems it basicly means the same - only - once you re interrupted by NPCs - you have to do a lot more - and your travel time increases unpredictably.
there are some measures that might be done in order to achieve what house routes are meant to be.
in the lore of freelancer, it is said that larger ships suffer the risk of damage from jumpholes. - that is one of the reasons that pirates usually use smaller ships - and that jumpgates are actually build with so much efford.
jumpgates allow the passage of largest transports without a risk to get damaged. - houses put a lot of efford into the construction of those gates.
right now - edgeworld trade is safer - and that IS a problem. - so i suggested to apply a small ( 2-3% maybe ) risk that ships above a certain mass get damaged to all equipment / components when passing through jumpholes.
it would add to the risk in the edgeworlds - and also act as a small reminder that the edgeworlds are perilous. - but it would also act as a little problem for battleships travelling through the edgeworlds. - when a corsair tries to get to ETA, they would run the risk to get damaged on the way two times ( imo - thats OK, but some player would start to moan )
thats the only nerf i see fair and logical to edgeworld trade.
at the same time - buff up the profit of house routes a little. - in general... not just rheinland. - edgeworld trade must be made more risky! ( and i say that as a zoner )
and by risky i don t mean "we need more pirates" - i mean the feeling that its the perilous edgeworlds - and giving houses a justification that they take ages to construct their jumphole systems to allow those million tons supertransports.
after all - there is a reason zoners usually only used freighters in the edgeworlds. - they are safer and run no risk to get damaged by jumpholes.
In terms of risk - radiation-style damage for larger ships might be a good one.
Another possibility is being spit out randomly within say a 5K radius of the other side of the jump hole. It could make distances closer - or make them further away!
In terms of attracting visitors to Rhineland.
I would like to echo Prowler's point regarding Rheinland/GMG negotiations.
We have come to the table in good faith - and we are still sitting there waiting to go.
Mates, the ball is in your court if you want more visitors...
I`ll reply here for the RFP| point of view, being the 2nd dude there.
there are several issues.
first off, our head Honcho, Arakantos has been away for a while. there are a few RFP officers I see logging on from time to time, but by the time I get around to changing to my RFP chracter, they are gone. why? very little for them to do.
a lot of players have characters in far busier parts of sirius. Rheinland has a "low priority", if you will. why? because there is very little to do.
why? because Rheinland currently suffers from the Kusari-syndrome. barely any people in it, apart from some powertraders or just plain mute ones. when an unlawfull appears, he`s either on the other side of Rheinland and is long gone by the time you reach him. (because he, too, has very little to do) or other lawfulls (RM) have reached him before a RFP| player can. RFP| policy id to hold back in those cases, to obvioulsy avoid ganks.
most rp is to be found in Hamburg, against embargo runners. some runners make for fun rp. most just run for it in complete silence.
so, what rheinland needs in an injection of activity. make it more appealing to go there. get some in-rp trade routes going there. make mining there especially rewarding. this will attract miners, as well as unlawfulls. thus stimulating the population.
Rheinland needs some loving. it`s a fun house to play around in. but it`s become rather empty these days. remember the diamond/niobium run? sure, shameless power trading. but boy, always fun to be had in New Berlin and Dresden.