Official Faction Perks

[Garrett Jax]

Official Faction ID and Faction Perks

Official faction leaders and their members have long complained about the lack of benefits that arise from being part of an Official faction. Faction Rights have not sufficed to serve as a reward for being Official, nor has it induced players to join/create Official factions of their own. The Staff have been looking at ways to grant Official factions perks without taking away from what indie players currently enjoy. One way we did this was by creating an added Core to POB's and making it available to Official Factions only. This was a start, but we believe more perks are needed for those factions that act in a way that contributes to the excellence of this server.

In order to accommodate these perks, the Admins have decided to make individual Player Faction ID's for each Official Faction. They will start out nearly identical to the Open ID that their faction represents. The names on the IDs will differentiate themselves from their Open ID counterparts, thus making it easy to distinguish an Official Faction member from an indie Open ID user. When necessary, the ID will either be labeled as a Primary Fleet ID or a line will be added to the ID stating that this ID belongs to the Official Faction.

By giving each Official Faction their own ID apart from the one indies carry, it allows us to reward the conduct and RP Official Factions generally exhibit. It also allows us to make changes to the ID, in accordance with agreed upon movement in the faction's lore and diplomacy without enforcing it upon the Open ID, and without having to wait for another update in the mod. These Official Faction ID's would be made available to Faction Leaders upon the next update and placed on a TBD base where only those with the appropriate ID may purchase it.

What about the poor indie player? Indies may receive a trickle down benefit from a perk chosen by the Official Faction representing their ID. The Staff will examine each approved perk and decide if a 'lesser' version of this perk might be suitable for the Open ID. Nevertheless, these perks are designed primarily to reward and promote activity for Official Factions.

Types of Perks

Mining perks. A mining bonus would be a good example of a perk that could be added to an Official Faction ID. Of course, any perks doled out to non-Mining factions should be less than what Mining factions currently operate with, otherwise we either cannibalize the Mining factions, or we run the risk of making every official faction ID indistinguishable from the other. Obviously, Mining factions should be able to benefit the most from the mining perk, Trading factions less so and Military/Police/Unlawful the least, but still possible. This will continue our ability to distinguish the defining characteristics of Official factions, one from the other. The Admins will decide the amount of the bonus and whether indies might benefit from it in some way or not.

Commodity perks. With a Commodity perk, an Official faction could develop RP leading to the existence of a new commodity for the mod, purchasable only with the ID of the Official Faction. The Official Faction could choose to 'unlock' this new commodity for use by other factions if the RP warranted it. A line could also be added to the ID of the Official Faction allowing them to demand cargo of anyone else caught transporting their exclusive commodity. This, along with a good sell price, would provide a nice perk for Official factions, giving them the opportunity to engage in creative RP. Of course, the longer and more dangerous the trade route for this new commodity, the higher the sell point becomes. The Admins will decide on the final sell point based on the above criteria.

Additionally, Official factions, with strong RP support, can request "Super Economic Events" over a duration of two months. These events would make use of an existing commodity and be available to all, but with a higher sell point.

As with the mining perks, this would be something that could be made available to all factions, but on a sliding scale. Trading factions/Unlawful factions would benefit the most from this since trading/smuggling commodities are their defining characteristic. Mining companies would benefit less and Military/Police factions the least.

Techcompat exemptions. The ability to RP the use of an allies ship/guns, without a nerf, was done away with. However, we can carefully implement exceptions to this in Official Faction's ID with well thought out RP. Of course, there are absolute limits on what tech a player can use. For example, [LN] would not be using [RM] tech under any circumstances, but they could make full use of an ally's, or even an Official faction that was diplomatically neutral if the RP warranted it. This would give back to Official factions a lost perk, but this time, the Admins would have more control over it. Thus, we could mitigate the behind the scenes Skype deals that ruined this for everyone and created the technerf in the first place. Depending on the request, the Admins will consider if the RP warrants a full exemption or a partial one. In many cases, an approved perk in this area might result in a partial percentage increase, but still nerfed somewhat. It may take two, three or more requests to gain up to 100% use of another faction's tech. This will enable the Admins to determine whether an unfair imbalance is occurring as well as provide additional opportunities for the Official Faction to RP this perk. Again, as was stated with the other two perks, this one would act on a sliding scale as well. Military/Police/Unlawful factions would benefit the most from this. Trading and Mining factions less so.

Zone of Influence. Some factions have tried to RP with a view to making adjustments to their ZOI, but have been hampered by ID restrictions. Now, with the ZOI perk, they can potentially see some real movement with their faction and faction lore. Obviously, there has to be limits here. We cannot have House military/police factions with Sirius wide ZOI. However, there are tweaks that can be made here and there based on RP. Even Official factions with a Sirius wide ZOI could benefit from this perk. They may decide that certain actions could be permissible in specific systems and RP toward that effect. Of all the perks discussed, this is one that would have to be the most cautiously implemented as it could disrupt game balance severely. Small, carefully considered tweaks are probably best.

Ship Class Perk. This is another perk that would benefit the factions that possess a limited shipline. Upon qualifying, they could take advantage of their relationships with other factions and upgrade their ID's to allow for heavier class ships. Military factions, who possess the full complement of the ship class wouldn't see a benefit from this, but a few factions out there might enjoy it immensely.

Dispensation of Perks

How often will these perks be awarded? Every two months an Official Faction leader may request, in Official Faction Perk Request subforum, a perk from the list above. In order to qualify for this request, they must present to the Staff the RP supporting this request. The RP should be something that takes place over a period of weeks, not a day or two. It should be well thought out, well documented on the forums and involve, if possible, ingame activity/events. Admins will then vote on the perk request.

The Admins will be very stringent in handing out perks. Some requests will undoubtedly be beyond what we are willing to fulfill. Others may be handed out, but in a reduced fashion. Some perks may be a 'one and done' type of situation, where the perk only lasts for a specified period of time. Still others may be put on hold until we are certain of any game balance issues. Whether the perk is approved or not, the faction will have to wait two months before making any additional requests. We want to emphasize that perk requests are like a spice in cooking. Too much, and you ruin the meal. However, in the right amount, it can enhance it. This is the way Official Factions should view perks, small adjustments over an extended period of time, that enhance the game.

What are some of the questions the Staff will be asking when considering perk requests?

Has the Official Faction provided reasonable RP leading up to the perk desired?
Is the reputation of the Official Faction a positive one within the community?
How does the Official Faction respond to negative feedback?
How active is the faction?
Will this perk create a severe imbalance within the game?
How has the Official Faction made use of the perks they have, if any?
Does the requested perk make sense for the Official Faction?
How does the Official Faction treat new players or indies?

OPTIONAL CONSIDERATION: Is there a way for indies to benefit from this perk to some extent? (It would be nice if there was a trickle down effect for indies from the perks. Maybe they wouldn't benefit to the fullest extent, but it would be good if they saw some kind of positive out of the perk.)

How to Lose Perks Quickly

Anything that can given, with regard to perks, can be taken away. The goal is to reward excellent behavior and quality RP, however there are occasions when the conduct of an Official faction proves harmful to the server.

OORP hate manifesting itself as Metagaming/Powergaming will not be tolerated.
Breaking server rules in the use of any perks one might receive will result in its loss.
Low Activity in the Official Faction.
If the perk is discovered to create a severe game imbalance.
The Admins reserve the right to remove any perk if they see that it creates harm to the server.
The Admins reserve the right to alter any perk request.

If an Official Faction is found abusing their perks in any way, the first offense is loss of that perk. The second offense is loss of all perks. The third offense will result in loss of Officialdom. If a faction loses a perk in this manner, they will have to wait an additional two months from the date of its removal before applying for an additional one.

Conclusion

Official Factions are a valued part of this server. In order to qualify for Officialdom, they must exhibit excellence in RP. They must be active. They must respond well to negative feedback. Any decision they make, whether good or bad, they have to live with.

Since their standards are high, it has been hard for them to induce players to join. It's far easier to play an indie, where accountability is negligible and any bad decision can be erased with a name change.

Therefore, the Staff wishes to implement this Official Faction Perk concept to the community in an effort to reward those that choose to live up to the high standards of becoming Official and to provide them a way to induce others to join their ranks.

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[Jack_Henderson]

I love this part. Kudos. This is a step in the right direction! Also nice to not leave out indies completely while keeping the special status for official factions.

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[Eugen]

hm i could see that some factions will aiming for some tech from the ally´s like the council offical can use Colonial Republic tech/ships and vice/versa for exemple

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[FallenKnight]

"Achievement" system like that should have been created long ago but better late than never. Great job on bringing this online.

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Discovery Bridges[Feedback] Baron Piett[Biography]

[Gypsie Skripto]

The one dilemma I have with this - and both Garret and TAZ members know how excited I was about the release of these perks - is that all of these are things that I thought could already be obtained if the sufficient RP existed. For instance, we were planning on switching Order for SCRA on our technerf chart in TAZ, and we were positive that it was possible under the old system.

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[sindroms]

I have a question regarding perks for trading factions.

Is there anything preventing us from making our submitted commodities instantly available for the general community or do they have to be made open only for the ID at first and with the option to make it open for other allied IDs only?

And if we can indeed make the submitted commodity open to the public, is there a specified amount we can submit or is it only one commodity per official faction?

This would allow trading factions to give suggestions on improving existing routes is all.

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[Garrett Jax]

I have a question regarding perks for trading factions.

Is there anything preventing us from making our submitted commodities instantly available for the general community or do they have to be made open only for the ID at first and with the option to make it open for other allied IDs only?

And if we can indeed make the submitted commodity open to the public, is there a specified amount we can submit or is it only one commodity per official faction?

This would allow trading factions to give suggestions on improving existing routes is all.

I don't see anything wrong with making a submitted commodity available for everyone. It worked kind of like that with the Sunbucks coffee commodity.

It is extremely difficult to gauge what effect numerous requests from Official Factions might have on the server if all were approved as is. Rather than making hard line decisions up front about what we will allow an d what we won't, it might make more sense to see what does happen and go from there. This arrangement hasn't happened before, that I'm aware of, and we want it to be successful for everybody. I know this answer is dissatisfying, but we are venturing into new territory here and I think taking it slow is best.

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[Gypsie Skripto]

Well I'll give you that all these had never been organized in an orderly fashion. Perhaps this gives more justice to how the mod develops. I'd like this to be a way for players to influence the lore with their actions a bit more.

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[Garrett Jax]

The one dilemma I have with this - and both Garret and TAZ members know how excited I was about the release of these perks - is that all of these are things that I thought could already be obtained if the sufficient RP existed. For instance, we were planning on switching Order for SCRA on our technerf chart in TAZ, and we were positive that it was possible under the old system.

Not everyone had a Player faction ID. Also, although we did allow some factions with their own IDs to request changes that would be voted on, not all of these perks were available to even them. Your request for a technerf change would have been possible under the old system since TAZ has it's own ID, but now every Official faction can have this ability without effecting the NPC ID.

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[Gypsie Skripto]

Yeah that's why I mentioned justice, now everyone has the option to do it, with the same process and everything. Best hopes!

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