Posts: 829
Threads: 67
Joined: May 2020
Staff roles: Story Developer
After a good night's rest, I've came to two, somewhat easy solutions/suggestions how to encourage people for ingame activity.
First and foremost - I would give all factions (official and unofficial, as long they are on forums) ability to influence a story in unofficial way. How to do that?
I think that for each region could be some forum thread, where each of the factions involved would post during some time period - like 2 times per month for "stronger" OFs and 1 time per month for "weaker" unOFs. As long as they are somewhat functional and present faction on forums - they can participate.
This could give some feeling of an active story and factions, who do more than to just exist. And it could serve as an inspiration for story devs.
I believe that this would allow to do some things like 'concentrated' strafing runs against lawful/corporate installation and counter-insurgency/anti-piracy fleet actions by lawfuls.
As for the second 'ingame' issue - Bounty Boards. I would remove ability to 'blanket' whole factions by them, but made them individual instead. The another suggestion would be to make bounties claimable only a limited number of times per crime witnessed/reported.
This could make need for an actual ingame presence to witness crimes to issue bounties against your targets, so long dead factions would either clean their BBs or log and patrol ingame to have hostiles to bounty.
Limitations on how many time can bounty be claimed per target could give 'noobs' incentive to not avoid interactions with BHs, since even if they die, they are 'rewarded' by it in a way that they stop to be claimable unless they commit another crimes.
All these things mean more work for factions, yet with our current numbers - I doubt it would significant workload.
I mean people could just fight and claim people that want to fight after the first kill during e.g. a month
As to story - you can already influence it, but the new system makes the Dev team seem distant, feedback and advice non existent and looks like they just don't care. And any time you do hear about the process it's just about how they are bickering and indecisive amongst themselves - it took a month for Hokan to randomly tell me to even know the Dev plan I submitted was even received and looked at for example lol
If I may point something essential out. Reason for new players to leave Discovery Freelancer quiet well are the following points:
1. Rules -> Everywhere stands that you can get sanctioned for basically everything right away making you as a noobie feel unconfy about them and following them strictly or not ! If not getting sanctioned = leaving. If you do you than find out that all the advanced folks abuse them or take advantage of them and don't get sanctioned for them. To point out one big one is multiboxing with several traders to get your Credits or switching to encounter a pirate. I have noticed those issues a lot and I am playing Freelancer for only one month! Do I report this? No why would I... Those behavior will not change the players attitude towards breaking the rules with other chars after that one char got sanctioned!
2. Effort to actually RP -> The IDs are difficult to understand for newbies and the relationships which stand behind those IDs. Since there are more than enough to choose from most newbies won't know or understand what they are doing. Forum is pure on explaining a newbie which ID he actually wants to fly. Seeing big ships makes a newbie want to fly one aswell but he always has in mind that he is not welcome and does not interact with anyone since he is scared to make a mistake on for example house laws within a military ID.
3. Reportsystem -> Reading on how to report a player is alone a mess for a new player! Make it more simple. Tell him that he shall first talk about the Issue ingame with the player who most likly can explain the situation. Second he got the option to reask the question on discord and lastly he shall report it with evidence. That way it is way shorter and much more understandable.
4. Sanctions threat to newbies -> If I am new I don't want to get sanctioned. Maybe change it to for example not RPing = Sanction to not RPing = Credit fine. Which will hurt the newer player more and will let him stay.
5. One personal thing but sure a big one. The way factions treat Freelancer IDs. Which makes me really mad and really upset! If I take time to read the whole laws of a house and than ask for a permission to build a POB, they should not reject that and permit it if it does not break their own house rules right? Well guess what. I as Freelancer got rejected due to a "overload" of stations within a system. Now I appeal to your minds... We are in an universe which is unlimited. How would you feel if someone tells you that there is an overload of stations already? Not to well and than you leave because you spend all your time to read the rules and laws to than get rejected due to some personal intrests of those people who make up stupid excuses which never were a point in the own house rules or purpose of any Freelancer base. On top you never encounter any of those folks ingame to ever understand on why they should have that power to reject your little project. That is what frustrates newcommers. This is just an example and I am sure there are several more which every newcommer comes across and makes them delete the game. I was within one month already that far to quit because of such issue.
6. Getting messaged for bad RP -> To explain the situation a little. We got a powertrader 5ker of for example Gold ore and a pirate. After a rather long RP text for a powertrader the pirates starts shooting him since he is not complying to the demand made. Afterwards you get texted that you did miss a chance to even further RP or did in his opinion on RP well... Well opinions differ. When you are taking 5k of only one substance of course there is not the biggest viarity for a rather new pirate to RP. There is no guide on how the RP should work than since it would always be the same. That person did not understand that if he powertrades that the RP will stay rather simple. (Of course it can be profounded but that will take always two people to do so.) To clarify my point. People are upset that you did not RP in their point of view accurate enough and get to hear stupid commands about it rather than an example on how to make it better! Which as a newbie is a hard time and you sure just want to enjoy the game rather than hearing oldish folks argue about something you felt wasn't too bad. Since you try to understand all the rules and try to RP well, but get that fist in your face everytime you actually tried.
Think about it folks!
On top I as newbie tried to explain other newbies the rules sometimes... Even in other languages since they did not understand english at all and sure did not even read the rules nore the ID they fly with. Some were taking those recommendations serious. Others were just ***** off I am just here to play not to RP or communicate
Posts: 829
Threads: 67
Joined: May 2020
Staff roles: Story Developer
But story changes by story devs take some time and are quite invisible at times.
I'm proposing an unofficial way how the factions can state their current goals in region X, so allies, neutrals and even hostiles can easily know what's happening between the factions. Because it will be thread used every month/14 days, it will be still visible and you will have history in there.
It shouldn't work as a replacement for story devs, but a reminder of what's actually happening and why it's happening.
My current issues with BBs are, that they are too static. You can just add whole faction in there and then never to log again (with exception of sending money, ofc). And all of them remain there forever. That's boring. They should be more dynamic and infamous targets more profitable to hunt while helpless 'reds' will be profitable only for a short while.
EDIT: It's basically mean to give players/factions more responsibility over their fate and story. If everything will be static till the end of the days, it won't be as interesting. And on the plus side - with individual bounties, you can offer more money per kill since not every 'red' ingame would be claimable.
And yes @Hokan did a great job, people like him leading the staff would spring new life to the server and give it a second wind. It really feels like you care and makes people invested.