Faction Development and Research
Posted: Sat Jul 01, 2017 11:53 pm
Continued from Four Branches of Research:
If you are a planet dweller who just acquired a ship then you belong to the faction of the colony which you originated from. If this isn't possible then you acquire the faction of the IFF system the ship is built with. If the ship doesn't have an IFF then the first people who think they can take advantage of you are considered hostile, and based on that information faction standings for other groups can be derived. (I think it should be almost impossible to be a nobody without some very good tech and a government contract. Assassins anyone?)Cornflakes_91 wrote:BFett wrote: ↑Sat Jul 01, 2017 11:21 amA player is "born" into a faction when they start the game. Otherwise the player is on uneven ground with other NPCs.
Basically, I assume that all NPCs and the player start from somewhere which has some history with respect to the region they start in. I suppose the only way the player could have absolutely no allegiance would be if the player was an outlaw who just escaped from prison and who has lost contact with any allies in the area. It's possible to be neutral towards other NPCs but it is nearly impossible to be faction-less.
Do you have a counter example in mind?Cornflakes_91 wrote: Like, for example, being a random planet dweller who just aquired a ship by any means?
The locals prolly wont have anything against you, but you are no member of their organisations either.
Think of it as leaving a job, the player loses work related equipment and security privileges but maintains contacts and work experience. The money earned doing activities (in LT) can be used for purchasing assets, and other things which are owned by the player (or executive NPC).Cornflakes_91 wrote: Also, when you say that the player is "part" of a faction, how would that work? How does the player get to own his own stuff?
The one ship is either paid in full (if it was loaned), sold, or just kept if the player owns the ship from the beginning. I think it should be VERY clear what assets are loaned and which are owned by the player. It could be something as simple as a tag stating "this item owned by employer". All items owned by the employer are returned on resignation from the particular faction (or kept if that's how the contract is set up). Of course the player would have the option to steal the assets, which would likely end in disaster.Cornflakes_91 wrote:How does he get out of the faction without losing ownership of the one ship or making enemies by stealing?
The player gets to make his own research when he acquires a research module equipped to a station or a ship. Then the player just has to choose the area of research to start in and the game takes care of the rest.Cornflakes_91 wrote:How does the player get to make his own research?
Through scanning of minerals and materials; reverse engineering assembly chips, items, components and materials and finally purchasing or stealing blueprints.Cornflakes_91 wrote:How does the player aquire the data to get to approximate research parity if he gets to be independent at some point?
The game plays as you'd expect it to for the most part. The faction you belong to determines default IFF settings for legally sold ships among other quality of life things. You own your own assets, earn money from your sub-faction (assuming you've made one) and the assets within it. Executive NPCs which work for you may resign from working for you and start up their own enterprise using the money they've earned. You don't have to fear being a drone since disobeying orders is more likely to get you fired from your job than blown out of the air. Granted, this depends on your starting faction and ethics.Cornflakes_91 wrote:How is everything else handled when you are part of that faction? Do you have your own assets? Do you have money? Do you have to be a drone just following orders or be shot down?
and so on.
If we think of large factions as governments and smaller sub-factions under those as businesses there really isn't a limit to what you can do. If you want to join pirates go right ahead. Want to make your own assassin squad? Sure, go for it. Nothing I've outlined is set in such a way as to prevent the sandbox from being fully explored. Instead, I'm setting the groundwork for what would hopefully become interesting faction based interactions which develop naturally over time.Cornflakes_91 wrote:Last but not least: what kind of idea is it in such a freedom based game like LT to start the player out as bound to some entity he didnt chose which actively limits the player freedom?