The New Guilds and Player Owned Stations Discussion Thread.

[Robert Maynard]

Perhaps if guilds could claim HQs, those could be displayed on galaxy or system map, so those wishing to avoid them could do so.

.... and if the HQ is in a system that happens to produce rare items - no-one unpledged to the Guild would be affected?

The idea that a few players could "claim" a station / planet / system is quite contrary to the "one pilot, one ship" philosophy upon which the game is based.

 

[Mephane]

why not ?

i wonder the reasons of who voted NO.
immersion breaking, lol ?

please explain.

Done. Just scroll up. Pick any page in this thread or the old one. Plenty of reasons stated.

 

[Talarin]

I say this would highly depend on the particular implementation of that functionality. It could be as unobtrusive as a handful of small friendly outposts at the edge of the bubble, or as right-in-your face as player guilds owning places like Lave Station and violently enforcing their own personal laws, prejudices and vendettas all across the major systems.

This isn't specific to you, so apologies - but this highlights the point quite nicely:

Cadoc didn't mention player-ownership.

Guilds and player-ownership of stations/planets/systems do not necessarily go hand-in-hand. (Admittedly, the OP does - but this is now the 'official' Guilds thread so there's going to be some subtle variation in the points being discussed.)

 

[Roybe]

There's a difference between Min/Maxing in Solo to be more effective and feeling pushed out of Open because of the likely effects of the introduction of Guild features in the only open-access mode in the game.

Not really....it's just a point of view difference. Being pushed out is acceptable for some and not for others? I disagree. However...I've come to accept this viewpoint since this is part of the design...and hope that others can so we can get some more social tools happening in this game. The devs viewpoint on guilds has always been 'someday' not 'never'.

I am not a fan of ownership...but if it would bring about some more social tools...I'm fine with that also.

In the end I will play the game until I no longer enjoy it...which will be a much shorter time without social tools within the game.

 

[Temple604]

I agree this area needs serious development in order for the game to succeed in the long term and build up a player base.

 

[Genar-Hofoen]

.... and if the HQ is in a system that happens to produce rare items - no-one unpledged to the Guild would be affected?

The idea that a few players could "claim" a station / planet / system is quite contrary to the "one pilot, one ship" philosophy upon which the game is based.

I'm going to steal that last bit ("the "one pilot, one ship" philosophy upon which the game is based.") - that's a great summation of Elite

I'm finding it difficult to understand why people aren't content with just owning their ship. Some of these ships are as big as a small town

 

[Cadoc]

Just Guild Chat and Tags is fine for me, nothing against that.

But the Thread having a poll where Guilds is always tied with owning station is going for a more aggressive stance on Guilds, not sure this Poll will help the discussion.

I get where you're coming from. Personally I really want to see the inhabited space expand into the unknown, and I think guilds would be a fun way to do so. However, this would be an absolutely massive feature, and it probably doesn't have a place in the development schedule for the foreseeable future.

.... and if the HQ is in a system that happens to produce rare items - no-one unpledged to the Guild would be affected?

The idea that a few players could "claim" a station / planet / system is quite contrary to the "one pilot, one ship" philosophy upon which the game is based.

Eh, the HQ thing is something I added to my post as an afterthought, because I thought the idea of the guild chat having limited range was kinda cool. I mean, guilds already claim systems anyway, but this was really just an off-the-cuff comment.

 

[telperion]

I agree this area needs serious development in order for the game to succeed in the long term and build up a player base.

I disagree. I think it will turn people away.

Funny how neither of us is currently right or wrong. We merely have our opinions and neither has more weight or value than the other.

Which means that as it stands, without more comprehensive data, Frontier have got it right.

 

[Soliluna]

I wouldn't be interested in Guilds but player 'owned' stations would be good.

To be able to set up small stations, like a hangar/repair place, would be amazing for exploring. Costing several hundred million - or billion, would keep the numbers relatively low compared to the universe. Just have it so you have to build it, which means gathering the materials. Make it so you have to find a planet and get details by scanning it (requiring a high exploration level or something) and make it so you have to pay a defence team (mercs or police) and have them require a wage (not a one off payment).

Then make it so it 'updates' into the world at the end of a cycle like powerplay changes.

Guilds... I think groups are enough. But I voted for guilds and player owned stations.

 

[jabokai]

Oh god. Then have a toggle for that too, so your tender eyes are not offended by such unwholesome sight. Have all the toggles! For everything! I'm actually a big proponent of UI customisation, it's one of those second-tier features I do look forward to.

I'm a big fan of options and customisations too, believe it or not, as long as those things don't change the essence of the game.

I'd actually be okay with guilds if all it included was guild management tools, a guild tag, and a guild chat channel. And that the tags had a toggle (turned off by default to keep the game experience running as it is for the uncaring masses.)

Trouble is, very few people are asking for that, and that alone. You are actually in a very small minority if that alone would satisfy you.

 

[Bomba Luigi]

I get where you're coming from. Personally I really want to see the inhabited space expand into the unknown, and I think guilds would be a fun way to do so. However, this would be an absolutely massive feature, and it probably doesn't have a place in the development schedule for the foreseeable future.

I am too for expansion, as long as the new stations are under control of NPC factions

 

[Robert Maynard]

Which means that as it stands, without more comprehensive data, Frontier have got it right.

The new poll itself, regardless of outcome, cannot be considered as representative of the player-base as there is no requirement to be a player (or even own the game) to be able to vote.

 

[Whiterose]

. By basic I do mean basic - a guild roster with the ability to invite and kick members .

and we are back to bullying. The ability to kick members is essentially telling people how to play the game, our rules or the highway.

 

[Cadoc]

I'm finding it difficult to understand why people aren't content with just owning their ship. Some of these ships are as big as a small town

After a while the game gets dull, especially if you play quite a lot. That's not specifically Elite's fault, every game is like that. Having a shared goal in the form of a guild is something that motivates many people to keep playing after they would long have stopped otherwise. I did as much myself in the past - I played Age of Conan for over 3 years, even though I was bored after a year, because I had a great clan (whom I still play other games with, 7 years later) and we were able to make our own fun. We had RP events, ran anti-griefing patrols, fought other guilds, helped our allies - it just added a lot more gameplay once we exhausted everything the game had on offer.

Personally I'd love to help run a newbie guild in the vein of EVE Academy, teaching new pilots the basics and helping them get started.

 

[Robert Maynard]

Personally I'd love to help run a newbie guild in the vein of EVE Academy, teaching new pilots the basics and helping them get started.

You don't need Guilds to do that - form a Private Group and advertise it....

 

[Cadoc]

and we are back to bullying. The ability to kick members is essentially telling people how to play the game, our rules or the highway.

If a guild doesn't have the ability to kick, it's not a guild, it's a collection of random individuals. As often as not, guilds are a shelter for their members from griefing, hate speech etc in the outside community. If you can't remove problem members - and those WILL turn up every now and then, no matter what - then your ability to form a friendly, supportive community is severely hampered.

 

[Bruce Warren]

If you granted everyone the ability to build their own station that might be problematic in a multiplayer universe. There would have to be some central control.

Imagine if you're cruising through Sol admiring the sights and you find your view obstructed by 500,000 extra stations that weren't there the week before.

 

[Cadoc]

You don't need Guilds to do that - form a Private Group and advertise it....

I'm an Open player, I have no interest in playing in Private. Besides, running such a group comes will all the drawbacks of running a guild in open - lack of in-game organisation tools.

 

[Talarin]

I'm finding it difficult to understand why people aren't content with just owning their ship. Some of these ships are as big as a small town

There's a point there worthy of further exploration; why such demand for both guilds and player-ownership?

Speaking for myself, I find that the game has two flaws:

* Lack of social functions - the current arrangements are shambolic and not worthy of a modern multiplayer game.
* Lack of varied content within the game. You mention that the ships are big - but actually the game makes no use of that scale.
* There is little in the game now worthy of actually investing yourself in - even PowerPlay is creaky.

Guilds and guild wars go some way to addressing some of those elements - but aren't the only solution by a long shot.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

The new poll itself, regardless of outcome, cannot be considered as representative of the player-base as there is no requirement to be a player (or even own the game) to be able to vote.

Which begs the question, why the new thread and poll?

Which made a shift towards "yes" after being linked on reddit by the way. How unexpected