[Karma and Punishment] Factions and Systems
This is part of a series of threads on my proposed [Karma and Punishment] System. The system proposed attempts to implement a crime and punishment system that allows for all player game styles yet remains consistent with the general themes and structure of ED, provides enough opportunities for different player interactions, balances the system to avoid any one player group being unduly disadvantaged by another, and allows for open opportunities for Role-Play in the broader MMO vein.
Prior to reading this, you should probably familiarize yourself with my first post [Karma and Punishment] Prologue, which outlines a general crime and punishment system that allows for piracy and bounty hunting, and my second post [Karma and Punishment] Piracy, which fleshes out the Pirate Role and how that mechanic might work to generate income and profit for piracy.
https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php/341885-KARMA-and-PUNISHMENT-The-Prologue
https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php/343850-Karma-and-Punishment-Piracy
Problem: there are inconsistencies in the ED galaxy mechanic regarding player vs NPC and player vs player interactions when a ‘crime’ is committed and the system also requires an update to support the general Karma and Punishment system I have proposed in my other posts.
Assumptions:
1. The dominant faction in the system wishes to maintain control over the system
2. Piracy, or any other form of criminality, against Players or NPC’s in the system, is inherently bad for the system’s stability.
3. Disrupting trade routes, for any purpose, is inherently bad for the system’s stability.
4. The faction wishes to stop inherently bad actions by issuing fines and bounties against players who disrupt their control of a system
5. ANY faction, regardless of control levels, takes a dim view of their ship being attacked.
6. A Players standing with a faction is affected by their actions towards that faction.
7. Attacking a Player Character who is friendly with a faction / enemies with a faction is modified in exactly the same manner as if the player had been an equivalent NPC member / enemy of the faction in question.
8. It is easier to fall down in reputation than it is to go up.
9. Reputation is ranked as follows in the current game: Neutral > Cordial > Friendly > Allied for positive actions; Neutral > Unfriendly > Hostile for negative actions
10. Currently this proposed system does not impact Powerplay and relates only to the minor factions.
Solution:
1. A new player would generally be expected to have a rather neutral stance with all factions in the galaxy and faction reputation is altered by the player’s actions from that point forward.
2. You cannot be everyone’s friend and as your reputation with minor factions vary, so to do the 1st and 2nd degree reputations of associated friendly or enemy factions.
3. Positive actions towards factions increase your positive reputation. Negative actions increase your negative reputation.
4. To align the negative reputation modifiers with the positive reputation modifiers, introduce a new tier of negative reputation: Neutral > Disliked > Unfriendly > Hostile
5. Remove reputation rank decay.
6. If you attain enough positive actions with a faction you are regarded as ‘Allied’ with the faction and can achieve bonuses when dealing with that faction:
a. Bonus to mission payouts at 10% for first tier (Cordial),
b. 20% for second tier (Friendly)
c. 30% for max tier (Allied)
d. Bonus to trade prices of 5% at first tier (Cordial)
e. 10% at second tier (Friendly)
f. 15% at third tier (Allied)
g. Bonus to bounty and combat payouts of 10% at first tier (Cordial)
h. 20% at second tier (Friendly)
i. 30% at third tier (Allied)
7. If your reputation with a faction is in negative then you receive penalties when dealing with a faction (note the current reputation system has only two tiers):
a. Penalty to mission payouts at 10% for first tier (Disliked (new Tier)),
b. 20% for Second tier (Unfriendly)
c. Penalty to trade prices of 5% at first tier (Disliked)
d. 10% at second tier (Unfriendly)
e. Penalty to bounty and combat payouts of 10% at first tier (Disliked)
f. 20% at second tier (Unfriendly)
8. Note: You will notice there is no 3rd tier (see HOSTILE below) for negative modifiers. You will also note that the penalty applies even to combat pay-outs until you have returned enough positive reputation to gain the factions trust and admiration. You will also note that FAILURE to complete is also considered poorly by a faction irrespective of the ultimate goal.
9. Once your reputation with a faction drops low enough (3rd Tier), you are considered to be HOSTILE by the faction. If you are HOSTILE, then the following faction interaction rules apply:
a. You are immediately WANTED by all faction members.
b. You cannot approach, dock or land at a faction controlled station, base, ship or pad.
c. Faction authority vessels will track you throughout the systems over which the faction has control and attack on-sight.
d. If you are killed by a faction and your last docked station, base, ship or pad where you are intended to re-spawn is controlled by a hostile faction, you are instead automatically re-spawned in space above the systems parent star. Same re-buy costs apply.
10. If you want to improve your reputation with an openly hostile faction, you must improve your reputation sufficiently with a friendly or allied faction (if you are not also hostile with them), until it improves your reputation with the openly hostile faction (See faction reputation modifiers above). Alternatively, you can negatively affect your reputation with an enemy of the hostile faction, for example by killing enemies of the hostile faction you can achieve positive reputation effects with the hostile faction.
This system is intended to bring a more dynamic factional element into the game, introduce some colour and depth, introduce some ‘applicability’ of faction dynamics across the galaxy and provide framework for players to Role Play in alignment with Minor Powers.
Player actions are no longer ‘ex-politic’ of the system they are in. Actions have consequences – and if you ‘grind’ for one particular faction then you become more positively aligned with that faction. Likewise, if you grind against a faction you are aligned more with their enemies. While this is perhaps not a major move away from the existing system there are some significant tweaks that i feel redress some inconsistencies in the existing system.
I have purposefully stayed away from Powerplay at this stage due to some inherent difficulties with that system that probably require more thought and more overhaul. However, the same principles can be applied or at least considered.
This is part of a series of threads on my proposed [Karma and Punishment] System. The system proposed attempts to implement a crime and punishment system that allows for all player game styles yet remains consistent with the general themes and structure of ED, provides enough opportunities for different player interactions, balances the system to avoid any one player group being unduly disadvantaged by another, and allows for open opportunities for Role-Play in the broader MMO vein.
Prior to reading this, you should probably familiarize yourself with my first post [Karma and Punishment] Prologue, which outlines a general crime and punishment system that allows for piracy and bounty hunting, and my second post [Karma and Punishment] Piracy, which fleshes out the Pirate Role and how that mechanic might work to generate income and profit for piracy.
https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php/341885-KARMA-and-PUNISHMENT-The-Prologue
https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php/343850-Karma-and-Punishment-Piracy
Problem: there are inconsistencies in the ED galaxy mechanic regarding player vs NPC and player vs player interactions when a ‘crime’ is committed and the system also requires an update to support the general Karma and Punishment system I have proposed in my other posts.
Assumptions:
1. The dominant faction in the system wishes to maintain control over the system
2. Piracy, or any other form of criminality, against Players or NPC’s in the system, is inherently bad for the system’s stability.
3. Disrupting trade routes, for any purpose, is inherently bad for the system’s stability.
4. The faction wishes to stop inherently bad actions by issuing fines and bounties against players who disrupt their control of a system
5. ANY faction, regardless of control levels, takes a dim view of their ship being attacked.
6. A Players standing with a faction is affected by their actions towards that faction.
7. Attacking a Player Character who is friendly with a faction / enemies with a faction is modified in exactly the same manner as if the player had been an equivalent NPC member / enemy of the faction in question.
8. It is easier to fall down in reputation than it is to go up.
9. Reputation is ranked as follows in the current game: Neutral > Cordial > Friendly > Allied for positive actions; Neutral > Unfriendly > Hostile for negative actions
10. Currently this proposed system does not impact Powerplay and relates only to the minor factions.
Solution:
1. A new player would generally be expected to have a rather neutral stance with all factions in the galaxy and faction reputation is altered by the player’s actions from that point forward.
2. You cannot be everyone’s friend and as your reputation with minor factions vary, so to do the 1st and 2nd degree reputations of associated friendly or enemy factions.
3. Positive actions towards factions increase your positive reputation. Negative actions increase your negative reputation.
4. To align the negative reputation modifiers with the positive reputation modifiers, introduce a new tier of negative reputation: Neutral > Disliked > Unfriendly > Hostile
5. Remove reputation rank decay.
6. If you attain enough positive actions with a faction you are regarded as ‘Allied’ with the faction and can achieve bonuses when dealing with that faction:
a. Bonus to mission payouts at 10% for first tier (Cordial),
b. 20% for second tier (Friendly)
c. 30% for max tier (Allied)
d. Bonus to trade prices of 5% at first tier (Cordial)
e. 10% at second tier (Friendly)
f. 15% at third tier (Allied)
g. Bonus to bounty and combat payouts of 10% at first tier (Cordial)
h. 20% at second tier (Friendly)
i. 30% at third tier (Allied)
7. If your reputation with a faction is in negative then you receive penalties when dealing with a faction (note the current reputation system has only two tiers):
a. Penalty to mission payouts at 10% for first tier (Disliked (new Tier)),
b. 20% for Second tier (Unfriendly)
c. Penalty to trade prices of 5% at first tier (Disliked)
d. 10% at second tier (Unfriendly)
e. Penalty to bounty and combat payouts of 10% at first tier (Disliked)
f. 20% at second tier (Unfriendly)
8. Note: You will notice there is no 3rd tier (see HOSTILE below) for negative modifiers. You will also note that the penalty applies even to combat pay-outs until you have returned enough positive reputation to gain the factions trust and admiration. You will also note that FAILURE to complete is also considered poorly by a faction irrespective of the ultimate goal.
9. Once your reputation with a faction drops low enough (3rd Tier), you are considered to be HOSTILE by the faction. If you are HOSTILE, then the following faction interaction rules apply:
a. You are immediately WANTED by all faction members.
b. You cannot approach, dock or land at a faction controlled station, base, ship or pad.
c. Faction authority vessels will track you throughout the systems over which the faction has control and attack on-sight.
d. If you are killed by a faction and your last docked station, base, ship or pad where you are intended to re-spawn is controlled by a hostile faction, you are instead automatically re-spawned in space above the systems parent star. Same re-buy costs apply.
10. If you want to improve your reputation with an openly hostile faction, you must improve your reputation sufficiently with a friendly or allied faction (if you are not also hostile with them), until it improves your reputation with the openly hostile faction (See faction reputation modifiers above). Alternatively, you can negatively affect your reputation with an enemy of the hostile faction, for example by killing enemies of the hostile faction you can achieve positive reputation effects with the hostile faction.
This system is intended to bring a more dynamic factional element into the game, introduce some colour and depth, introduce some ‘applicability’ of faction dynamics across the galaxy and provide framework for players to Role Play in alignment with Minor Powers.
Player actions are no longer ‘ex-politic’ of the system they are in. Actions have consequences – and if you ‘grind’ for one particular faction then you become more positively aligned with that faction. Likewise, if you grind against a faction you are aligned more with their enemies. While this is perhaps not a major move away from the existing system there are some significant tweaks that i feel redress some inconsistencies in the existing system.
I have purposefully stayed away from Powerplay at this stage due to some inherent difficulties with that system that probably require more thought and more overhaul. However, the same principles can be applied or at least considered.
