[OOC] What are your thoughts about..

[CMD Malandark]

Greetings "Usual Suspects";

I am currently carrying out research on a future project I have planned for the near future, one that has the potential to add a further layer to our game immersion. Further details on this will be forthcoming once I have a working demo to show everyone.


In the meantime, I need your help, though I'm struggling with the best way to explain what I have in mind.

Aside from all the factions following the same rules such as enforcing a no fire zone, no cluttering the letterbox etc etc FD hasnt actually given us many in-game differences between each faction. Currently I believe we the same repitious station announcments that seem to be specific to each faction and the occasion message enscribed above some letter boxes like 'Bask in her Glory' etc and not much else that I am aware of.

Example. If we flew to an Empire controlled station, would we not expect the greeting & instructions from them when we request docking clearance to be different to one say, goverened by the Federation or Independant? As in real life, each country in the world has different procedures and protocals they follow and so too would our factions.

So,

If we were in the year 3302, and the current major factions such as Empire,Federation,Independants etc etc really exist, and we were flying around in the Elite Universe, how would you think each faction would behave towards us if we requested docking clearance to one of their controlled stations?. Would for example, the Empire greet us in a hostile, terse manner or would they have a gentler tone to their greeting towards us, where-as would the Federation on the other hand be more concerned in telling us a bunch of rules to follow while we visited their station or risk death, with no personal sentiment in their station greeting?


Hope all this makes some sense?


-Malandark-

 

[Becks]

Actually I think it depends more on the type of minor faction than on the superpower.

For example: A dictatorship would greet you in the same manner as the US or China (no politic discussion intended) while a Corporation would great you with businessflyers and infomaterial about them.

That's of course after the standardized docking procedure.

 

[Marra Morgan]

Unless you're on unfriendly terms, I think all stations would greet you with a warm, welcoming tone - after all, you're buying their stock, selling them in-demand goods, willing to do the faction's dirty work, etc.

The accents do differ with the station announcers, depending on the government / major faction. I like that touch

I think that the main differences would be in the look and feel; Imperials are more ostentatious, Fed stations with ads covering every square inch of space, Alliance... being the Alliance

 

[Sir.Tj]

Title changed.

 

[CMDR M. Lehman]

Unless you're on unfriendly terms, I think all stations would greet you with a warm, welcoming tone - after all, you're buying their stock, selling them in-demand goods, willing to do the faction's dirty work, etc.

The accents do differ with the station announcers, depending on the government / major faction. I like that touch

I think that the main differences would be in the look and feel; Imperials are more ostentatious, Fed stations with ads covering every square inch of space, Alliance... being the Alliance

What Marra said. It seems like basic customer service would still be a thing even in the year 3302. What would be interesting is if a fourth category were created for the outlaw and pirate bases. I would expect rough, terse, and informal messages to be broadcast- but nothing threatening, since they want your money same as everyone else.

What has always struck me as off is how forgiving the docking mechanic is in the game. If you are lucky or good at smuggling, you can dock anywhere- even if you just went on a psychotic killing spree. If you're scanned, you can just supercruise and try again. In Freelancer, if you were hostile to a station's owning faction, then you were toast. This made the consequences of your actions very real, and is something that is missing from the Elite world.

To build on Marra's idea for what the insides of stations might be like, I would picture the Federation using automation whenever possible in docks, restaurants, ect (gotta save costs on human labor!). In the Empire, I would expect more human interaction due to their emphasis on slavery and social order. And the Alliance? Well, I picture lots of Boy Scouts helping old ladies across the street. Maybe it's a little presentist of me, but it seems clear that the Federation is meant to be Bush-era America with all its miltant jingoism (something I can unfortunately relate to, living in Republican Idaho) the Empire is an amalgamation of Ancient Rome and the 19th century British Empire, and the Alliance would be something like if the European and African Unions were to merge. So there would be the cultures to consider, as well.

If you really drill down into it, there's enough Elite lore to really write a beautiful, detailed story.

 

[CMD Malandark]

Thank You T.j

Actually I think it depends more on the type of minor faction than on the superpower.

For example: A dictatorship would greet you in the same manner as the US or China (no politic discussion intended) while a Corporation would great you with businessflyers and infomaterial about them.

That's of course after the standardized docking procedure.

Unless you're on unfriendly terms, I think all stations would greet you with a warm, welcoming tone - after all, you're buying their stock, selling them in-demand goods, willing to do the faction's dirty work, etc.

The accents do differ with the station announcers, depending on the government / major faction. I like that touch

I think that the main differences would be in the look and feel; Imperials are more ostentatious, Fed stations with ads covering every square inch of space, Alliance... being the Alliance

Thank you both for participating in this thread... Good view points. With Power Play FD has tried to give each major faction a sense of its own 'identity' by allowing us to see those within the faction, the Imperial nobility, senators, politicians etc that are all aligned to a specific faction.

These leaders will of course, impose their own sense of law & order throughout their controlled systems. A good example of this is that some stations within the same faction will have a list of goods that they consider as illicit/illegal cargo. We can look at the United States in real life for an examples of this, where a certain recreatational drug is considered legal in some states but illegal in others.

According to ED Powerplay Manual, the Federation is described as..

Openly democratic, powerful corporations have significant Influence over politics as well as the populace, which is kept docile with a constant bombardment of entertainment and advertisements. Celebrity culture within the Federation is such that wars fought on behalf of the people often receive little to no attention in the news. Culturally, the Federation is tolerant of some things such as religions, but utterly intolerant of drug-taking, political activism, and certain cultures. A great many things are illegal, including slavery, cloning and certain narcotics.


The Empire is described as...

Imperial society is formed loosely after the image of ancient Rome, with an Emperor at the top and governors bearing the title of Senator. Tradition, appearance and protocol play an important role in everyday life, and the nobility in particular cares greatly for fashion and art. A "client" system forming bonds of servitude and responsibility permeates the middle and upper layers of Imperial society, with patrons supporting clients in return for their loyalty.


The Independants is described as...

The member worlds of the Alliance enjoy an unparalleled amount of freedom compared to the Empire or the Federation, which leads to the political process often being deadlocked by dissenting voices. However, the Alliance proudly embraces its cultural and ideological differences, knowing that its worlds will
stand united once a foreign power again attempts to interfere with their fate


From playing Elite Dangerous and perhaps, having read some books about it's history and current leaders, does anyone favour one faction/Power over another? if so why?

 

[CMD Malandark]

So there would be the cultures to consider, as well.

If you really drill down into it, there's enough Elite lore to really write a beautiful, detailed story.

Welcome CMDR M. Lehman. You made some great points, but mentioning the cultures differences betwen the different faction(s)/power(s) is an important factor to take into consideration when comparing them against each other, just as it is today here on Earth. This is why each faction/power will not only will treat it's visitors differently, but those under it's rule.

Something else we can also consider.. If we take a look at the thread called ROLEPLAYING - Introduce your Commander at the top of this forum, we can peek into lives and cultures of people across all factions. They generally tell of wars, persecution, slavery, military occupations etc between mostly the Federation & the Empire. A lot of bad blood exists between both factions.

Since I started this thread under the assumption that we are in the year 3302, flying around in space between the different factions, it's therefore quite logical that when we take all of the above points and those already mentioned by others so far, that the stations in particular, would all be run and operated differently according the the Faction/Power that controls them.

Quick example. If I was of the Rank Rear Admiral or above in the Federation Navy and I pulled up outside an Empire controlled station do you think they woud roll out the red carpet for me? Would their greeting to me when I requested Docking Clearance be civil, hostile, friendly towards me? They would'nt shoot me on sight because that would violate the uneasy truce they have with the Federation, and no one wants an all out war with the Federation, well not yet at least.

 

[CMDR M. Lehman]

It is, in the sense that it would depend on the visitor. If you were wanted within a system or were a member of a sworn enemy of the controlling faction, it would be reasonable to expect a hostile reaction for the purposes of RP. (though not something that you necessarily see in the game). If you were just another ship docking at the station, I would expect to see a reasonably cordial response from any station, regardless of faction. (Kumo Crew being a possible exception). And yes, little cultural quirks would be absolutely expected, in the same way that they exist today. What exactly they would be, I couldn't say apart from the broad strokes with which we were painting in previous posts.

Even though the year 3302 is a long ways away and and 1300 years is a long time for culture to change, the principles of hospitality seem to be universal in human behavior, transcending culture and time. I would expect this to be the case across the bubble, as well.

 

[CMD Malandark]

It is, in the sense that it would depend on the visitor. If you were wanted within a system or were a member of a sworn enemy of the controlling faction, it would be reasonable to expect a hostile reaction for the purposes of RP. (though not something that you necessarily see in the game). If you were just another ship docking at the station, I would expect to see a reasonably cordial response from any station, regardless of faction. (Kumo Crew being a possible exception). And yes, little cultural quirks would be absolutely expected, in the same way that they exist today. What exactly they would be, I couldn't say apart from the broad strokes with which we were painting in previous posts.

Even though the year 3302 is a long ways away and and 1300 years is a long time for culture to change, the principles of hospitality seem to be universal in human behavior, transcending culture and time. I would expect this to be the case across the bubble, as well.

Very good.. Yes the mechanics of the game is indeed limiting to what can and cant be done, RP is therefore an important part of the game since it is not bound by any physical measures, other than our imagination. Which leads very nicely to the next phase of this thread.

The following is a fan-made concept video by The Surreal Journeyman, I'm using this as an example of what the various faction/power controling stations *might* say to you if you pulled up infront of any of them.

Of the examples given in the video, which ones if any, would you think fits a certain faction/power and why?



[video=youtube;oHnzJ86wQFI]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHnzJ86wQFI[/video]

 

[Avago Earo]

If it was an Empire station I'd expect to hear:

"Observe the Empire Dress Code that is described in the briefing you received upon obtaining docking clearance. Jeans and Trainers are FORBIDDEN! Failure to meet Empire standards will result in either expulsion, fines (either of which can be accompanied by a 'Dress Code Awareness course') or ship destruction. Visitors should also be aware that the wearing of Shell Suits is a CAPITAL OFFENCE. You have been warned"

 

[CMD Malandark]

If it was an Empire station I'd expect to hear:

"Observe the Empire Dress Code that is described in the briefing you received upon obtaining docking clearance. Jeans and Trainers are FORBIDDEN! Failure to meet Empire standards will result in either expulsion, fines (either of which can be accompanied by a 'Dress Code Awareness course') or ship destruction. Visitors should also be aware that the wearing of Shell Suits is a CAPITAL OFFENCE. You have been warned"

I've actually sat in a couple of Empire controlled stations for over an hour in each and writing down what they say lol. Yeah, pretty boring stuff I know. Putting aside the two different accents used and exaggerated echo effects, the actual announcements are pretty much the same.

What really surprised me was how 'polite' the Empire announcements to players were, they use such phrases as "Pilots are respectfully...." and "Visitors are welcome warmly...." and "It is with pleasure we would like to inform pilots..." and "Pilots are cordially reminded..." and quite a few others similar to these, in fact I counted over 20 in one station, managed to log 17 announcements before I had to go and do somthing else. Compare these to those controlled by the Federation for example.

FD actually took the time to taylor these announcements according to the controlling personality of the major Faction/Power!. Nice touch FD!

I just thought it would be pretty much random stuff since very few players would actually take the time to sit around listening to all these announcments, that are quite difficult to understand because of the ambiant station noises, passing ships overhead, heavy echo effects on the announcements themselve and of course, the remains of blasted ships hitting my ship while sat on a launch pad lol.