Should Elite Dangerous add clans/player factions in the future

[dxm55]

Then you would be one of the first not to complain about this. But yes, in your comment lies the basic problem. How would guild assets or the guilds themselves look on the instances where the guild is not present? For the groups and the solo players, it would be a station/mining base/whatever bereft of life, since the only ones working on it are players. If such an option would ever present itself, I would say it would be only fair to take into account how such an asset works in the universe. As in being maintained and paid for by a minor faction with tens of thousands of possible subjects. So it should incur a high acquisition and high maintenance cost, which would represent keeping the asset running, and paying for all the npcs who actually work aboard your asset. Then it wouldn't be something lifeless in the other modes, and would make more sense to have multiple versions of it existing, as the npcs themselves would inhabit it in the modes of the game where the player owners are not present. But that's just an idea really.

And honestly, from my point of view, assets like that are the last thing I want to see implemented.

Instancing by location would seem to be the only plausible way to do this.
I'm not sure if CZ instancing is already done this way in Open mode.

But yes, players in Solo mode could present an issue.

 

[Robert Maynard]

But yes, players in Solo mode could present an issue.

.... and, as we all share, affect and experience the same galaxy state, there would, just like with Powerplay and Community Goals, no way to stop players from other modes - and, more pertinent to this issue as there are effectively two Open game modes, other platforms affecting fixed assets - other than by repairing them faster than they were being damaged that is....

 

[dxm55]

Possible implementation idea: What if a player-created asset could only exist in the presence of it's creator or another member of his group (or another group which had a defined relationship with that group or player, e.g. allied, at war)? That would make it utterly transparent to players who didn't care about such things. The only way you'd be able to come across such things would be to follow said owner to the location and follow their wake into that island.

Or it could totally not exist/appear at all in Solo play. Selective instancing.

Or as someone earlier suggested, have a Clan mode, in addition to Solo and Open, where player assets would appear in-game.
Since they're only cosmetic things that do not affect the economy or BGS as a whole, uninterested players will not be missing them.

 

[Asp Explorer]

You can't have it both ways

Either clan owned assets are available to be shot at in every mode, they can't exist the only difference a clan mode would be is to offer chat, tags, and wider instancing. That's all I'm proposing, not a clan safety zone free from the predations of solo players on a BGS agenda

 

[dxm55]

You can't have it both ways

Either clan owned assets are available to be shot at in every mode, they can't exist the only difference a clan mode would be is to offer chat, tags, and wider instancing. That's all I'm proposing, not a clan safety zone free from the predations of solo players on a BGS agenda

*shrugs* The technical details of how to manage a station that's being attack in Solo, while simultaneously being repaired in Open escapes me. Personally I don't really care if it appears in all instances. Likely the outposts will probably be defended by its own NPC security ships anyway, so I guess it's fair game for the solo player.

 

[Asp Explorer]

Conflict resolution would be the same as any other, who earns most merits etc for the faction determines the outcome.

 

[dxm55]

Conflict resolution would be the same as any other, who earns most merits etc for the faction determines the outcome.

Then again, if all clan members were not clan members, but we're aligned to that faction individually, it would still be the same anyway.

 

[Asp Explorer]

That's kind of the whole point. A guild can have its own BGS entity aligned to any power they choose, they can do this now. The proposed mode simply gets more of them and potentially their opponents together for more emergent gameplay.

Any BGS interaction over in-game assets has to follow the rules and mechanics already established. Guild A can grind against the efforts of Gang B to build/destroy Base X in System Y for control by Faction 2.

Every other player has the exact same capability to do so in whichever mode they want, be it in Private Group or Solo. They simply won't interact directly with guildies, and guildies can't prevent interaction by soloists - it comes down to purely a numbers game, grinding the BGS as is already intended and implemented.

 

[UnfitAlbatross8]

Why not let guilds/factions/etc set up shop on the other side of the galaxy with their own thing going on? Far enough away from regular space so that people who don't want to get involved with any guild won't have to go. That way, player factions can do their own thing.

Break away from the current lore and do a story on a group of Commanders and Citizens feel they aren't being spoken for by any of the major Powers so they are leaving for the other side of the Milky Way.

I dunno I'm just thinking, might not be a good idea but just something I thought of.

 

[Asp Explorer]

I think it's fairly safe to assume that guildies in the middle of nowhere, with nobody else to interact with, would find it extremely dull that they cannot enforce their emergent gameplay on others.

Even though the idea has merit, and it would offer them a common goal to work toward, and demonstrate the need for better communications and cooperation, there simply wouldn't be enough pew-pew to satisfy at least some guilds.

 

[StuF]

I think it's fairly safe to assume that guildies in the middle of nowhere, with nobody else to interact with, would find it extremely dull that they cannot enforce their emergent gameplay on others.

there simply wouldn't be enough pew-pew to satisfy at least some guilds.

Hit the nail on the head there buddy +1 rep to you!

 

[Cosmo]

I think it's fairly safe to assume that guildies in the middle of nowhere, with nobody else to interact with, would find it extremely dull that they cannot enforce their emergent gameplay on others.

Even though the idea has merit, and it would offer them a common goal to work toward, and demonstrate the need for better communications and cooperation, there simply wouldn't be enough pew-pew to satisfy at least some guilds.

Guilds can work in all modes. Players in solo-mode would battle against AI guild ships.

 

[Mohrgan]

If this thread is any example, as soon as their bases showed up in the middle of no where there would he the hue and cry for them being moved to where they could get in the action...

 

[UnfitAlbatross8]

I think it's fairly safe to assume that guildies in the middle of nowhere, with nobody else to interact with, would find it extremely dull that they cannot enforce their emergent gameplay on others.

Even though the idea has merit, and it would offer them a common goal to work toward, and demonstrate the need for better communications and cooperation, there simply wouldn't be enough pew-pew to satisfy at least some guilds.

True. At first it would be very slow going, but after a while and more groups start laying claim to systems conflict will definitely happen. War is constant.

But what I meant was that I think it's the only way guilds would work out.

 

[Cosmo]

If this thread is any example, as soon as their bases showed up in the middle of no where there would he the hue and cry for them being moved to where they could get in the action...

There would be cries and complaints from solo-players as soon as guilds show up in-game.

 

[Mohrgan]

There would be cries and complaints from solo-players as soon as guilds show up in-game.

Guilds, or Player Groups rather, are in Elite already. Many PG's have been associated with minor factions and are hard at work advancing their factions.

 

[EUS]

I think it's fairly safe to assume that guildies in the middle of nowhere, with nobody else to interact with, would find it extremely dull that they cannot enforce their emergent gameplay on others.

You forgot benign.

 

[Asp Explorer]

There would be cries and complaints from solo-players as soon as guilds show up in-game.

I very much doubt that. Remember the hilarity that ensued when Code got their faction, and it suddenly dawned upon them that they could get annihilated by Solo players? The fawning and declarations of "mutual understanding" toward Möbius was truly epic.

 

[Cosmo]

Guilds, or Player Groups rather, are in Elite already.

Player groups/factions are NOT Guilds. A Guild is Player Created and Managed. A Guild has a Guild Hall, Shared Guild Inventory, Guild Chatroom. Nothing like that exists in Elite Shallowous.

Player Groups are mostly controlled by Fdev who manually add and approve them.

 

[Robert Maynard]

Player groups/factions are NOT Guilds. A Guild is Player Created and Managed. A Guild has a Guild Hall, Shared Guild Inventory, Guild Chatroom. Nothing like that exists in Elite Shallowous.

.... and there's no guarantee that, if/when Frontier do introduce enhanced QoL features for large player groups sponsoring Minor Factions, that any of those things would be included in the game (apart from chat - I would expect chat).