Funcom should give Neutral a TOKENS BOARD

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Originally posted by Stimmed
Changes that should happen for neutrals:

1) Not be attacked by guards/be able to travel freely

2) Get clan and ot shopping channels (for those neuts who are just out for money)

3) better xp bonus for controlling land. It should be on a ratio of some sort, when there is so few neuts they are never gonna get a lot of control sites.

4) Should be able to wear OT and Clan clothing/items. Like the dodga/alvin, which is side not omni and side not clan respectivly, so they can wear both.

5) The bugs w/ teaming with neuts should be fixed.

6) When in teams neuts should not be tabbable

7) neuts should get ot and clan teaming channels also

I do not think that the neuts should get a token board (they have no one supporting them really, who are they doing services for?), the bow tie is good and goes in the neck slot.

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So basically, you want neutals to have all of the benefits of both sides, but none of the hassles? While we're at that why don't we just have neutrals able to attack in 25% but not be able to be attacked? Ok, now for the constructive part of the post. Some of these suggestions are reasonable, specifically numbers 2,5,6, and partially 1. I agree that teaming issues need to be fixed, and having shopping channels open would be beneficial to everyone. As for the guards issue, I believe that neutrals should be able to traverse most cities unmolested with the current exception of Tir because the Sentinnels attacking neutrals, while de****able, does make sense with the story line, and also Omni-1 HQ should be a neutral-free zone as Omni-Tek should be concerned with possible clan sympathizing neutrals getting that close to critical structures and personnel. Also, most military bases should be neutral-free. I know that if I tried to walk in to my local U.S military base without documentation, there would be problems and I'm a citizen. Why would a nationalist corporation in a constant state of war be any different, especially with non-employees? About neutrals in general though, I do believe that FC intended them originally to be basically a holding point before choosing a side and as a possible intermediary between Omni-Tek and the clans, but I think they have realized that this has changed. I no longer see neutrals as a holding point but as something akin to the way they are portrayed in Prophet Without Honor, as people who just want to live out there lives in peace without constant fighting or interference from the two sides. I do however, realize that there is also a place open in the neutral community for small businesses, independent media groups, criminal organizations, other hyper-corporation interests, and the ICC. I still however do not want the neutrals to be given the status of a third faction unless they are actually made a third faction and not just neutrals. But, this would be very difficult to implement due to the variety of neutral groups as I mentioned previously. Anyway, after all of this rambling, I will respond to the original post with a big NO for neutral token boards. Perhaps, someday if the neutrals become an actual third-faction then yes or maybe something like neutrals that sympathize with a certain side could be worked out like is planned for Star Wars Galaxies. We will just have to see what the future(aka. FC) will hold for the small but vocal group of players that are the neural community.

I disagree with the argument about wanting to be classed as an 'Independant'. Being independent would classify you as a Clanner. People seem to forget the basic politics. Omni-Tek personnel work toward a common cause, everything is for the Corporation and you personally reap the benefits of the Company's success. Clanners on the other hand work for themselves - don't forget a 'Clan' is nothing more than extended family. Families may band together to attack the Corporation but at the end of the day, you are just working for yourself - not for anyone else, not even for fellow Clanners. The MacDonalds, Stuarts and Campbells (and other Clans) may have banded together to drive out the English (more than once), but ask a MacDonald how he feels about the Campbells now and you won't get a pleasant response. Clans are independent families, sometimes working together, sometimes fighting against each other.

In the context of this game and in answer to the original post, I don't believe Neutrals should get a token board but if they do, then every anti-Clan mission should result in losing a previously earned Clan token, and vice-versa. Neutral missions get no tokens. If a Neutral player builds up a collection of either Omni or Clan tokens, then its obvious which side he allies to and his alignment is changed automatically.

I'm all for Neutrals having Free Trade in any city, but in Omni or Clan cities they should have to keep a Permit in their inventory to prevent being shot on sight. Perhaps a Quest to get such a permit?

I never liked the concept of neutrals and still don't. Nope - no token boards for you guys.

As for any other benefits - nope. I think they should worsen it even. The idea of the "neutral" was that you could go through your gaming and adventuring life basically unscathed. You are able to swap to any given side at any time and for any period of time. You benefit yourself whenever you wish to do so.

At very high levels, being neutral sometimes is tougher and that's when it's time for you to choose a side. You've had enough time to mull it over so do it.

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Originally posted by Drabin
At very high levels, being neutral sometimes is tougher and that's when it's time for you to choose a side. You've had enough time to mull it over so do it.

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Both omni-tek and the clans shoot me. Want me to join ? Start with not shooting me.

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Originally posted by Vanity
The MacDonalds, Stuarts and Campbells (and other Clans) may have banded together to drive out the English (more than once), but ask a MacDonald how he feels about the Campbells now and you won't get a pleasant response. Clans are independent families, sometimes working together, sometimes fighting against each other.

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I agree with your interpretation, but the problem is that the game doesn't support this type of setup. Clan can only attack clan in the context of a 0% zone, and those are vanishingly rare outside the arena. This means that in practice the clans behave as a unified organisation.

If the basic setup was that Clanners were open to attack from anyone outside their own guild in a 25% zone, you'd have a situation very similar to the one you described in your example.

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I'm all for Neutrals having Free Trade in any city, but in Omni or Clan cities they should have to keep a Permit in their inventory to prevent being shot on sight. Perhaps a Quest to get such a permit?

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Sounds like an excellent idea to me. Better still would be a neutral org advantage. Implement the individual passes as a common time-limited item (with some means to check on the time remaining on the pass) and the org advantage as a semi-permanent item, perhaps with the restriction that you can't implement the advantage for both sides at once.

The Clan/Omni divide allows fully for the mercenary individual, since bizarrely there are no restrictions on changing sides. One moment I'm murdering your brother, the next we're comrades in arms, no hard feelings. I can even go back to the side I just betrayed by leaving with no problems. The one thing I can't do under the present arrangement is to leave both sides at once and become neutral, which is odd when you think about it. Surely once I'd switched sides once, neither would want to accept me if I tried to switch a second time.

Neutrality allows for the mercenary organisation. It also allows for the unaligned individual, the conscientious objector, the disinterested observer, the trader, the go-between, the diplomat, the scientist, the representative of a third party and so on. For many of these it makes sense to have an arrangement with one side or another (or both!) for free movement in most areas.

Cheers,

~R~

Want me to not shoot you? Start with joining. ;p

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Originally posted by Kiryat-Dharin
Want me to not shoot you? Start with joining. ;p

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So what side should I join? The one that shoots me the most or the least?

/G13

Heh, I like that this was moved to suggestions, tells us this is gonna be changed soon heh.

Ok, I dont understand you clan or omni, you say you are doing it for the greater good of the company or what not, but when trading you want to trade with eachother? I have seen too many "my clan suit form for you omni suit form" wtf?! you should give the clan suit to a low crat omni and tell them how to make it into a universal crat suit, or trade it to neutrals. Nope, you want to trade it to the other side?! it makes no sense. I have seen teams of clan and omni and I have even seen posts that they want the team issue fixed for them. How is teaming or trading with your enemy good?? You are all about pretending to do stuff for your company but actually out for yourself, maybe you should join the neutrals heh.

has anyone made a new character and asked the neutral recruiter about neutrals? That is proggramed by FC so it must be how FC views neutrals.

I understand that neuts should not go into top secret military bases and what not, then, we should not get missions there! half the missions I pull I have to go through tir to get to, I know for low levels who dont know about the grid this sucks for them, and sometimes the grid is not even useful and it takes longer to get to the missions.

I do not want a token board (I like my bow tie) but we should get some advantages.

-Neutrals should have clan and ot shopping and teaming channels

-Team bugs fixed/ tabbing bug

-Get more items like the dodga/alvin quest (not all, but more)

-Have the xp bonus tweaked, i made a post about it a while ago, It should not have impact on ot or clan (or else they would get mad at neuts and attack them even more) Neuts should not have as big of bonus but make it noticable.

Now this is wishfull thinking: ot and clan want more money to buy supplies and what not for the upcoming war right? let neuts save at federated saves but be charged like 5x the normal amount. I know this will never pass but it is an idea.

I am just wondering, i forgot, who is clan supported by? How do the clans have money to have federated stuff/token boards?

No token boards. That's asking for TOO much.

Hell, I didn't even care about the attacks in 25% zones that much.

Just fix the teaming issues and I'm happy

I still think Neutrals should be THE choice for trading.

1. They should have access to shops that nobody else has (call it Sol Banking or smuggler's shops or something). They need to have some items that are only obtainable by Neutrals... to encourage people to trade with them.

2. They should have access to the Omni and Clan trade channels from ANYWHERE.

3. They should be able to travel to any city without being attacked.

4. They should be able to buy and sell items in any city.

5. They should have serious boosts to their trade skills, somehow. It makes sense- if you're neutral, you could travel anywhere and learn from anyone.

But token boards? No. They're refusing to take a side in the conflict (and get the implied training from that side), so I don't see why they should get boosts to their fighting abilities.

/me digs out his AO Guide book from when i was a newbie...

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Neutrals

The Neutrals are the disenfranchised of Rubi-Ka. They chose not to serve the company (and sometimes the compay refuses to let them serve), but they do not join the clans in open rebellion. The neutrals exist in a preilous state of truce with the two factions - neutrals know that any offensice action against either neighboting faction would draw reprisals. Meanwhile the the company and the clans help themselves to neutral resources.

Cut off from the supply lines of OMNI-Tek and the resources of the clans, they pay more for goods and services then either of the other factions (including insurance scans). They do maintain a small network of insurance terminals, and they have been forced to open them up to both other factions. The Cland and OMNI-Tek however, do not return the facor by allowing the neutrals use of their scanners.

Neutral Notes

Neutrals controll a narrow "buffer zone" between the Clan and OMNI territories. Their primary urban center is the small outpost called Newland.

Neutrals have fewer items available than either Clan or OMNI. They pay the most for both items and insurance.

Both Clan and OMNI characters can scan at neutral insurance terminals, but neutrals can only scan at their own terminals, which are rather sparse.

In political conflict areas, OMNI and Clan characters can both initiate combat with neutrals with impunity, but neutrals can not initiate combat with either of the factions.

Neutrals can, however team with other OMNI or Clan adventuring groups.

Neutrals have a very limited choice of types of player created organizations.

Consider neutral if: You are an experienced plater looking for a more challenging experience. You see you character as a rugged individualist, who makes his own way regardless of the cost.

Warning

The neutral faction is not recommended for first-time players! Members of this faction face significantly tougher challenges than either of the others. with virtually no corresponding rewards. Neutral is a viable option for experienced players looking for a greater challenge, but newbies will find it frustrating.

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Taken from da Sybex strategy guide for Anarchy Online. heh

Main thing here...

Being Neutral means there is no parent organization to award a merit board, so they shouldn't have one.

Neut's need some fixing tho, the recent fixes with allowing attacks, is a good start, but not the only issue.

I am against a neutral token board but....


I would like to see a neck piece that all factions could BUY for a huge amount of creds.

It would NOT give xp, attack/defence, hp, nano bonuses. But it would give the 200 comp lit and NP bonus + maybe a few other trade skill bonuses or minor evades.

Maybe keep it lvl capped, so that it could not be used as a twink ade.

At the moment the lack of comp lit and NP mean that neuts have a hard time making nanos/ towers etc.


oh and fixing the team mission bugs should be done asap.

Like:

http://auno.org/ao/db.php?cmd=view&id=156540&t=ag

http://auno.org/ao/db.php?cmd=view&id=165215&t=ag

http://auno.org/ao/db.php?cmd=view&id=164415&t=ag

http://auno.org/ao/db.php?cmd=view&id=164432&t=ag

etc...

There are some pretty nice equipment you can use if you dont use Token board ;)

Zarch and da chars

Okay .. So Im neutral .. And Token Boards.. who needs them .. Not me anyway ..

Noone ever said that Neutral is an easy way to go .. and for all right´s it shouldn´t be.

But .. don´t ever misstake me for a fence sitter.. just because i choose not to allign with a side that say "Join us or I´ll blast you <insert body part here> to the next millenium" . And Yes this is they way you Clan/ Ot greet us.. .....No but´s.. there are a few of you that are nice.. but the genreal attitude among you is .. Oh look a neut . let´s blast it ..

But yes I´d love to see us being abel to travel all over the place. and shop at perhaps a bit higher cost anywhere. but then again . I understand why you don´t let us as somehow we are the enemy of everyone.

But never ever misstake me for a paccifist .. I disslike both Ot and Clan just as mutch .. and wil never ever side with any greater Ot/ Clan purpouse.. ...

So neutrals that seek a better and easier way of life.. sorry .. that is not what we get . But that is what we strive for.. by peace on Rubi Ka.. er well some of us at least ..

I disagree about a Neutral Token board (I'm a neutral). It doesn't really make sense (not that the clan/omni ones do, but hey :) )

Fixing the other, more pertinent Neutral issues would be better (Teaming issues, travelling issues, OOC/Shopping channels).

To Zarch

I use a bow tie, and yes it is fine. The problem comes in losing 200 in comp lit, and nano prog.

Bear in mind comp lit is used to place towers. This means neautral can not place the higher level towers. (not to mention having to use more ip to get into ncu etc)


oh yer, and as an engie, I can't use 2 of those items ;)

I think neutral do deserve some kind of bonuses, but a token board might be a bad idea. Should figure out some other way to give them bonuse...good ideas were desribed in this post.


Clans and Omni should have the upper hand in terms of faction specific items, as they already do. Neutrals should get hit here, if you ask me.

I don't think the Clans or Omni or Neutral should have identical Token Board bonuses. There should be different advantages and disadvantages to choosing one or the other.

There may be too few Neutrals to create the infrastructure needed for a Neutral Token Board but the ICC could decide that both Omni and the Clans have shown themselves to be unreliable partners and provide ICC Token Boards to anyone, including Neutrals, willing to earn the tokens for them. The ICC has already shown that they are not entirely happy with Omni, and not all that sure about the Clans, by opening Notum mining to anyone.

Other possible scenarios might be Neutral Fixers finding ways to hack the Clan/Omni Token Boards with varying degrees of success, and Neutral Engineers finding ways to improve the All-Match Augmented Bow Tie.

Anything is possible. Don't get too comfortable with the status quo. :p

I didnt go thru all posts but... does neuturals get attacked by omni and clan guards? Thats awful... we dont have anything agenst thema and they the same...

Oh and dont u get those token things as
a reward for doing missions? And donsnt
neuturals do missions?