Keeping characters on both sides - a great flaw

[_____________totalax]

imho - the possibility to keep both clan as well as omni characters (and neutrals for that sake) is AO's big flaw. I had a lot more fun in the beginning, and you know why ? Because I felt like an omni and was getting into the role. That doesn't mean i would have to roleplay through my teeth - but I did in a bigger way play the role of an omni atrox enforcer then what i do now. The thing was... The clans was a mistery to me - I had never been there nor spoken to one. What I find today is that a lot of the people i meet have characters on both sides.. So HOW are they going to get sucked into hatred to one side ? I would love if your whole "family" of characters needed to be on one side instead. By this.. spying would actually make sence - as you can clearly see : now it isn't. If there are future warefforts (and I hope there is) that requires intelligence... Why bother trying to be clever when you can just create a lvl 1 clanner.

I do understand why you would want it open - to let people try a little of this and a little of that : but as long as the two sides have their own benefits there is a bigger prize in forcing people to _really_ side. Maybe you would want to give people a chance to defect at some crucial points ? lvl 15, 50 and 100 perhaps ? And then make that choice final ?

I am not going to get involved with a guild, because of the time and devotion it often requires - but i have a feeling I will by this actually miss out on everything around the rebels/omni conflict.

just my 2 cents.

[______________Yazule]

1) I have ONE omni, his name is clanshopper, level 1 atrox crat ROFLOL (oops, level 2)

2) once you get a high level character on one side (I think it is level 50, might be higher) I hear you cant level a char from the other side above that level. Dunno myself, just heard it.


If you dont join a guild then you will probably see less of the storyline than joining one that is involved in it. That is the price one pays. If you dont hold a postition I dont see where you would have to invest to much energy into a guild though.

[_____________totalax]

well I don't think that is correct. Never heard it anyway - and nothing I've read from funcom indicates it. afaik, you can lvl til you drop with chars on both sides. My point was :

- I want bigger difference between clan and omni. I want them to have unique benefits.
- I want clanners to react in disgust when I enter a bar, and not go "need a team?"
- I want GM's constantly organizing raids on the other side, and i want traitors on my side warning the clans when we plan to strike.
- I want successful attacks to strengthen me/omni in some way, and I want the clans to suffer if they loose a battle.(prizes for the loosing side goes up, worse profits from missions etc.)
- I want to hear more propaganda about how devious the clans really are.

a bit late and im a tad tired - but anyway : I want to get some heat into this game. I feel like choosing sides in this game is like when you choose what breed to play in starcraft. Doesn't really give you any loyalty feeling now does it.

As for the storyline - I'm not sure what the plan is with the amnesty, but I sure hate seeing clanners team up in omni areas like they were our best friends. I think, in the end, it destroys the conflict.

I think AO has so much going for it, and the potential is there : I just see a couple of choices that funcom has made that prevents the game from being what I think it should be. And again : You might have a great plan which makes my points moot - but right now, I can't really see it. All I see is a graphically astonishing, futuristicly based, RPG style, advanced version of quake2 co-op.

[Noe]

i think i can see all sorts of different arguments to why it should be one way or another, but mostly its a Role PLAYING GAME, not a forced servitude once you do choose.

you are correct though, it feels weird to be treated kindly by an opposing member.... I went for a mission in Galway or Clon****, cant remember, and there was a small band of Omni's sitting there. and this was just after amnesty started, so i wasnt sure if i needed to sneak around or not, but i get greeted w/ "Hi Noeffort, want to join us on a hunt?"

I asked them, you sure you wanna be seen w/ me? lol. They said they didnt care, they just wanted to have fun.

So in the context of amnesty, i could buy that for a buck. but yeah, if the story should escalate, i would expect and welcome the challenge of verbal confrontation in Omni land or neutral citys.

But that all comes down to choice. and if as a company you dont give people choices, you are limiting, and when ppl perceive limitations....they sometimes will leave.

btw....DIE OMNI SCUM!

[____________Bluemoon]

- I want bigger difference between clan and omni. I want them to have unique benefits.
- I want clanners to react in disgust when I enter a bar, and not go "need a team?"
- I want GM's constantly organizing raids on the other side, and i want traitors on my side warning the clans when we plan to strike.
- I want successful attacks to strengthen me/omni in some way, and I want the clans to suffer if they loose a battle.(prizes for the loosing side goes up, worse profits from missions etc.)
- I want to hear more propaganda about how devious the clans really are.

Amen,
I couldn't agree with you more Totalx. When I got into this game I expected to be involved in a world that was in the middle of a heated conflict. What I got instead was a situation in which people switch casually from side to side, or worse, have no real concern for sides at all, but instead play characters and interact with the game only to achive the highest level and most power possible. I can understand the draw of power leveling and achievement, but to what point? Eventually you're going to either get bored with the system or reach a cap, and then what purpose do you have to keep playing? And I don't mean that role-playing should be the sole focus of the game. But I would like it the clan character I made could serve a purpose, could take part in the "conflict", and do something other than mindless leveling and casual conversation with single-use people who just want to level with me or sell me something. The story was why I was interested in THIS game over others. This amnesty, which is so bland it hurts, does not encourage anything exciting or productive. Please give me ANARCHY online, not lets-work-things-out online.

Looks like I got a bit off topic, sorry, but I want this game to excite me...and like Totalx said, "The potential is there", I want to see it tapped.

[______________Yazule]

All I can say to this is "4 years"

But sadly I doubt I will be here that long unless they do something seriously better than it is.

I agree that conflict should be escilated, but as far as traitors go, it is war, you will always have spies. Clanshopper was there only to buy a med suit (right after they stopped treatment stacking).

He still has 200k on him in case of emergency, but all in all he is a good little "sleeper" spy.