Friday with Means – September 24th, 2010 – Questions and Answers

[Lusos101]

The character should have a choice of changing sides easily at start. A first choice at noob island should have no penalties. After that, the longer one stays with any of the 3 factions the less likely it is to be accepted by the others, this would be further influenced by the actions of the character. Actions against any of the factions should make changing to that faction more difficult. A system where changing from one faction to any of the others could be implemented. But there should be serious consequences in doing so. I think the time needed to change faction should get higher with level, kill count on that faction (both PvM and PvP).

Let me give an example. The character arrives in noob island and starts as an OT employee. Changing sides there is easy (to clan or neut), returning to OT should also be easy, with maybe the need to wait one hour before writing another application form. After that each new change would still be possible but the waiting time increasing greatly each time and with a maximum number of changes of 3 or something.

After leaving the island, changing to another faction would require more and more time. The time needed would be influenced by the level of the player, number of people of that faction killed (PvP and PvM kills) and shadowland factions added. It would have to be ingame time and have a maximum level to be possible to change. Also the number of kills would have a limit after which it would not be possible to change faction.

In practical terms, it should be very easy to change to any other faction in noob island and get harder and harder after leaving it. After some time going back to any other faction should be impossible. By all means lets have the option to become neutral again. Just not at endgame.

[Edta]

...

Some of what you propose already is the case: the higher the ql of the application form you use, the longer "Side Skill" is locked and the higher your level the higher ql form you need to use.

One big difference of course is that it does not keep track of who you kill (some sort of 'faction'-thing on Rubi-Ka). While I'm not opposed to this idea, I understand that the AO-team is busy enough already and changes like this take a lot of time.

The same applies to several other ideas regarding changing to neutral (for example a big quest): they might be nice, but are simply too demanding from the AO-team. I believe that a resignation form (which just means a few alterations to the current application forms) along with adding a playshift requirement to certain sided items should be easy and sufficient.

About not being able to change side at endgame: sure, except that some of them might have wanted to change to neutral, but were simply unable. I guess that a short transition period, where even TL7 toons are able to change to neutral, would be fair.

[Pomidor]

I think people should get more warnings when talking to the recruiters so new players know what they are doing, otherwise a neut application form would just kill further the conflict.

With no introduction movie (which is kinda obsolete comparing to current game plot...) this whole Clan VS Omni thing is a mist, especially to a new players. I mean, what is Omni and Clan? Just a tag with no consequences at all. I just dig out AO box with Almost A3 size map which was added to the game back in 2002year, and that damn Map woke up ma imagination about game: m first thought was, when I was looking at Political Map of Rubi-Ka, there is so much to do! And now, newcommer what has to do on RK? Nothing - literally nothing. Pass confusing n00b island, go out and pick whatever side he wants (whatever has bigger side XP, or where some friends are), go to SL and use Rk to grab some stuff. Actually, I find myself alone during last 2 years of playing: team missions, City raids, Tower wars, even some Special encounters on RK are soloable or must be soloable due lack of player interest.

FC, during last years have been succesfull pull back WAR from RK and whole stuff which made this game - Even gankfest, which was kinda big fun few years ago, are rather rare thing, due players knowing each other like old horses, and they dont want to attack each other, no metter side they are - and actually, this whole SIDE thing is burried down. Just tkae a look at BS - many players just want Red/Blue thing instead of Omni/Clan - and that just shows where they have plot...

[Boltgun]

With no introduction movie (which is kinda obsolete comparing to current game plot...) this whole Clan VS Omni thing is a mist, especially to a new players. I mean, what is Omni and Clan? Just a tag with no consequences at all. I just dig out AO box with Almost A3 size map which was added to the game back in 2002year, and that damn Map woke up ma imagination about game: m first thought was, when I was looking at Political Map of Rubi-Ka, there is so much to do! And now, newcommer what has to do on RK? Nothing - literally nothing. Pass confusing n00b island, go out and pick whatever side he wants (whatever has bigger side XP, or where some friends are), go to SL and use Rk to grab some stuff. Actually, I find myself alone during last 2 years of playing: team missions, City raids, Tower wars, even some Special encounters on RK are soloable or must be soloable due lack of player interest.

FC, during last years have been succesfull pull back WAR from RK and whole stuff which made this game - Even gankfest, which was kinda big fun few years ago, are rather rare thing, due players knowing each other like old horses, and they dont want to attack each other, no metter side they are - and actually, this whole SIDE thing is burried down. Just tkae a look at BS - many players just want Red/Blue thing instead of Omni/Clan - and that just shows where they have plot...

This, oh yes. This!

I have my old box too, and before starting the game I knew I was going for the underdog and who I will be dealing with. The intro movie helped too.

I think faction cohesion have been mangled, some content that did that was needed (instances), otherwise it's just the lack of shown conflict and world pvp. I think the team need to brainstorm a way to point the players where their balls/ovaries are.

[Nanowolf]

*rawr*

Nasty humans dont like the conflict now?!

Give them neutral application forms before they destroy the whole beautiful planet!

*rawr*

[viandante]

This has become another neutral thread. FunCom made a great mistaque killing the sides. I wouldn't like a neutral side. It really has nothing to do with the plot. But I don't like it as it is now, neither most of the old timers that left the game not many new that come and try it.

I see 3 ways to get things moving again:

1. Nerf neutrals to oblition and bring back the conflict.
2. Finish this clan-omni mess, take away the planet from omni-tek and set this as a FFA planet. We will all be neutrals from now on. org vs. org
3. Nerf the real neutrals (too) and bring a new side ¿the sol company?. I don't see it as reasonable but it is what neutrals are asking for here and it can be done.

[Edta]

3. Nerf the real neutrals (too) and bring a new side ¿the sol company?. I don't see it as reasonable but it is what neutrals are asking for here and it can be done.

This is absolutely not what we are asking for lol! Somehow some people seem to think it though >.<.

[viandante]

Of course not! You want an overpowered neutral side as opposite to the overpowered old clan and omni side.
I am omni with more than 5 220. I don't need xp. I am already full equipped I change to neut and no problem at all i am free to go where I like. If you are neut you can go omni and level or equip something and go back to neut.
Neutrals as we know them have to dissapear. Or we are all neuts or the war has to scale again

[Boltgun]

Of course not! You want an overpowered neutral side as opposite to the overpowered old clan and omni side.
I am omni with more than 5 220. I don't need xp. I am already full equipped I change to neut and no problem at all i am free to go where I like. If you are neut you can go omni and level or equip something and go back to neut.
Neutrals as we know them have to dissapear. Or we are all neuts or the war has to scale again

Hum no we don't ? And I'm sure you don't. Also, no. I think you are way off the problem and the solution. Even without neuts I'm sure sides won't fight. In fact neuts haven't reduced war, even helped if you count BS.

Faction cohesion have been lost lately, I think the game should have forms of world pvp somthing with objectives and returns unlike what have been added so far (wtf, unionist...). Something Omnis and Clans fight to possess to get benefit. Some renewable global research wouldn't hurt too, neuts can grab advantages on this but it put the sides on the arms race.

Also more world pvp : less 75% gas, maybe 50% as non neut pvp, drop tokens and doja style dailies, small xp and vp too, none of them are usable to be neutrals, who will enjoy more security instead. Something that says 'you should open fire'. Then we'll have some animosity required to the sides to fight.

[Edta]

Of course not! You want an overpowered neutral side as opposite to the overpowered old clan and omni side.
I am omni with more than 5 220. I don't need xp. I am already full equipped I change to neut and no problem at all i am free to go where I like. If you are neut you can go omni and level or equip something and go back to neut.
Neutrals as we know them have to dissapear. Or we are all neuts or the war has to scale again

Keep guessing, you might be right some time : We're not really asking for power for the underpowered side either, we just want some respect.
Changing sides at TL7 is something I'm not sure about: normally I wouldn't support this, but considering that they didn't get this basic right for 9 years I say they should have the option for a bit. It should be impossible though to keep sided items equipped of course (even though neutrals can go sided from level 1 till 220 and keep all neutral-only items equipped, don't say that I'm doing difficult :P). I see 2 ways to prevent sided items on neutrals: add playshift requirement for the faction requirement on most items that matter OR have the requirement to unequip everything before you change to neutral (like IP resets). Whatever is easier to code would be the best choice imo.

[Toasting]

I’m not a huge roleplayer but from a story perspective it has always felt absurd that you could return to being neutral after taking a side in the conflict. This would be used to flip-flop between sides and we would definitely see a “bandwagon” effect in Notum Wars. From a technical perspective it also plays havoc with player faction levels. I have no plans for implementing Sided-Neutral changes.

we already suggested it hundreds of times, with many ideas on how to implement it properly. yet i still see lame excuses for not doing it, despite the quite big ammount of people that support the idea. checking the posts in this thread, it's pretty clear, as most seem to agree, it will be according to the storyline too.

to avoid any undesired effects in the gameplay, a side change would have to:

- make it impossible to change sides again for a huge ammount of time (6 months? 1 year?).
- make it impossible to use items locked to the old faction. easily done by only allowing people to change sides while naked.
- make the player lose all tokens.

lastly, the problem with factions isnt really that big from what i understand. setting it all back to zero would be probably easy to code.

really, if the problem is that FC 'doesnt want to do it', its pretty easy to come and say exactly that, instead of something else.