Hi everyone. Welcome. That's "Let's discuss the future of Kusari and it's very concept to make it into the place where players would like to play" thread.
So here I'm going to drop out my own vision on that conception so we can start from something. The other versions and detailed ideas and coceptions are welcome aboard.
I was motivated to wright the text below because I feel that Kusari deserves some more love and must be different in it's own way from the other houses to give players another immersion to play with.
The current situation in Kusari is a stagnation. I belive we'll agree on that since there is alot of factions in Kusari with very interesting rollplay background to play with and they are all collecting dust. Can't say it's only Kusari's problem - we can always check out how the Bundschuh's nothing is doing. But let's give this thread a try to work out the playable and interesting base ground for the Kusari tweaks if any of the dev team will come to check out the people's opinions before makeing any moves. So here we begine.
Kusari. It is meant to represent the feodalic Japane. History was playing a fair part in the Freelancer's factions background and the Kusari is sending us back to the Emperor's authority restavration which ended the Shogun Tokugawa's rule. I'm of cause not talking about the current Kusari. Current Kusari is a mistake from how I see it because the whole idea of Kusari and it's background was blown away painting it all gray. From my opinion Kusari must be built around the Blood Dragons and their war with the Imperialists backed by Samura.
Kusari was always built around 2 sides of same conflict.
First side is represented by the Samura. It is backed by the loyal KNF. It's Emperor is sitting on the throne and it have connections with the shady organisations such as Hogosha, the Freelancer's variant of Yakuza. This side have traits of isolutionism, imperialism, traditionalism. The factions of this group are using the shady methods to gain more authority and power - they don't see it as something unlawful or wrong - this side feel it's okay to use Yakuza's connections and methods to rule the Kusari.
Second side is represented by the Kushiro. And here we meet the first problem because Kishiro have only 1 faction backing it's cause - the Blood Dragons. Kishiro itself can't act openly so this reduces all the possible RP around this down to forum posts. Traits of this factions are kinda different: they are more open to "gaijins", outsides, less imperialistic, more honorable and refrains from using Yakuza methods in the fight for power and authority.
I think something must be changed to make it into the better.
As you noticed I didn't mentioned the KSP, GC and AFA yet. They are a little bit different. From my opinion from how that must be done - the KSP must be less corrupted, Kishiro backed organisation which will be opposing the KNF. KSP is the force that can reduce the influence of Hogosha in the Kusari and must oppose to KNF to balance it's acceptance with Hogosha's behavior in space.
AFA is kinda messed. It outweights the Samura's side making it to have too many factions to play on the same side and thus it's less popular. It must be somehow made neutral into the Junker-like factions or IMG like factions. Something like that. I'm not familiar with AFA's part so fix me on that.
GC is, as well as AFA, something that falls off from the concept. It must be a side faction as well and be more affiliated with the Outcasts to justify their presence in Kusari. GC are political faction in vanilla and since political factions are currently starving hard they must be remade into something more fitting. GC can work well as Kusari's "Xenos" but with different vector.
So basicly to summ it up I want to say that, from my personal view, Kusari need to be reversed back to what it was. Really, the whole situation was messed up and the immersion of the fight for power between large groups was faded away and actually found no place in the new Kusari with nothing taking it's place leaving an empty scar that can't be easely filled with something new.
Kusari must get an Emperor. But in the less powerful status then it used to have it. Kusari's space must feel more distant and decentrolised because the fight is still going and sides can't get the significant advantage. It's political advantage, not military advantage, so the amount of BS KNF have should play little role.
Hogosha must get their rights to pirate in Kusari back. Maffia can get away with it easely and KSP must be meant to fight the Hogosha. KNF on the other hand must be closing eyes on what's happening and it's a KSP's play to bring them on the light to point the people's eyes on those shady deals to reduce the opponent's power and influence.
Hogosha must be granted the right to pirate anything but Samura since it represents the isolutionistic side. But Kishuro side must be given some new faction to back it up Quasi-Legally in Kusari to competit with the Hogosha.
Kishiro is democratic-sided company but we all know that you can't avoid using dirty tricks when the future is on the table.
Next is - Kusari's systems. I don't want to say something bad about the people who put the effort into making new systems such as Rishiri and Nagano but REALY. Those systems have no use except miners sitting in them and it's only nagano. Remove those systems and move the mining spots inside the already existent systems. They really have no place or use any then going there and back to get ores\pirate miners. Stratching the already tiny player base for 2 more huge systems is not vise at all, sorry. Put more love into the vanilla territory so it will be easier for people to find each others.
