Indies VS. Capships.

[Dab]

Not sure what thread this came from.. But here goes;

Personally, I like what 101st is doing with the indie capships. (This isn't biased, ask Eppy. If I think he is being stupid about something, I tell him he is being stupid about something..) They have indies registered and tell them a few guidelines.. Like not taking their OC destroyers in NY to pvp whore..

However, what TBH and OPG are doing (and kudos to Benitez for not agreeing with it) I don't like. They are doing the same thing, AND telling the indie capships that they are under the faction's control.. That is not right at all, especially with an organization like the Corsairs. If it were a government with a paid military like the KNF, BAF, etc it'd be alright.. But TBH and OPG want full control over the independents, which is completely contradictory to the definition of independent.. I know this phrase has been used too much in the past, but it is perfect for here. This is Freelancer, not factionlancer. Register indie capships, yes. Tell them what they are not allowed to do, yes. Tell them what they have to do and treat them like the faction's slaves, hell no.

As long as an indie follows the guidelines (good examples; Staying out of NY, unless they have good reason, not pvp-whoring, protecting Malta/Crete from hostiles) he should be allowed to do what he wants, not what the factions say they should do. The TBH/OPG elders seem to think they are above and beyond the rest of the Corsairs.. They aren't. They have no real authority over the independent Corsairs, only the ones in their faction. They can try to enforce it through military means against fellow Corsairs.. But thats it. There is no rule that an independent has to listen to a faction leader. And I highly doubt there will ever be one.

Many people complain about indies and indie capwhores. Well the factions aren't really any better in many cases.. TBH has definitely cut down on their capship usage.. OPG needs a little more work in that area.. However, they still overuse their capships. I see as many faction Praefects as I do indie Praefects.. And definitely more dreadnaughts from the factions, and those dreadnaughts are used a LOT. I've seen them brought out to kill 1-2 fighters before.. Why? A faction can easily bring out a couple of its own fighters, or at least gunboats, but they pull out battleships..

If an indie doesn't want to register his ship, he doesn't have to, and there is nothing the faction can do about it other than shoot him.

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