The Wild & Their Privileges

[xenomorph]

Prelude

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The topic at hand today is well-known, indicating that the majority of players in this community are aware of what is being discussed but choose to remain silent, thereby endorsing such occurrences. Although many developers, administrators, and similar individuals claim to strive for a balanced and fair game, numerous blatantly evident issues have persisted for decades without any consequences. However, recently, and most likely for quite some time before that, some players come forward and claim that their Wild characters are practically undetectable. They boldly claim that these characters have mastered the art of camouflage to such a degree that no one can uncover their true nature, granting them the freedom to act as they please. Whether it is acceptable to have such developers on the team is not the focus of my speech. In case you are unaware, I am referring to The Wild, the infected Nomad characters who have served as a tool for powergaming over the past decade, seemingly immune to any consequences for their flagrant violations of rules and lack of respect towards fellow players. Furthermore, the administrators have chosen to support this form of powergaming by introducing new tools that further improve their capabilities, presumably in an effort to sustain the Wild factions. This is merely my perspective on the motive at hand. However, it is evident that those same Wild factions have lost officialdom. You did not save them.

"Powergaming"

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I will divide my speech into several paragraphs. In this paragraph, I will solely focus on the concept of the infamous powergaming. It is also widely understood that powergaming encompasses metagaming. However, I will refrain from discussing metagaming as powergaming has become so deeply rooted that it has given me very good reasons to express my thoughts at this moment. First and foremost, let me introduce the well-known rule: 2.3 - Metagaming/Powergaming is strictly prohibited. To be direct, I personally cannot recall a concrete instance where someone received a substantive penalty for this matter, one that punished them of certain privileges or similar consequences, particularly in the context of powergaming. Our colleague "Sombs" explained powergaming in a thread where he clarified both metagaming and powergaming. While I believe there are some aspects that have not been fully addressed, I will briefly shed light on them as I proceed with my critique. For now, it can be understood that powergaming entails your character not being invincible and being subject to roleplay consequences based on their actions. In essence, your character bears responsibility for the repercussions they face.

Overlooked OP Privileges of the Wild Official Factions & Indies

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THE IDEA OF OF WILD MOUNTING ANY ID: Now I will address specific issues that are often overlooked or even supported. What really concerns me is the "newest" addition (more than a year ago) allowing Wild factions the ability to MOUNT ANY ID under their Wild tag. This presents a significant array of problems, leading to even more issues that are astonishingly perplexing as to how they were permitted in the first place. I am uncertain who deemed this change favorable, but that is irrelevant. As previously mentioned, this alteration, first and foremost, FURTHER PROMOTES powergaming by enabling characters with such an approach to the game to lack any substantial background roleplay, thereby having the ability of imposing roleplay consequences on other players. What kind of roleplay consequences? Primarily, it is linked to The Order. The Order must endure all to difficult efforts to uncover these infected characters, involving GREAT DEDICATION. However, once they are discovered, these same characters have several choices. They can choose to change their identity, rendering The Order's work futile. Alternatively, they can generate drama (which we have always been threatened with at the hands of numerous Wild players and their ooRP friends) because we are the ones diligently performing our duties as expected. Alternatively, they can simply dismiss The Order's roleplay, as absolutely no one in Freelancer Discovery truly cares about interacting with someone infected by Nomads. This unequivocally has an adverse effect on the majority of the community who continue to support and permit this ongoing "illegal" play. It further reinforces the notion that providing Wild characters with such OP tools is utterly irrational.

EVEN MORE OP TECHCELL: The next issue that arises from granting such absurd privileges is the concept of the infinite techcell. You have given them the capability to assume any role without engaging in prior roleplay. I could now appear as the leader of a faction, gain popularity under the pretense that it is "impossible to detect a Wild playing the game 'properly,'" and subsequently infiltrate a government, thereby inflicting significant roleplay consequences upon the denizens of Sirius and beyond, or even actively partake in such activities. Shouldn't they possess vulnerabilities? It is worth noting that approximately 95% of characters made for various roleplay scenarios, complete with intricate backstories, do indeed exhibit vulnerabilities. Moreover, one can now surmise that the Order has successfully identified and exposed probably most and if not, all of them. What has been achieved by introducing these even more outrageous privileges? Such a take to sustain the vitality of Wild factions has ultimately been met with them even failing officialdom (because they were not interested anyway). I have even engaged in discussions with members of these very factions during that period, and they even expressed their genuine disagreement over such privileges.

"ROLEPLAY": Next point. Absurd roleplay. Meaningless roleplay. Call it what you will. Now, to some extent, you have even approved the notion that these same characters, devoid of any backstory, wander aimlessly from corner to corner of Sirius, engaging in mundane conversations solely to fulfill "officialdom requirements." I have witnessed numerous instances of such behavior with the current OF, to the point where it has become a circus. Besides do they partake in these activities, but they also avoid interactions with potential threats by resorting to metagaming, taking it to a whole new level. Furthermore, hasn't Wild already possessed a powerful tech cell? Haven't they had the opportunity to engage in meaningful roleplay before acquiring these privileges? Apparently not. Give them everything, let them do as they please, we couldn't care less. That seems to be the motivation behind all of this.

DISREGARD FOR NOMAD MOTIVES: Furthermore, I can continue to explain why this approach lacks coherence. An infected character, devoid of any background once again, suddenly has the freedom to do as they please. This extends to acts of violence against certain factions. What prompted this motive to support one side of the dialogue while disregarding the other? Believe it or not, I have conducted research on that specific character in question. The individual possesses absolutely no backstory, only some personal out-of-roleplay reasons to engage in combat. Wasn't the goal of the Wild to promote violence against humans rather than actively participate in it unless necessary? You have simply created such strange scenarios that hold no logical sense. You have given them these overpowered privileges, even neglecting the "RP" in the title DiscoveryGC 24/7 RP.

NARRATIVE INTEGRITY: Now that you have granted unlimited freedom and privileges to characters without any substantial background or development, you inadvertently undermine the essence of storytelling within the game. A well-crafted narrative thrives on character arcs, growth, and meaningful interactions. However, when characters can simply assume any role or engage in actions without consequence, the richness and depth of storytelling are compromised. This dilution of storytelling besides reducing the immersive experience but also devalues the efforts of players who invest time and creativity in developing intricate narratives within the game world.

DISREGARD FOR PLAYER INVESTMENT: Anywhere, players invest significant time, effort, and emotional energy into their characters and their progression. Now, that you've allowed random privileges and overlooking the need for roleplay and character development, there is a disregard for the investment players have made in creating meaningful and engaging experiences. This literally leads to player dissatisfaction, a sense of unfairness, and ultimately, a decline in overall community engagement. Neglecting the value of player investment harms individual player experiences, as it also hampers the long-term sustainability and growth of the community as a whole.

NULLIFICATION OF THE ORDER'S PURPOSE: Powergaming, by its very nature, undermines the core purpose and functionality of the Order. For those aware, I need not to resume further. But, I will, anyway. The Order is meant to be a secretive force tasked with the duty of uncovering and combating the infested characters. However, when powergaming allows these characters to effortlessly "evade detection" (which on its own is not possible) and manipulate the narrative (which is silly and dull), it renders the Order's efforts just FUTILE. This of course nullifies the Order's relevance within the general narrative, while also undermining the credibility and immersion of the entire storyline. Neutralizing the effectiveness of the Order through such nonsense, makes the freelancer's narrative lose a vital element of conflict and tension, leaving players with a diluted experience, nor any need to roleplay adequately.

WHY SRP ANYMORE? Introduction of Wild's unrestricted access to any ID disregards the purpose of Special Roleplay Requests (SRP) within the community. SRPs are designed to provide players with unique roleplay experiences by allowing them to assume specific identities, and backgrounds, according to ADEQUATE RP. However, when Wild characters can freely adopt any ID without the need for prior roleplay or justification, the value of SRPs is significantly undermined. This devalues the efforts of players who engage in SRPs. And now, the community loses a nice little avenue for enriched storytelling, character development, and memorable roleplay experiences. Of course, players can still independently choose, however, now it's not necceesary (BUT IT SHOULD BE). Before, it was necessary.

WILD DIALOGUE?! This is now a somewhat controversial viewpoint, although it is based on lore foundations. However, almost all those who hide behind infested characters consistently speak like regular individuals with all the nuances of normal emotions, thoughts, and the like. Shouldn't infested characters be distinguished differently? Shouldn't they have a more direct and less complex dialogue, just to showcase some contrast? How is it possible that Nomads, who are massive parasites, find themselves within a human body and flawlessly control all processes? In vanilla, this was not the case. This aspect is also highly critical and greatly overlooked. "Just RP like a 100% normal human "

What did I achieve with this? In addition to the time I've spent writing all of this, I want the administration to finally take into consideration and put an end to these privileges, as they are unnecessary, redundant, undermining roleplay, degrading the standing of many characters, destroying the need for any reasonable roleplay, and the list goes on. Roleplay should have meaning. Not all characters can be all-powerful and invincible. At least it shouldn't be that way. This narrative simply must be eradicated. People need to realize that this is not the real world and that they should face roleplay consequences. I could write much more about these same issues and even more about metagaming, but for now, I don't want to waste my time on it. Honestly, if changes haven't happened so far, I don't expect them now either. However, as someone who cares about progress within and outside the game, changes are necessary. Take them with a warm heart. Ta-da!