Factions!!

[MFDViking]

Factions are the same as Clans in other games, guilds, brotherhoods, alliances...

Factions bring unprecedented Role Play to a game that would otherwise be empty and uneventful. NPC-wise that is.

Official and Unofficial factions however offer much much more to the table. They offer a community within a community to play with. They offer a haven for those of us that only know specific lore and culture when it comes to new players. Official Factions should be at the forefront of the story (development-wise) as they are the ones going to war with others, calling for peace, making deals, offering chances to players new and old to interact with the NPC's in a thrilling and interesting way.

Official Factions Specifically: These factions are the ones that should be the most active groups, the ones that the staff/admins pay attention to in one fundamental way. These factions actions and reactions should be the stone that throws the equilibrium of the universe into a ripple that affects so many different factions regardless of the obvious strings being pulled. These "stones" ultimately affect the greater lore of the sector. This does not mean that Official Factions should be given preferential treatment, simply that they should be paid attention to.
-> These factions should attempt to hold events within their space, things that bring players together to interact with the storylines that they want to tell within their RP. (An example is the EXTREMELY AMAZING Roleplay that the Akhetaten does through Liberty space, backed up by the 46th)

Unofficial Factions: These factions are the ones that should get involved in the events held within the space that they want to be a part of. They should not be ignored, nor take a back seat to the Official Factions; but they should be the kind of groups that form naturally through the similar NPC factions that they choose to fly with.
-> A great example of this is the DrengrCo faction, they make things extremely interesting as they attempt to make Civilian roleplay more fun and prevalent. They take part in several events, causing their name to be known even through those players that choose to fly their main ships and characters in a specific area of space.
-> Another example is the one that I am doing, an attempt to make Smuggling and "Danger Run" trade routes more enticing with the start of an unofficial Freelancer faction. Freelancers tend to simply be Mercenaries but there should be the kind of Freelancer through space that simply takes on the jobs that no one wants... including Waste Removal, delivery of Alcohol, medicines from Hostile Space to Hostile Space... Stuff like that.

Ultimately, I believe that there is a bunch of things that could be improved for the Player and Non-Player factions. This is a GREAT idea, to put together a group that takes a look at Factions through a Magnifying Glass.

A word of caution: There is always a possibility that factions will want to make things happen their way simply because they have the numbers to back them up. Please be aware that factions should not be the only thing that drives the storyline of the server/mod.

Much Love!