How to make official factions better?

[obnoxious1]

Indies unbalance the game.

1: They have far less checks and balances placed upon them. They can, and do, run around in places thier faction tags shouldn't be, fly ships and equipment thier factions shouldn't, and role play however the whim takes them. I've seen Rhineland Gunboats in the heart of Liberty, Liberty Cruisers enforcing laws they made up themselves, and Corsairs Landing on Lawful bases. I'm not saying factions don't have these problems, but thier regulation keeps it to a minimum. People in factions do not want to lose rank or standing, and the threat of such helps moderate thier actions. The only moderation placed on indies is that which they place themselves and the few basic server rules.

2: Independants retard the role playing growth and evolution of the game. It is called ROLE playing for a reason. You pick a role you like, and play it. There is enough of a variety that everybody can find something they like. When indies take and say they are something, but then toss aside all the parts of the role they don't like, they aren't playing the role. In most cases, they are sacrificing role playing to achieve something in game mechanics. Take the rogues for example. I have seen all kinds of indie rogues, and I'm betting it's because they don't want to start out with the wimpy bloodhound type ships the faction requires. Well, it requires it because it's part of the Rogue role. By bypassing or discarding it you are playing outside the role, or playing ooc.

3: The current system rewards independents by allowing them to obtain equipment and to engage in behavior that players in the factions cannot. This is very definately not right, as it is the factions that drive the role play within the community that is Freelancer. Shouldn't the players who keep the community going by playing thier roles be the ones rewarded? What would happen if all the lawfuls in Liberty suddenly left the factions and subjected us to thier different and dissimilar views of Lawful Justice? Think about it, you aren't a police officer just because you buy a gun and a uniform. You have to go through the training, prove you are both physically and mentally fit for the role, and then gain the respect of your superiors and peers.

4: By limiting and/or negating the indipendant players abillity to achieve certain things, you encourage them to join whichever faction suits them best. Some will rebel, no doubt, and play only mediocre examples of thier factions. Those are still better than the chaos create by playing roles at odds to the ones they declare. And for those who refuse to play by the faction rules, well, they can still be a force within the game. Just because they can't get the best ships doesn't mean they can't have fun. A bomber is still a powerful ship, and a train still carries a lot of cargo. They can still have fun, pirate, make millions, they just have a lessened impact on the rest of us who will follow the rules and guidelines.

Absolutely BRILLIANT! ( I almost shed a tear of joy reading that!)

I think some are missing the point Cannon was trying to make. It is not to force Indies into Factions, nor is it to encourage complete ruling of them.
If I read the original post correctly, Cannon was suggesting ways to reward Official Factions.
Yes Independents are a vital part of this game & deserve respect, but lets face it. All of us at one point start out as a Independent. You fly along, make your way & profits from one way shape or form & play the game. Simple as that.
As Strom eloquently said, "They have far less checks and balances placed upon them. They can, and do, run around in places thier faction tags shouldn't be, fly ships and equipment thier factions shouldn't, and role play however the whim takes them. "
Official Factions have FAR more restrictions placed upon them. Running about , doing as you please is really not an option.
The running of a faction is not an easy task by no means. You have to apply even more role play, interact with other factions & groups ( as well as Indies ) to progress your story line, compromise with others to get things done, take criticism when you try to add to or make changes to a story line, keep up with & be responsible for the training & actions of your factions members. Take responsibility when they mess up. Limit your abilities as far as where you can go & what you can do all in the name of "fair & balanced role play" & set good examples for new players. Find a way to keep members interested in staying with the faction even though your limited by rules & conditions. & this all usually ends up in not giving you much actual play time.
I can only feel sorry for Admins who have even more to do & can understand why they get burned out so fast.
Giving Official Factions a few more rights & privileges I feel is very fair for all the efforts that have to be done to maintain said faction & the standards they have to reach to prove to the community they are worthy of being official. Not to mention the example they show to new players of how to play the game following the rules.

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