Ok I took a little more time to give an example of what I mean.
Idea is to make the overall RP atmosphere more intense for everyone by giving aid to new people in role playing their faction correctly.
Part of that is simple things like how to use names for your ships/chars that are ok, how to get set up correctly, and how to stay in your ZOI and jurisdiction.
The second part to it is to get player to feel that they are not simply flying around saying 'halt pirate, I R navy and you are pirate and this is my mandatory RP line,and read in my ID that I can do this', they should get the feeling that they are actually playing a role in the 'grand scheme of things', like securing a newly settled territory, pushing patrol duty, or fighting and intense inter-house war.
Hopefully, if more people learn the basics easier this way, the role play atmosphere will become more enjoyable for everyone.
Part of my belief that his will work to a certain extent comes from reading some of the bar characters in a Corsair system east of Crete (think the numer is o94 or something.. the one with the don Quichote wreck), where only a little lore included in the bars there left the system vibrant with mystery and life for me.
To get people reading up on the in-game lore info more, maybe there could be a message after the use of restart, or a standard way of finding 'recruitment officers' for the most important factions. The news bulletin in some places (for example West point bar could also direct new recruits to the guy)
The guy could be in the bar or the launchpad or the engine ship of the adequate station.
I imagine that getting people to follow this sort of standard RP is fairly easy for military type-factions like LN, BAF, KNF, RM, LSF, LPI, Order, and so on. So happens that these are the ones that most new people tend to want to play in most, as far as I know.
All of this is optional for people to follow or not. No one should be forced to read or do anything that is written there with any sort of FLHook coding. Its only RP text which consists of useful advice.
He could always give standard sets of information, in RP.:
-a recommendation for naming your ship
-where to find the guard system
-recommendations on how to set up a fighter and bomber, and some advice on how to fly those efficiently (inform people that its very easy to dodge fire in those, so they see the advantages of flying smaller craft)
-what your ZOI is (split into safe uncontested Zoi, borderline ZOI like war zones, and no go areas)
-what your function is. The do's and donts.
-sort of a RP mission briefing, or places to find these mission briefings. As if you are playing a mission (for example patrol for pirates there and there, fight the enemy military there and there, patrol for smugglers there and there) against players (or npcs too) without pay. The aim is to keep new people doing stuff that is generally accepted, to get a sort of base of players doing the standard old faction work, creating a more realistic RP environment.
-background information on discovery lore in the relevant star system, so the system is not just perceived as a bunch of objects in space, but as a place which has a history.
I'll give an example of what I mean for the liberty navy.
-Random bar characters in liberty tell you to go to West Point if you wanna join the navy. If a player gets asked by another player how to join the navy or an idea on what to do on this mod, players can recommend reading the stuff in west point. There could also be 'Join the Navy. Recruitment at West Point academy' ads in news bulletins throughout liberty, in connection the the war with Rhineland.
-News Bulletin at West Point tells new pilots to report you to talk to the recruitment officer in the bar. (or you just talk to him anyway).
-Character 'Recruitment Sergeant Paine' (always there, no random appearance char) tells you:
'If you want to enlist in the navy, fill in your name using the form LNS-Firstname.Lastname. LNS stands for Liberty Navy Secondary fleet. Don't use the form LN- unless you have been officially accepted into the primary fleet. You'll have to prove yourself before you join the primary fleet. Those guys are the elite, they don't take everyone into their ranks. If you don't have the rep that it takes to get a navy ID yet, get a recruit ID and prove your loyalty by doing missions for the navy. Before you can join active navy duty, you'll have to set up your ship correctly. Pick up your Liberty Navy ship and weapons at *insert locations to buy fighters and bombers*. Oh and... don't use any of those pirate or foreign guns on your ship. I've seen new recruits mount the junk they tractored in from a dead enemy, and it got their ID protocols all messed up.
Our finest technology is obtainable in the Navy guard system Virginia. The jump hole that leads there is in sector 4C in Texas. But don't go there until you have done enough training missions and your profile with the navy guard is high enough. If you don't get clearance to buy the navy ID or equipment, you can remedy this by doing more missions for the navy at the job board.
Once you have the proper ID, ship, and equipment, you can join active duty in the secondary fleet. You'll receive more mission briefing on our respective Battleships: In Texas, the Battleship Mississippi constitutes the the backbone of our war against Rheinland. In the Colorado and California systems, the Rio Grande and the Yukon are guarding our northern and western borders. In the Ontario and Pennsylvania systems, the Battleships Ottawa and Gettysburg are deployed to protect Liberty's interest in newly settled territory against pirates and separatists. Finally, in the New York system, the Battleship Missouri is serves as central back up for police, LSF, and navy forces in the surrounding systems.
I copy pasted some stuff out of the wiki to save some effort.
Liberty Navy mission briefing on Battleship Gettysburg:
Pennsylvania was originally settled by Zoners. Liberty's interest in the system gradually grew and House influence increased steadily until the System was heavily patrolled by the Liberty Police and Navy and was declared an independent system under Liberty protection. Thought dissent is prevalent among Zoners, any real resistance is beyond practical possibility.
There have been increasing reports of liberty rogue pirates and Xeno terrorists praying on miners in the system, and the established junkers and zoners bases only do more to invite unsavory characters and lowlifes to meddle with liberty affairs. Navy ships are to keep their eyes open for pirates, Xenos, and shady characters who are looking to bring trouble into Liberty core systems through Pennsylvania.
Liberty Navy mission briefing on Battleship Rio Grande
Navy ships are to search for smugglers carrying contraband into Liberty, and to protect liberty's trade interests with Kusari. Their primary objectives are to keep the Colorado trade lanes free of pirates and smugglers. Be polite and diplomatic to our business partners. Those Kusarians can be very particular when it comes to respect and honorable behavior. You may pursue pirates and smugglers into Keppler or Galileo, but under no circumstances shall you venture farther away from our space, let alone violate sovereign Kusari territory.
Liberty Navy mission briefing on Battleship Yukon.
You are ordered to secure the trade relations with our western neighbors against pirates. Lane Hackers have become an increasing problem, and it is believed that over 80% of that new drug -cardamine- that shows up in Liberty is run through California. Concentrate on securing the jump gates and trade lanes. You may pursue criminals as far as Magellan and Cortez, but never follow them beyond that, least you want to fall into an ambush or cause a diplomatic incident with Bretonia.
Liberty Navy mission briefing on Battleship Missouri
Navy ships based from the Missouri have three main objectives:
-To provide backup to law enforcement against pirates, terrorists, and smugglers
-To provide backup to lawful ships who come under attack from enemy forces in the neighboring Liberty systems
-To keep civilian and enemy ships clear of the minefield and Area 21, and to keep any non navy and non LSF ship from going through the Jumpgate to or from the classified location. Any sort of contact with alien non human life forms is to be kept secret under penalty of death.
Liberty Navy mission briefing on Battleship Ottawa
Ontario is one of the recent expansions of Liberty Space, easily reached from the California system. Despite the Liberty Navy having placed a Fort and a Battleship in the system, piracy and smuggling by the Xenos, Lane Hackers, and Liberty Rogues continues. The primary threat to civilian traffic and trade comes in the form of roving bands of Wolfhounds preying on unescorted water miners, and traders.
Patrol for smugglers and pirates, but don't let yourself get dragged to far from safety. (maybe something about the political thing with separatists and so on? I got no idea about that myself.)
Liberty Navy mission briefing on Battleship Mississippi
Welcome to the front lines, soldier!
If you ever wanted to have 'He died for Liberty' written on your headstone, here's your chance!
The Rheinlanders and that psychopath they call Chancellor have crossed the line one too many times, and now that line is you!
Your primary objective is to destroy any Rheinlander that is foolish enough to enter Liberty space.
Your secondary objective is to destroy any Rheinlander that is foolish enough to try to stop you from entering Rheinland space.
If you aren't to keen on that headstone yet, maybe if you bring your captain some sweet-potato pie you can get him to assign you to home front patrol duty. Or remember that ace who let that liner full of sauerkraut-loving 'vacationers' with their 'hunting gear' pass from New Berlin to Colorado as a sign of intercultural good will? Well he ain't considered a hero ace no more, but he ain't fighting on the front lines anymore either.
He got re-assigned to shipping a cargo of rubber dog poop from Denver to New Tokyo. Man said: 'Yeah call me idiot... when the war is over I'll be the idiot with two legs!'.
Anyway... make us proud, son!
Ok as you might have noticed I ran out of ideas, but I'm sure there are some people who know more about these factions and are better at writing than me. Maybe they got more ideas.
Welcome to hell. You're now in the place where all three ofour main enemies are. Liberty claims this place. Nomads are everywhere. Recons have detected BHG craft too. Keep your eyes open. We lost many pilots here. Don't lose your wingmen in the nebula, donr be stupid.
-Patrol for smugglers and Keepers
-Resupply any Order forces
Battleship Isis:
Welcome to the Hand of God, Isis, pride of the Order fleet. Here, you get to prove your loyalty. This is our front line base, as well as the drop off point for commodities.
Now get out there and kick some Nomad rear.
Battleship Apophis:
Welcome to the guardian of Omicron 100. Your here to defend the Primary Fleet's headquarters, Lisbon, and our shipyard, Evora. We dont get much action, but when we do, expect it to be lost souls or someone thinking theycan spy on us.
I do not think it is the social interaction that is lacking in Disco, but the environmental interaction.
Let me explain...
A Rm fleet attacks and for the most part successfully takes over, lets say, the Texas system. What now? You cannot keep it. When you leave it is still the same.. 2 weeks from now it is still the same.
Regardless if people actively think about it, or would even admit to it, this type of environment plays on an individual's conscious.
When the environment does not change.. Then individuals tend to get pulled into a specific mindset (not everyone mind you).
The biggest and best thing that could happen to Disco would be the addition of player controlled environment. While I am not certain how hard this would be or if even possible; obviously it would not happen for small things. But larger scheduled events, such as:
Once a month, the LN and RM go to war over a system. The winner now controls the system until it is taken back, by an additional scheduled event. When I say controls the system, I mean entirely. Patrols in the system are now of the conquering faction. Pirate and opposing naval NPC's will raid it often. Bases are taken over by different factions with-in the controlling government. Martial law is declared.
Like I said, I am not sure how hard this would be... or if it is possible, or feasible. But I do know, giving individuals a stake in the game environment and a chance to actually live what will become the history and story line of Disco, will certainly improve people's ability to "get in the game".
The challenge is to find a way to both motiveate people to try in-RP stunts like takin over Texas with RM, but not to destroy the RP canon by takin over all ov liberty, virtually.
A way to do this:
Make a base that can be disabled, or even converted to a station with a certain faction affiliation by huge amounts of enemy fire.
By hue amounts of enemy fire I dont mean anytin a single player can accomplish, I mean like 15 minute non stop enemy bombardment by at least 5 battleships of equivalent.
At the same time, it should be possible to take over some of Texas (or another system, if you will), but make it parctically impossible for the RM to get into New York, by making the system entrances virtually unpassable by lare ships through indestructable razor- firing platforms (or any wapon that hits slow movin ships but not fall small fihters easily) that tear any larer ship into shreds within seconds.
Playing as a human can have its limitations. Plus it provides a path of hard times and difficulties from all other players causing one to planahead, avoid the trolls, and show that RP can come in any shape or form. I play Freelancer to have fun, Not explain the existance of ones self.
-"If we do not learn at least one thing a day....Our minds turn to stupor"- Kyle Sparrgrove -2005
' Wrote:I play Freelancer to have fun, Not explain the existance of ones self.
Already said this wasnt about Furries, it was just an example of and "import" that people prefer to RP as rather than what the RP vanilla or disco lore offers.
Idea is to make it more fun to RP something that is generally accepted as disco lore, and thereby make people choose to RP within disco lore. The goal was not to make it less fun to RP what you choose to RP.
Well that's where scheduled events come in. They give people time to prepare and time for the side to kind-of balance.
Server Admin (or faction leaders) would have to agree to the fleets that would be present. So many of this, of that.. Would not be so hard logistically, but would have to strictly be adhered to. You cheat.. You're done'¦ you lost. An admin presence would be good for the battle. You QQ, complain, disrespect. You're done. Official complaints will go through official channels.
It's the coding issue that's the hardest.
The event is over when one fleet wins over another. No other systems can be taken in that single event. Now, let's say the next event is LN trying to take TX back from RM. For purpose let us say they LOST. Rm remains in control of Tx.
Now the RM can select the NEXT (but not core system such as NY) system they would like to take. However because they are now spreading their Navy a bit more over systems (obviously they would have to leave some security in TX). Their fleet will not be as strong as the LN fleet. However, if they DO win.. They get that system as well on the next event.
You rebalance the sides so that you could never truly take over an entire faction.. But you could severely restrict it. Making them have to fight back harder.
Again, this might not even be possible or worth the time, however it would solve 2 issues. One.. the future of Disco is not totally dictated by the admin. This takes a little load off them as the players will now write that future with their factions and actions to some degree.
Players will be, imo, compelled to get into the game more, especially with the official factions as these events should NOT be open to lulwuts (as some people call them) or Indie Capital ships. Official Factions only (we can be a bit lose on official, secondary but recognized factions with actual leadership can participate, but UNDER the command of the main official faction, just as RM or LN, for the duration of the event).
This could see the numbers of personnel in official factions increased and the number of indie decreased. Note I said could.. Obviously not everyone is going to gravitate to this.
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