I've been thinking about something for a while now, and something which may and may not increase event participation.
I'm not saying that there's a lack of participation for events, but my personal opinion is that events are kind of Elitest - Just a little bit.
What I mean by that is, if you haven't got an indie, or aren't part of that OF, or don't intend on making an indie - You cant join.
What I propose for future events is to allow the participation of Freelancers and their ID in events.
I am aware of some events allowing indies, to join in aswell - Which is great! - But what if that player hasn't got that kind of indie? Sure you can make one within minutes, and fund it accordingly, but after the event is finished, what then? They'll probably just delete it, therefore deleting any RP which has happened.
"But events are just for fighting" - I hear you say, and while yes I agree, but it can have some nice character developments - Making rivals, and personal target etc.
Most of the players I've encountered aren't Official Factions, or Unofficial factions, but Freelancers, and in all fairness, the players may be new or maybe veterans, but there's ALOT of Freelancers out there - And some can RP very well.
Of course, there is going to be some sort of validation for a Freelancer to fight for side 1 or side 2, but as most events include an OF on either side, so the event organiser could contact an HC member and be like:
"Hey, this Freelancer has asked to fight for you in this event, do you want them fighting for you?"
"Hey, I'm not sure about it, I'll ask around in the factions discord - Yup, this Freelancer has helped us out in the past, they can fight for us"
Boom, there you have an extra player, who will be active, and have a chance to develop their relationship with the said side in a larger than the normal way.
And yes, I understand that most events are Military Personal, "Why would they allow a Freelancer to join in military operations?" - Because when a Military member needs help, they can trust the Freelancer to take the money and assist - TRUST. They TRUST them to do what Freelancer do best.
Summed up, I'd like to see more Freelancers forming relationships with OF's - Events is a nice way to go about it as well. I know the whole "Log off as soon as the event is over" - But having a personality which isn't the "norm" might slow that down a little.
It's not a GM or Dev issue, but a community one.
Just for the people out there organising/planning events. Consider allowing Freelancers to join who has RP ties to a side/faction.
A good suggestion and one I hope is enacted on by those creating events.
Secondly it may be an idea for official factions (or just event leaders in general) to have a few secondary ships which they would be happy to share with community members just for the event. Due to it all being done on the forums there is unlikely to be anyone stealing ships because it can come back to bite them on the forums.
