I've made minor adjustments. People seem to respond better to an independent, rather then a neutral, faction. Thanks paareth
Everyone should start out as Independent.
Then as you progress one can choose a side if they wish, or continue on as an Independent. What is with this picking a side before having all the adequate information present. Thats just bad decision making at its best. Another important point to touch upon is. Some people just want to venture out as traders, merchants, or freelancers without being slapped as FED/KDF and its USS/IKS branding. (Jem'Hadar Attack Ship with USS designation... really?)
Independent is quite simply put the easiest way to implement a 3rd faction.
+There is no need for an overarching storyline.
+ECS and SS ship designation. The latter being unlocked at T5.
+We don't need new episodes tailored for us. Maybe a few diologue changes in the way people affiliate and address us. But for sure the episode rewards that are faction restricted should be available to us.
+We don't need an "independent" capital like ESD is for FED. Because we aren't tied down our capital is which ever center is most popular or easy for us to go to. But if an independent center is needed I propose Ferengar, lol.
+Independent ranks are easier and more simplified:
T1 Ensign or Crewmen
T2 Lt.
T3 Lt. Cmdr
T4 Cmdr
T5 Captain (or DaiMon if the Independent Faction instead becomes the Ferengi Alliance).
+Even ships are easy to implement. T1-T4 ships would be the various lengths of Tuffli with the shortest length being available for T1, and the longest for T4. T5 is the D'Kora.
+Our uniforms would be Off-Duty, no Uniform selection.
The simplicity of this faction comes at a price...
-As shown above, there is only 1 ship type for each tier hence no choice (except if you've acquired other unique ships: jem, galor, breen, etc. that aren't faction bound). This bit is VERY lucrative for Cryptic if they make this faction, hint hint. *nudge nudge*
-The ships aren't geared towards any one career they are simply generic, with the exception of the D'Kora. Such IS the way it is, being independent. The other two factions are "geared" for war. But if backed into a corner you bet your
@ss we'll fight!
And before I start seeing posts about how this independent faction is not balanced. Please look at how much attention, content, ships FED has over the KDF. Clearly its not balanced nor will it be. And it isn't about balance with this faction. Its about an independent faction thats... independent *shock* and not tied down for the most part. Unlike KDF who clamor for more content more ships, etc.
If you want balance go make a thread about a Defera Faction and propose balance there, lol.
Comments
thank you, but for playing neutrals pls install another game. /starfleet academy or whatever
this is a Star Trek game and we do have Factions. The third faction was voted by players to be Romulans, a looong time ago.
Yes, it would be nice, if we COULD start as a normal citizen and decide which faction to enter - after playing through 20 lvls worth of content for every playable race on its own homeplanet, but that would be a totally new game and Cryptic does not have ressources to do so.
lorewise - who would you fight? for what?
even if you say - you would join the forces of one of the factions, then, you would get a designation and would have to obey orders.
or would be the faction bound to DOFFing only?
IF there is EVER going to be a neutral faction, it will be after Romulans, Cardassians and Ferengi, which are the 3 most anticipated Factions here. BTW - you can buy a Tuffli and pretend to be a neutral merchant
I can kinda see a "mercenary" faction working. Especially if we get fun races like the Boslics to play as.
My character Tsin'xing
Pro-Federation side deals with the Ferengi Commerse Authority, and the KDF side are Privateers that deals with the Orion Syndicate.
Missions would be different from PvE, where players start with a basic ship and have to upgrade it over time to earn more money. Go to worlds and establish trade and start getting to know contacts and the items needed on that world. Then over time establish trade routes.
So by the time you hit Tier 5, you have multiple routes that you could take and manage your way into secret dealings were you could get connections in Starfleet or the High Council and haul secret goods that you have to act stealthily. Or deal with the worst of the underground and having to avoid Starfleet or the KDF miltary or face massive fines or jail time.
And a updated Risa could be an important hub for some dealings.
Even the Reputation system could be enhanced where instead of building reputation with 1 faction and maximizing it, you got a choice to go legit and deal with honest goods or deal with contraband.
In my wilder imaginings, imagine if Fleets could get various options that open up specific doff assignments, ships, and so on. 'We have a contract with Nausicaans, so we can do some Marauding and buy some of their ships.'
This would also free the devs up to allow Romulans or Gorn Separatists by Fleets just doing their own thing.
Wicks and Things: NW-DI4FMZRR4 : The Fenwick merchant family has lost a caravan! Can you help?
Beggar's Hollow: NW-DR6YG4J2L : Someone, or something, has stolen away many of the Fenwicks' children! Can you find out what happened to them?
Into the Fen Wood: NW-DL89DRG7B : Enter the heart of the forest. Can you discover the secret of the Fen Wood?
@zahinder food for thought indeed lol
@duaths1 If they plan on a Neutral faction and are thinking of a good Center for it then yes the Ferengi Alliance. But again I'm trying to make it as easily as possible for Cryptic to impliment. As neutrals we wouldn't really need a center. The center would be where ever there is the most traffic lol.
Anyone. For money.
Lmao! Indeed
Lol, indeed. Some people just cant get past naive ideals and ideology
@cptskeeteruk Agreed yet again.
You forgot that it's canon that there are Merchants and Freighter Captains that don't operate under the UFP.
Completely ignoring the possibilities would be a sad move.
Having the klinks becoming friends with the rommies is only showing me that the factions are being washed out anyways, so why deny the possibility.
Kasidy Yates wasn't a Federation Cargo Captain, she was independent, later working for the Bajorans.
And I never said Privateers do military / storyline missions, they would have their own little world / storyline. Remember this is supposed to be a Trader / Merchant faction. Which people would have something else different to do in STO than just running another Tac/Eng/Sci Escort/Cruiser/Science/Carrier.
My character Tsin'xing
Wicks and Things: NW-DI4FMZRR4 : The Fenwick merchant family has lost a caravan! Can you help?
Beggar's Hollow: NW-DR6YG4J2L : Someone, or something, has stolen away many of the Fenwicks' children! Can you find out what happened to them?
Into the Fen Wood: NW-DL89DRG7B : Enter the heart of the forest. Can you discover the secret of the Fen Wood?
Dominion / Cardassian
Romulan
Borg
There were independent species and races in star trek from time to time, rather than neutral call it independent and it'd work better. This way you could include any mini factions that you like under one umbrella.
My personal preference is individual mini factions that you can level up in, maybe 10-20 levels or so. So you'd level romulan for romulan ships, pvp etc. With the best foundry missions being voted on and used to make the episodes. Sort of like what we have now, only they get a base in their own sector of space (which already exists), ships which we already have a start in and the pvp queues are (any) faction vs your faction.
All in all much of its already there if the went with romulan/cardassian etc, if we are just waiting on missions well take the best mini faction missions as the storylines. A Romulan / Cardassian alliance could work, and would give plenty of breadth to what ships could be released, heck even throw the dominion in there
If you like the merchant theme however, you could suggest that for the existing factions? No reason why merchant missions couldn't be designed, no game mechanics need to change much, just the missions are less about kill and more about collect/trade/protect etc.
For some reason Neutral just doesn't sound good or to boring for some people xD
I hope STO get's better ...
My character Tsin'xing