W.I.P. (Work in Progress)

So many people have stated they would love to see a neutral faction that would involve, trading and the such. I have a solution to this. Make a neutral faction an archetype instead. Here's how it would work.
When you create a new character you are given a choice between a Starfleet career or life as a civilian. Now there would be three different jobs that civilians would be able to do (very much like the three classes engineering, tactical, science for both the Feds and KDF).
Trading, Colonizing, bounty hunting
Colonizing
Colonizing would place the player as a federation colonizer forman. The goal is to settle on a planet and create a thriving colony. The gameplay would work very much like a sim game. It would be mostly a HUD with statistical information and an overview image of your colony.
Gameplay wise, they would have to defend against Klingon attacks (players and NPCs) and other natural disasters. During attacks, the player co-ordinates security teams/ militia very much like an RTS game or they have an option to do a quick battle that has the computer do the most statistically likely outcome of the battle.
On top of this, colonizers would be able to explore other planets in the system and maybe even colonize the others. Land maps would need to be very large ( maybe twice the size of the Nopadan desert map) and maybe even allow the player to drive colony vehicles around or fly shuttles.
Colonies would work very much like how the duty roster system seems to work ATM.
Another deciding factor could be morale of the colony having an effect on every thing's effectiveness.
Trading
Now Traders would have an interesting gameplay. THe ranking system would actually increase the size of a player's trading company.
Rank Lieutenant: Freighter captain
Rank Lieutenant Commander: Convoy leader
Rank Commander: Trader
Rank Captain: Beaurecrat
Rank Rear Admiral: Executive
Rank Vice Admiral: Business Tycoon
Traders would have a tier system of ships like the current ship system. 5 tiers and such. However as a player progresses in rank, a fleet system (maybe using tech that will be developed for the Fleet Admiral perhaps?) where players form a larger trading company.
They start off in a freighter (all the ones currently in-game would be available plus more) and would have to bargain and trade. Unlike in the KDF or Starfleet, players would have to work for senior officers at trading ports and starbases.
Many more starbases, trading stations like Drozana and former Drozana would need to be added into the game. Traders would trade goods from planet to planet in a way very much like "Aid the Planet" missions.
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Comments
Besides, there's not even enough content for the KDF as stands, and the RSE is in the works...
archtype not faction;)
...uh...
All new classes, all new ranks, all new content, all new ships (since you won't be using Starfleet ships, but instead freighters and the like, right?).
It's a new faction.
IT's a WIP. It's night where I am and i'm very sleepy:o
One of the ideas I forgot to add was this.
Civvies would actually be allowed to join starfleet after ranking up a ways (a new tutorial when we get starfleet academy) and starfleet officers could maybe even retire?
You would still be federation but you just wouldn't be starfleet.
And it's still an all-new faction, you're just allowing defection between it and Starfleet. If anything this adds more complexity and issues to the idea and makes it even harder to implement.
The problem isn't that it and Starfleet are too separate or not separate enough, but the sheer amount of content that would have to be generated in order to make it viable, especially since a "civilian" faction couldn't rely on PvP (as it wouldn't make sense) and would basically have to be all PvE. In a year Cryptic hasn't been able to provide the KDF enough PvE content to make it viable for PvE-focused players and that was an already established Faction at launch.
We have the first two in some form or another, but the third not at all. I see the op's ideas, however, as mentioned the only one that has a chance of being implemented any time soon is the trade. Now on to the implementation. A new faction is not going to work. A new occupation will. We already have off duty uniforms, all we need is the cargo ship. If they can introduce ships easily then creating a cargo ship should be no problem, they already have one, I just hate the look of it. Just switch your ships and you could pick up trade missions. Only if you switch your ship though.
Then with trade runs with rewards in GPL (which will need some love for this) would be created much like the ore transport to outpost three in the deferie sector.
Of course the trade ships would have a limited warp speed, and weaponry (stay away from DSE's.)
It would be doable without the creation of a faction, just add more features (low priority because KDF still need help)
I think that would be the best way to handle it.
I am still hoping to see a "raider" for the Klingons. The FEDS get diplomacy, the Kilngons get raider. Can easily work the same way and most of what is needed is already in the game.
In fact, I'd like to see an update with nothing BUT Klingons content. There is plenty on the Fed side by comparison.
Yep. Blaming you for this one too. Curse you HappyHappyJoyJoy!!
You took the words right out of my mouth! Maybe even...*looks around*....shhh...Section 31!
i dont see how you can agree to that, kdf should get diplomatic, nothing more nothing less, we have diplomats, dont believe me go watch the 1st 5 mins of star trek 4.
give me a reason to explore on kdf instead of flyin around in circles pooning cardasians in space.
This part is what I meant. Adding in more stuff like they did with diplomacy. I agree about us needing Diplomatic missions. I forgot to cut the rest out.
ah ok, nps, bit grouchy at the min as im repeating the same thing over an over an over an over an over again on the kdf side
No worries, I'm sure many Klingon players (myself included) are feeling similar frustrations to the ongoing battle of asking for equality
I like the idea being a civilian and I gues if it will happen you never know ......
It will be there after Season 4 right ???
Gratss for the idea I like it !!!
Greets Cooter
While there should be other optinos for gameplay other than 'kill-em-all' the ones yu've listed aren't very workable. I like the idea of being a bounty hunter or a trader as a part career but I don't see how there could be enough in it to warrant a whole class let alone a faction.
I think you'd be better off trying to get similar features added as gameplay available to everyone. Side missions and features for trade and bounty hunting would work fine - just like diplomacy missions/features have been added.
Lastly I can't see any way in which colonisation would make for interesting gameplay relevant to the rest of the game. I know they've added planetary interaction in EVE but thats a whole different type of game.
Edit: Ooh I just thought of something - maybe we could build colonies of Orion slave girls and then trade them to players - like tribble breeding only sexier!