Factions

[Ladocicea]

Why aren't you joining them? What's wrong with the factions?

Apart from the fantastic reception the risen sun guys got when they first started (and possibly the archeological society currently), factions have been pretty slow to fill from what I can see.

Why?

I've heard complaints from players that there aren't enough NPCs around driving things, there's a lack of structure in conflict with too much random FDing and burning shit down, and that characters can often feel pointless or directionless. While I won't dispute that point outright, I will say that factions are there to be joined, and will remedy 90% of those problems.

People were practically clammouring to apply for most factions in Sanctuary, but EfUA factions have not been so popular.

So what's the deal?

[SnottySnitch]

Because establishing your own factions requires players to work. Just hanging back and spitting out apps for the cool factions other people have established doesn't really take much creativity or energy - actually going about and establishing your own takes a bit more doing.

[Ommadawn]

I've interest in joining a faction, but was told I -had- to pursue it by meeting the appropriate PC's in game. Which has been practically impossible for me so far.  :P

[Cruzel]

Tbh the factions don't really seem that appealing to me!

You've got CG Anti-pirate pirates,   CE pirates,  Elven CG Loot hoarders,  and a bunch of swindling merchants.


There is not enough mystique or motivation to join them IC, for me. Factions like the watch and spellguard, had a history to them. They were so awesome that you wanted to be a part of them.

Not really feeling that with the new factions!

[Lupine Grace]

Because establishing your own factions requires players to work. Just hanging back and spitting out apps for the cool factions other people have established doesn't really take much creativity or energy - actually going about and establishing your own takes a bit more doing.

As far as I can see all of the factions are actually established. The fleet has, well a fleet of ships, the armada has an armada and connections in old port etcetera!

It could be that faction presence currently doesn't seem to have huge consequences on the environment. I really don't know! Nothing put me off.

[Squyrl]

I have to agree with Snotty, there, especially with the blank slate the EfUA offers.  I am enjoying working with other players establishing our own faction.

Also, like Sancturay was the heart of EfU, the Ziggurat is the heart of EfUA.  The Watch, Spellguard, Seekers, etc.  were all part of this heart, and while there was potential for conflict among them, there was also the chance for cooperative interaction because they were seperate parts of a whole.

Now look at the Stygian Armada and the First Fleet.  Obviously conflict was inteded here.  But there is zero chance of these two factions seeing eye to eye on anything.  That just strikes me as a setup for mindless PvP.  Also, these two factions are basically their own seperate entities with absolutely no ties to the heart of the server, the Ziggurat.

[SnottySnitch]

On top of this, it almost feels as if the current factions are just re-packagings of things we've already seen on EFU.

The Stygian Armada, as a whole, just gives me the feel of an NPC-heavy Montezzi faction. The fact that it has, so far, acted virtually the same way (except all but marching in open warfare style) doesn't really help it.

The Fleet just seems like surface Seekers on ships, except these guys are just too uninterested in anything landbound to bother opposing the Stygians.

The Malatestas just seem like another one of the greedy, Lawful evil, powerhungry politician clans - of which there were dozens on EFU. Illario Dentra? Or Pyotr Ignatiev? Anyways, it just seems like a surface revamp/meld of the Spellguard, with less Magic, and the Archibalds.

It just seems like... the same old in new packages. Except with less mystery and backstory. Sorry to say, but that's just the impression I get. I'd rather try to make my own faction, or help other players in the building of theirs, than have Tetrarch Burkden give me that surface version of a Spellguard Commander Simms rant. I think that goes for many of the older players - now that we have the chance, we'd rather hang back and help other players, or do other things involving players, than get tied into DM factions which seem a bit too similar for fun.

[Ladocicea]

Tbh the factions don't really seem that appealing to me!

You've got CG Anti-pirate pirates,   CE pirates,  Elven CG Loot hoarders,  and a bunch of swindling merchants.


There is not enough mystique or motivation to join them IC, for me. Factions like the watch and spellguard, had a history to them. They were so awesome that you wanted to be a part of them.

Not really feeling that with the new factions!

This has hit a nerve with me.

Are you suggesting that the DMs responsible for these factions are only capable of making one sided, one dimensional factions and NPCs?

I dedicated a good month to working out the deep, rich history behind the Malatesta Household, and how this history would affect the goings on in game in mysterious way as burried family secrets slowly came to surface.

I would be very offended that you are willing to sweep aside all that work I and my fellow DMs have put into fleshing out our factions and making them as "real" as possible with a brash and thoughtless comment that doesn't in any way reflect the reality of the quality of the material being produced for this game if I didn't find it so damned laughable.

No more comments like these please. My frustration is specifically because I've put so much work into a faction that isn't being filled up or enjoyed by a lot of people. If you find our factions shallow, it's you that hasn't worked hard enough, or dug deep enough.

[SnottySnitch]

It's not that it's not rich, or not thought through or too one-sided. It's just that now we have the chance of doing our own stuff, with our own people, and would rather do that, than spend a lot of time on applications and appeasing various NPCs with which we only have fleeting relations, and on the whole seem to pursue agendas very similar to what we've seen before.

Since a lot of people are doing the above, the lazy bunch who just want factions handed to them on a platter are more likely to get involved in player factions than DM factions, or not to get involved in factions at all - since player factions require more work, and are more visible than the DM ones.

Personally, I think the player factions are the great thing about EFU:A. I don't feel like I'm tied to having to cope with various lvl 15 NPCs, or other "static" influences. It makes for a more dynamic and more diverse environment. This is great, imho.

[Cruzel]

Are you suggesting that the DMs responsible for these factions are only capable of making one sided, one dimensional factions and NPCs?

Not at all.  I'm saying that these factions just don't have the Oomph the old ones did From an outsider view. There is nothing really there for the average player to learn more about their history, or to really delve.

Some minor quests to involve the average player even slightly and show them more about the faction will almost certainly get them motivated.The factions right now are basically entirely PC represented. This means a lot of people are missing out due to timezones, and don't really have a chance to learn more about the factions, and therefore no real reason to want to join them.

[Ladocicea]

Again, Snotty, your reducing of my faction down to nothing more than Illario Dentra and Pytor Igantiev copies finds me in a state of absolute despair.

It's shit like that which makes me wonder why I bother.

[putrid_plum]

You left out the Stewards of the Ark faction, which is extremely awesome I must say.  It is old and has ties in the Underdark as well as on the surface, before and present.  I agree with Lado, join factions!!!  You say they are dull or boring.  Have you been it it?  You know alot fo times they keep faction things... SECRET.  You may have no freaking idea what they are about or even what they are REALLY doing.  If you think they are doing a bad job as PCs in moving the faction forward, then, JOIN it and move it the way you want to.  PCs have alot of power to influence the game world and faction.

The DMs put alot fo work into faction.  They are there for a reason.  The most fun I've had on EFU was in DM made factions, minus one but really it's worth the effort to apply.

[SnottySnitch]

I think you missed the point. :/ But hey, sorry if I insulted you - was just speaking my mind.

Imho, it creates a rather vicious cycle, all the secrecy. A faction is awesome. But the only way to know that it's awesome is to be in it. The only rason to join a faction is if it's awesome - but you don't know if it's awesome unless you're already in there. Catch 22.

What it all boils down to, is that the PC factions of EFU:A are more dynamic, more flexible, much more involved in everything and everywhere, and has a much greater diversity of great characters to interact with. That doesn't make DM factions, or the Malatestas bad, it just makes PC factions better.  

Again, just my two cents - but hey, if you weren't interested in my two cents, why bother with posting the thread?

[Mort]

Well! Similarly to how the Stewards, and the others have an history to them.

These factions do too and I'd rather have them be filled with high-quality characters than quantity. It's just my preference. I'm really not offended by people choosing not to join them or not. Meaning that even if people WANT to join them, and the factions dont seem to have a lot of people in them, we arent going to lower our standards (Well, I'm not). They have lots to offer, yes, most of it may have not been communicated well enough, yet.

And I'm not convinced that it is because factions in EfU had an 'history' to them. Hells, these factions have a very distinct history to which tends to be known only by faction-members or people that make an effort to learn it.

They are meant to be a tool for your entertainment in the end. Take advantage of that or not. Factions in EfU were empty at times and it wasn't that much of an issue, it happens that some players tend to have a more pro-active server-healthy agenda than most, and these players tended to make an effort to be in the factions and make them shine.

I'm more willing to accept that it is because we didn't have time to promote or introduce the intricacies and were more dependent upon players to build such intricacies which led to this Sanctuarian-loophole that these factions have been introduced to oppose each-others in direct PvP (which is far from true!).

But it isn't due to anyone's fault, just the dichotomous kind of thinking that is inherent to humans. If we introduce a faction who'se goals aren't clear and have a more enigmatic agenda and then we introduce a faction who'se goals are precise and seem to be a 'fill_in_the_blanks' in order to oppose the faction above it would lead to this misinterpretation.

Besides, although, we are opened -- I would still refer to the server as a beta-stage as there are tons of things we wish to implement and work on but are being delayed upon for various RL constraints -- Tonight being part of it.

[putrid_plum]

First of all the application process is not that hard.  People make it out to be some impossible feat of engineering.  Really if your application makes sense it is likey to be approved, especially for a DM faction.  If you have doubts you can also ask a DM to aid you with information you may need or just general help with the application.

The reason for joining a faction is not because it is 'awesome' and you want in on that.  You join because it makes sense for your PC or you want to do things besides questing and slaying said orc for the 90th time.  Sure you have to answer to NPCs but that is the fun part!! The NPCs are really really fun and add flavore.  Intryzz was an NPC and most would say he was kick ass.  That goes for many of the old ones too and ones you probably never saw in hidden or more secret factions.

If you don't want to be in a sweet fun DM faction that is fine but really they probably are more than you all think.  The server is relativly new and they are building to things, in a little bit of time you will all see no doubt.  Then you will be going "MAN I WISH I HAD JOINED" when it's full of people and you can't now.