What you like:
I like the idea behind this. I do still argue that the point of factions is for players to make their own identity. But, in the case of CoN, I feel like there was a bit too much player input required for that sort of thing to be viable for people who just want to jump in the action, and I feel this fits that just perfectly. This creates some avenues for having a direct interaction with lore completely unlike CoN, and contributing to the nation of the asian invasion for world domination sounds fun.
Also really love the attempts to expand on CoN, despite CoN's limits, though this does still feel like CoN, but 2.0. While it is great you're trying to provide a platform for new players, remember this is mainly going to have to benefit established factions more than noobs, since we want to move those noobs to actual factions, and not withhold them from the playerbase at large. Don't treat them like cattle, treat them like people, and take the 10 minutes it takes to explain Traits to them for goodness sake. But, I like the intent.
What you don't like:
How much like CoN it is. Straight up.
I feel like there's much more potential behind creating pre-set empires in factions that you can choose whether or not to participate in than simply wrapping it around CoN like cheap aluminum foil. At the end of the day, it'll still be the same sides not really doing all that much for it. But! At least it will be easier to access. Which I do like. Although, like I said above, I don't much like these starting empires that would clutch new players. This was tried on A'therys and most noobs would never join a player town because.. well.. the starting towns acted as an f home, had an ender chest, and gave you basics.
After reading the thread, I also question how many roleplayers you plan to try and lure over to capitals of each empire, considering they'd more or less be PVP-on if I'm understanding this right. Which defeats the whole purpose behind this setup, as roleplayers rarely leave their favorite parts of Regalia, or venture outside the walls of Regalia (despite the nobility estates!) back in V4 (Except for a certain wayward vampire group that took refuge in a farm, then a cave, then a huge ruins. Hehe.) There needs to be some sort of other selling point, honestly, as the divide between factions/rp is too great at this time to really consider merging them like so.
I don't like how shallow the example factions are, I know they're just examples, but I'd like to see some collab with a lorestaff on writing something for Essalonia, something that's more fitting than asians randomly caring about wildlife preservation and qadir somehow being a dead race. If you're gonna go with making it lore-fit, go all the way, since this server is one of those servers that gives 110% on their lore and I think everyone would prefer to see this do the lore justice if this is meant to directly interact with lore.
I'm also noticing there's no inherent block to overcrowding one side. I know you subscribe to the idea that "if there's too many on one side they'll just naturally flow out" but let's be honest here, people get really sweaty for mineman. It's not necessary right now, and I don't personally think it's needed
too badly, but it's worth bringing up there may be a need for a hardcap on how many can crowd one faction versus every other faction, and design the system in such a way the leading staff of each empire may be tasked with balancing out things becoming too topheavy, at least so there's a fair balance between two empires. Mind, I don't mean skill-wise, but numbers wise.
The thing I absolutely hate the most though, is the lack of activities to do for an empire that don't have to do with PVP.
Like, really? You couldn't even be bothered to copy+paste the current economy points and build points currently in CoN and note them down as a work in progress? Makes me question the intent behind this, just a bit. Especially with the passive-aggressive jab of "show players staff care!!".
Well, being petty aside..
It seriously needs non-pvp elements to gain points, otherwise I couldn't imagine this being accepted. I'll outline some examples in the section under this. But this is an obvious one, factions is not just a PVP world, this has been established already in the thread.
But most ungodly of all, where are some rewards and premise behind it?
One of the problems currently plaguing CoN like a tumor is the fact that once all is said and done, the most you're getting out of it is MC pride and maybe a meme-y lore item. I feel like this needs to greatly differ from CoN's current form in that factions get tangible rewards. Chestfuls of Alchemy Reagents, various minerals and items, sets of armor.. christ, some item that makes you shoot fucking lasers out of your eyes! Literally anything but a pat on the back and being told "yeah ur totes rp'worth now
)" with no real effect.
What you'd do differently:
What I'd like to see is this conflicting directly with CoN as a starter. Have these upstart empires be one of the many pieces of the world wide game we're envisioning here. Join an Empire? You have instant comradery with other members of that Empire, access to the beating heart that is that Empire's capital. I'd like to see some nation-specific goods as well, which I'll describe in the Rewards section I'll write up. But in exchange, you're basically giving your efforts to a machine that you've chosen. Albeit a very efficient machine.
Or, you can go the solo route, become a great house of your own, almost akin to one of these Empires, but must do all the work yourself. But, you then gain your own path, your own will as a solo faction functioning as a great house, and these would follow the same routes as CoN.
I'd also like to see the Faith ideas we had play into this Empire vs CoN setup. Have the empires maintain their own Faith, and require each faction to follow that Faith, and only have the strengths, and weaknesses, of that faith, whilst the soloist factions instead may choose their own faiths. Of course, this is not required, as Tech is up to their ass in techwork to do, but faith tie-ins seem like a natural expansion on the Empires that would make sense as give-take effect on joining an empire.
I'd like to see the Empires levy taxes, requirements, etc on their factions, as this'd ensure anyone in it is invested in some way. Don't worry, I will draw out the rewards as my last section, so it's not just a mere setback to join an Empire, whilst the soloists may manage their taxes and the like by themselves.
As for the trying to lure roleplayers over.. I hate to say it, but consider getting assistance of a lorestaff. Each of these empires will have one thing in common in that they'd appeal to xenophobic/racist characters and, in the case of the vampire faction, appeal to those wanting a quick and easy place to retreat to. Remember roleplayers dislike things outside their control (hence why you rarely see people roleplay out getting diseased, getting an illness, dying of random causes unless they're shelfing/ending the character, stuff like vampirism being re-written to be 100% guaranteed infection rate because nobody would RP it out and even then apparently from what I read it's still fussy), or at least being given no warning.
So, I'd argue, maintain a PVP-off flag in these major capitals, but divide the capitals into sectors, districts, much like how Regalia is set up, and from there, allow PVP to be toggled on within a district from an invader's input, with a warning to any in that district. But I feel skeptical about even that level of protection.
For the factions themselves, I would love to see some flavor injected into them, because they feel rather dry at the moment. Of course, this may require some work/guidance from Lorestaff.
But as an example, like I'd described to Violettee in DMs.. consider swapping the vampire faction to be some sort of offshoot of the small nation of Dorkarth, which is an actual thing in lore as of right now, and even have a Bloodline of vampirism the nation has mutated. The nation is more or less a hierarchal land, with desprinces(ses), Varlords, Alais, and a few varghul sitting at the top, some varghul and other very strong/intelligent mutations leading the administration roles, some lower-end mutations making up the dark citizenry and then the actual still-uninfected cattle that the entire nation feeds on for survival, which they tend to replenish by raiding and injecting themselves into other lands around them. Dorkarth is also not *too far* from Essalonia, in fact it's much closer to Essa than it is Regalia, yet we have quite a handful of characters
from Dorkarth in Regalia. It's not hard to imagine there may be one of such groups trying to establish a foothold in Essalonia, and are welcoming any fanggots and ner-do-wells to assist them in such. Especially since it seems to be in such a state of turmoil, what with the Bazdari, Insani Inquisition (rip insani lmfao didn't even stick around for pvp to make a return), and Regalia trying to maintain some level of control in Essalonia.
For the anticrowding I mentioned above, I'd imagine anywhere from 2:1 to 1.75:1 ratio is safe and workable. This probably shouldn't be implemented early on, but left out until much later on when we have more than 20 people who would participate in this. But when the numbers get up to 100 or so, then overcrowding could definitely become a concern. So, when an empire starts approaching having twice as many active players as the next largest empire, it may be time to consider cutting that big ol' empire down, as much salt as this would summon. Just a thought if this goes big.
Now, seriously.
I'll hold back my salt for now, but this needs
some form of non-pvp point gain.
I don't care what, be it some form of non clicky-clicky event players take part in, like the normal non-pvp events we have now, attach point values to them. Or consider scaling the Economy rule in CoN, removing the cap on it (once we get rid of the dupers.), and making that effectively a point sink. Get the builders involved, provide points for them building their towns in the style of the empire in question. Make some of the baver-esque events that were suggested play into the empires, where representing your empire or CoN house grants points based on how well you do in the demonic invasion or whatever the hell happens. Point being, for the love of god, give us non-pvp point gains.
And lastly, Reward.
Why do I care about doing all this, what does doing well get me?
I could cop out and say it should be up to the staff leading the empires, but..
Consider guild-like rewards, with a tier system of faction contribution per month to gain and retain access to privileges within an Empire.
Consider things like access to unique traits and Faith bonuses.
Having a dubchest in the capital city that serves as a personal vault alongside other members of the empire.
Access to some sort of coffer or deposit you can draw some amount of items from daily.
Factions points via the new faction points mentioned in some of the more recent announcements.
Special empire-specific items that have unique effects, like bottled blood that heals unholy traited players only for the vampire faction, stuff like that.
You get the idea, put some weight behind being an Empire participant. Apply some weaknesses to balance it out for the Soloists.
Would you participate?
In it's current form? It's basically just reskinned CoN.
I really would prefer this to be more depthy than CoN, and fill in the gaps CoN has. I kinda technically already play in CoN, but very rarely do I actively do much with it. So, I guess yes? But not really? Very little appeals to me in this regard because if I wanted to RP, I'd just write a character for it.
if i missed anything in my post just poke me or something im done writing this now i'm taking up an entire page by myself lmfao
