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Factions Reborn

SteeveeoSteeveeo Registered, Administrator Posts: 849
edited January 2012 in What's In Store #1
This was all too popular on the old McBuilds servers, and it brought a new level of comradery and competition between all players. Everyone was pretty much bummed to see it go, and I have received many a request to bring it back. I plan to bring it back and make it even better. So, here's the idea:

Right now, as of this writing, I am working on a base support system for Factions in the Dev server. The base thing will have an interface where a player can go to join a faction, make a faction, or view the current faction rosters. When looking at a player, their Faction Information will appear below their name in the color of the faction they belong to.

At this point, Factions are just a little ahead of where they were awhile back, as it's a little more than just a remembered title or a clan tag in a name, but little more than a label. What I am wondering from you guys is what kind of features would one expect from a system like this? What kind of features would you LIKE to see?

Limitations:
  • Needs to not interfere with or require any of the current systems, like UTeam or Autopromote.
  • This is not Faction Warfare, but rather the support system that will go into events like that.
  • It will NOT be required to join a faction, and will be designed solely for opt-in, team-based gameplay.

Now, currently, this is the list of features that I plan to include, and the list I need suggestions on:
  • A Derma interface for signing up to a faction.
  • An interface for interacting inside a faction which includes the following sub-features:
    • Faction-wide Announcements
    • A Faction Mission Statement (a MOTD, in other words) and editor.
    • PM mail system to send messages to offline and online members.
    • Administration for inviting users, kicking out members, and changing the faction settings (password protection, MOTD editor, whatever).
  • Each player in a faction will have a tag show up under their names when looked at, stating their faction affiliation.

Again, this is the base system I am talking about, so if anyone has any suggestions about that, post them here!
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Comments

  • JoeyJoey Registered Posts: 49
    Just some quick suggestions which might not be always possible or completely ridiclious:

    -Forced playermodels - Example: Faction A uses a combine soldier player model, whilst Faction B uses a zombine player model. (might not be possible because you might run out of models and different Factions might end up having the same model)
    -A tool which spawns a screen with a simple layout of the map, which has coloured dots showing the postion of members from the same Faction.
    -A private chat channel for each individial Faction. (much like the PM mail system)
    -An announcement which tells whenever a Faction wants to take over another Faction's planet. (Like a message pops up saying : Faction A is trying to take over our planet)
  • SteeveeoSteeveeo Registered, Administrator Posts: 849
    Joey wrote:
    Just some quick suggestions which might not be always possible or completely ridiclious:

    -Forced playermodels - Example: Faction A uses a combine soldier player model, whilst Faction B uses a zombine player model. (might not be possible because you might run out of models and different Factions might end up having the same model)
    -A tool which spawns a screen with a simple layout of the map, which has coloured dots showing the postion of members from the same Faction.
    -A private chat channel for each individial Faction. (much like the PM mail system)
    -An announcement which tells whenever a Faction wants to take over another Faction's planet. (Like a message pops up saying : Faction A is trying to take over our planet)

    - The first would interfere with UTeam.
    - The actual map can be made in E2, but I think I can add in a couple E2 functions to check Faction.
    - Definitely doable. How would this best be achieved, though? We already have All Chat and Team Chat taken by the base game, so maybe a little window to pop up?
    - Warfare is best unannounced. Also, I said this wasn't about the warfare. :P
  • JoeyJoey Registered Posts: 49
    Steeveeo wrote:
    - Definitely doable. How would this best be achieved, though? We already have All Chat and Team Chat taken by the base game, so maybe a little window to pop up?

    Maybe a window to pop up yes, sounds currently like the most (and onliest) viable option, you could make it so that it uses tabs, like All/Faction/PM - All is for all the Factions to chat with eachother. (Much like All chat but then only for factions.) The faction tab is going to be a private chat. PM for sending PM's. I do not have any knowledge on how to implement all this, i'm just here helping with ideas.
    But what you could also do is a similair program like Team Speak. But instead of using Mics, you could use Chat and accesable in-game.
  • SteeveeoSteeveeo Registered, Administrator Posts: 849
    Heh, if only I had access to the mic input and where it directs to, could make a Faction Voice button. Anyone have a clue if this is possible?
  • AmaroqAmaroq Registered, Administrator Posts: 450
    In a sense, it is. But it'd interfere with the current UTeam that we have, and it'd also prevent being able to talk with anyone other than the people within your faction. The closest you could do would be a Faction-only chat function.

    Also, if anything.. I think the way factions should be able to be set up could be very similar to Champions Online. It works very effectively, and it's not difficult to manage in the least.

    Also, Factions can't own planets. No one can. You can go outside and say it's yours, but it won't really do much to stop people from going in there anyways. Not to mention that if anyone who wasn't in a faction tried to enter a planet, it'd have to spam the messages to everyone in the server each time.
  • SteeveeoSteeveeo Registered, Administrator Posts: 849
    Amaroq wrote:
    Also, if anything.. I think the way factions should be able to be set up could be very similar to Champions Online. It works very effectively, and it's not difficult to manage in the least.
    As far as I know, you're the only one here who plays that, please clarify.
  • AmaroqAmaroq Registered, Administrator Posts: 450
    Hrm.. Well, it's.. hard to put into words. I guess what I could do it kind of describe the process it goes through, and how it works.

    Factions are, more or less, guilds. Not entirely the same of course, being Gmod, but their dynamics are very similar. So this could very well apply.

    For one, I say that being able to create a faction should have some form of hour requirement. Otherwise newbs could spam new Factions and all that.

    Most of what you said would work out for that. I have a pretty good idea of how to work out the derma menus. I'd need a bit of time to kind of.. formalize it, I guess you could say. Get the details into a proper setting. Feel free to change it up of course, I just feel like it's a really good base to start with.
  • Psi-Xi 7Psi-Xi 7 Registered Posts: 28
    Fun!
    However, I do not completely agree with an hour requirement for a faction, however I do agree that something has to be done to eliminate faction spam.

    Suggestion:
    1 Players can petition to form a faction.
    2 The "starter" (leader) of this petition must outline the basis of the faction being created.
    3 This is then reviewed by administrators or moderators and if deemed reasonable, the faction is created.
    4 All members that joined in the petition are entered into the faction.

    Now I can understand how 2/3 are unneeded, however, I believe that a faction shouldn't be allowed to be formed with simply one player.
    Since I have no idea if this could even work or not, I will let the experts of Diaspora decide.
  • AmaroqAmaroq Registered, Administrator Posts: 450
    Well, in Champions, you needed a full team of 5 people with at least 20 hours for each person to be able to make it. I'm not saying this should be the same here, but that's how that worked.

    But on the basis for the Faction itself, in terms of menus, it has a pretty good way to go about it. The settings would be have to be through some kind of txt file. Look at these:

    http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m289/white_wolf_amaroq/News.jpg

    http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m289/white_wolf_amaroq/Events.jpg

    http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m289/white_wolf_amaroq/Roster.jpg

    http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m289/white_wolf_amaroq/Information.jpg

    http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m289/white_wolf_amaroq/Settings.jpg


    This is what it looks like in Champions. I'd say it's a pretty good base to start with, and then edit freely from there to fit our needs. Just a personal opinion, anyways. Not everything is possible here, I know, but most of it is.


    EDIT: The right of the images appear to have been cut off. Kinda bites.
  • OneAndOnlyOneAndOnly Registered Posts: 38
    Factions! Finally :P !
  • KatelynKatelyn Registered, Administrator Posts: 171
    Adding to what Psi mentioned. You need at least say, 3 or more people, that want to join the faction including yourself in order for the faction to be official.

    The real question though is what is the point of factions. Is it going to be a domination type event? Death match? Capture the flag/orb/thing? If so, how will points be recorded? Do factions on top receive anything?
  • AmaroqAmaroq Registered, Administrator Posts: 450
    As far as I know, they're just for the sake of being in them. In-community organization, sharing of technology and ships, organizing events, stuff like that. Though, inter-faction stuff could prove to be quite fun.
  • SteeveeoSteeveeo Registered, Administrator Posts: 849
    Katelyn wrote:
    Adding to what Psi mentioned. You need at least say, 3 or more people, that want to join the faction including yourself in order for the faction to be official.

    The real question though is what is the point of factions. Is it going to be a domination type event? Death match? Capture the flag/orb/thing? If so, how will points be recorded? Do factions on top receive anything?
    As I've said twice now, this is just the Factions Core. This is what that warfare stuff would USE for granting points and whatnot, should we get that far.
  • Thel1stlSnowGuyThel1stlSnowGuy Registered Posts: 13
    As it stands, server's only have so many slots (10 in the FastDL, and I believe 14 in the Dev last I checked) thusforth, forming factions requiring more than two players to form it, would greatly limit factions forming in a session to 3 assuming that it is full and those 10 players are on until the next server restart. My approch to forming would be starting out with two players (Founder and Co-founder) and have those who want to join, join thru a seperate way (Like thru Derma as previously suggested mind you all).

    Of course, there's also the issues of spamming and I strongly go with Amaroq''s hour requirement. Just don't make it too high, but don't make it too low, finding a minimum balance hour is up to you guys (since I'm not part of the staff myself, I really have no say in this for those people who think I do).

    Also like to bring up Katelyn's concern with the warfare, which I know we will get to it eventually if at all, but this is something I want to bring up now as more of a reference. Before Diaspora, when Mcbuild was like right on that border of collapsing (and those who came from there, you know it was at the time. Don't try to deny it) most Faction battles, whether just slaying or an objective, were done in space. Now when ever this base of Steeve's get done, and were able to make factions, there should be events for more groundside Faction battles. While the Space Combat remains as it has.

    Well there's my two cents so far out of this...and yes Steeve I KNOW the 3rd part doesn't relate to what you are doing. If anything else I can think up , well then I'm most likely going to post them after, as others would most likely reply from this time of the post until then...
    jaxxr92.png
  • KatelynKatelyn Registered, Administrator Posts: 171
    Steeveeo wrote:
    Katelyn wrote:
    As I've said twice now, this is just the Factions Core. This is what that warfare stuff would USE for granting points and whatnot, should we get that far.

    If it is what it would use for granting points, don't you need to know how points are scored?
  • Psi-Xi 7Psi-Xi 7 Registered Posts: 28
    Katelyn wrote:
    Steeveeo wrote:
    Katelyn wrote:

    If it is what it would use for granting points, don't you need to know how points are scored?

    An excellant point is made there, perhaps points wouldnt be on the game itself? I personally cannot think of another way to tally them.
  • SteeveeoSteeveeo Registered, Administrator Posts: 849
    Katelyn wrote:
    Steeveeo wrote:
    Katelyn wrote:
    As I've said twice now, this is just the Factions Core. This is what that warfare stuff would USE for granting points and whatnot, should we get that far.

    If it is what it would use for granting points, don't you need to know how points are scored?
    Guess I mistyped. I meant that the Warfare addon would use this, along with its own ruleset, to determine who GETS the points. The Faction Core idea is nothing more than parsing the users into persistent groups, which helper functions that return who's what and where (maybe even sub-ranks, like Amaroq's screenshots show).

    The actual Warfare module would use the helper functions, like Ply:GetFaction() or Ent:GetFactionOwner() or whatever in conjunction with the Space Combat addon to determine who gets points when cores explode (if any).

    Does that make more sense?
  • AmaroqAmaroq Registered, Administrator Posts: 450
    So far, no one has commented on my ideas for how the design/functionality of the system should base off of. Any comments/ideas?
  • SteeveeoSteeveeo Registered, Administrator Posts: 849
    The tabs are actually similar to what I am doing with it already, heh.
  • AmaroqAmaroq Registered, Administrator Posts: 450
    What about the interface within each tab? Good, bad?
  • SteeveeoSteeveeo Registered, Administrator Posts: 849
    Probably not so much on there for now, it doesn't need to be TOO awfully complex. However, as it evolves, we can add more features as needed.
  • Nielk1Nielk1 Registered, Administrator Posts: 252
    You can use steam groups for the system if you want. Then E2s can check steam group membership for things.

    Will the ADARI come back?

    Can we only invite ppl who don't suck into the ADARI?
  • TikiWikiTikiWiki Registered Posts: 5
    ADARI Best be coming back. I would join that in a heartbeat. Also this looks exactly like the guild(or whatever you want to call it) system from city of heroes... Still is a good layout.
  • AmaroqAmaroq Registered, Administrator Posts: 450
    So. How's teh faction stuff coming along?
  • SteeveeoSteeveeo Registered, Administrator Posts: 849
    Halted due to major workload.
  • Alex4921Alex4921 Registered Posts: 139
    Still halted or is it continuing?
    The quieter you are,the more you are able to hear.
  • SteeveeoSteeveeo Registered, Administrator Posts: 849
    If someone else would like to work on it, I'll throw it up on the server for one of the devs.

    So far, though, nobody really has expressed interest in such.
  • the forcethe force Registered Posts: 36
    i want them back
  • SteeveeoSteeveeo Registered, Administrator Posts: 849
    the force wrote:
    i want them back
    That's nice; we're talking about the support system for it, however.
  • roychookroychook Registered Posts: 23
    just wondering when is this going to take affect by any chance its probably been a long time since anyone has checked this but anyways it sounds really interesting my question is if there is going to be some hierarchy in each faction so somone can manage it or i just missed that part :D

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