To get back to the "faction" problem ( the buoys have been discussed already 
).
It's true that they are a bit troubling. While running the Pirate job's in the game, i ended up shooting down several militia fighters ( dident really have a choice, they gangbanged me right from the jump point ). The effect was, almost every system now is hostile, sinds almost every system has militia units. Yet, i only shot them originaly down in one system.
Same deal with the Kilrathi, somehow i have a perfect score with them becouse i killed a lot of Retro's ( who are supply'ed by the kilrathi as saboteurs somebody pointed out ). Who do i gain favorable rating with the Kilrathi for shooting pirates.
If we look at it from a race perspective, the Kilrathi are a samurai like warrior race. So shooting down those honorless pirates is not a bad thing in there eye's. But, why do they even know I shot them down. My actions are know all over the place, now that's kinde strange isent it. A galaxy with how many billion people, and yet, every faction respons to my actions directly.
I posted this before, but it may be better to take a look at Space Rangers 1. I'm using this a referance a lot, becouse they have been able to create a living universe, with a constantly moving front.
In SR1, the object is, to a) take back the universe b) take out a 1 of 2 super ships ( story related ). Option (a) is done by removing all enemy presents in a sector.
For instance, lets say Sol is under enemy controll. The enemy is able to create ships on the planet's, and after a while, they fill up a fleet, and it move's out to conquer the next system.
Your own allies do the same thing ( the confed equivalent ... ships from a race will try to take back those sector's, aided by the rangers faction when there are ships around ). The entire game sector's will be taken, sector's will be lost ( i've even heared where the game ( you start with +- 20% of the sector's in allies control ), where people after xx turns even up with only 2 of 3 allied sector's ( of the 50 or 70? ).
A enemy attacking a sector will show op in your nav map as such ( a contested area ), same with sector's owned by your alliance or the enemy.
Your alliance consists of 7 race's who controle sector's or sometime's dual controle a sector.
If you can remove the enemy presents, you are rewarded with xp, and some other stuff sometime's ( artifacts ). At the same time, missions or quest's can be flown/done to get you your money, trade etc, the basic privateer stuff.
While the race's can be looked upon as faction's like privateer, they differ a lot at the same time. Landing on a planet of a faction you have a bad rep with, means you can't access some things ( like buying stuff ( equipment or goods ) , missions etc ). But, it's not a global thing ( you need to be a real pig, to turn the entire faction hostile to you. Most of the effect's are a) planet based b) sector based c) and finally race / faction based. Also, you can redeam yourself to by a) killing enemy's of that race/faction b) doing missions for that race/faction c) by paying a brible to the planet ( so even with the entire race/faction may want your blood, a well placed bribe can turn a hostile planet into a neutral one for the time ).
Why did i explain all this long winded story. Becouse it think it's possible to add some of this stuff.
Instait of running into a few conf & kilrathi fighters dogging it out, in reality it need to be fleets. You with your tiny ship dont need to conquer the sector's, but your help can make the differance. Take out several kilrathi fighters, and it may give the confed fighter fleet the needed breathing room to allow bombers to target there cap ships, and weaken them some more.
In a later part of the game, when you have the money, you can start 'liberating' sector's with your own fleet.
Also, in this basis, what's there to prevent you from becoming a Kilrathi, and try to conquer the universe as there ally.
There need to be a end. It's all good & well a open universe, but after a while, there needs to come a end to the game ( in general, the moment you become to powerfull & can conquer sector after sector widout much problem , then the game ends automaticly, sinds you own the entire worlds, aka end of war ). This rule's out the boring factor, where you in Privateer finished all the missions & become to powerfull, and the game become's a bore after it.
The fun is getting from your little ship, to better ships, to gaining a carrier ( missions needed ofcourse to gain access to xxx ships & tech ), and other cap ships if needed. We have a linear path here, so it become's easy'er to script toword this.
A lot of ships / equipment can be discribed as 2 part's. a) civilian b) militairy.
With missions you can gain access to militair equipment before they hit the civilian market. Cap ships can only be gained with missions ( or for the explorers, you maybe can find a few very very old cap ships ( note: flying wreks ). Militairy equipment reaces the civil market after xx time periode ( + random factor ). Some militairy equipment can be gotten from black market at high price's before that timeframe.
Daim, need to stop writing
Side note: Also a consequence of contraband smugling or piracy in SR1 if you land on a planet, is you get jailed ( show a little old text based quest system to get out of it or take the punishment ). I'm pointing this out, sinds planets & bases are a bit way to easygoing on you currently.
).It's true that they are a bit troubling. While running the Pirate job's in the game, i ended up shooting down several militia fighters ( dident really have a choice, they gangbanged me right from the jump point ). The effect was, almost every system now is hostile, sinds almost every system has militia units. Yet, i only shot them originaly down in one system.
Same deal with the Kilrathi, somehow i have a perfect score with them becouse i killed a lot of Retro's ( who are supply'ed by the kilrathi as saboteurs somebody pointed out ). Who do i gain favorable rating with the Kilrathi for shooting pirates.
If we look at it from a race perspective, the Kilrathi are a samurai like warrior race. So shooting down those honorless pirates is not a bad thing in there eye's. But, why do they even know I shot them down. My actions are know all over the place, now that's kinde strange isent it. A galaxy with how many billion people, and yet, every faction respons to my actions directly.
I posted this before, but it may be better to take a look at Space Rangers 1. I'm using this a referance a lot, becouse they have been able to create a living universe, with a constantly moving front.
In SR1, the object is, to a) take back the universe b) take out a 1 of 2 super ships ( story related ). Option (a) is done by removing all enemy presents in a sector.
For instance, lets say Sol is under enemy controll. The enemy is able to create ships on the planet's, and after a while, they fill up a fleet, and it move's out to conquer the next system.
Your own allies do the same thing ( the confed equivalent ... ships from a race will try to take back those sector's, aided by the rangers faction when there are ships around ). The entire game sector's will be taken, sector's will be lost ( i've even heared where the game ( you start with +- 20% of the sector's in allies control ), where people after xx turns even up with only 2 of 3 allied sector's ( of the 50 or 70? ).
A enemy attacking a sector will show op in your nav map as such ( a contested area ), same with sector's owned by your alliance or the enemy.
Your alliance consists of 7 race's who controle sector's or sometime's dual controle a sector.
If you can remove the enemy presents, you are rewarded with xp, and some other stuff sometime's ( artifacts ). At the same time, missions or quest's can be flown/done to get you your money, trade etc, the basic privateer stuff.
While the race's can be looked upon as faction's like privateer, they differ a lot at the same time. Landing on a planet of a faction you have a bad rep with, means you can't access some things ( like buying stuff ( equipment or goods ) , missions etc ). But, it's not a global thing ( you need to be a real pig, to turn the entire faction hostile to you. Most of the effect's are a) planet based b) sector based c) and finally race / faction based. Also, you can redeam yourself to by a) killing enemy's of that race/faction b) doing missions for that race/faction c) by paying a brible to the planet ( so even with the entire race/faction may want your blood, a well placed bribe can turn a hostile planet into a neutral one for the time ).
Why did i explain all this long winded story. Becouse it think it's possible to add some of this stuff.
Instait of running into a few conf & kilrathi fighters dogging it out, in reality it need to be fleets. You with your tiny ship dont need to conquer the sector's, but your help can make the differance. Take out several kilrathi fighters, and it may give the confed fighter fleet the needed breathing room to allow bombers to target there cap ships, and weaken them some more.
In a later part of the game, when you have the money, you can start 'liberating' sector's with your own fleet.
Also, in this basis, what's there to prevent you from becoming a Kilrathi, and try to conquer the universe as there ally.
There need to be a end. It's all good & well a open universe, but after a while, there needs to come a end to the game ( in general, the moment you become to powerfull & can conquer sector after sector widout much problem , then the game ends automaticly, sinds you own the entire worlds, aka end of war ). This rule's out the boring factor, where you in Privateer finished all the missions & become to powerfull, and the game become's a bore after it.
The fun is getting from your little ship, to better ships, to gaining a carrier ( missions needed ofcourse to gain access to xxx ships & tech ), and other cap ships if needed. We have a linear path here, so it become's easy'er to script toword this.
A lot of ships / equipment can be discribed as 2 part's. a) civilian b) militairy.
With missions you can gain access to militair equipment before they hit the civilian market. Cap ships can only be gained with missions ( or for the explorers, you maybe can find a few very very old cap ships ( note: flying wreks
). Militairy equipment reaces the civil market after xx time periode ( + random factor ). Some militairy equipment can be gotten from black market at high price's before that timeframe.Daim, need to stop writing
Side note: Also a consequence of contraband smugling or piracy in SR1 if you land on a planet, is you get jailed ( show a little old text based quest system to get out of it or take the punishment ). I'm pointing this out, sinds planets & bases are a bit way to easygoing on you currently.
