Avonmora Guild Upgrade Discussion

[Sir Thalius Hayle]

Alrighty...

Thoughts on upgrades for guilds in the game- A big issue, and one I would be excited to see expanded (hopefully soon). This post is to throw some ideas out and get a broader discussion going on the topic. I will link to other suggestions that I have seen and would be glad to see implemented, but honestly I could not find much in the search results. I know there has to be more out there, but the search results just don't seem to turn up much unless you know what to look for. Looking for the topic "Guild" will render no results as apparently the word is too commonly used...

I have several ideas I wish to offer for discussion on the topic of improving the role of guilds in the game. These are listed in order of importance, in my mind:

Guild Treasury

First is the suggestion for a much needed guild treasury.

This would allow for guilds to collect funds through fees/guild taxes that would allow the guild to reward/reimburse guild members for actions taken on the guilds behalf. This includes rewarding new players for advancing in the game or investing in a guild member for one reason or another.

A Guild Treasury would also be needed in order to implement any of the following suggestions.

Guild Warehouse

For the next two features, a guild warehouse is needed that the guild could upgrade and where the guild members could store items for use by the guild. Not much explanation is needed for this one, basically just a warehouse for a guild. Items deposited could be used only for guild related building projects or sold. Funds from any sales would go into the guild treasury.

Guild Hive/Stronghold

Guilds should be able to build a defensive structure. I have heard that CJ and the dev. team have discussed this before, and the name that would be given to them if/when they were added to the game would be to call them Guild Hives. This would protect the guild's financial reserves and warehouse storage, and give something to be targeted in guild wars.

Shadowood had an interesting suggestion for a friendly competition among guilds, but the idea could be expanded to form the base for how an assault on a guild hive would work, and how a guild could defend against such an assault. Link: viewtopic.php?f=4&t=4011&hilit=guild+wars#p60728

Guild Tech

I will link to a post by Shadowood for this one- a great suggestion for a guild based tech tree: viewtopic.php?f=4&t=3802&hilit=tech+tree#p54983

My only thought would be to limit the amount of research that can be done in a certain area, as Maha suggested in a response to Shadowood's idea: viewtopic.php?f=4&t=3802&hilit=tech+tree&start=10#p55013. Making the tech tree fork, and the guild have to choose what area they wanted to improve tech in, would bring diversity to the guilds under such a system. Some could favor trade, others favor combat, others favor piracy... or allow them to be mediocre in several or all areas.

If the amount of tech advancement a guild can progress in is not limited, we will end up right back were we are with no real distinction in fighting ability, and tech won't mean much.

Guild Owned Shipwrights

I have already posted on this topic, but it has some room for development. Never the less, you can find the thread here: viewtopic.php?f=5&t=4018&p=61039&hilit=custom+shipwright#p61026

Guild Store

This feature would only work if something along the lines of another suggestion Shadowood made a while back were implemented- that idea being to create a new hideout building called a Foundry where players could research, develop, and produce various tech items. A guild store would provide a place where guild members could sell their wares, and provide an income to the guild as a tax could be placed on the sale of the items. This could work in conjunction with a guild operated Shipwright, thus allowing guilds to sell custom ships, and custom tech produced by their members. Link for the Foundry post here: viewtopic.php?f=4&t=3073&hilit=foundry#p41391

Guild Controlled Artifacts

An interesting suggestion was made a while back entitled "Pieces of Eight" by Hellfire. You can read it here: viewtopic.php?f=4&t=188&hilit=Pieces+of+Eight#p966

If artifacts were added to the game though, and I hope they are at some point, I think it would be much more enjoyable if guilds could capture and hold these items in their strongholds. Guild members would reap the benefits of the artifacts their guild controlled, and artifacts could be stolen during a guild war/raid on a guild's stronghold. This would give guilds something to hunt for and protect, and something more to fight for than just gold and fame (not that those two things are not worth fighting for ).

I would suggest artifacts would be discovered under some sort of an exploration feature that allowed for exploration either inside of the known Avonmora proper, or under an exploration feature that allows players to explore the unknown beyond the edges of the map (or both). (Link to suggestion for adventure/exploration topic I am referencing is here: viewtopic.php?f=5&t=4043&p=61541&hilit=adventure+update#p61499)

All of these things would give guilds something to work together on to build, to defend, to produce, to research, to search for, and ultimately to protect. This would do a LOT to add incentive for new players to advance in the game, and give them something to do as they work through the more difficult aspects of the game that they face early on. It would also increases the significance of being in a guild, and the guild's role in the game- which can only help with enjoyment of the game as well as with player retention, in my humble opinion.

I know there is a lot in this post, and each item could use its own thread, but I wanted to get all my thoughts on this issue in one place. Hope it is not too much to digest.

Respectfully submitted...

~TH~

[D00T]

+1

[William one eye]

I personally think that most of your suggestions would make guilds overpowered, but I am not saying they should not be discussed.

I would suggest a restricted chat and or message board function added. - This would allow guilds concerned with new members being spies, as safeguarded chat area for war and similar purposes. I feel it would encourage welcoming and allowing new members that your guild might not fully trust but would still like to include. This would function based upon guild rank determined by the guild master.


I would also suggest guild polls. simply an in guild message board section where you can create polls for guild members to vote on.
vote weight would be determined based upon ranks set up by the guild master.

RE artifacts.

First I am going to admit I did not read the old thread about artifacts. Sorry if I am way off, or am copying someone else's idea.

I like the idea of guild based artifacts.
An item, found in a mission designed for multiple guild players to undertake.
An item that gives a small bonus to some aspect of the game for all member of the guild that hold it.
The item that then can be captured / stolen from the guild and held by another guild.

I suggest the item could potentially be lost during an attempted captured or theft.
and then missions would need to be re run to find it again.

I would say you have a set number of artifacts, and missions to find them are posted for all guilds to attempt, until a guild has complete the missions and found the artifact, and then the mission will not return until the artifact has been lost.

I would like to see some sort of function or measures that a guild can take to protect an artifact. Perhaps with a trade off.
the better protected the less bonus it gives.

I would like to see a route for both guild capture of an artifact via some sort of guild based attack,
and also a route for theft of an artifact.

Possible multi piece artifacts was also a good idea. Some artifacts could yield increased bonus if multiple or all parts of the artifact are held.

[William one eye]

.

[PhoenixKnight]

While I am for most of your suggestions, I think we need to give nations similar powers as the guilds where rule breakers can also be kicked out.
More often than not, things are done for the guilds that drag nations to it

[Haron]

While I am for most of your suggestions, I think we need to give nations similar powers as the guilds where rule breakers can also be kicked out.
More often than not, things are done for the guilds that drag nations to it

I disagree with this. In my opinion, a guild is owned and controlled by a player. A nation is for anyone to join and fight for, or join as a rebel or revolutionist. I do not want players to "own" nations. I prefer to reserve such options for guilds only.

[PhoenixKnight]

While I am for most of your suggestions, I think we need to give nations similar powers as the guilds where rule breakers can also be kicked out.
More often than not, things are done for the guilds that drag nations to it

I disagree with this. In my opinion, a guild is owned and controlled by a player. A nation is for anyone to join and fight for, or join as a rebel or revolutionist. I do not want players to "own" nations. I prefer to reserve such options for guilds only.

Haron, when you get people asking you to hold your nation players accountable and you can do nothing to keep them in line, then you have a problem. We have nation diplomacy now but the only measure you have is the automated hostility law. Other violations of agreements are not punished. If you have a spy or an enemy of the crown, you cannot even lick them out or banish or anything. If nations cannot Control the affiliations and the behavior of citizens then nations should not be held accountable for the actions of the players especially if the players are acting based on guild affiliation.

We have a very good and very recent example of that issue that you know very well

[Haron]

Yes, and I think this works well. I think this is as it should be. Holding a nation leader responsible for the action of a nation's citizens is, of course, not very sensible, as the King can't control the citizens. That doesn't mean a player can't try, if course, but that's more like asking the king to put pressure on a player - something most other players could have done equally well.

Giving nations such tools will remove much of the interesting play inside nations. I say nobody should ever own a nation. One should have to constantly fight for control, in my opinion.

[Shadowood]

While I am for most of your suggestions, I think we need to give nations similar powers as the guilds where rule breakers can also be kicked out.
More often than not, things are done for the guilds that drag nations to it

I have to agree with Haron on this and that Nations and Guilds are 100% different and need to be treated as such.

Admin has given nations some more control recently with the EoTC feature and Honor and Hostility changes. I am sure you can revise some of your laws to help make it difficult for your nation outlaws.

Now in regards to the topic at hand.

+1

[William one eye]

Might I suggest more power to the ruling nation party with the addition of
Resistance and Civil War option for nations.

A player of group of players can claim they are the resistance to the ruling party.
This would actually be something they declare in their nation status.
Members of the resistance would have a different nation control board.
If they grow in power to a large enough force they can start a civil war.

I have only thought about this for a few minutes, so not a lot of details on my ideas yet.


also this discussion should be moved to a new thread.