Alliance Tokens A different way to form an alliance

  • Tybald
    Marauder
    Insider

    I want to throw @PinkKarma834915 a bone here. I like alliances in the main game, but there is definitely a trust issue in trying to get one started. You have to be too close, close enough see and make out the alliance flag. So, here is my proposal:

    Fireworks, and Alliance Tokens. Tokens are essentially hand-held alliance flags. One ship must give it's token to another. This can be done any number of ways. Meeting on a beach, rowboats in the middle of the water with the ships at a distance, a cannon shootable buoy that can be harpooned on, etc. An alliance is formed the other ship raises the first ships token on the flag pole. Joining an existing alliance token requires the "out" ship to pick up and raise the alliance token flag from the alliance ship.

    To facilitate longer distance communication, I say we use the flare/firework system. Add in a firework that stands for "Do you want to join an alliance", and a flare for "yes" and a flare for "no".

    This allows alliances to be proposed, and formed, at a safer distance.

    In effect, we are making alliances easier to set up, by making them a little harder to set up.

    (Edited to change join from a dual token exchange to a single token exchange)

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  • Metal Ravage
    Champion
    Insider
    Founder

    If I understand correctly with this post you are asking for a commitment to ally not just a request to ally and that might pose a problem.

    The alliance system in SOT is based purely on immediate needs not on a diplomatic act. In itself an alliance is a promise, that in the end a crew might select to honor or just use as a ploy to get the upper hand because you know...pirates.

  • Tybald
    Marauder
    Insider

    @metal-ravage

    Nothing changes to the alliance system itself, and betrayals are just as possible.

    What does change is that forming an alliance requires less "up front" trust. I don't trust you, so I'm going to put my token down and back away, or we can have representatives meet on an island/outpost with the ships at a distance.

    By requiring a bit more work, BUT, allowing the formation to be done "safely" it might actually allow more alliances to form, as you don't have to lower your guard as much to start the process.

    Then the betrayals happen.

  • Scheneighnay
    Ship Mate

    Being able to start one from a distance I think is the first step to an improved alliance system.

    It needs other reforms like better communication to actually make that alliance function as an alliance, but it's a start.

  • Tybald
    Marauder
    Insider

    @scheneighnay
    I think the biggest issue is that the alliance doesn't have to "work together" to maintain the alliance. For example, in the case of an alliance server, everyone is part of the same "team" but then goes and does their own thing (or assigned task as the case may be). The problem is, given the nature of the game, I don't know how you solve that particular issue. You might say that the if the ships split for more than X minutes, the alliance dissolves, but that idea falls apart if you think of using the ships to split a task up (such as digging up treasures on different islands on the same gold horders voyage, etc.

  • Scheneighnay
    Ship Mate

    @tybald said in Alliance Tokens A different way to form an alliance:

    @scheneighnay
    I think the biggest issue is that the alliance doesn't have to "work together" to maintain the alliance. For example, in the case of an alliance server, everyone is part of the same "team" but then goes and does their own thing (or assigned task as the case may be). The problem is, given the nature of the game, I don't know how you solve that particular issue. You might say that the if the ships split for more than X minutes, the alliance dissolves, but that idea falls apart if you think of using the ships to split a task up (such as digging up treasures on different islands on the same gold horders voyage, etc.

    Yeah it's a complex issue all around.

    Maybe add alliance voyages in some form?

  • Tybald
    Marauder
    Insider

    @scheneighnay said in Alliance Tokens A different way to form an alliance:

    @tybald said in Alliance Tokens A different way to form an alliance:

    @scheneighnay
    I think the biggest issue is that the alliance doesn't have to "work together" to maintain the alliance. For example, in the case of an alliance server, everyone is part of the same "team" but then goes and does their own thing (or assigned task as the case may be). The problem is, given the nature of the game, I don't know how you solve that particular issue. You might say that the if the ships split for more than X minutes, the alliance dissolves, but that idea falls apart if you think of using the ships to split a task up (such as digging up treasures on different islands on the same gold horders voyage, etc.

    Yeah it's a complex issue all around.

    Maybe add alliance voyages in some form?

    Possibly. You'd need to introduce something in the voyages that require at least 2 crews. Such as simultaneous delivery of two treasures that, if on the same ship, sink it.

  • Scheneighnay
    Ship Mate

    @tybald said in Alliance Tokens A different way to form an alliance:

    @scheneighnay said in Alliance Tokens A different way to form an alliance:

    @tybald said in Alliance Tokens A different way to form an alliance:

    @scheneighnay
    I think the biggest issue is that the alliance doesn't have to "work together" to maintain the alliance. For example, in the case of an alliance server, everyone is part of the same "team" but then goes and does their own thing (or assigned task as the case may be). The problem is, given the nature of the game, I don't know how you solve that particular issue. You might say that the if the ships split for more than X minutes, the alliance dissolves, but that idea falls apart if you think of using the ships to split a task up (such as digging up treasures on different islands on the same gold horders voyage, etc.

    Yeah it's a complex issue all around.

    Maybe add alliance voyages in some form?

    Possibly. You'd need to introduce something in the voyages that require at least 2 crews. Such as simultaneous delivery of two treasures that, if on the same ship, sink it.

    I was thinking not only a higher scale of difficulty that a single ship would struggle, but shared, more complex objectives.

    One that would fit the "simultaneous actions" one would be:
    "Hidden Spring Keep is defended by a forcefield, one crew must bring the ghost light to the beacon at Cannon Cove to bring the forcefield down, then defend the beacon while the other crew fights the skeleton lord"

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