Additional Reputation System

It's an interesting idea and other games do have similar type gimmicks where you pick a single faction to represent and get exclusive rewards from building up rep. The game that comes first to my mind is Destiny with its faction rep system and exclusive faction cosmetics.

But even Destiny lets players work on multiple factions, just not at the same time. Therefore ultimately it is basically just a time gated version of SoT's faction rep and cosmetic rewards system. In Destiny you had to pledge to a faction one at a time and couldn't grind all of them simultaneously like SoT. Honestly, while Destiny's factions system had the appeal of feeling like players were genuinely dedicated members of a faction I prefer the less time gated approach of SoT.

In my opinion it's too late in SoT's lifespan to introduce something like a faction loyalty system. Because the current faction system has been baked into the very core of the game's progression system. For example, can you imagine trying to grind the new Guardian and Servant curses if representing one faction lowers your rep for the other? It would just feel like artificially slowing player's progress down with no feeling of gameplay logic other than for an arbitrary sake of immersion.

@captain-plank definitely see what you’re saying but I think the whole reason we don’t have our reputation “lowered” if we go against the faction we’re gunning for, is for cosmetic purposes. We want the ability to unlock everything, if we hit 75 and unlocked what that had, then it got lowered, would that relock the access? Hard to get right like you said but I think it’s simpler not have it decrease for the purpose above.

@tesiccl That's why I wasn't suggesting we change what currently exists. Any new factions added should still follow the old formula. Rank up and unlock everything as normal.

This would be a separate rep system and shouldn't have cosmetics attached to it.

Maybe one way to think of it would be like having a passive emissary. You are getting some form of perk for being friendly with that faction. Could be gold. Could be a free supply crate when you log in. Some perk that gives an incentive to have a good reputation with a faction and maybe attempt to avoid loosing it with another.

@lordqulex I do like that idea. Would be nice if we had some way when looking at a captaincy ship to get an idea how likely they will be a threat.

Perhaps if working with a reputation system like I mentioned, there could be something in the captaincy banner when you spot a ship. An icon that would indicate negative or positive rep with different factions.

I think it would be interesting if you spot a ship and see they favor OoS, but clearly have been sinking Hoarders judging by the icon color. A Hoarder emissary will want to keep their distance. While an OoS emissary you might feel a bit safer. But still not a guarantee since it is still a pirate game after all.

This rep would increase when completing voyages for that faction as an emissary. Reach a high enough rep and you could gain access to some form of bonuses.

Isn't that just Emissary Flag? Grade 5 and you get bonus voyages.

The system is designed intentionally to entice you to steal from emissaries because it announces what faction they are for. Gold hoarders are intended to see that plump grade 5 gold hoarder emissary and want what they have.

I think this would be hard to implement, as that factions ship can attack you first. And if you land the first cannon or gun shot it would register as you attacked and sunk them.

So i dont think there should be any 'negative gains' as the situations differ. Since we are a bunch dishonest pirates, selling retrieved flags to those factions instead of reapers should give you bonuses for looking after them and bringing them back, circumstances of how you acquired one would remain a mistery to the faction and would be seen as a honorable act.

@zig-zag-ltu I've always thought we should have the option to turn in a flag to the matching company for some reward.

As for the aggressors and rep loss. If they had a means of tracking who had the last hit on a ship before it sinks (scuttles not counted). Then that ship should bear the brunt of a rep hit. It shouldn't be based on simply firing on one another since not all fights result in a sink.

@captain-plank

Flip the idea on it's head. Give each faction unique loot that has a dual purpose (similar to the ashen skull), or loot that can be sold to a second faction for a higher price.

Using the secondary purpose, or selling to the off-faction for the higher price, increases displeasure with your ship. When displeasure reaches a high enough level, that faction puts out a bounty on the ship.

@captain-plank I don't know, I feel that if this change would happen, they would solve a problem that did not really exist and exchange it with another problem. There is really no point in having this system or firing upon a ship without meaning to sink it. I understand sometimes a skirmish happens and then those two ships become allied with some charismatic convincing. '' I say the whole world must learn our peaceful ways....By force!''

As you commented earlier, selling flags to own faction or even to a rival one would make a lot of sense. I feel like if you dig deeper, each faction is only interested in their own goals lore-wise. Gold hoarders want gold, but their faction leader the Gold Hoarder -a villain who is now also a part of the dark bretheren. Truly not the good guys. Order of Souls collect skulls, I doubt it gets any more sinister than that. Merchants allthough they are all up for trade and profit, I would assume they would love to secure those trade routes so any other faction is only in their way.

So each faction having their own commendations and achievements, with titles and cosmetics for handing in the flags would push casual players into choosing a faction they relate the most to. Personally, I would find it difficult to pick, if 'role playing' I am there with my own agenda and don't ally with nobody really. But I think it would be nice to see more diversity on the seas and not have just reapers being the bad guys. Perhaps some change could happen with the reaper emissary system and their visibility of the map, if every faction could be considered a threat. Obviously this would incentivise a lot more PVP towards players flying the flag, but I believe this is what developers want and appreciate.

Currently I don't see Reapers as exclusively PVP faction after hourglass, Athena has taken a massive step forward to be that too and given how most of us are pirate legends perhaps its time to pick a side truly? Reapers are amazing for world events or acitvities that generate various loot. Obviously there are a lot of flaws with my suggestion here, so take with a pinch of salt. However, breaking the current status qou would be interesting to say the least.

@lordqulex I was thinking of something like this. It would be a very simple color system. There is actual a lot of unused real estate in a captaincy banner.

I agree that adding additional words and numbers would not work. Whatever is in place should be in a way that at a glance you have enough info to make a judgement call. Would you feel confident in hailing that crew or should you be readying the cannons? Well, it is a pirate game so maybe have those cannons ready anyway, but you know what I mean.

(https://drive.google.com/file/d/1DbvCHBqU3qWBxPRLjEkyT97lX-iOFsx2/view?usp=share_link)

Lets try this again. First time trying to link an image on here.

@tybald I do like the idea of a bounty system. That would be an interesting repercussion. I would just hope the reward would be enticing enough. I've played too many games where the bounty system paid out so little that it simply wasn't worth the effort going after the marked player.

@captain-plank
That would be a tuning question. Though, mirroring the emissary values might be a decent start. Grade 1 - 5 bounty, collecting the token of the ship and turning it in nets the same amount as a reaper turning in a 1-5 emissary flag.

Honestly, the bigger question is getting the risk of bounty/reward of 'negative action' right, so that it's actually a valid risk/reward decision.

@lordqulex Apologies, I did not consider that side of it. I see now how the concept I made wouldn't work in that case. Maybe if it was a touch simpler. Symbols being visible indicating the factions they favor while the others do not appear in the banner.