Player-Based Factions Concluded

So now we've looked at what player-based factions are, what sort of code you need to implment to have them, what the pros and cons may be, expedients which might mitigate the cons, what sorts of functionality will support which sizes, and now can finally ask, ``Do I even want player-based factions?'' Maybe that question is misleading, because you might really want them but realize the structures of your virtual world won't support them. Perhaps you love the idea of great Uberguilds clashing against eachother, giving an epic backdrop to the whole of your creation, but if nothing lasts past a reboot and only the admin can add new content, then factions just won't work for you.

If you are building a Mud along neo-traditional lines then I should say your players will simply come to expect something along the lines of player-based factions. They'll have seen them in every other Mud they played, and they'll expect it even if this is their first because they've heard so much about clans or guilds or whatever you call them. You should never add something just because it is conventional. Do consider if player-based factions will serve to integrate the players into the whole of the world, or if it will isolate them into that private little bubble.

I know lots of people who say they play World of Warcraft, but they really don't; they play Instance of Warcraft. See, their sessions consist of logging in, ignoring/disabling public chat to focus only on guild chat, to grind with a few friends as warm-up to tonight's raid, and then disappear in a guild-only instance for a few hours. After the raid, they hang about the guildhall swapping and depositing loot. At no point are they involved any sort of World at all. They have quarantined theirselves into a pocket universe which consists solely of the guild. They are not tied to your world in any way. They could be doing this anywhere, so they won't mind if their faction leader decides to pack up and leave.

If you do see a need for player-based factions, then just remember how they might interact with other aspects of your virtual world and new design delights will open up. Obviously factions will interact with the simple economy of buying and selling inventory items, but what of real estate? If guildhalls were real places in towns, rather than some instanced island, and if there were limits as to how many guildhalls could be available in the various settlements, what sort of play opportunities does this provide?

I want to close with that teaser in the opening article. Bartle identified a ``hardwired vs softwired'' axis. Hardwired is when your virtual world supports it right ``out of the box'' even if no one ever logs in. It isn't created by any person; it just is. In diku-based Muds we often see some sort of guild or clan based strictly on one's character's class. So all the Rangers automatically belong to the Ranger Guild, etc. The ``starter'' corporations in EVE come to mind. These typically serve as nothing more than a communications channel since there's no political or economic function at play. ``Softwired'' factions are those instantiated by the players, which is what we have focused on for this series of articles.