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[Saede Riordan]

Maybe I should have Mark-All-Read this thread instead of actually reading it.

Ahem.

I'd start with missions.  Since missions are very likely many players' first introduction (and sadly, in some cases only) to PF, I'd want to make sure that they were consistent and credible with regards to established content.

[spoiler]I'd be looking to fix/get explained via chrons or news articles/enhance things like:

Courier Deliveries That Don't Make Any Damn Sense
Examples:

• Amarr/Ammatar/Khanid agents giving out 'deliver genetically modified livestock missions' (or Gallente/Caldari/Minmatar agents having the destination for such things be an Amarr/Ammatar/Khanid station).
• Caldari agents' shipping Kamieras to Core Complexion or RSS stations for medical examinations.

Yes, I know the destination stations are randomly generated.  I believe it could be possible to code an 'exclusion list' based on faction or corporation, though.


Encounters That Don't Make Any Damn Sense/Why Hasn't The Media Found Out By Now?
Example:

• The Gallente mission sequence where capsuleers are told to blow up CONCORD ships and then a slave colony in order to frame the Amarr for the purposes of a documentary.  While this sequence might make a reasonable amount of sense if it was run for a Federation agent in Amarr/Ammatar space -- it also turns up in Federation (and likely State and Republic space, too).  Then, of course, there's the whole blowing up of CONCORD ships thing.  One would think that organization would have noticed by now (or the media would have).
• The Thukker shooting at Federation ships in Republic space.  Still.  Despite the Thukker détente with the Republic.   Nobody's complaining about this?

Encounters That Should Be More/Less Difficult
Example:

• Shouldn't shooting, for example, Federation Navy ships in a Federation system attract the attention of local security forces?
• Shouldn't having a low standing with the local pirate faction get someone more personal attention in their asteroid belts?
• Shouldn't someone -- for another example -- with high Wiyrkomi/WPS standing get offered assistance by any local Wiyrkomi Peace Corps NPCs if that someone was running a mission against pirates or opposed megacorp folks in a system patrolled by WPC?  (Assuming that the mission wasn't issued by a rival megacorp, of course.) Also of course, this would assume that those NPCs were created and sent off patrolling Wiyrkomi territory.

Courier/Encounters That Could Be More Interesting
Example:

• Intra-megacorp conflicts.  FIO surveillance-gone-wrong missions against Material Acquisition?   Ishukone trying to screw with Lai Dai?  Kador going after the local RSS office? There's a wealth of stuff just in the NPC corporation descriptions that could be adapted to make missioning for different corporations more than just 'go kill <insert local pirates or Factional enemy here>'.
• Time/Event/Personal Standing based missions.  Once upon a time, we'd get news stories about how agents in a certain system had limited buy orders up in response to events or disasters.   I also (vaguely) remember getting mails from Federation Customs agents that I had high standing with offering me goods or opportunities.    These things used to suggest to my more naive self that the player-level storyline was in sync with game-level story actions.  I'd like to be that naive again, and I'm almost certain a number of other players would too.
• Proximity Based Missions. See the above example about the WPC offering assistance?  What if one of their patrols in the area of a player with sufficient standing requested the player's assistance with a problem?

On that note, I'd want some chron/corp description text generated to explain why some corporations besides the SOE/Concord/pirate factions have members from different factional races (e.g. Spacelane Patrol's Gallente agents).[/spoiler]

After missions, I'd move on to the next thing that first involves players:  races.  All of the ones mentioned in PF would be described and made playable, or there'd be a reason stated why playing a capsuleer version of one is impossible (e.g. Udorians are indistinguishable from Amarr, Ealurians suffer from the cognitive inability to become capsuleers, CONCORD just can't trust the Starkmanir with capsule technology).  If I managed to survive being tossed into a volcano after that, I'd move on to legitimizing hybrids (a.k.a. Heritage), introducing the concept of Origins (as a superset for the existing "bloodlines") and allowing for some cross-faction flexibility in starting school registrations.

I'll assume I won't be allowed to give the pirate factions schools of their own, or permit the folks in Khanid/Ammatar/Syndicate to have their own either.   Though, you know, I'd really want to.  I'm like that.

[spoiler]I'd allow players at character creation to set themselves as little as 1/4 of any playable race (as long as the other race(s) added up to 100%).  This wouldn't be wholly without penalty: different choices would limit (or prevent) choosing Origin options and/or starting schools.

The default setting (the one automatically assigned to 25% Empire, 25% Caldari, 25% Federation and 25% Republic hybrids) would be Federation Origin with a Mixed Heritage, an Immigrant Bloodline and a choice between Federation schools.    Hey, got to get new Federation RPers somehow, right?

Here's an example of what I'm thinking.  Feel free to run away scared.  I know I probably will once I read it after posting.

INTAKI

100% Intaki ("Intaki Heritage")

- Federation Origin, with existing Diplomat, Artist or Reborn Bloodlines (and Federation Clothing Choices). Starting Schools: any Federation ones.

- State/Syndicate/Mordus Option, with new Mentat, Mercenary or Merchant Bloodlines (and State Clothing Choices). Starting Schools: Bloodline-dependent.  Mentats = SAK, Mercenaries = SWA, Merchants = STI.

75% Intaki ("Intaki Heritage")
Same options as 100%.

50% Intaki
- Federation Origin is still an option, but the Reborn Bloodline gets locked out.  ("Mixed Heritage") 50% of any other race permits access to those Bloodlines (with the exception of "Liberal Holder" from True Amarr and "Unionist" from a revised Khanid Origin side of things: an idea which I won't torture you with right now).  Starting schools are any Federation ones.

- At least 25% of another Caldari Factional Race ("Caltaki Heritage") keeps the State/Syndicate/Mordus Origin and two of its associated Bloodlines/schools open.  The Mentat Bloodline/SAK option gets locked out.

-At least 50% Republic Factional Race (not including Nefantar) opens a Republic Origin option, and Republic starting schools. ("Mataki Heritage") It also permits picking from the Bloodlines of the Republic Factional Race contributor if it's also 50%.  For example, a Sebiestor/Intaki could be a Tinkerer just like his or her Sebiestor parent.  An 50% Intaki/25% Sebiestor/25% Brutor will just have to be happy with being a funny looking Artist (or Diplomat, but not Reborn), or a 50% Intaki/25% Deteis/25% Sebiestor will just have to put up with being a stunning Mercenary (or Merchant, but not Mentat) ... provided they're in the State instead of the Federation.

25% Intaki
-Becomes a flavor for another race.  None of the bloodlines unique to it are unlocked during character creation. While the Federation's always an option for these poor souls, other places might not be -- it depends on what the other 75% of the character's made of.[/spoiler]

And while everyone sitting in the storyline meeting was staring open-mouthed at the presentation and thinking 'there's no way to code this shit!' (while feeling grateful that I didn't bring up corporate storefronts), I'd be busily tying up some loose storyline ends.   Say, oh ... what's Haatakan Oiritsuu up to?  And does the Republic actually have a Parliament these days, or has it gone wholly tribal?  If so, who's footing the bill for the intra-tribal organizations like the Navy and the RSS?  Anyone?  The Angels?  And why are the Sansha making repeat visits to constellations (or at least it looks like it from here)?  Is CONCORD actually working with Sansha or a Sansha-proxy so as to keep the Empires from getting funny ideas that it's weak?   Why haven't we heard from any of the Heirs except for Ardishapur lately?   Is Ardishapur on the verge of pulling a Khanid with Ammatar?  Should "pulling a Khanid" be put into Evelopedia?

I'm just going to offer to bear your children now, and we can work out the logistics of that later. If that happened, perhaps along with a onetime blood change, I would be in spaceship heaven.

[Ember Vykos]

I would give a massive infodump on all the factions and bloodlines. Add more PF for the pirates. The faction allegiance thing Silas mentioned is total win along with having to do things to help your faction and move their storyline along. I would also switch things up a bit with who works with who. In my eyes the Caldari and Minmatar have always had alot in common. So maybe having them get together on some things would be possible. Given the Amarr and Gallente dislike of each other switching up the empire ally list would be almost impossible, but strengthening Caldari and Minmatar relations would be nice. Maybe even just have all the Empires have a bit of a falling out and make it every man for himself.

[Boma Airaken]

I am not even remotely ok with any sort of mixed-breed action at character creation. I don't even like it in RP. There is a reason that the level of xenophobia exists in this game and while it can get obscenely boring, and doesn't make a lot of sense in the current scheme of things, shittons of 25%'ers would really ruin the tension behind the idea in my opinion.

If anything, the bloodlines need to be further removed, to create even more of a feel of diversity. Homogenous bullshit gray people would really ruin the game for me.

[lallara zhuul]

One day, hmmmm, what could you do in one day.

When I chose the race I am playing I chose it on the basis of what the ideals that the races had.

Caldari had their capitalist fairyland.
Gallente had their freedom.
Amarr had their Faith.
Republic had their vengeance.

I would have the Heirs rise up and drive out the zombie heir on the Golden Throne.
I would have the proletariat in the State use their stocks in the megas to oust Heth.
I would have the Gallenteans have a revolution where the people would strike down the power elite that has been running things since the start of the Federation.
I would have the Minmatar catch the Empress and do all kinds of nasty things to her.

Then the Ardishapur would start to rebuild the Empire according to the Faith, the council of Apostles would be reinstated, internal purge would start. Inquisitors would purge the corrupt Holders, all would be in the fear of God.
Then the megas would start furious competition on which one could entice the majority of stockholders to give them the power over the State, in the end the infrastructure of the State would have been built to a level that the average Caldari would have quite high living standards and the State would be run by a representative democracy, but instead of votes the representatives would have stocks behind them.
Then the Federation would hit a renaissance where all the involved races would mix, learn from each other, teach each other, create magnificent beautiful things in an orgy of colour and happiness.
Then the Minnies, with their bloodlust sated for the time being, would rise against the oppressive Elders and destroy them. Finally being free for the first time since the collapse of the EVE gate.

All this happening because the Jove outmaneuvered the Enheduanni and eliminated their core agents through a series of events with the help of the capsuleers. The capsuleers involved disappear as their genetic material is added to that of the Jove.

Enheduanni gather their forces and launch a counter attack.

Power struggle in each of the empires causes a civil war to rise, capsuleers are the only ones outside the power structures with enough power to actually affect the balance of the civil war. DUST soldiers are deployed when a battle for the planetside resources rise. Battleships tear into Navies of npc corporations, pirate factions take their place as dog soldiers of the Enheduanni ravaging the empires for their resources.

The capsuleers that disappeared reappear as a new faction of the Jove, playing a game within a game, EVE within the EVE. Being in war against the Enheduanni they enter places where no capsuleer may go, they may recruit capsuleers to join them and those that have enough SP, after getting enough LP could become one of the Jove.

This war decimates the pirate factions leaving nothing left but ruins, discovered atrocities and the fear of the dark.

New Eden has been ravaged by war, all the empires can barely take care of themselves, not to even think about invading another empire. CONCORD is given more power and it uses its powers to end the civil wars, causing more death and destruction.

There is nothing left but four empires and CONCORD, all of them reeling from the onslaught of wars and immense amount of suffering that has gone on in the empires for years.

Then the EVE gate opens.

Okay, got a bit carried away

[Mithfindel]

Good stuff, Lall.

Admittedly, only Mr. Gonzales could make all that happen in a day.

[Saede Riordan]

I am not even remotely ok with any sort of mixed-breed action at character creation. I don't even like it in RP. There is a reason that the level of xenophobia exists in this game and while it can get obscenely boring, and doesn't make a lot of sense in the current scheme of things, shittons of 25%'ers would really ruin the tension behind the idea in my opinion.

If anything, the bloodlines need to be further removed, to create even more of a feel of diversity. Homogenous bullshit gray people would really ruin the game for me.

I don't think that's fair. It limits what you can do within the game and within the settling for no damn good reason. My character is a mutt, but she was born and raised outside the Big4, her parents don't give a damn about the ancestry of the other.

I don't see any reason not to do this other then to shoehorn people into fitting into neat little boxes that people just don't really fit in.

[Vieve]

I'm just going to offer to bear your children now, and we can work out the logistics of that later. If that happened, perhaps along with a onetime blood change, I would be in spaceship heaven.

Thanks for the offer, but I've already spawned.  I'm not sure the universe could handle that happening again, even in the interests of SCIENCE!

[Kohiko Sun]

Moar COSMOS PF, moar third bloodline PF.

So much this.

[Silver Night]

I would retcon TonyG out >>

Then I would sort out the leadership in the State and Empire both. Then I would work on creating marketing-unfriendly complexity between all the different factions, major and minor.

I'd also come up with some basic civics material on each empire, and a few lists of things, like animals, plants, etc.

[Seriphyn]

Holy crap, Vieve. Firstly, I just noticed Spacelane Patrol has Gallente agents. Bizarre.

 

Also, those "slider" options are AWESOME

[Mithfindel]

On odd-bloodlined agents: Ary Welfken of the Emperor Family is Brutor, if my memory serves me right. (In Akes.) So those are rare, but things happen.

Also CBD owns part of CreoDron.

[Wanoah]

Clearly, one day is not enough. There's a lot of damage to undo and a lot of squandered goodwill to try and regain.

I think I'd simply appoint a panel of hard-nosed editor types to ruthlessly hack at the background material after I depart until all the ridiculous and fantastical elements had been excised and the remaining material had a degree of consistency to it. I'd also task a second committee with establishing a comprehensive style guide and guidelines for future endeavours.

[Kaleigh Doyle]

Vote Wanoah for President!

[Saede Riordan]

Clearly, one day is not enough. There's a lot of damage to undo and a lot of squandered goodwill to try and regain.

I think I'd simply appoint a panel of hard-nosed editor types to ruthlessly hack at the background material after I depart until all the ridiculous and fantastical elements had been excised and the remaining material had a degree of consistency to it. I'd also task a second committee with establishing a comprehensive style guide and guidelines for future endeavours.

damn, that's an awesome idea.

[Silver Night]

Clearly, one day is not enough. There's a lot of damage to undo and a lot of squandered goodwill to try and regain.

I think I'd simply appoint a panel of hard-nosed editor types to ruthlessly hack at the background material after I depart until all the ridiculous and fantastical elements had been excised and the remaining material had a degree of consistency to it. I'd also task a second committee with establishing a comprehensive style guide and guidelines for future endeavours.

damn, that's an awesome idea.

Use my keycard to let in Wanoah's team of attack-editors.