Factions

NickD · Post by **NickD** » Mon Jul 17, 2006 12:48 am

I don't know if this is the right forum for this, however....

I think the base mod should set up a bunch of common factions beyond those that are pre-defined.

A few that come to mind:

Farmers/Shepards
Farm Animals
Herbivores
Predators
Bandit
Hunter

ç i p h é r · Post by **ç i p h é r** » Mon Jul 17, 2006 7:15 pm

Yeah, I'd like to see most, if not all, creatures fit into a faction so reputations and reactions can be adjusted.

Check out this thread for relevant info:

http://www.alandfaraway.org/phpbbforum/ ... hp?t=27827

dergon darkhelm · Post by **dergon darkhelm** » Mon Jul 17, 2006 7:42 pm

Please please please .........whatever is done, try to make it so that killing an animal on one part of a server doesn't mean that every bird for a four hundred mile radius becomes hostile.

Most animals should likely function independently an even those that you can argue pack mentality for, should only have those in the same local area involved

ç i p h é r · Post by **ç i p h é r** » Mon Jul 17, 2006 10:57 pm

Regarding *wild animals* (not monsters), most are governed by a Fight or Flee instinct, and as such, your actions toward them aren't going to alter their behaviors. They will either fight you (hostile - predator) or run away from you (frightened - herbivore). So kill them or scare them, they'll all behave that way unless you possess special abilities to calm or control them. Domesticated animals, like cows for instance, won't react at all unless you try to hurt them. Animals are generally not intelligent enough to recognize "reputation" or alter their reactions according to one either. I think this precludes them, on further review, from belonging to factions where global behavior changes towards an individual are possible.

Regarding global faction adjustments, everyone who's played the game has encountered what you described. It's definitely something I'm aware and something we need to be careful with. Attacking or killing one faction member does not necessitate a FACTION adjustment. It would certainly affect personal reactions though, if they were to survive the assault. It really depends on how tight a faction is, but regardless, it's something I'm very cognizant of. I'd be surprised if it's not mentioned in the thread above anywhere. There's a good possibility as well that Obsidian has already considered this in their influence system so we'll see what comes from that.

Ronan · Post by **Ronan** » Mon Jul 17, 2006 11:19 pm

I thought if you set a faction's reactions to each other (ie, intra-faction reaction) to 50, they would not come to each other's defense?

Though in some cases, I disagree with Cipher. Wolves and other pack animals should (ideally) defend each other. Predators should go after herbavors, and sometimes PCs.

One thing I'd really like is a "fear" dimension to the faction system, but that requires some decent AI as well, so we'll have to wait and see on that one.

ç i p h é r · Post by **ç i p h é r** » Tue Jul 18, 2006 12:57 am

I think I recall something about that now that you mention it though I suspect a faction needs to be more than merely neutral to come to another faction member's aid. I think members of the same faction will always defend one another, and if not, I can't think why not. It might require an impetus, with a silent shout or something...

If we had predator and herbivore factions, then predators could go after herbivores. But, they couldn't also be hostile to one another...so a faction implementation is messy. Stuff this one under AI.