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Time To Choose A Faction, But Which One?


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#21 harleconjura

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Posted 14 October 2013 - 08:25 PM

cool bacon and beer lol

#22 Karosma

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Posted 14 October 2013 - 09:27 PM

Whoever can pay the most and get me in the fight the quickest, that's my allegiance. I hear you FRR guys have a piracy problem in the periphery, how's about sending an offer my way!

#23 Gargoth

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Posted 14 October 2013 - 10:26 PM

View PostKarosma, on 14 October 2013 - 09:27 PM, said:

Whoever can pay the most and get me in the fight the quickest, that's my allegiance. I hear you FRR guys have a piracy problem in the periphery, how's about sending an offer my way!

you mean those pirates we had some drinks last night with?
nope, i see no problem there.
..for us at least :P

#24 Johnny Reb

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Posted 14 October 2013 - 10:43 PM

OP asks for why he should pick the x number out of 6 medallions for loyalty points and other than the first response, its been {Scrap}!

edit: glad Im a merc, I like you all! For the right price.

Edited by Johnny Reb, 14 October 2013 - 10:44 PM.


#25 aniviron

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Posted 14 October 2013 - 10:46 PM

If you want to be in the faction with the largest access to mechs and weapons and house traditions be damned, Davion or Steiner are probably the way to go. Right now the two houses are united into the Federated Commonwealth, and control the largest territory that any faction has or ever will in Battletech lore. House Steiner is rich (hence why the Atlas is so heavily associated with us- we can afford them) and House Davion has one of the better military reputations, and a very large standing army right now. Some political screw-ups will end the alliance soon-ish, but that's quite a few years from now still.

#26 Marchant Consadine

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Posted 15 October 2013 - 02:20 AM

View PostDredhawk, on 14 October 2013 - 06:21 PM, said:

You don't have to choice a Faction you could just be a Merc or Lonewolf..

But I will have to choose my faction medallions that come with project phoenix regardless. I'm not confident that the DEVs are nice enough to let us keep them unclaimed untill we actually know what the benefits of different houses are. Maybe I wasn't clear enough in the OP.

#27 LiGhtningFF13

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Posted 15 October 2013 - 02:31 AM

View PostHazar Kath, on 14 October 2013 - 07:54 PM, said:

Houses Steiner and Davion are allies in their Federated Commonwealth lore-wise. And according to devs, this will carry over into community warfare with those houses being allied. And all the other houses/ factions by themselves vs. everyone else. And if MWO stays true to the (Cough,supposed, Cough) 1:1 timeline, it will probably stay that way for the foreseeable future.

Davion; largest military + Steiner: largest economy = WIN!

And we also have the best beer to go with that bacon.

And also: Atlas. :ph34r:


Yeah, FedCom definately rocks!

#28 C E Dwyer

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Posted 15 October 2013 - 03:10 AM

Lyran comonwealth is rich and civilised.. has bacon...girl wear silk undies and the men take boots off in bed..

Federated suns, cowboy hats, what do you mean bacon doesn't come from cows..want to be civilised, girls think undies and beds are optional extra's

Free worlds league, probably has bacon, but only if everyone has an equal share, and your not being investigated by secret police, Girls will put out, but you have to call then citizen and recognise equal status.

Cappellan confederation, has bacon but its worshiped as a minor god, and only eaten on holy days or which there are few to the pig god, girls can only be met in the presence of their parents and only after marrage can you make whoopee.

Draconis Combine, only uncivilised people eat red meat, fish must be raw, only the wealthy get to see girls outside marriage and then only after much bowing tea drinking and listening to stylised music and formal dance.

Free Rasalhague Republic Has Bacon but after drinking so much its usually found in messy puddles on the floor with carrot chunks even though you havn't eaten one for years, either to drunk or hung over to remember what you wanted to do with that girl in the first place, most of the men are called Bjorne.


There, hope that helps

#29 Aym

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Posted 15 October 2013 - 03:39 AM

Also there is almost zero percent chance that loyalty points will start to acrue tomorrow, so you have time. That being said, House Marik is pretty rad!

#30 Tank

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Posted 15 October 2013 - 03:49 AM

Quote


Just the type of RP answer I was sure I would get. But I'll bite. I have no idea (yet) if I'll like the phoenix mechs. From the mechs you listed I only like Hunchies, but I'd be suprised if they weren't common enough with other houses too. I also like weapons that make a big BOOM noise so your weapon choises seem a bit meh. When it comes to technology I just cannot trust you on your statement. My belief is that every faction is just as poor technologically in this (MWO) universe.

Your most glaring mistake is your belief that democracy would be a good thing. The greatest democracy in history was USA and they went bankrupt towards the end of 2013, after that the world economy crumbled slowly but surely, and only the nations that weren't too tied to the rights of the people could adapt to the new situation and survive. No one has now uttered the word democracy for centuries in anything but jokes.


If you looking for a "democracy", then it's better to chose Periphery, like I did with Hanseatic League - it's what I call a "moneycracy", they are rich, always have a job for a merc, and we have widest array of freedom. And despite what those Spheroids may say, Periphery states are more civilized then most of the IS. Building battlemech are not our strong side...
But we also get our bacon and lager imported, so as mech. :ph34r:

So better stay a merc, have job, drink that fine import beer, munch that bacon.
And do it with that girl, like there is no tomorrow. ;)

#31 Kyone Akashi

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Posted 15 October 2013 - 06:33 AM

Some of the factions have a notable preference for certain types of BattleMechs and weapons, but generally, almost every 'Mech has a chance to be found almost anywhere. This is a result of the many centuries of warfare and raids that have led to technology and production capabilities being disseminated across the Inner Sphere, and many 'Mechs are family heirlooms or salvage from a military victory.

It is still a detail worth considering, and fortunately other warriors have already posted some largely accurate lists regarding who can be expected to field what. However, I think that a faction's nature and spirit are more important, as they reflect directly upon the conduct of its soldiers, and what exactly you ultimately fight for. It also provides a neat tie-in for some inter-faction banter whenever you drop against players from an opposing faction, and how exactly you could insult them, or how your own manner of speech could be worded.

A quick overview of the factions is already available on the MWO website, but to provide a short summary:
  • Capellan Confederation (House Liao): Chinese influence, service to the state means everything
  • Federated Suns (House Davion): English/French influence, professional military, pretty much Dune's Atreides
  • Free Rasalhague Republic: Scandinavian influence, proud defenders of their independence
  • Free Worlds League (House Marik): European-styled cultural potpourri (Indian, Greek, Italian, etc)
  • Draconis Combine (House Kurita): Japanese influence, honor guides all, capable samurai
  • Lyran Commonwealth (House Steiner): English/German influence, economic powerhouse, money = influence

Needless to say, this is just a very shortened description. There are, for example, other ethnicities present in the factions as well (such as Arab and Korean minorities in the Combine, or a Scottish "district" under Steiner rule), so the listed influences should be regarded merely as the dominant culture.

For better insight, I recommend you consult the free Battletech Universe Guide, which offers short but comprehensive descriptions of all the important factions.

Also, feel free to look up the factions on the sarna.net wiki.

Best of luck with your choice!

#32 Strum Wealh

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Posted 15 October 2013 - 06:45 AM

View PostMarchant Consadine, on 14 October 2013 - 12:17 PM, said:

Battletech nerds I need your help (don't be offended by the term nerd, I'm a proud nerd myself, but not a battletech one).

With the Phoenix package containing faction medallions that give loyalty boost arriving tomorrow, I just realized I need to have some basis on how to choose a faction. I read the descriptions of them, but that didn't give me much. To my understanding I will have to choose the medallions (and thus my preferred faction(s)) when the package arrives tomorrow.

I have 0 backround in tabletop and this game doesn't inspire me in RP sense at all. There's very little information that I could quickly find on the factions in game terms (MWO that is; and learning everything about tabletop and transferring it to MWO terms would be too much work, when I'm sure someone has already done it). So here's what I'm asking:

1: Enlightened guesses on what in game benefits each faction will provide. What types of weapons/mechs they all prefer or manufacture that could translate to in game discounts or better manufactured PPCs/MLs/whatever (also enlightened guesses on what other type of benefits may be possible).

2: What are the politics between the factions and do you expect them to be transferred to the game. This comes relevant when/if choosing several factions. For example if I choose faction A, will it be considerably harder to also get loyalty points in facton B, as compared to faction C.

I've left my own preferences to weapons/mechs/tactics out of this post because I believe there are others who will want this information too, that will have different preferences. Also please refrain from RP aspects of the factions. There's plenty of information on that elsewhere.

Davoke provided a good answer to the technical aspects of the question. ;)

At the time MWO is set (circa 3050), there are two alliances amongst the Successor States: the Federated Commonwealth (formed by the Federated Suns (ruled by House Davion) and the Lyran Commonwealth (ruled House Steiner), via the marriage of their respective heads of state) and the Concord of Kapteyn (formed by the Capellan Confederation (ruled by House Liao), Draconis Combine (ruled by House Kurita), and Free Worlds League (ruled by House Marik), as a response to the Davion/Steiner alliance).

PGI has emphasized that all 'Mech and equipment will be available to all players, but in-game pricing may vary depending on one's standings, such that a 'Mech produced by a given faction (say, the Blackjack or JagerMech or the CTF-3D variant of the Cataphract, all produced primarily in the FedSuns) would be cheaper for players aligned with that faction and its allies than for those who are not.
We also know (via Thomas Dziegielewski, PGI's Senior Gameplay Engineer) that PGI has some ideas for introducing variations within weapon types, such that we might see small-but-tangible differences between, say, a "Luxor D" AC/10 (produced in the FedSuns) and a "SarLon MaxiCannon" AC/10 (produced in the DracCom) and a "Defiance Killer Type T" AC/10 (produced by the Lryans).

View PostThomas Dziegielewski, on 30 September 2013 - 02:21 PM, said:

We're looking into this. To me, it's a must have.

View PostThomas Dziegielewski, on 02 October 2013 - 12:17 PM, said:

I think so not to throw off weapon balance initially the bonuses will have to be quite small.

1% damage boost
-5% range penalty
and the AC Bullet is tinted a bit blue
etc.

And to add to the RPG element it'd like to see, say if the manufacturer headquarters is located on a hot planet, the weapon by that manufacturer would reflect the need for a cooler running weapon by sacrificing some other stat.


As far as traditional weapon affinities go:
  • FedSuns: small-to-medium autocannons (AC/2, AC/5, AC/10), backed by energy/missiles
  • DracCom: high-energy weapons (pulse lasers, PPCs), backed by missiles
  • CapCon: EWAR, backed by ballistics/energy
  • FWL: missiles, backed by lasers (as the FWL is known to typically lack PPCs)
  • Lyrans: large ballistics (AC/20, Gauss Rifle), backed by energy/missiles

The FRR isn't really part of either of the alliances (but is most friendly to the FedSuns and FWL and least friendly to the DracCom (primarily) and Lyrans (secondarily), IIRC), and doesn't really have an established affinity in terms of weaponry.

Does that help to address the primary questions? :ph34r:

----------

Also, to bite into the RP sub-discussion...

My take on a short generalization of each faction:
  • Federated Suns/House Davion: essentially the British Empire, with some additional French overtones
  • Lyran Commonwealth/House Steiner: essentially the Holy Roman Empire, with heavy German overtones
  • Draconis Combine/House Kurita: essentially early Showa Era (roundabout WWI/WWII) Japan, with a smattering of other cultures (mainly Arabic) represented
  • Capellan Confederation/House Liao: essentially Qing Dynasty Era China, with a smattering of other cultures (mainly Russian and Scottish) represented
  • Free Worlds League/House Marik: essentially the Ottoman Empire, with some Indian and American overtones
  • Free Rasalhague Republic: essentially the Swedish Empire, with some American overtones
  • The Clans (to be made available eventually) collectively represent the "great conquering hordes" and "romanticized noble savages" of the past (e.g. the Mongols under Genghis Khan, the Macedonians under Alexander III, the Romans during the expansion of the Roman Empire, and so on), while each Clan individually represents a separate society - the Ghost Bears are generally thought to be Scandinavian (like the FRR, with whom they later merged) and modeled in the spirit of the (romanticized) Vikings, the Smoke Jaguars are thought to represent (stereotypes of) the warrior tribes of Africa's past (most notably the Zulu Kingdom), the Nova Cats are thought to have been modeled on (stereotypes of) Native American societies (with the Wanapum, Cheyenne, and/or Sioux likely serving as primary inspirations), and so on.
As for why one might want to affiliate/ally with the FedSuns, specifically:
  • Culturally, the Federated Suns is based on an Anglo-American model - in many ways, it is a lot like a mish-mash of the old British Empire, the current Commonwealth of Nations, and the modern United States (which, if that is or is close to one's real-world cultural affiliation, can provide a sense of comforting familiarity).
  • As a result - and especially in contrast to the likes of the Capellan Confederation and the Draconis Combine - the Federation represents a generally more "open" and liberal society - to the point that the leadership is publicly criticized and challenged by the media without undue worry of being snatched out of their homes and offices at any hour and ending up with a "9mm third eye" or a sudden case of headlessness Posted Image.
  • Given the combination of the Suns' mostly-British social model and the Davion family's ultimately-French heritage (said to be a region in southwest France called Gascony), the AFFS MechWarriors are typically depicted as filling a role analogous to that of (usually, the romanticized version of) the Western European knight.
  • Moreso than the other realms, the FedSuns is usually depicted as being interested in the recovery and development of non-military technologies (as well as military technologies).
  • The AFFS tends to have a fixation - almost to the point of obsession - and an affinity for the autocannon.
  • The FedSuns was the only nation to respond favorably to the Lyrans' proposal to try to reunite humanity under a common banner - the result was the formation of the Federated Commonwealth.
  • The current head of state, Hanse Davion, is basically what one would call a "magnificent b*****d". As an example, he addressed the most vocal critic of the Suns' nationwide education program (one Robin DeCaster) by making her the Minister of Education; "Now she is the one responsible for the government’s education policy and she’s the one forced to defend herself against the critics. It’s a beautiful example of how to handle your opponents."
  • Also, the FedSuns is the home nation of the company that developed the Marauder - the Greatest BattleMech of All Time. Posted Image
Though, it's not as though the FedSuns is without its own problems - the education system and technological prowess begins to become less prevalent and effective as one moves away from the largest population centers (to the point that some whole worlds might more closely resemble the stereotypical 19th or 20th century American South than what one might expect of a 31st century interstellar federation).

Literature-wise, the FedSuns is sometimes portrayed as "the {Noble MechWarrior} faction" and occasionally "the Mary Sue faction" (though, not to anywhere near the same (extreme) degree as Clan Wolf :blink:) - FesSuns characters in those instances can (but do not always) come off as any one or more of: arrogant, haughty, overly self-righteous, and even outright bland.

Thoughts?

#33 Hayashi

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Posted 15 October 2013 - 06:56 AM

View PostLord Ikka, on 14 October 2013 - 04:05 PM, said:

P.S.- We have sake and sushi...


And Japanese girls. Clearly, Draconis Combine is the only option. :ph34r:

#34 Lord Ikka

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Posted 15 October 2013 - 07:36 AM

Even though he's a damned fedrat, Strum Wealh's explanation is pretty solid and accurate. The culture of each nation is pretty hard to pin down- Liao is Chinese influenced culturally but also borrows very heavily from Soviet Russia for example, but he's got it generally right.

#35 Kyone Akashi

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Posted 15 October 2013 - 07:36 AM

View PostStrum Wealh, on 15 October 2013 - 06:45 AM, said:

The FRR isn't really part of either of the alliances (but is most friendly to the FedSuns and FWL and least friendly to the DracCom (primarily) and Lyrans (secondarily), IIRC), and doesn't really have an established affinity in terms of weaponry.
I'm not sure this is accurate, but perhaps I am missing something? Rasalhague is not bordering the Federated Suns; the only thing that connects them is that Davion has merged with Steiner - the faction that basically backstabbed their freedom fighters and almost replaced the Combine as their new overlords - to create the Federated Commonwealth.

Ultimately, it was the Draconis Combine that not only allowed Rasalhague to secede, immediately acknowledging the independence of the fledgling republic, but also defended this newfound freedom against rogue elements of its own military as well as Lyran nobility. Surely, the civilian casualties caused by Duke Kelswa's oppressive actions, and the brutal crackdowns by the foreign Tamar Pact police forces was not forgotten so easily? In contrast, Kanrei Kurita has personally led the DCMS units sent to challenge both the Ronin as well as Kelswa's Lyran mercenaries.

Perhaps this is the reason why the Free Rasalhague Republic is still awarding the Rasalhague Starburst, reserved exclusively for DCMS soldiers whose actions saved the lives of Rasalhague civilians or benefited the Republic. It has no such medal for the Lyrans, and certainly not for the Federated Suns.

Edited by Kyone Akashi, 15 October 2013 - 07:38 AM.


#36 Kennoir

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Posted 15 October 2013 - 08:08 AM

I don´t think it is necessary to pick a faction just now. The faction medals will give their bonus, no matter if they fit your chosen faction. Right? Right? No Idea, but they have to work later on, when the clans arrive, I guess.

#37 Strum Wealh

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Posted 15 October 2013 - 08:11 AM

View PostKyone Akashi, on 15 October 2013 - 07:36 AM, said:

I'm not sure this is accurate, but perhaps I am missing something? Rasalhague is not bordering the Federated Suns; the only thing that connects them is that Davion has merged with Steiner - the faction that basically backstabbed their freedom fighters and almost replaced the Combine as their new overlords - to create the Federated Commonwealth.

Ultimately, it was the Draconis Combine that not only allowed Rasalhague to secede, immediately acknowledging the independence of the fledgling republic, but also defended this newfound freedom against rogue elements of its own military as well as Lyran nobility. Surely, the civilian casualties caused by Duke Kelswa's oppressive actions, and the brutal crackdowns by the foreign Tamar Pact police forces was not forgotten so easily? In contrast, Kanrei Kurita has personally led the DCMS units sent to challenge both the Ronin as well as Kelswa's Lyran mercenaries.

Perhaps this is the reason why the Free Rasalhague Republic is still awarding the Rasalhague Starburst, reserved exclusively for DCMS soldiers whose actions saved the lives of Rasalhague civilians or benefited the Republic. It has no such medal for the Lyrans, and certainly not for the Federated Suns.

My statement ties back to the trade relations between the FRR and the Successor states, described (from the perspective of the Wolf's Dragoons' intelligence service) on page 50 of 20 Year Update.

The summarization, from Sarna:
"Due to the rather unique circumstances facing the FRR, trade relations with other powers in the Inner Sphere are fraught with unintended consequences. The current government pursues an Even Scale Policy in all dealings with either the Lyran Commonwealth or the Draconis Combine. Under this policy every transaction with one state has to be balanced by a transaction of equal value with the other state. Though simple in concept it has proven to be difficult if not outright impossible in practice. However, considering the records and reports needed to track and monitor all economic traffic, imports and exports to these two nations has proven to be beyond the capabilities of the bureaucracy to manage.

One interesting feature, as far as the Republic people and government are concerned, is that though this policy has caused issues in trade with their closest neighboring realms, but this policy has no impact or limitations on trade with other Inner Sphere nations. This has caused a marked increase in trade traffic with both Free Worlds League and Federated Suns, as well as closer diplomatic ties with these two realms.

Though the close alliance between the Federated Suns and Lyran Commonwealth may cause problems with FedSuns commerce in the future, it currently is not an issue in the minds of the Rasalhague government."

The emphasized statement, above, combined with the existing animosity between the FRR and DracCom (due to the not-unjustified belief that the Combine would try to re-conquer them at the first practical opportunity; see page 47 of 20 Year Update, under "Political Alignments") and between the FRR and the Lyrans (due to the actions of Duke Kelswa and others within the Lyran government; see page 45 of 20 Year Update, under "Revolt"), seems to support my previous conclusion.

#38 990Dreams

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Posted 15 October 2013 - 08:16 AM

Rasalhauge gets first access to Clan tech (Ghost Bear). The FRR interacts with the clans first (although if you are on the wrong planet you get to be a bondsman).

#39 Lord Ikka

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Posted 15 October 2013 - 08:22 AM

View PostDavidHurricane, on 15 October 2013 - 08:16 AM, said:

Rasalhauge gets first access to Clan tech (Ghost Bear). The FRR interacts with the clans first (although if you are on the wrong planet you get to be a bondsman).

Wrong about access- first access is basically Kuritan, as the FRR doesn't really know what's going on when they are getting attacked-their regiments were almost universally defeated without getting salvage- and didn't have the infrastructure/tech base to exploit Clantech anyway. Not a slam on the FRR, but they were just hit too hard and fast to actually grab really any of the Clantech they were hit with. Later, yes they had a lot of Clantech, but by then they were ruled by the Bears.

#40 990Dreams

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Posted 15 October 2013 - 08:23 AM

View PostLord Ikka, on 15 October 2013 - 08:22 AM, said:

Wrong about access- first access is basically Kuritan, as the FRR doesn't really know what's going on when they are getting attacked-their regiments were almost universally defeated without getting salvage- and didn't have the infrastructure/tech base to exploit Clantech anyway. Not a slam on the FRR, but they were just hit too hard and fast to actually grab really any of the Clantech they were hit with. Later, yes they had a lot of Clantech, but by then they were ruled by the Bears.


Yes, but the close interactions give opportunity for salvage through out the time of occupation.





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