7 replies to this topic

[Kjudoon]

So with the latest attempts by mercs to spawn a Liao/Marik war, I realized another function we need with the new Loyalist voting powers coming in Phase 3: the ability to fire mercenaries.

Seriously, some of this will be taken care of by the vote, but other times, mercs gonna do what mercs gonna do in your faction's name. I don't know what kind of freedom they're going to have, or if we're always going to have one front open on every bordering faction, but if we are, and want a loyalist peace treaty, then the option to eject units that do not obey the loyalist desires need to be implemented and force mercs to play well with others and remove more control they have over the fates of the noble houses.

So, PGI, please, provide loyalists the ability to 'fire' mercs from contracts, with or without penalty with a bar to re-enlistment with a house for a limited amount of time as a penalty for being a bad retainer. Repeated firings by houses could result in an increased time penalty till they could be forced to only be a freelancer if they continually do not behave well in the community.

Something to seriously consider as another merc control.

[Kjudoon]

Been thinking more about how Loyalists should be given control over Merc contracts by voting, since we're going to be getting control over what planets to attack next.

1. Vote Petitions.
-If you have a merc unit that comes in and then plays saboteur to your faction's goals, you should be able to petition for a vote on consequences for that unit.
- It should be possible to begin procedings towards action if 25% of a faction's loyalists agree something should be done.
- If a petition is passed, then a vote is taken for action to be done, which would require a super-majority (66% total loyalist population voting)
- Votes for action on a merc unit for violating Faction rules/desires/goals should take 72 hours for completion. One vote per member, no changes, all votes locked.
- If action is desired, the following options could be chosen

* Expulsion from faction with a ban for return for X amount of time (contract period or till next map reset)
* Forced contract buyout that would immediately cause the forfeiture of the merc's contract plus expulsion.
* Fines on CBill earnings over X amount of time (Contract period or till next map reset)
* Stand down order (Unit could not fight in CW for X amount of time from 1-7 days)
* Expulsion from faction without penalty, 1 ceasefire bar to return
* Censure for unit MRBC rating (if we ever get to that point) making it difficult for them to get work with other factions.

On the other hand, this should also allow for rewards once things like Rearm & Repair come back as well as worlds have consequential meaning.

Of course, having this level of power will have it's consequences on factions that abuse it. Let's face it, you come off as a totalitarian dink trying to control everyone in how they play, you're gonna be alone real quick with everyone against you. So, some PGI oversight is going to be neccessary if the merc disciplinary vote is used too often in a specific period, or Mercs could affectively appeal their punishment through the "MRBC" aka PGI... and if found to be abusive, compensation could be charged to the loyalist units and given to the aggrieved mercs instead.

So... options are there.

[MovinTarget]

Really, how else could a faction demonstrate "This was a bad idea"? Imagine if the Merc unit(s) in question took a MONTH contract and 1 week in you wanted them out?

Yeah, this needs to happen somehow...

[B0oN]

And then think about all the trolling that WOULD IMMEDIATELY HAPPEN .

Obviously you didn´t factor in this absolutely horrible community of ours, eh ^^

[Kjudoon]

Rad Hanzo, on 12 January 2016 - 06:54 AM, said:

And then think about all the trolling that WOULD IMMEDIATELY HAPPEN .

Obviously you didn´t factor in this absolutely horrible community of ours, eh ^^

That's why you first must get a successful petition of faction members. 25% of the entire loyalist faction population must agree. Probably need a time limit of a few days. 4 maybe? Then it must be confirmed by a super-majority vote (66%) in 72 hours. So a week long contract won't be affected but a ban to return could go into effect.

I don't know how easy that's going to be.

Of course, ideas to improve this would be a good point too. And also like 'instant replay' PGI can step in on it and say 'no' if it's obvious theres abuse going on.

Edited by Kjudoon, 12 January 2016 - 07:00 AM.

[Heart of Storm]

I like the overall idea, the lack of accountability of Mercenary units is an issue which has recently born some unpleasant fruit for those of us playing the Loyalist game.

It's a difficult one to get right, being able to vote-kick problematic Mercs could result in Mercs intentionally taking long contracts for the higher faction-point yield, then intentionally misbehaving to get kicked.

Perhaps a better idea would be a 'Merc Rating' whereby upon completion of a contract an employer can effectively provide a feedback or score to the Merc unit, visible to all future employers.

Other controls would be needed, an obvious one being Mercs only being able to align to a faction if contracted to a loyalist unit, otherwise they're just lone wolves able to participate on the clan front only..

[Kjudoon]

Heart of Storm, on 12 January 2016 - 12:12 PM, said:

I like the overall idea, the lack of accountability of Mercenary units is an issue which has recently born some unpleasant fruit for those of us playing the Loyalist game.

It's a difficult one to get right, being able to vote-kick problematic Mercs could result in Mercs intentionally taking long contracts for the higher faction-point yield, then intentionally misbehaving to get kicked.

Perhaps a better idea would be a 'Merc Rating' whereby upon completion of a contract an employer can effectively provide a feedback or score to the Merc unit, visible to all future employers.

Other controls would be needed, an obvious one being Mercs only being able to align to a faction if contracted to a loyalist unit, otherwise they're just lone wolves able to participate on the clan front only..

Yep, that's why you have a penalty where they can be charged Cbills (think of it like the IRS freezing your accounts and then fineing you for the privilege) if they really misbehave and the faction feels particularly agrieved. You really will get mercs to stand up and take notice if you go after their own personal Cbill accounts for bad behavior while members of a unit.

Nothing inspires good behavior like personal risk and loss.

That is also why it is critical to prevent abuse of such a feature and make the threshhold for such an action to be substantial but not impossible nor impulsive where a single unit of hotheads can essentially abuse the function for their own gain. That's why no unit or individual would be personally recompensed for fines levelled and depriving a faction of potential personnel is dangerous. Being a bad employer has it's risks too.

[testhero]

The Mercenaries Source book has a Section on the Mercenary Bonding Guild and IIRC they do post a bond with the board to ensure good behaviour and they receive both a employ]#
errating and a boardrating as well as pension and support funds of the sort that the officers of the british navy administered in antiquity

Famously both Wolf's dragoons and the Waco Rangers had their bonds attained and seized for non compliance.

Edited by testhero, 14 February 2016 - 11:43 AM.