Tweaks, on 07 December 2011 - 06:52 PM, said:
Well, Merc Corps are not exactly neutral usually, and it makes sense that it is that way in my opinion. As one of the Houses, I wouldn't hire a Merc Corp known to have done countless contracts for an enemy, I just wouldn't trust them.
Bryan Ekman, on 07 December 2011 - 07:02 PM, said:
This statement demonstrates the spirit of what a loyalty point system achieves..
Okay, forgive me for sounding contrary, but though I agree that no potential employer would hire a contractor to do a job when that contractor has done enough jobs to put me, the employer, off of hiring them; bad reputation, poorly done work, all that. However, rather than gathering a total number of points so that a Merc Corps can work for only one employer, how about taking the MW4: Mercs route and having a Merc Corps start out as neutral to all Houses, able to choose to bid on and take contracts, and then have their Loyalty Points for all of the Houses adjust from there. And, instead of having points decay from the time the Merc last took a contract with a particular House, down to zero (0), have them go back to the mid-point/neutral. The only way a Merc Corps can actually lose points with someone is by taking a contract against them and, once their LPs for that House reach a certain low level, the Merc Corps can no longer take contracts with them unless/until the Merc Corps is able to complete contracts that give them back points of faction. Finally, if a Merc Corps gets to a certain low level with a House, that House could send out people to start hunting the Merc Corps, to kill it.
What it sounds like to me, if I've read it correctly, is that everyone will enter the game, start at 0 Loyalty Points, and will only be able to build LPs for their House, until they have enough points to get a Merc Corps going, if that's what they want to do, and then can not do contracts for other Houses unless the Merc Corps can gain enough LPs with that House to be able to work for them.
I know Bryan, nor any of the devs, can really answer that, now, but if the system's not been developed, as yet, perhaps you could take a look at the balance system, everyone starting in a Merc Corps starts at neutral with all potential employers. That would, at least, allow Merc Corps to shop around for whomever they want to fight; otherwise, it's just Company Store, Merc Corps not really being Merc Corps, because they're tied to a specific House. I know I'm missing something, here, but I can't seem to put my finger on it.