First to deal with the raw nerve that you stepped on;
Your extremist opinion is precisely what is wrong with many other games, as well as the real world that many of us play MMOs to take a break from. You seem to overlook the fact that the majority of people, both on Earth and on Atys, are not fanatics that utterly hate anyone not of the same faith. It's okay if you and your guild are like that, but it's most definitely not okay to make the game insufferable for those who don't share your particular flavor of extremism by making it The Law. If you want to push faction gameplay to that extent, why don't you just play League of Legends where that sort of toxicity already runs rampant instead of polluting one of the few online games with a decent community?
You say, "[W]hat players are doing is not coherent with what their characters should do.". Show me in the lore where it says that ALL Kamists and Karavaners are so full of hate that they would rather die than associate with those of the "opposing" faction. Until you can (and do) quote the chapter and verse that says exactly that, I would like to retain the freedom to be as tolerant as I please; it's MY toon, not your's! You can be as big a bigot as you want, but realize that you and people who share your mindset will be the only ones on Atys before too long; then what fun will you have?
/rant
Now that I have that off my chest, I think your other points are quite valid. Sure, there are those who don't value the socializing, but even the most selfish pragmatist can benefit from belonging to a decent guild. That said, I think that anyone who wishes to forfeit those benefits should have the right to do so, as well as the joy of slower XP gain and restricted access to the fun stuff like OP mats and stacks of Sups. I'm not entirely convinced that we need much more to incentivize guild play, but I am convinced that those who are anti-social already won't suddenly change by making guild play practically mandatory. I can't see much that can be done about guild play (or lack thereof).
More importantly though, the global story. There was a time when Kami and Karavan had a common enemy; the Kitins. But that threat has not been around in years. That right there is a problem on many levels, not least of which is that those who want to fight so badly that they don't care who/what they fight. There really needs to be some external threat or other Atys-changing event to keep things from either getting boring or (worse) degenerating into a player-made MOBA with all of the toxicity that generally goes along with that.
Your extremist opinion is precisely what is wrong with many other games, as well as the real world that many of us play MMOs to take a break from. You seem to overlook the fact that the majority of people, both on Earth and on Atys, are not fanatics that utterly hate anyone not of the same faith. It's okay if you and your guild are like that, but it's most definitely not okay to make the game insufferable for those who don't share your particular flavor of extremism by making it The Law. If you want to push faction gameplay to that extent, why don't you just play League of Legends where that sort of toxicity already runs rampant instead of polluting one of the few online games with a decent community?
You say, "[W]hat players are doing is not coherent with what their characters should do.". Show me in the lore where it says that ALL Kamists and Karavaners are so full of hate that they would rather die than associate with those of the "opposing" faction. Until you can (and do) quote the chapter and verse that says exactly that, I would like to retain the freedom to be as tolerant as I please; it's MY toon, not your's! You can be as big a bigot as you want, but realize that you and people who share your mindset will be the only ones on Atys before too long; then what fun will you have?
/rant
Now that I have that off my chest, I think your other points are quite valid. Sure, there are those who don't value the socializing, but even the most selfish pragmatist can benefit from belonging to a decent guild. That said, I think that anyone who wishes to forfeit those benefits should have the right to do so, as well as the joy of slower XP gain and restricted access to the fun stuff like OP mats and stacks of Sups. I'm not entirely convinced that we need much more to incentivize guild play, but I am convinced that those who are anti-social already won't suddenly change by making guild play practically mandatory. I can't see much that can be done about guild play (or lack thereof).
More importantly though, the global story. There was a time when Kami and Karavan had a common enemy; the Kitins. But that threat has not been around in years. That right there is a problem on many levels, not least of which is that those who want to fight so badly that they don't care who/what they fight. There really needs to be some external threat or other Atys-changing event to keep things from either getting boring or (worse) degenerating into a player-made MOBA with all of the toxicity that generally goes along with that.
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Do not assume that you speak for all just because you are the loudest voice; there are many who disagree that simply have no desire to waste words on you.