IDEAS FOR RYZOM

I agree with Sinvaders for the most part. I have helped lead and recruit for a couple of guilds in the past and it is amazing how many people prefer to stay scattered in 20 guilds of 1 or 2 members in
a community that is already small to begin with instead of merging together in a larger, more active and alive guild. Or to stick with a guild that has been dead for a decade for nostalgia's sake instead of joining one of the more active guilds of his faction. I'm not trying to be harsh or criticize specific players here, but I do share the sentiment that an MMO loses a lot of its appeal to me without the social aspect. Every MMO has solos and lone wolves, it's a playstyle, it's just that in Ryzom with a low population of a few hundred and a high percentage of solos/tiny guilds, this really hinders the "large guilds" scene.

As for faction vs faction RP, in terms of the lore I think there could even be a good case for kamis and karas to team together or trade _ once in a while _, depending on the circumstances. The biggest offender to me are usually marauders, in the lore it makes no sense at all for maras to team with others or hang out in cities. Personally I just think the inclusion of maras in the game was a bad idea, specially given the low population. They're too anti-social. Trytonnists would probably have been a better third faction to add at the time.

Another problem with non-RPers killing the immersion of factionist RPers are TPs. Neutrals not having any PR TPs just forces non-RPers to choose one of the factions just for the TPs alone and they can't be bothered to try to follow the lore for that faction.

So far I have gotten along just fine without a guild. I both have been helped and have helped.

Although I could use some fancy or better quality things, I have no need per se.

I am slowly reaching my f2p maximums without a guild.

If I will be forced to interact with (non-system) guilds and individuals, I will most likely to stop playing.

It's also a problem for those who would remain non-theistic if the game allowed us to do so without paying a steep price. So long as getting to PR and 250-zones without trekking requires being Kami/Kara, there are a lot of us stuck of us who feel coerced into adopting a faith we never wanted.

While there are a couple of factions that are violently anti-theist, one (Marauder) is also anti-hominist while the other (Trytonist) is strictly an RP thing that gets no perks for being more commited to their RP than someone too casual to declare allegiance to a religion/civilization. As for Ranger, their 250-zone pathways are nasty, they must trek to PR every time they want to go, and their restrictions on fighting other homins except in self defense effectively ban them from SNs and OPs.

In short, there is no viable, lore-friendly option for us Agnostics.

While I agree to much of the post above, I have to disagree here:
In fact, the ranger apprentice pathfinder pathways towards 250 zones start in capital regions not far from every capital, not in PR. Granted that the endpoint of one of the pathways (to Loria) is of limited use (which is no big problem as access over HH and Avendale exists) and one other (to Void) sometimes harassed by a pack of kipuckas, that one being fairly useful though. The two others are excellent ways to reach GoC and SC.

As to ranger aspirants' participation in PvP activities, it is noteworthy that there in no ban for rangers. If a ranger aspirant chooses to train her combat abilities in duels, guild conflicts, or other PvP exercise, the precept of tolerance, together with the precept of balance (reminding consequences of actions) apply. Rangers must not engage in fights against a nation or religion, but they are not confined to mere self-defense. Being committed to all of hominity, they have to carefully decide whether or not engaging in PvP activities though, and many will decide or already have decided against.

So neither OP fights (as guild conflicts) nor SN digging and protection (as far as it is just resource acquisition not factional warfare) are forbidden for rangers.

I always thought rangers are neutral... as far as factions, guilds, nations or religions.

We might have chaotic neutral or lawful neutral rangers, but we are neutrals as far as homins.

I believe Gidget was writing there is no way to get to PR for a ranger unless they trek to it. There is no ranger pathway which ends in PR.

That's pretty much it. I get to Loria through Avendale, SC from Dyron, and generally avoid GoC (and the rest of the forest aside from Yrkanis), so three of the pathways are of little/no interst to me. But I do need access to Void and PR, and having the Kara TP so close to Paramount Stock is convenient.

@Daomei - That's one interpretation, and one I hadn't really thought about. Thank you for that. I suppose that evolution of one's outlook and a bit of soul-searching makes for good RP.

In any event, I think Loved has some good ideas that might be able to be hammered out into something workable.

If we are going by alliances, it would behoove both kara and kami to allow rangers to use their TPs, maybe for a higher cost, but still allow.

After all if I recall what I have read correctly, the story is rangers' primary concern is homins vs kitin, and rarely if ever take sides. When they do, they will side in a homin disagreement, it tends to take side to balance power or gross injustice.

It benefits both to have rangers to keep the other side in check.

I do know this will never happen.

This would be cool and sounds like fun, however, Then everyone in the game would like to become a Ranger and that would not be very much fun either imo :/

Daomei has stated the position that Wuaoi (our instructor) has repeated many times. The Rangers, as Rangers, do not take sides in conflicts between religions or Nations. They are neutral in those cases.

Wuaoi has also stated definitively, to the consternation of some who are anti-PvP, that OP battles, being guild-related and not a matter (in theory) of Nation or Religion may be participated in or not as the Ranger Aspirant feels is necessary or desirable. Of course if it becomes obvious that a Ranger is siding not on a Guild side but a religion or nation, they will have to be comfortable in justifying that.

The Rangers were founded to combat the kitins, and that still remains a focus of the group, but ever since the foundation of Silan have more and more acted as "honest brokers" when Nations and Religions have to meet in neutral circumstances to address problems.

As for Prime Roots and Paths (not tp's -- you can't rez to them and they have no safe zone unlike real tp's), we are waiting with some greater or lesser degree of patience for the Ranger Rite and access to PR paths. However, I have been playing true Neutral since the Second Swarming, and I regularly hunt in PR. (I also re-sole my boots every year.) It can be done. It may not be convenient, but it can be done.

It seems to me that the simplest solution is more Kitin involvement. It's been too long since Kitins were much more than a navigational hazard (KP) or good XP for near-masters (Great Kincher). That lack of a common enemy relegates Rangers to RP-only and makes Kami and Karavan go at each other just for fun. About the only ones not suffering are Marauders since they're inherently out to fight anything or anyone, homin or not.

We need a box of Kitins!

Nothing improves a platoon's cohesiveness than a good shelling...

It would be tragic if Kitins suddenly attacked a capital and Rangers had to rally everyone...

Jus' sayin' . . .

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