EVE Online

Bash me as you will for introducing yet another reason for "conflict" within a game based on conflict! 
 
Proposal: Allow players to choose, or create, a religion run by a new "layer" of organization (pan-corporate), much as a real-life person may choose their religion without constraint from their employer (corp), and have said religion have actual effect on various aspects of PvP/PvE and MARKET gameplay, such that the more "faithful" a player is to their chosen religion, the more EFFECTIVE they (and their "co-religionists", as well as the corps with which they belong) are in battle and in market-activity.
 
I have some interesting "theory" (mechanics) somewhat thought out as to how to impliment such a system, and I believe it would create a fascinating "internal conflict" within the "corp-warfare" system, as well as create a very interesting "environment" for many so-called "care-bear" players to have real effect on "game politics" where they can be quite heroic in their "bold humility".
 
Anyone interested in hearing further details?
 
 
(( I get to be the singular representative of "The Hidden Pope", though, of course! ))

Originally posted by uPaewirupu

Bash me as you will for introducing yet another reason for "conflict" within a game based on conflict! 
 
Proposal: Allow players to choose, or create, a religion run by a new "layer" of organization (pan-corporate), much as a real-life person may choose their religion without constraint from their employer (corp), and have said religion have actual effect on various aspects of PvP/PvE and MARKET gameplay, such that the more "faithful" a player is to their chosen religion, the more EFFECTIVE they (and their "co-religionists", as well as the corps with which they belong) are in battle and in market-activity.
 
I have some interesting "theory" (mechanics) somewhat thought out as to how to impliment such a system, and I believe it would create a fascinating "internal conflict" within the "corp-warfare" system, as well as create a very interesting "environment" for many so-called "care-bear" players to have real effect on "game politics" where they can be quite heroic in their "bold humility".
 
Anyone interested in hearing further details?
 
 
(( I get to be the singular representative of "The Hidden Pope", though, of course! ))

Only problem with that is the only race that is remotely religious in the game are the amarr...and they border on zealotry. What you described is similar to the faction warfare they have planned where you can swear allegiance to one of the factions and you will get benefits from it.

Isnt out there enough conflict over religous belief in real life?

Why would we want this in games too? Dont think we need to promote that in games.. theres enough violence..

bring the love

Originally posted by daemon

Isnt out there enough conflict over religous belief in real life?

Why would we want this in games too? Dont think we need to promote that in games.. theres enough violence..

bring the love

 

Uh,.. Actually, what I'm proposing is a system whereby the powers of hyper-capitalism can be fought by "adherence to an ethical code of conduct".

Right now, the only way to "get power" (and therefore stuff) is via "might". What if it were possible to disturb or unseat entrenched "organized might" with "organized correct behavior"?

It wouldn't be ANOTHER source of conflict. It would be a new MEANS of conflict by which a "militarily weak" but "faithful" mass of players could have a "wedge" to unseat (or "diminish") the "super powerful" who otherwise would only be susceptible to the might of those like themselves (other super-powers).

Care to hear about how this might work?

Originally posted by Minsc

Originally posted by uPaewirupu...

Only problem with that is the only race that is remotely religious in the game are the amarr...and they border on zealotry. What you described is similar to the faction warfare they have planned where you can swear allegiance to one of the factions and you will get benefits from it.

This would NOT be a racial religion system. It would be a freely choosable religion system, whereby each individual could join OR CREATE an instance of one of several TYPES of religions. The TYPE of religion one chooses to join, or create, has an effect on the ultimate effectiveness of the "assistance" from their religion.

A (chosen or created) religion with the more powerful "initial potential" (inital potential), and with the most "faithful" adherents (density), and with the most "numerous adherents" (population), would have various "advantages" over their "enemies", such that it's quite likely that a vastly inferior "force" would be able to overcome a superior one who doesn't have "the faith" on their side in a conflict.

The advantage to this "parallel power" system is that one can have any "temporal" loyalties (corp or faction or whathaveyou) one can have, and STILL draw "power" from one's "faith".

Now, there MIGHT be some clashes of loyalties, as actions that your corp may require may be "sins" within your "faith", or your corp may DEMAND that you join a particular "corp religion" which would cause you to lose all your acquired "advantages" from your present "faith", and other "conflict producing effects".

The point is that I simply think it would be quite interesting to overlay this "parallel power system" atop the "corp power system" as a way to make "massively powerful corps" more susceptible to "internal strife" and "external leverage" to pry them from their entrenched places of  "monopoly power" in their "territory".

Some "specifics"--

Things to "track":

*) Ship kills and pod kills of:
----- "the innocent" (a big time 'mortal sin', but 'venial' if an 'evil' religion)
----- "attackers (of you)" (not usually a 'sin')
----- "fellow-religionists in opposing corps (generally a 'mortal sin')"
----- "NPC's (generally a 'venial sin')
*) One's Current "Holiness",.. gained by (ascending order of efficiency downward):
----- Offline "Prayer" ("skill" training)
----- Online "Prayer ("skill" training)
----- Martyrdom by Ship-kill (Christian meaning of "martyrdom"!)
----- Charity toward other players (ISK giving)
----- Attending "Sacraments" (being AT in-game GROUP activities)
----- Martyrdom by Pod-killing
----- Receiving "Sacraments" (being "not in mortal sin" at "sacramental activities)
----- ----- "Sin forgiveness" achieved by "official" admission of "sin", "penitence" by some act of "giving", and "absolution" by those "trained" to do so.
----- Assisting WITH "Sacraments" (having been trained to do so)
----- Administering "Sacraments" (having been trained AND sufficiently "HOLY" to do so)
 
ALSO, one's "Max-Holiness" and "Min-Holiness" stat, and perhaps an entire "Holiness Curve" ("stock-market" record of one's "holiness history") might be do-able. (( Wouldn't some "long-term" accountability" be a LOVELY thing to have to "worry about" when dealing with potential future "employers"? ))
 
The "Types" of religions (in descending order of "Initial Potential") :
----1 "THE One (actually TRUE) God" religion with a single player as utterly dedicated head (veritably game-owner controlled but "run" by a VERY dedicated player)
----2 A "One god" (monotheistic) religion
----3 A "Single god opposing other peoples' gods" religion ("Nationalistic"/"Racial"/Corp-istic polytheism)
----4 A "Many gods to choose from" religion (internally factional polytheism)
----5 A "God who doesn't interfere" religion ("Deist")
----6 An "Agnostic" religion
----7 An "Atheistic" religion (essentially NO religion)
 
The "Higher Initial Potential" religion-types are more difficult to "work into" high-power effectiveness, by requiring more population, more density (fervor/dedication/"holiness" of each member), and more TIME to "train", but they are MUCH more "potent" when they reach/approach the "higher levels" of their "full effect".
 
The "effects" that adherents gain by "faithful membership" are better combat (offensive and defensive, but "probablistic" in nature, such that you can't absolutely "count on" divine help) and market-manipulation effectiveness.
 
Their relative levels of "Initial Potential" (power) is (something like):
Type 1: 25
Type 2: 10
Type 3: 8
Type 4: 6
Type 5: 4
Type 6: 2
Type 7: 1

..which means that if a Type-1 and a Type-5 "match" occurs, the Type-1 player gets a 25/4=6.25 "boost-ish-thingy-like" effect-multiplier in some or all "seemingly semi-random" (aka "divinely applied") combat/defensive/market-manipulation ability effectiveness. You can probably, maybe, sort-of, get a "boost type" that you would prefer by "praying" for it in some habitual manner, and/or getting others to "pray" for you.

There is also a "limited exponential curve" (doesn't go to infinity) of the personal effectiveness of any one "boost" dependent on the personal "holiness" of the player character, such that a VERY VERY "holy" character can pull off seeming "miracles" in combat, becoming a veritible "Army of ONE" (™ USArmy)!!

Yeah,.. I'm a , but aren't we all when you really come down to it as regards this goofy game!?
 
 
Any questions?

quoted from "elsewhere":

Re: "A hedonistic religion" -
The only "personal actions" that "count" in terms of "morality" are:
1) Ship killing
2) Pod killing
3) ISK giving
4) "Sacramental Acts" (obedience to a "superior")
5) Dying without fighting ("Martyrdom")
 
..Now, if "pleasure seeking", which is what "hedonism" is based on, can be "done" by doing one of those things, then you have a religion based on hedonism. In other words, ANY religion can be "hedonistic" in that "pleasure seeking" would needs be defined as DOING that which makes one "holy", and NOT DOING that which makes one less "holy".
 
 
Re: CCP as GOD! -
That is EXACTLY what the (single instance of the) Type-1 religion is. It is an "Actual Creator of the Universe" religion, of which there is ONLY ONE instance, as opposed to any number of instances make-able by players of the other types, which is "run" by a single "highly constrained" player constrained by very tight "rules of conduct".
 
All other types can call these "moral actions" either "sins" or "virtues", and the "power" of any one religion grows as it's adherents do what their religion considers "virtuous", but in as much as their "virtues" are called "sins" by the singular Type-1 religion, they "feed" (increase in power) ALL OTHER non-them religions.
 
The non-them religions STILL have to "increase themselves" (become more "holy" in their own terms) to access that power provided by the "perversion of morality" of the non-Type-1 religion, but that is one motivation to create "ethical" (rightly moral action as per the single Type-1 religion) non-Type-1 religions.
 
The entire GOAL of this "overlay" of creatable religion is to motivate anti-sociopathic behavior.
 
 
An interesting thing about this idea is that EVEN IF EVERYONE were to be members of the singular Type-1 religion, they would STILL be able to fight amongst themselves, ethically, for "temporal political/territorial" power as the Type-1 religion has nothing to say about "political matters" (which is one of the "behavioral constraints" imposed on the "Ruler" player of the Type-1 religion), and the effects of being of "different faiths" is cancelled out by being of the SAME faith.
 
 
The chances of the game evolving to where EVERYONE is a member of the "One True Religion" (the Type-1 religion) are veritably nil, as it's simply not in the nature of the "denizens" of MMORPG's to be that rational!