Influence Points

[Kinaed]

Hello Players!

As you know, Support has recently gone into the game. Support is a major input to the eventual output of "Influence" points, which will be used to purchase Background Perks. Other possible factors for Influence Point calculation:

- heir
- titled
- guild affiliation
- wealth
- Social Class
- Position/Guild Rank
- Leaderboard Status (eg, people ranking the highest in a faction for support may have a special benefit)
- Association/Support of another player with any of the above

So, assuming you have support and/or some of the above factors, you'll end up with a pool of Influence Points to spend on Perks. Perks are intended to be IC benefits for being influential, but shouldn't be game breaking for one player to have if another doesn't. Can you guys give us ideas of what kind of perks to bring into the game?

Some possible perks that might be attached to spheres of influence:

- get a small interest rate return on funds in the bank
- retool items from shops for free.
- sell objects for the cost of the object at a special store
- access rumors at half price
- improvements to phomes are half price.
- purchasing food objects is at half price.
- walking around in armor costs less movements
- purchasing retainers costs half price.
- purchasing horses costs half price.
- +1 to appearance rating
- control over the armies of a domain
- revenue from a domain
- access to special areas

Can you think of any other possibly desirable perks? One QP for each new perk suggested!

[Geras]

I'd advise strongly against paying interest for bank deposits, as I seem to remember this blowing up the money supply early on in oldTI...

One suggestion for the overall structure - perhaps when you spend these points, the benefit you receive could still be scaled based on your support level. IE if you spend an influence point on getting reduced prices for npc merchants, how much of a reduction is at least partially dependent on your support levels from PC Merchants.

Some suggestions for benefits:

-getting a break on your taxes: reduced taxes depending on your standing with the Reeves
-getting an idea where knights/reeves are with periodic messages (depends on your standing perhaps with Manus/Thieves?)

[Empheba]

How about a percentage discount for the "Realistic RP assistance" QP cost?
.
Empheba

[Temi]

-getting an idea where knights/reeves are with periodic messages (depends on your standing perhaps with Manus/Thieves?)

This could be tied to the accept programs we'll be having. If people of certain characteristics that shouldn't be in an area choose to go there anyway, they use an 'accept' command that states they realise there may be consequences. Maybe reports to people with influence there could be one of those consequences!

[Geras]

This ties into a suggestion on the "Support" thread, but perhaps influence points could be spent to get some sort of ability to view pieces of the support network. IE getting an idea of who's working to support you and who's working against you.

[Kinaed]

I think that's a great perk. Right now we're moving away from baseline perks and towards 'commands players can execute'. I like the idea to have a command to spy on people's support network, for example.

[Rabek]

Some possible perks that might be attached to spheres of influence:

- get a small interest rate return on funds in the bank
- retool items from shops for free.
- sell objects for the cost of the object at a special store
- access rumors at half price
- improvements to phomes are half price.
- purchasing food objects is at half price.
- walking around in armor costs less movements
- purchasing retainers costs half price.
- purchasing horses costs half price.
- +1 to appearance rating
- control over the armies of a domain
- revenue from a domain
- access to special areas

Can you think of any other possibly desirable perks? One QP for each new perk suggested!

Alrighty, I don't really have new suggestions right now, but I can make suggestions on the suggestions!

I like the ones that can reasonably be explained by, you know... influence. Revenue, armies, special areas, price cuts, that sort of thing. Most of what's on that list applies. I also like the idea for a QP cost reduction for RP assistance that fits within your spheres.

What I don't like are perks that have absolutely nothing, that I can see, relating to spheres of influence. Namely:

+1 appearance
Less movement to walk around armored

I don't see how these can be explained by having your influence directed anywhere except maybe the mages. As such, I'd want to avoid heading in that direction in perks, and moving towards the more social things, like the armies and price cuts. Tying in to the talk in the other thread about class changes, maybe gentry could require a certain amount of influence in a sphere in addition to, or instead of, wealth/GL status.

Oh, hey, look. I did have a suggestion! Make gentry a possible perk for influence.

[Jei]

I concur with Rabek that the less movement points used and +1 to appearance are both nonsensical and should not be affected by this, if it is brought in game. Being someone influencial already would make you more 'attractive' as a partner in a general sense, it would not suddenly turn you (looks wise) from Michael Cera into Brad Pitt, IMO.

I also do not see how ICly you would somehow have greater ease of movement in armor due to your influence.

[Another]

I would like to see temporary bonuses to a character's support value purchasable with silver, gold, rpxp, qp, or otherwise attainable.

Make support convertible directly into influence points for when you want to bypass the whole land-bid game and just get straight to the perks.

One of the perks you can buy with influence points is a permanent increase in a character's support value.

This whole process, from coin/rpxp/qp to permanent support increase, should be very expensive, say in the neighborhood equivalent of 50,000 to 100,000 rpxp. It is, however, an attainable goal and a primer for characters who want to build themselves from scratch into the big power struggle.

Now even your everyday freeman has a real shot of making something of himself.

Tying this thread into the Class Fluidity thread I begin to see a whole new aspect of gameplay potential emerging and I am really excited about it.

[Kinaed]

My, I've gone back and forth over this a lot. But I think I'm pretty happy with my current placement of "What can people spend influence on, and how it will work" though I'm still looking at specifics of what each of these "areas" will do.

But, as of now, influence points will be able to be spent in one of these areas:

- Business (basically, the economy)
- Domains (geographical areas as per the various maps)
- Military (Armies, folks!)
- Underworld (crime and everything else we love about it)
- Foreign Contacts (Tubori, Vandago, Vavard, Farin, Charali, Hills, Daravi)

Players will spend influence points to "enter" these arenas. The more influence they put in them, the bigger the player they are, which can be represented in player backgrounds. ANYONE can spend influence into any of these areas, though it may not make sense for some characters to do so. Regardless, spending influence in these areas is IC.

Basically, at differing levels of influence in those areas, you can additionally spend influence points to "execute" commands, such as have current events occur somewhere, have an army attack somewhere, bring about a good or poor harvest, etc. Those things will affect people ICly, and allow for all players to represent and control the world at large.

How do people feel about those spheres? Any comments on the idea as expressed?

Note: The things that will earn influence points were stated in the first part of this thread, but to go over it quickly again, people will earn influence points on a weekly or so basis, based on their guild rank, noble title, IC support values, assets (coming soon to represent wealth), and so on.