Well, to start off just about everyone in FA is a good person, make sure that you've got Faction unmuted, and you'll quickly pick up on those people that are most helpful, which is almost everyone who talks on Faction. Be polite, don't spam, don't use all caps or l33t speak and you'll get a great response from all of them.
As for RP; Practice makes perfect, and it *really* makes the game. Everyone in Phoenix RPs, and most everyone in DoY and THSC do as well, at least most of the time. Once again, you'll quickly pick up on who does, and who doesn't RP. When all else fails, preface "out of character" comments with "OOC:", more than being "the right way" to RP (if such a thing exists) it kind of helps to push other people into seperating their ooc comments from their RP comments. It's a quick way to tell who actually does RP, and how consistant they are.
Probably the best advice I can give, is this: Take part in everything. Someone puts out a message on faction that they're going to be attacking an op, join in. Someone says they're looking for people to go caving, speak up. Take part in events. Make your own events.
For general help/advice, faction chat is the best place. We have a lot of people who are capped and have multiple characters, and even those that don't have typically played at least one other class and know a few tricks.
For construction, talk to myself, Brammers, HTEC9900, Chicky, or Little Sister, we're all good constructors and generally willing to help out. I can be a bit reticent to do construction work after building large batches of APCs, but I'm a crabby old fart generally anyway
For research, talk to Pi Patel (my alt), Thonkus, Dragon Rider, or Ressi. Thonkus and Ressi are pretty much FA's best "available to the public" researchers.
For combat tips, Zane Shadowfall and Trillian are both very good at PvP with pistols. HTEC9900 is a good rifle user.
For Passive psi tips, talk with Wraith Nightcaster or his latest student Pi Patel.
For Aggressive psi, talk with TheEnemy (if he hasn't rerolled) or Lisa Merlins.
Many people who perform services, like construction, research or poking have spent a lot of time perfecting their craft. High level individuals have chosen in many cases to limit their combat abilities, sometimes greatly, so that they can better serve the public. Make sure you tip. If you're poor, tell them before hand, and often all they will ask is that you cover the cost of construction grease or research lube. In fact most really don't care about the tip as long as the cost of the materials they consume are covered, but it is polite to tip.
When getting something built. Bring BPs, and parts at the least. Often times constructors will carry around their own grease, but this is by no means the rule, if you have barter skill and can get it cheap, by all means, bring grease as well. It's okay to ask for your empty cubes back as well, I always forget to give them back
When getting items researched, bring cubes, research lube, and patience. Researching takes time. Bring more cubes than you need, particularly if it's a high TL item, and more lube than you think you'll need.
Pokers get the short end of the stick often times, it takes a lot of skill to poke well and they don't get tipped often enough. Many times they aren't looking for a tip, particularly when they're poking a Faction member, but offer a tip anyway. Don't forget your gel either
Finding teams to hunt with is sometimes a chore, particularly when you're looking for people right around your level. Best thing to do is ask on Faction, and in the mean time, run missions.
Speaking of missions, it's the best way to bump up your non-primary skills quickly. Research missions have the best payoff, particularly if you're a researcher. If you're not a researcher, get in contact with one, they most likely know exactly which BPs you need for the RES missions and can provide you with a batch of them sufficient for a good handful of missions.
Never use store bought weapons or spells. They're crap. Take the time to get the item researched, and built by a pro.
And now that I'm starving, I'll sum it all up by saying; This game is what you make it. The more you contribute the more fun you have, and the sooner you'll get to know the people in the faction. That's when the fun really starts.
Posted: Tue Dec 30, 2003 2:00 am
