From the H2GE ...

[KingGladiator]

to raise my rep, you think you could NOT make them show up to kill me when im hired by them?

Kinda ironic that im hired to escort a cruiser from the rebels attacking, then the navy ports in and blows me up...stopping me from protecting their cruiser from being destroyed.

[-splosives-]

might be a different navy.
I can imagine factions in space being even more complicated than here on earth.

[KingGladiator]

...even better...i just did another navy escort (only thing the navy will let me do) and while im escorting the ship, two navy capital ships come to kill me. Since their cruiser im escorting is allied with me...they blow up my cruiser and i lose...

Well the faction rating doesnt give any hints that there are more than one navies in the Atlas system. Maybe in the war zones but just outside the main stations doesnt make much sense.

Besides the ratings say that the SierraNavy is pissed at me, and Sierra Navy is giving me the escort mission.



[Edited on 1-26-2013 by KingGladiator]

[-splosives-]

Definitely another navy, or an extremely incompetent commander on deck.

[KingGladiator]

Well whats really annoying, say you have to kill an enemy ace, or kill the rebels intercepting transports, either i lose the inital 5 or 6 in the swarm of ships or the contract isnt done til i kill EVERY ship that warps in, which is like 70.

[-splosives-]

I usually just keep killing reds until the contract gets completed. I don't care what faction they are, if they piss me off, they die .

[Marvin]

Factions

As the old saying goes: There are two sides to every story. And the Evoverse is no exception. Its two sides are: (1) the Federation and (2) the Alliance. Without going into great detail (or any detail at all), suffice to say that these two sides have somehow managed to maintain an uneasy detente, despite numerous provocations.

All the gated star systems (and most of the ungated ones) are governed by one side or the other. Every pilot, military or civilian, is to some degree associated with one of these sides. Like it or not, somewhere in the tangled network of computer data exists a record informing local authorities where each pilot stands. Ergo, pilots are rated* according to their reputation: good, fair, moderate or hostile. Alliance pilots fair badly in Federation-held star systems and Federation pilots fair no better in Alliance space.


[align=center]
Map of the gated systems and their predisposition to Alliance mercenaries[/align]

Admittedly, there is crossover (it's part of the cease fire agreement). Ergo, you will often find Alliance ships (including really big Navy cruisers) transiting Federation space and Federation ships loitering, unmolested, within Alliance space.

Nonetheless, the worse a lone pilot's standing is with local authorities, the greater the likelihood he will be harassed by factions. Navy capital ships can be downright belligerent, attacking without provocation or warning. As can Navy fighters. And, if the Navy is against you, expect other factions to follow suit. Even law-abiding pilots working for Energy or the Miners are likely to take pot-shots at an unsuspecting mercenary. And don't be thinking that lawless factions like Rebels or any of the Guilds will treat a wayward pilot any better. On the contrary. Guilds are nothing more than mobsters, often flying in packs, preying on independent pilots who will never receive (nor should they expect) protection.

While it's nearly impossible for a mercenary to convince the local administration of one's good intentions, it is possible to improve one's reputation among some of the factions. Even the indigenous Navy, supposedly operating under direction of the authorities, will begrudgingly "go easy" on pilots who sign up to assist in defending the star system from marauders, interlopers, carpetbaggers and invaders. Admittedly, the Navy and other lawful factions will still stand aside while a lone mercenary is under attack. But at least they aren't as likely to join in on the side of the attacker(s).


[align=center]
News Console readout displaying faction reputation in one particular star system[/align]

Of course, it's possible for a mercenary to choose the road not normally taken: completing contracts for rogue Guilds or Rebels. Should that be the case, the mercenary will then almost certainly be branded as a bandit and hunted by agents of the current administration. He will find no solace or refuge within the associated star system. Nor will his actions curry favor from the opposing side, be it Federation or Alliance. Because an untrustworthy mercenary can be trusted by no one.


* I bet you thought it was the other way round. (Confusion can be blamed on local authorities, all of whom are hidden behind city walls and trade station energy fields. You hear them. You sometimes read their messages. But they never fly. They hardly ever even take a taxi. They are the Federation. Or the Alliance. And they can make life very, very difficult for anyone born and raised in a foreign star system, be it a system which is far, far away or even one right next door.)

[Busch]

Very well put, Marv.