Free Companies Info

Let's talk about free companies and what we expect and want once these things are released. For starters here's hoping that we finally get REAL guilds in this game instead of forms of communication ie linkshells.

PVP and Conquest between free companies seem like something we can expect already.

So how about Free Companies being able to level and have their own sets of abilities and traits to benefit its members according to their rank.

Example 1 Free company leader and officers have the (Free Company) ability to summon their group to a set location maybe on a 24 hour cool down. Would be useful for events and maybe roaming NM's like Odin.

Example 2 Rift had a nice nifty guild trait that I thought was pretty cool. Some kind of trait that increases any Gil received from mobs or chests or whatnot by 5% that automatically gets sent to the company bank which can be accessed by its members.

Ongoing company quests that can be shared by its members as well a shared company bank.

I am aware that a lot of other games have these features and this is no way is my attempt to be innovated or creative. Just hoping that SE sees that these features will facilitate and encourage exclusivity and friendly engaging rivalries between companies.
I strongly believe that these features are very much needed and I strongly believe that will enhance our community and gaming experience.

Share your thoughts and if the devs can post on here with any new info that would be good.

I literally only care about free companies because we'll apparently get to make furniture to put in the housing.

The rest of the stuff is just an added bonus!

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Originally Posted by KiriA500

The rest of the stuff is just an added bonus!

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Summon primals is just an added bonus? ^^

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Originally Posted by Felis

Summon primals is just an added bonus? ^^

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Yes.

Making chairs and arranging them > some stupid jerk who never drops weapons for me!

:o

Free Company Buildings; a place for your guild to meet up.
- Make them aesthetically pleasing and interesting, as well as practical in usage. For the former: exclusive decorations based on achievements (world firsts, HNM kills, etc), trophies, custom guild crest/sigil, crafter/gatherer-adjustable design to make your building unique, and if possible, the ability for others in the server to visit your building . The latter: crafting support, gardening plot, chocobo stables, access to a vendor whose inventory is adjusted according to Free Company level/skill/etc, as well as access to AH and retainers, some sort of twist on a well-rested bonus, storage space for items to be shared within your Free Company (mats., green armor/weapons, potions, food, etc).

Free Company Levels and Abilities; rewards for your hard work.
- Leveling should be based on your Company's achievements and hard work, whether through completion of special quests and storylines or defeat of HNMs, instances, and strongholds. The road to cap shouldn't be unnecessarily long, but it shouldn't be easy to attain (Free Companies should be considered hardcore/endgame-oriented, and as such, shouldn't be too easy to build) and should of course offer greater rewards to those who work harder and faster; and there should be suitable abilities and rewards to make everything worthwhile. The ability you mentioned is a great example, it's not too OP but practical and worth an effort. Some other abilities/skills/privileges could include: increased storage space in guild bank, strengthened crafting support, buffs to combat chocobos, access to special instances/HNMs with worthwhile drops, ability to craft and use personal Company airships, lowered tax on any items sold through your guild bank, etc.

Free Company-Related Content; killing dargons and getting dorps.
- The implementation of "extremely challenging" content geared specifically at Free Companies. The content could have access restricted according to Company level, and offer more difficult and rewarding content depending on your Company's level. Items should be worthwhile and in some cases, much better than any crafted gear available (without triple melds). Because some of the items will be (hopefully) very hard to get, they should obv. look really cool, too ;D The chance to show off your Company's hard-earned accomplishments shouldn't be overlooked. To match the desirability of the items, content should be difficult and on occasion even require 16+ raids to complete. There should be HNMs that take more than 2 hours to defeat, and dangerous instances which require a high level of skill to complete, with item/chest requirements that surpass what we have in the game currently, along with multiple HNMs prior to the final boss.

That's all I can think of for now, but my main point is that Free Companies are, as far as I understand, endgame/hardcore guilds, and should be treated/challenged as such.

I'm more interested in hearing information on hamlet defence before free companies.

FC's are still a long way away.

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Originally Posted by TheFatHousecat

That's all I can think of for now, but my main point is that Free Companies are, as far as I understand, endgame/hardcore guilds, and should be treated/challenged as such.

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Noooooooo! SE pls make content that you develop accesible to everyone, hardcore and casuals, pls pls pls

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Originally Posted by Hippo

Noooooooo! SE pls make content that you develop accesible to everyone, hardcore and casuals, pls pls pls

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I think player housing will be the more casual aspect, FC will be more a long term process that the FC work towards.

Im curious how many people they plan to allow in a FC, will it be Linkshell big or 8 people ?

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Originally Posted by Hippo

Noooooooo! SE pls make content that you develop accesible to everyone, hardcore and casuals, pls pls pls

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As far as Free Companies are concerned, I think that the content should be more hardcore-geared. LSs are for casuals, Free Companies are for hardcores. Of course, outside of Free Companies, I'm completely fine with casual/hardcore content in equal amounts, it's just this aspect of the game that I think should be separated difficulty-wise.

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Originally Posted by Jinko

Im curious how many people they plan to allow in a FC, will it be Linkshell big or 8 people ?

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I know that Yoshi said you'd need at least 4 to create a Free Company, and I'm quite sure the limit is well above 8 but most likely less than ~50.



Also, while I was digging around a bit, I found a couple of somewhat relevant quotes:

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Originally Posted by Reinheart

Implementing Free Company
Players can form their own mercenary group. Having contents ready for free companies to challenge and by gaining free company points be able to gain their teams rank.

Implementing housing (own home)
First off planning to include as a base for above mentioned free company. Crafters and Gatherers will be able to customize the house. In the future will connect to own home.

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Originally Posted by Stanislaw

Yoshi-P:
We plan on introducing a "Free Company" system that is separate from the LS system we have now. Think of it as creating your very own Grand Company. We assign each company ranks, then offer content based on rank, and when your Free Company completes these tasks they receive Company points and increase your rank. In the new FFXIV, we're thinking of linking Company ranks and housing together.

4Gamer：
　ちなみにハウジングというのは，FFXIのモグハウスのようなものではなく？
4Gamer:
When you say housing, it's not the same thing as the Mog Houses of FFXI, are they?

吉田氏：
　ちゃんと外観はあります。見目麗しいハウジングゾーンをプレイヤーのみんなで作れるようにしたいとモックアップ製作中です（笑）。
Yoshi-P:
We've even got outer appearances this time around where players can pool resources and work together on customization. Playing around with mockup housing zones right now. *laugh*

4Gamer：
　土地争いとかどうなるんだろうと思いましたが，専用ゾーンになるんですね。
4Gamer:
I was worried how it'll going to turn into a land grab, but it seems you're creating a specific zone for it all.

吉田氏：
　巨大なカンパニーがプライドを持てるように，広くてお金が掛かるような場所もあれば，こぢんまりで良いよというプレイヤー向けの場所もあります。これもある意味，エンドコンテンツといえます。
Yoshi-P:
We've got something for everyone. A large Company with lots of money can create a large base for themselves, but for players who prefer smaller, tidy zones, we have that too. In a way, I guess you can classify this as Endgame content.

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Actually I have other issues with the free company...

Mainly the summoning Gods to a fight (like Ifrit). What SE is saying that a FC leader and appointed people ONLY have the right to summon such Gods. My question is, why should I join your FC if I don't EVER get the right to summon them? hell, I'll start my own FC...

Some may say that you can't get a strong enough FC to even get the item to summon Ifrit. True. But what happens when we get say 8 ppl in my FC, defeat Ifrit and got the item to summon him. but guess what, none of us can. Cause none of the people who can summon were in the fight... So they get the reward, while we do the work

I don't know, just need more clarifications

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Originally Posted by HokSeven

Actually I have other issues with the free company...

Mainly the summoning Gods to a fight (like Ifrit). What SE is saying that a FC leader and appointed people ONLY have the right to summon such Gods. My question is, why should I join your FC if I don't EVER get the right to summon them? hell, I'll start my own FC...

Some may say that you can't get a strong enough FC to even get the item to summon Ifrit. True. But what happens when we get say 8 ppl in my FC, defeat Ifrit and got the item to summon him. but guess what, none of us can. Cause none of the people who can summon were in the fight... So they get the reward, while we do the work

I don't know, just need more clarifications

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You're right!

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Originally Posted by Rukkirii

Free company leaders will get to decide if anyone in the company can summon them or if only the leader will have this power.

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I think this is a better way to handle it, honestly. There will always be that one Free Company member who decides to waste your card and summon the Primal without letting anyone else know; it's just too messy to let anyone in the FC do it. If you feel like you'll be misrepresented within your Company then maybe that Company isn't the one for you?

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Originally Posted by TheFatHousecat

As far as Free Companies are concerned, I think that the content should be more hardcore-:

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I read the Japanese provided by Yoshi P, he said Free Company can be considered as endgame content but he also said if you want a small place you can have it so it means casuals should also be able to get their own housing maybe not as grand as the palaces some hardcore guilds can build but I still like to have a place to call my own :p

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Originally Posted by Hippo

I read the Japanese provided by Yoshi P, he said Free Company can be considered as endgame content but he also said if you want a small place you can have it so it means casuals should also be able to get their own housing maybe not as grand as the palaces some hardcore guilds can build but I still like to have a place to call my own :p

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Ahah, hmm. I guess I have to relent xD I still don't think there will be much, or don't think there should be much, casual FC content. More like, as you move up the tiers of quests/content/etc. with your FC, you can spruce up your building, or keep it small. Then again, I'm sure you could always just make a FC without the goal of advancing much as far as content/etc., and have a nice little building with a small player base.

Also, I hope you're not confusing what I'm talking about with player housing in general? Player housing and FC housing are supposed to be separate entities.

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Originally Posted by TheFatHousecat

Ahah, hmm. I guess I have to relent xD I still don't think there will be much, or don't think there should be much, casual FC content. More like, as you move up the tiers of quests/content/etc. with your FC, you can spruce up your building, or keep it small. Then again, I'm sure you could always just make a FC without the goal of advancing much as far as content/etc., and have a nice little building with a small player base.

Also, I hope you're not confusing what I'm talking about with player housing in general? Player housing and FC housing are supposed to be separate entities.

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Yea like the above quote said, as you rank up you get access to more quests and I assume they will get harder and harder as you progress.

So a casual could probably do the lower tier quests and content.

I would kind of liken it to gettng sea access or something.

what happens if i want to change free company? can i?

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Originally Posted by Hippo

what happens if i want to change free company? can i?

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I think you would be able,but some kind of time limit should be applied

Just copy and paste WoW's current guild system and you have a winner.

^ I have to know where to get that signature. I want to show it off to people! It's awesome!

Also, I think the implementation of something like a FC, where an individual can act to benefit the entire group, would make me less of a casual player. If it can make a difference for someone other than myself, I'm willing to put in the effort!

We will actually be getting free company housing before private player housing. Also you will only be able to choose one free company. Im pretty sure the whole system will be similar with other games guild systems.

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Originally Posted by Raldo

I'm not a huge fan of the ability to only choose one FC at a time... I think that was said at some point, right?

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Its only fair. They already said you will have perks and privileges if you are in a high leveled Free Company. Wouldn't be fair if you had access to perks from two Free Companies.

If you look at WoW's current guild system. They have a Guild level system, where the higher it is, the more perks and access to in game items you can receive. Perks such as "More gold per monster kill", "5% more EXP gained from quests", and so on.

One thing people should remember is that Linkshells and Free Companies are not the same thing. LS's are simply communication tools, Free Companies is actually a guild system.

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Originally Posted by Velhart

Just copy and paste WoW's current guild system and you have a winner.

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Oh you didn't !!

I hope that it limits you to only one FC, I don't want to see people just sticking their head in to whore the latest event.

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Originally Posted by syntaxlies

We will actually be getting free company housing before private player housing. Also you will only be able to choose one free company. Im pretty sure the whole system will be similar with other games guild systems.

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I have not played othe MMOs before but if a new member joins an established LS, will he or she automatically gain the perks of that LS?

If so, I can forsee many unscrupulous people sucking ass to endgame LS leaders to enter their FC and throw away the concept of work = reward and causes all sorts of drama within that FC

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Originally Posted by Hippo

I have not played othe MMOs before but if a new member joins an established LS, will he or she automatically gain the perks of that LS?

If so, I can forsee many unscrupulous people sucking ass to endgame LS leaders to enter their FC and throw away the concept of work = reward and causes all sorts of drama within that FC

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LS's and FC will be 2 completely different things. You don't have to be in the FC of your LS but you will have to choose one FC. Also only the leader of the FC will get o decide how to use the primal if they are able to obtain it. Being able to fight for control of a primal is the only perk they have mentioned so far, but i think they did mention access to certain items and stuff but nothing specific. If free company's have a crest and private chat then i see a lot of the bigger LS's dying out and going FC 100%.

Definetly only one FC per person...you want to keep in touch with your friends? That's what linkshells are for. In regards to people that get invited to high level FC without earning it, I'm sure there will be some kind of ranking system within the FC. A new member might only get access to some of the perks while an officer will get full access. A new member might only get limited access to the guild bank in order to protect itself from thieves. A 7 day cool down to join a new FC could also be implemented to avoid FC jumpers.

Honestly this is one of the MAIN things I am looking forward to in 2.0 and it should be a lot of people's main concerns. Let's keep posting and sharing opinions so we can get a dev in here to read and pass on the info to the people that can make these things happen.

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Originally Posted by TheFatHousecat

You're right!



I think this is a better way to handle it, honestly. There will always be that one Free Company member who decides to waste your card and summon the Primal without letting anyone else know; it's just too messy to let anyone in the FC do it. If you feel like you'll be misrepresented within your Company then maybe that Company isn't the one for you?

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True that some ppl might just be d#$@ and just summon ifrit for a dodo :)

The way I see it is summoning should be granted on ranks (same with other perks the FC offer). This way, even a FC creator will not be able to summon if he did not rank up and did not work for the FC for a while. I see it as the most fair choice amongst the lot.

I guess we'll have to wait and see

I imagine that the larger endgame shells on each server will likely form their own free companies. This might not be good news for people in smaller social shells who have to join mixed companies. My linkshell puts together two full parties per night for stuff like cutters,AV and strongholds and has other people to rotate into the groups. I struggle to think of any other shells on Ridill at least who can do this on such a regular basis. There is a danger that this could lead to one or two elite free companies on each server that the others have little chance of competing fairly with.

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Originally Posted by charlemagne

I imagine that the larger endgame shells on each server will likely form their own free companies. This might not be good news for people in smaller social shells who have to join mixed companies. My linkshell puts together two full parties per night for stuff like cutters,AV and strongholds and has other people to rotate into the groups. I struggle to think of any other shells on Ridill at least who can do this on such a regular basis. There is a danger that this could lead to one or two elite free companies on each server that the others have little chance of competing fairly with.

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That's a viable point and it will be most probably the case. Then again, some people might feel that they don't want to be part of the "elite" work like a robot kinda FC (or LS if you will). I personally don't like to be part of a LS that calculate points for players and stuff of the sorts. I don't like to work, I'm playing... I get it some people are into that kind of stuff and kudos to them.

Other point is like I said, and this will happen A LOT in a FC structure. A leader does not grant certain people the right to summon or do other stuff (right now, we know only the summoning right. Might be there are other stuff). What do you think those guys will feel? They'll stay in the FC? Hell no, they'll form their own and watch the drama unfold. And since there will be PvP between FCs, this will be awesome :D

All in all, this might be too much of a promise and I'm afraid we'll end up with a larger LS... But if they implement this right... ohh yeah

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Originally Posted by HokSeven

That's a viable point and it will be most probably the case. Then again, some people might feel that they don't want to be part of the "elite" work like a robot kinda FC (or LS if you will). I personally don't like to be part of a LS that calculate points for players and stuff of the sorts. I don't like to work, I'm playing... I get it some people are into that kind of stuff and kudos to them.

Other point is like I said, and this will happen A LOT in a FC structure. A leader does not grant certain people the right to summon or do other stuff (right now, we know only the summoning right. Might be there are other stuff). What do you think those guys will feel? They'll stay in the FC? Hell no, they'll form their own and watch the drama unfold. And since there will be PvP between FCs, this will be awesome :D

All in all, this might be too much of a promise and I'm afraid we'll end up with a larger LS... But if they implement this right... ohh yeah

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Well the whole linkshell points system thing isn't a given even if a lot of shells use it. We decided it wasn't something we wanted to do. Our system is simple. If you're in the party that gets a drop and you can use it, you get to lot on it. No attendance points or any crap like that.

What's the point of instanced guild housing? It only serves to take people outside of the game world.

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Originally Posted by bobbygunz

What's the point of instanced guild housing? It only serves to take people outside of the game world.

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The guild can work together to improve their shared space, you can meet other members there to talk and trade, it adds a place in the world you can think of as your own. What's the point in NOT having it?

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Originally Posted by bobbygunz

What's the point of instanced guild housing? It only serves to take people outside of the game world.

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You could also say, 'What's the point of instanced personal housing?'.

It might take people out of the game, yes, the same way instanced personal housing will. It's not like FCs will spend DAY there (unless they're really inactive <<), but it'll be a good place to convene before an FC event, meet up to trade things between your members, put stuff in the bank, craft something for the FC, or just stare at whatever cool decorations that FCs are allowed to have.

Really, I think that having an actual building creates a foundation (literally) for an FC. Otherwise it'll seem like nothing more than a communication tool, such as LSs. With a building, you have the ability to offer FCs more creative options, such as level and abilities, banks, and such. You could do the same without a building, yes, but it'd all be controlled through some NPC in the middle of town, which would seem... less impressive, somehow.

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Originally Posted by Zelkelion

The guild can work together to improve their shared space, you can meet other members there to talk and trade, it adds a place in the world you can think of as your own. What's the point in NOT having it?

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Well, those people doing all those amazing things inside their instances could instead be actually doing them in the game world. After all, it's supposed to be a massively multiplayer game, not a series of instances where people hang out in their own private lobbies.

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Originally Posted by TheFatHousecat

You could also say, 'What's the point of instanced personal housing?'.

It might take people out of the game, yes, the same way instanced personal housing will. It's not like FCs will spend DAY there (unless they're really inactive <<), but it'll be a good place to convene before an FC event, meet up to trade things between your members, put stuff in the bank, craft something for the FC, or just stare at whatever cool decorations that FCs are allowed to have.

Really, I think that having an actual building creates a foundation (literally) for an FC. Otherwise it'll seem like nothing more than a communication tool, such as LSs. With a building, you have the ability to offer FCs more creative options, such as level and abilities, banks, and such. You could do the same without a building, yes, but it'd all be controlled through some NPC in the middle of town, which would seem... less impressive, somehow.

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There's also something called non-instanced housing too.

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Originally Posted by bobbygunz

Well, those people doing all those amazing things inside their instances could instead be actually doing them in the game world. After all, it's supposed to be a massively multiplayer game, not a series of instances where people hang out in their own private lobbies.



There's also something called non-instanced housing too.

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im not a game designer by any means, but it seems like it would be next to impossible to allow players to change the open world. I think that's why they are instanced. I could be wrong though, like i said, i have no clue what im talking about.

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Originally Posted by syntaxlies

im not a game designer by any means, but it seems like it would be next to impossible to allow players to change the open world. I think that's why they are instanced. I could be wrong though, like i said, i have no clue what im talking about.

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Other games have done it in the past (like for example Ultima Online and Star Wars Galaxies), and recent additions include Darkfall, Mortal Online, ArcheAge, etc. I don't think any one of them did it very well, but the point is it's not impossible.

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Originally Posted by bobbygunz

Other games have done it in the past (like for example Ultima Online and Star Wars Galaxies), and recent additions include Darkfall, Mortal Online, ArcheAge, etc. I don't think any one of them did it very well, but the point is it's not impossible.

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Id like the whole system better if it was instanced and you ran through a door, but instead of getting a menu, it automatically took you to you FC room (so more like a zone)

Hmmm let me see, there is one thing i like on a WoW guild system is that you need to get guild reputation to gain the Guild's privilege/perks, so meaning; like FFXI fame's system im guessing here (Never played FFXI). in order to get perks, one that joins a FC will have to grind it's fame/reputation of the guild to certain level to get it's perks! :D so it still hardwork too :P

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Originally Posted by Seirra_Lanzce

Hmmm let me see, there is one thing i like on a WoW guild system is that you need to get guild reputation to gain the Guild's privilege/perks, so meaning; like FFXI fame's system im guessing here (Never played FFXI). in order to get perks, one that joins a FC will have to grind it's fame/reputation of the guild to certain level to get it's perks! :D so it still hardwork too :P

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Fame was different in FFXI, but we already have a system for the companies and that is the rank. and it should be used for this exact thing.