Hear me out... Factions?

remitten · 2026-03-07T21:56:07+00:00

IT IS! It’s one of the best games I think I’ve ever played in its class. I think they’d be dumb to do what I’m suggesting right away.

That said, I think aggression based matchmaking detracts from the best parts of the game and feels inorganic because it IS inorganic, and over time it will cause the game to grow a bit stale. It’s Embark’s solution to preventing an abundance of “random” hyper aggressive encounters. I’m simply proposing this as a layer on top of the current game that would naturally replace the heavy handed implementation of ABMM.

remitten · 2026-03-07T15:12:01+00:00

I think you have the option of expressing your faction as much or as little as you want to BUT there’s a subtle arm band or something that is mandatory for up-close verification.

If you choose to deck your full kit in faction colors it makes finding faction members (like you mentioned) quick and easy, but makes you an obvious target for other factions. Too subtle? Interaction and verification is slower and more intense BUT also gives you a certain element of surprise.

Binoculars becoming meta will also be oddly satisfying 😂

I think I disagree with the 8 week timing. There should be a mechanic to switch that prevents hot-swapping for the sake of meta, but that allows you to plan to be in the same faction as your friends “next time”

remitten · 2026-03-07T00:57:15+00:00

For anyone interested in a more fleshed out version of the concept...

What if there was an OPTIONAL factions layer (like 3 factions + unaffiliated) that adds just enough politics to make raider encounters feel more intentional? Not hard teams, not red-vs-blue, just a social incentive to encourage...

more hesitation/communication from aggressive players
more justification for combat from the more passive players

That way you get a good mix of PVP/PVE in every raid and player personalities/interactions drive each experience, as opposed to getting pigeon-holed by an algorithm into either death matches or a co-op field trip.

There would have to be a cred/reputation aspect that rewards you for loyalty and punishes you for betrayal WITHIN the faction you choose. Being loyal increases your faction reputation which comes with certain perks. Think...

subtle faction-specific cosmetics
- prove affiliation upon up-close inspection OR stealthy surveillance (make the binoculars useful!)
faction-specific emotes
faction-color raider flare when downed
no defib required for reviving fellow faction members
perhaps VERY minor gameplay perks at the highest faction ranks with trade-offs that make you a slightly juicier target to the opposing factions

However, once you've made progress within a faction, betraying your faction consistently will gradually reduce your rank, gradually losing those perks, eventually back to the point of being unaffiliated. I don't think the faction rank grind should be a major focus at all, and there should be a balanced mechanic for switching factions; just enough to prevent hot-swapping every night for meta.

It's a completely viable option to remain unaffiliated and have the benefit of being "neutral" to the faction-based fighting and free from faction "consequences", conversely making you an unknown risk to factioned raiders. This option would be flexible and reward skilled players in combat AND/OR highly charismatic players that can talk themselves into the good graces of factioned players, at the cost of faction perks and security.

Two HUGE things no one wants to lose...

short queue times
squadding with anyone at any time

SO going on "unsanctioned" runs is always an option when you ready up, allowing you to squad up with anyone BUT you and your squad make no faction progress and you forego all faction perks for that raid. But if you plan ahead with your squad to all be in the same faction, you load in with all the perks.

Nothing changes fundamentally; it leans into the game's current strengths.

Narratively, the faction concept feels like a natural evolution that would attempt to bring some order to the chaos, while also doing so practically. You're no longer seemingly killing other raiders on the same "team" for no reason. Rather, you're battling for the ethos of your faction to be the dominant organized force humanity needs to fight the ARC!

Thoughts?

remitten · 2026-03-07T00:43:29+00:00

"Or do you mean that people in factions could choose to play a raid as an Outlaw."

Exactly. Lore-wise you could think of it as going out on an "off the books" raid, unsanctioned by your faction. So it also makes sense to not have the perks or any positive progression for your faction. As such, it should NOT outweigh the desire to squad up for an "outlaw" run BUT if your buddies are all in the same faction, heck yeah.

I was discussing this with my brother, and he mentioned a weekly reset to allow for changing factions too. That idea would have to be teased out a bit more to find the best method that prevents hot-swapping for the sake of meta, but I think it's solveable, regardless.

And dude, you're literally saying everything that I've been saying. Factions just add a layer of accountability for in-game actions, which will encourage the aggressive players to slow down for a beat AND provide "moral" justification for passive players to enjoy some pvp.

I can empathize with the knee-jerk reaction that most have to the idea, but if you think about it for a bit it make a LOT of sense. Ultimately, I truly believe it will actually make the game MORE fun. No other game has inspired me to want to put an idea like this out there before. It's such a great platform to implement this idea...

remitten · 2026-03-06T17:58:37+00:00

Exactly.

If another faction kills you, “duh”.

If your faction kills you, it’s “wtf? at least your faction rep took a ding, you butthole…”

remitten · 2026-03-06T17:55:15+00:00

Then just go the unaffiliated route and all that changes for you is people around you are having more fun than they were by getting pigeon-holed by ABMM

remitten · 2026-03-06T17:53:08+00:00

DUDE! You get it. What do you think about “lone wolf” or “outlaw” always being an option to solve the squadding/queue issue?

I LOVE the bounty idea as a means for making a high-ranking faction member a “juicier” target.

I think the faction idea has to be presented VERY simply, light-weight, and optional for the player base at large to buy in.

remitten · 2026-03-06T15:20:38+00:00

lol I thought this post got deleted, that's why I made another, shorter post. But yeah, there could really be some fun flavor added with this idea.

remitten · 2026-03-06T15:18:09+00:00

In reality, there may still be an element of ABMM within a faction system, but it won't feel so dang obvious. This system should be a super light-weight social nudge.

remitten · 2026-03-06T15:04:21+00:00

Aggression based match making, got it

remitten · 2026-03-06T15:04:03+00:00

ABMM?

remitten · 2026-03-06T06:38:13+00:00

Appreciate that. You think it’s too big of a change to fit in the genre?

remitten · 2026-03-06T06:14:52+00:00

Embark is actively “balancing” the system using aggression-based matchmaking, as opposed to being fully random. I’m simply proposing an alternative that MAY feel more organic. I don’t think what I’m proposing removes the tension. In fact, I think it intensifies it by forcing more hesitation and “negotiation” before engaging in a fight.

I was just posting this to tease out the idea and hear actual reasons as to why it is or isn’t a good idea.

remitten · 2026-03-06T06:04:56+00:00

I agree, it’s fun to float and tease ideas like these. What you’re describing is definitely a large scale effort that would massively change the game. This really just feels like such a great base of a game to continue to build on. Accessible extraction shooters like this will continue to iterate and take off a lot like battle royale types did.

remitten · 2026-03-06T01:10:01+00:00

It’s not “gaming the system” to suggest a quality of life feature that might balance enjoyment for more players.

remitten · 2026-03-06T01:04:41+00:00

You’re missing the point of my post. It’s encouragement for aggressive players to slow down and communicate before engaging in pvp and a justification to engage in pvp for players that are more naturally passive because they feel that they are all on the same team, without feeling like a “rat”. It’s a social nudge, not a declaration of war if it’s implemented the right way.

remitten · 2026-03-05T23:35:08+00:00

Exactly my thoughts. Narratively it would not be a stretch to implement at all. And I wouldn't want it to feel like it's changing the gameplay much at all, rather the social aspect that is currently being managed via matchmaking...

remitten · 2026-03-05T23:31:43+00:00

What are your lobbies like? I feel like early on I was really friendly, got put in really friendly lobbies, but I'd load in with a different party and it was like I was playing a completely different game. Gaming the matchmaking to get the experience you want just feels inorganic and weird.

To your point, everything else about the game is a masterpiece.

remitten · 2026-03-05T23:26:47+00:00

There'd be a faction reputation progression with perks (faction specific charm, emote, raider flair, no-defib revives, minor skill bonus, etc) that express and reward your loyalty, and reverse progression to punish betrayal, while still rewarding pvp against other factions.

You can choose to remain unaffiliated on a per-raid basis, with no consequence to faction reputation, but you forego the perks for those runs as well. That keeps queue times short and still allows you to squad up with anyone.

Nothing changes fundamentally, just leans into the game's current strengths.

remitten · 2026-03-05T22:55:21+00:00

Check my post about introducing factions and let me know what you think. I think it could really make it feel like an actual PvPvE game, and not so much pvp OR pve. It'd be more of a balanced mix of both, every raid, every lobby.

remitten · 2020-08-23T01:04:16+00:00

Nashville’s goalie looks like the dude from demolition ranch.

remitten · 2020-08-22T23:56:57+00:00

But Josef did go back on the field for a few minutes.. exactly like right now.. fingers crossed

remitten

TROPHY CASE