Delivering messages through the lands plagued by wars or taking care of the wounded; joining Crusades to seek redemption or forging the world-known, breathtaking swords; slaying dozens of foes in gruesome battles or raising architectonic pieces of art – in Middle Ages, times when the tale about a man could have more meaning than his life, every action performed by a person would affect their standing.
Therefore, following the major principle of building up the immersion and credibility of the game’s world, Gloria Victis will feature the reputation system. Let’s take a look on the impact it will have on the gameplay.
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Let them hear about you!
You will earn reputation performing mostly any kind of the possible activities. One of the most obvious ones is to take part in the warfare: dueling in tournaments, fighting the enemies of your nation, conquering new lands for the glory of your motherland and defending the currently controlled ones. Untold sacrifices and scars telling more than words would ever do, blood, sweat and tears: they all will mark your path of the warrior.
But the society does not only need soldiers, mercenaries and knights, as they all have to be fed, equipped and given a place to rest, and in such difficult times it is crucial to keep the trading routes safe. Therefore there is a place for the crafters who produce all the necessary goods, merchants who deliver them to the common people and the others, doing dozens of jobs – woodcutters, farmworkers, shepherds, miners, builders and so on.
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Fighting foes of your motherland, claiming and developing the territories under its control or even helping the common people with their small everyday problems by taking part in the numerous events – each of these activities will help you build up your reputation of a solid citizen who always can be relied on, therefore being asked to enjoy more profitable tasks.
Forge your legend
Players who will earn the highest reputation at a given time will have a possibility to become the heroes of the nation, forging their legends as the greatest of the warriors, mercenaries or crafters. If you could finally become one, expect to inspire your brethren, filling their hearts with a true warrior spirit and an unseen courage; to call the armies to conquer the chosen lands or defend the ones under control of your nation; to lead your countrymen to combat as their general to earn the glory and spoils of war – or, at least, a death worth a song. Moreover, becoming a general of your nation for multiple times will not be unseen. If you will not only earn high reputation but also keep it for a longer time, you will get a chance to earn yourself a noble title!
It implicates the constant competition between the players of an entire nation. It is not enough to earn the highest reputation only once – it also has to be maintained before you would become a truly respected person in the society and obtain numerous benefits coming with being a nobleman. Moreover, earning a noble title does not mean you will never lose it – by performing unlawful acts, such as oppressing your countrymen, you will earn negative reputation and you will eventually lose your position.
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Traitors and outlaws
On the other hand, medieval times have been full of the unlawful people – brigands, deserters, even the robber-knights. One of the most commonly used forms of punishment – besides of the sentence of death – was to banish the convicted. Players who keep oppressing their countrymen will be marked as traitors and outlaws, therefore they will find it much harder to gain access to different areas of their motherland. Therefore the occurrence of “griefing” – so often seen in the PVP-oriented games – will be highly reduced, improving the overall experience.
However, even if you have earned a really bad reputation, you will not be exiled forever – through the hard work in supporting your nation, lots of sweat and a bit of sacrifice you would eventually get the redemption. After all, the choice is yours – as it should be in a credible open world.
