Well, I sure hope this will be implemented before too long...
Fame titles could make a nice alternative to the skill titles currently available...
From reading through this thread it seams to me the proposed fame titles have different meanings to different people. They can be seen as rewards to be earned, yes, but they can also be seen as a way of showing the allegiance or belief of your character - like wearing a holy symbol or the scarf of your favourite football team... I think it needs to be made clear how titles are to be understood in the context of the game world.
- If titles are purely something you are granted: by a master craftsman in your trade, by a representative from your faction or civilization etc. then it becomes hard to argue how you could gain a fame title for being deliberately “unfactioned” (I find that term more precise than: "neutral").
- If titles represent, at least partly, something you choose to show to other homins (a badge, a scarf, a coat of arms, a symbol): then it becomes hard to argue why a character should not be able to “wear to colours of an unbeliever” so to speak.
With the skill titles this is easily figured out: they are granted once you are sufficiently proficient in your craft. But is it fair to think of fame titles the same way? Titles gained from skills can never be lost. Titles gained from fullfilling certain fame requirements ought to become unavailable once more if a character no longer fullfills those requirements.
Consider this: A factioned character can choose to turn his PvP tag on or off (deciding weather he wears the coat of arms of his holy warrior-order in a sense). Should other characters not also be allowed a choice to “wear their holy symbols” or “the colour of an unbeliever”?
Let me exemplify...
I can understand why homins start out unfactioned. Even though a homin is supposed to have been raised by parents who might, might not, have taught the child about religion, it takes a conscious choice, and a dedicated effort, by an adult homin to dedicate his life to the service of that religion. Thus titles like "unbeliever" and "heathen" isnt necessarily very fitting for those not choosing either Kami or Karavan as their faction. As a parallel to history (no offence intended to anyone) I see the Kamists and Karavaneers as the holy orders of crusaders of the medieval (only they are fighting each other). Other homins might be believers as well, even though they are not holy warriors - the "ordinary" christians and muslims in a sense. To reflect this, I would like a title to reflect the belief of my character, even if I choose to remain unfactioned.
- Why not make a more broad title of "Jenite" or "Follower of Ma-Duk" available at a low fame level (+10 or +20 for instance, but fame must be higher than that of opposing faction).
- Why not make an unpretentious title of "Unbeliever" / "Independent" or whatever available to those unfactioned who make an effort to stay within some balanced fame range? This title is not granted by any authority in the same sense the other fame titles are. Instead it represents the conscious choice of a homin to wear a symbol, a colour, whatever – signifying him to be an unbeliever. Having unbalanced fame scores should disallow the use of that title. This would then represent a lack of credibility in the statement being made, it would not represent a ban of using the title (though in game mechanics it would be just that).
- Let those who want to work hard for their titles gain acces to increasingly flashy titles as they grow in fame with their faction. Let there be a "Top Most Dedicated Disciple of Jena"-equivalent title at a special rite after reaching fame level +100. People will know and reqognize that those carrying the title have worked hard for it. People will also know that, for instance, my character have only fullfilled a +20 fame requirement to call himself a Jenite. Thus my character would be seen as a less dedicated believer – but a believer still...
On another note, I fail to understand why homins start out belonging to no community, no civilization. Sure, we are all supposed to be refugees from abroad, but still we are brothers and sisters of our race and civilisation. It would seem much more proper to me to start with citizenship for the civilisation of your race. Choosing not to be a member of your society any longer would then rightfully earn you the right to the title of "outcast". Or something sounding less negative perhabs...
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You are brought up into your civilization after all... starting the game without citizenship means that you have lost it along the way (by moving from your homelands), or that you are to young to have earned it yet? If you have lost your citizenship by moving, then the four homin nations of Atys are very unwelcomming indeed:
"Sure we are so proud that you have taken up the challenge to come here and help us rebuild. By the way we consider you a second class citizen...". Or is homin society structured so that all children eventually have to make a “rite of passage” to become members of their communities. This is what I would have initially assumed. The Zorai have this in the masking ceremony. But should not all Zorais then at least start as Zorai citizens?
The ancient greek citystates did have large percentages of their populations not being citizens... Something similar might be what is intended for Ryzom. It is just that I find it far more interesting and natural that you start as a member of your civilization. Then a later choice to become unafilliated (neutral) regarding citizenship would be an active choice - instead of being a passive one.
Anyways, a more detailed graduation of fame titles for civilization might be in order. Is every Fyros citizen necessarily a patriot?
One final thing (and I am entering dangerous waters here...): You ought to be able to gain fame with the rangers. I know, I know... they are not a faction. Neither are they a civilization. Neither are they a tribe. But within the game world they are a large, well organized, important "organization" (for lack of a better word). There is no point you can gain fame with the Silt Sculptors but not with the rangers. There is no point you cant gain an honorary title by the rangers, when the master craftsmen can grant you a title regarding your skills. Thus I would very much like to see fame titles associated with the rangers. Few things would make my crafter character more proud than being able to call himself a "ranger worksman"
. I also think it would be reasonable from the rangers point of view to deny factioned characters acces to these titles. After all... factioned characters have their primary loyalty deposited elsewhere havent they. Also I find it hard to accept if the rangers would grant titles of honour to homins deeply engaged in a religious war on other homins. So there you have it: some exclusive content (how meager it may be) for the unfactioned...
/takes cover for the expected repeat of the "neutrality"-discussion...
but I was referring more to the fact that some issues were not looked into with depth, causing players that switched some pains like not being able to get more HonPos, appearing twice in the steele, etc.
) and... did anyone notice a smallish improvement where the NPC trade window is no longer closed systematically when crafting, and you can have both the NPC trade and the craft window open at the same time ? 
