INTRODUCTION

For a quick and informative introduction done in flash please visit my UNNOFICIAL Earthrise PREVIEW. It's the best way by far to learn what the game is all about, without going into so much detail as the rest of this FAQ. I recommend watching it first and then come here to find out all the details and specifics.


Please refer to the official website and FAQ for basic information about Earthrise and its Developer: Masthead Studios. As the title of this topic suggests this is an UNOFFICIAL FAQ and is in no way supported or endorsed by MH. ALL the information within has been taken from developer quotes from the forums or various interviews and articles. I have not speculated or guessed on any information contained. Instead I have taken the wealth of information available to us (a lot of which repeats itself many times) and broken it down into easy to read sections with a Q&A format.

MH has provided us with a lot of information on the structure, design and details of the game, but you can expect that they have A LOT more planned and hidden up their sleeve. Even with what they have told us so far, there is still so much unreleased information. Most importantly this means a lot of the information here could only be half complete or listing a partial explanation of the overall picture. This is only what we know so far and some of these details might get tweaked and adjusted during beta. If you find any errors or misleading statements please PM me or post here so that I may correct them or show my source.

So... this FAQ is by no means complete and I will continue to update it as we learn more information if people find it useful. Please feel free to continue these discussions and post your ideas on the forums as a lot of these ideas have been or are currently hot topics in the community. As always please use the search button before starting a new post.


INDEX
The function of the index is very simple. If you are looking into a specific question or cluster of questions just browse for the appropriate listing and do a search for the number that proceeds it. It will take you down the forum page to the appropriate listing. Example: If you are looking for information on guilds you will see the listing for "4.4 - What about guilds?" Just search for "4.4" and it will take you directly to the question discussing guilds.

0.0  ABOUT THE WORLD
0.1    What is the setting of Earthrise?
0.2    What is life like on Enterra?
0.3    What else can you tell me about the lore of Earthrise?
0.4    How big is the world?
0.5    What is the geography and landscape like on Enterra?
0.6    Will the entire world be accessible?
0.7    What sort of weather effects will there be?
0.8    Will it be an instanced or open world?
0.9    Will the game have a single server or multiple?
0.A    Will multiple characters be allowed?

1.0  GENERAL GAME PLAY
1.1    Is there a beta?
1.2    Are there different races and will they be playable?
1.3    Are there different classes and levels in Earthrise?
1.4    How does the skill system work?
1.5    What are abilities and tactics and how do they work?
1.6    How will grouping work?
1.7    Will I be forced to join a guild or will I be able to solo?
1.8    How does questing work?
1.9    Is Earthrise a PvE or PvP game?
1.A    What about character customization?
1.B    Will Earthrise be first or third person?
1.C    Will there be mounts or vehicles and what will be the requirements?
1.D    What other transportation options are there?
1.E    Will there be pets and what role if any will they play?
1.F     Will there be player housing?
1.G    Will swimming be in game?
1.H    What platform is Earthrise being developed for and how much will the game cost?
1.I     What is the release date and how will I be able to acquire the game?
1.J     Will the game support different languages other than English?
1.K    What graphics engine and middleware is being used?

2.0  ECONOMY AND CRAFTING
2.1    What sort of crafting system will be in game?
2.2    What types of things will be craftable?
2.3    Will there be different crafting professions?
2.4    What effect will crafters have on the world and economy?
2.5    How much will items be customizable in the crafting process?
2.6    What is item quality and how does it affect crafting?
2.7    How will salvaging work?
2.8    What is durability and how do items exit the game?
2.9    Where will players be able to craft?
2.A    How does crafting advance?
2.B    How will looted items affect crafters and the economy?
2.C    Will Continoma and Noir have separate markets?
2.D    What is smuggling and how will it effect the economy?
2.E    Will there be auction houses and player vendors?
2.F    How does mining and resource gathering work?

3.0  COMBAT
3.1    What resource pools can we expect? Will players have health and mana?
3.2    Is FF on and is it possible to kill your own faction members?
3.3    How will movement, aiming and targeting work? Is it more like an RPG or FPS?
3.4    Is there a cover system and will players have hitboxes and locational damage?
3.5    What skills will be involved with combat?
3.6    What weapon choices are available?
3.7    What armor choices are available?
3.8    Will there be requirements to wear/use this gear and will I be able to swap them in combat?
3.9    Will there be stealth or disguises?
3.A    How does the full loot, death and insurance system work?
3.B   How will healing work?
3.C    What about PvE and mob AI?
3.D    What is battle rating and how do we determine mob difficulty?

4.0  PVP, TERRITORY, FACTIONS AND GUILDS
4.1    What factions are in game?
4.2    Are you locked into the faction that you've chosen?  
4.3    What is discrepancy value and what effect will it have?
4.4    What about guilds?
4.5    What about guild bases?
4.6    How will sieging and territory control work?
4.7    What does becoming a criminal and criminal status mean?
4.8    What is the bounty system and how will it work?
4.9    Are there safe areas and NPC guards?

5.0  MORE INFORMATION



0.0 - ABOUT THE WORLD


0.1 - What is the setting of Earthrise?
Earthrise takes place on Earth in the distant future. At the end of the 21st century, the continuing exhaustion of Earth's resources sparked a furious struggle for dominance. Foreseeing the impending catastrophe, some of the world's most powerful organizations created massive foundations and organizations to ensure the survival of their followers. One such foundation was the Continoma Project. The project's revolutionary methods and technology would allow for digital storage and reconstruction of the human consciousness, including memories. As the world erupted into the Third World War, the vital components to the success of the Continoma Project were sealed in a remote private island known as Enterra. After several hundred years, the devastating environmental effects caused by the war started to pass. When data reports about the surface brought favorable survival odds, the Continoma Project self-activated. It began the process of cloning and reconstructing the consciousness of the first batch of humans known as the Pioneers. These Continoma pioneers planned and prepared the construction of its true return to power and wealth, Sal Vitas (The city of Salvation).

0.2 - What is life like on Enterra?
Due to an experimental nanite weapon used during the war that caused massive mutation and fallout to the island, humans are no longer able to naturally reproduce. Any attempt to do so is met with genetic birth defects and stillborns. In order to continue humanity's existence and once again ensure their survival, Continoma reactivated the cloning process. Humans began to no longer fear death as anyone with their data stored could be instantly regenerated. While Continoma strives to use technology to make Sal Vitas a utopian society, with loyal members who contribute having access to all its services and privileges - not everyone feels that life with Continoma is perfect.

A group known as Noir began to accuse them of abusing their power to discipline the population, using their control of the cloning process to decide who will continue to live and fit their utopian model of society. Choosing those who accepted their ideals, while punishing those who felt differently by delaying or restricting their cloning process, or as many feared; removal of their DNA completely from the Librarium Centre. Many of those who felt life with Continoma wasn't perfect broke away and Noir became an armed resistance. This secret Noir government, which has recently acquired access to the cloning technology for themselves is now in a struggle against Continoma. While Continoma views their society model as utopian and strives to create the perfect society for its members, Noir feels that they have eliminated the very rights which makes humanity human.

The looming war between these two factions is not the only thing to be feared on Enterra though. The effects of the nanite weapon has effected the flora and fauna causing massive mutation across the island. These fallout altered mutants are a threat to the stability of life on Enterra, and the latest reports indicate that their presence is growing. There has been reports of ...something... in the sewers of Old City - A quarantined zone that is discouraged by both factions from entering. Not only do Continoma and Noir have to fear each other, they have to fear the very life on Enterra as well.

0.3 - What else can you tell me about the lore of Earthrise?
To go into more details about the lore of the game would take up way more space than available. What is important about Earthrise is that they have the freedom to take any path they want with the game since MH is creating the story themselves. They will not be forced into pre-determined plots, rules, or guidelines. That being said, Earthrise has dedicated writers that are continuously hashing out details for the setting, story and characters that produce the wealth of information for the game. Some of the lore can be found following these links. They are in order - #1, #2, #3 This is by no means everything, but it is a good start.

0.4 - How big is the world?
Enterra is a large Pacific island that is the last known place of human civilization left. In actual game play form it will take 2 hours of continuous sprinting (something that isn't possible as sprint has limited usage) to cross the island if there were absolutely no obstacles. Of course there are lots of obstacles and an ever changing environment that would not make crossing it that way possible.

0.5 - What is the geography and landscape like on Enterra?
Most of the island is covered in a lush tropical environment. The landscape will vary considerably - including open grassy fields and hillsides, tall mountains with deep canyon rifts, flat fields void of vegetation scarred from constant struggle to treacherous swamps. The game will also feature a fluid transition between landscapes to aid in realism and immersion. These environments will be unique as well as include its own set of challenges. For example, the Xelite fields, a rocky desert of hazardous resource is so dangerous that it will require mechanized creations in order to traverse.

The island is under constant dispute between the factions and the ever changing political front affects the lay of the land. One permanent major landmark is the city of Sal Vitas, showcasing the highest achievements in technology and social advancement. As players start to leave the secure areas of Sal Vitas, the world around them becomes more wild and dangerous. Abandoned salvage heaps, ruins and derelict cities from before the war litter the landscape among other landmarks. These areas provide unique and varied architecture reminiscent of past civilizations. In a hidden location deep in the wild will be the secret underground base of the Noir rebellion, the force which fights Continoma at every turn.  

0.6 - Will the entire world be accessible?
As this is a sandbox game, expect to be able to explore any area limited only by your ability to survive there.

0.7 - What sort of weather effects will there be?
Time of day(Day and night cycles), fog, clouds, wind and rain. Weather will not effect gameplay mechanics such as targeting, combat or movement. Although fog can affect visibility.

0.8 - Will it be an instanced or open world?
Earthrise will feature a seamless, non-instanced open world, including the pvp and territory capture features.

0.9 - Will the game have a single server or multiple?
Plans are to have one server at release hosted by GNi.

0.A - Will multiple characters be allowed?
Yes, you will be allowed to play multiple characters on the same server. The other characters will also not be tied to the same faction.

2.0 - ECONOMY AND CRAFTING


2.1 - What sort of crafting system will be in game?
"Crafting in Earthrise is a complex process that is easy to understand but ultimately difficult to master." The crafting system will be very advanced with a large degree of customization and development available. The crafter producing the item will have the most control over the finished product, where they will be able to experiment with special enhancements that will determine the item's properties. The color and quality of each item will also be determined during the crafting process. ALL items in game can be crafted and will be needed continuously to support players needs as players will not be able to acquire them otherwise. This will make sure that Earthrise will have a high demand for skilled crafters and a player driven economy. A unique feature of the crafting system is that crafters can also disassemble items and use the components and resources from the salvaging process in creation of other or better items.

2.2 - What types of things will be craftable?
Everything in game. Consumables, devices and gadgets, blueprints, ammunition, buildings, weapons, drugs and medicines, vehicles - including mechanized exoskeletons and so much more. Only the most basic items and resources will be able to be bought by vendors, everything else will be crafted.  

2.3 - Will there be different crafting professions?
Yes, and no. There will be different skills associated with different aspects of crafting, each providing their own unique utility and function in their industry. All of these specialties will be able to be skilled up by anyone, choosing to master in one specialty or several, but it will take a lot of work and dedication to master all aspects of crafting. Crafting consists of 40 skills each with 10 ranks within, covering mechanics, electronics, engineering, construction and programming in several different industries. While most items will be able to be manufactured fairly easy in your specialty, some of the most powerful and complex items will require several tiers of components from several different crafting specialties in order to produce. Its up to the player to determine how much time they want to invest in the unique skills that involve crafting or not invest in any of them at all.

2.4 - What effect will crafters have on the world and economy?
"Thanks to the extensive crafting system and the way it influences item distribution in the whole game, a high level crafter might become powerful and renowned enough that even guilds would bow before his technological genius." Players that advance crafting and their specialization(s) to a high enough level can affect not only the economy, but also the political realm through the use or supply of their services and designs. These crafters can truly shape the world and affect changes through their talents. Considering all items will be able to be crafted and who controls what territory and monopolizes what resource ties into what items are available to be crafted makes this game a completely player driven economy.

2.5 - How much will items be customizable in the crafting process?
From what we know, appearance is set in the base templates. However, the crafter will be able to modify the color of the items they create as well as adding special enhancements that give innate bonuses through use of designs. With these designs implemented into the crafting technology, crafters will be able modify the item's properties and special effects of the item they are crafting. Quality of the item will be another important factor determined by the crafter's skill as well as what components are used and where the item is manufactured. In this way crafters will have a large input into the crafting process to determine the final outcome.

2.6 - What is item quality and how does it affect crafting?
Quality rating  is a value on every single item in the game that will have a direct effect on the item, from unusable to exceptional. The quality rating will be determined by a combination of the crafters skill, the quality of the components and resources used in creation or disassembly and the factory the item is created at, as well as luck.

Due to the damaging effect on the components used during the crafting process, the quality rating can be modified, returning a finished product with a lower quality rating than the input components. Currently with a combination of luck, player skill and location the rating can also be increased. This quality modification will also happen to items that are salvaged as the quality rating will follow an item into it's components. The amount the quality rating changes is determined by the crafters skill. If you craft or salvage an item from useless components you will most likely return a useless item or component. If a crafter with a high skill uses high quality components at a good factory he might return a finished product of exceptional quality. These exceptional quality items will have enhanced durability and a small bonus to statistics as well as being the most desirable in the game. Crafters will aim to produce these items, but it will be very difficult and time consuming to do so.

2.7 - How will salvaging work?
Crafters will also have the ability to dismantle and process down items - taking a source item and breaking it into its components. Many items in the game will have similar components used in the crafting process that can be extracted from one item and used in the creation of similar or completely different items. Similar to crafting a new item, this salvage process will also affect the quality rating. So if you disassemble the item into parts, the components will have a quality rating that follows through into the components barring any good or bad luck that can modify it. The amount changed is again affected by the crafters crafting skill, location and luck. There is also a penalty for salvaging items that the player doesn't know how to craft to begin with.

2.8 - What is durability and how do items exit the game?
Any item that isn't consumed upon use will also contain a durability rating that will be lowered over time as items are used or soak damage. When the durability of an item gets too low it will have adverse effects, like weapons that have their damage modifiers reduced, armor that doesn't work as well, slower vehicles, etc.. Even though items can be repaired, each time the durability of an item is repaired the quality rating of the item will also be reduced by a certain amount. The lower the quality rating of an item gets reduced, the lower the maximum durability. After enough repairs the lower quality will affect the durability of the item enough that it will break almost immediately on use and effectively become useless.

All items in game will wear out and become unusable after a certain time allowing them to exit the game, continuing to making crafting a central part of the economy. It will be important to replace these items when they are no longer suitable for use. Some of these items are not necessarily trash though... several types of the same trash item can be refined to produce a single higher quality item.

2.9 - Where will players be able to craft?
For almost all items in game you will be required to craft at designated manufacturing factories. These factories will be in secure areas where crafters will either perform their manufacturing or advertise their services. Players will also have to pick which factory to utilize as these factories have a direct effect on what can be manufactured and how well it will be produced. Other than the components, required skills and factories, player's wont need any other tools to aid in the crafting process.

Production units  are machinery specialized in the creation of certain types of items and each factory will contain a number of these specialized units. These production units will be used to create the specific type of items they are specialized in and players will have to utilize the proper production units to match the items they want to create. Each item crafted at the factory will require at least two production units, and both will need to be present at the chosen factory. Production units are also ranked in technological development - meaning the higher the ranking the better quality item it will be able to produce. To sum it up factory choice will determine if you are able to produce an item there and what the potential quality of the item will be.

Not everything will require the use of factories though. Some robotic assistants designed to aid in crafting will have limited crafting functionality and provide a personal crafting station for some uses outside of the factories. Although most items will still require full use of production technology at the factories.

2.A - How does crafting advance?
Crafting will advance with skill-ups as well as reputation achievements. All the basic and common designs will be unlockable through learning crafting skills, while the more powerful and monopolized designs will be attainable in physical form (as blueprints) only through gaining high reputation towards the various organizations. These blueprints will be available for trade so that both combat and non-combat orientated crafters have access to these designs. Crafters wishing to pursue these designs themselves will have the option to complete crafter-oriented organization tasks that ask for certain item(s) to be crafted and provided to the organization. Some of these quests will require a mix of crafting and combat as players might be required to hunt the parts and ingredients for themselves.

2.B - How will looted items affect crafters and the economy?
Looted items will play a beneficial role that facilitates crafting and the economy and in no way replaces it. Most items dropped from PvE encounters will be components - either technological (parts, resources) or biological (tissue, DNA) used for crafting. The developers have stated that there is also a chance of complete items dropping from appropriate mobs (like a bandit's weapon). However, even though there is a chance of a rare high-quality drop most of the items will be equal to player made items in equal tiers of power. One large distinction is that these looted items will lack any sort of flexibility and the limited choice will pale in comparison to the available choices and customization that player-made items will have. Only a small portion of different items will be available as drops, while all items will come from crafters that have access to a wide range of basic templates and a huge amount of enhancement designs to supplement them. To further provide for crafters, looted complete items that players don't find useful can be salvaged for their components to be used for crafting or selling/trading to crafters. This connection between looted and crafted items will also have its role in boss encounters as these raid bosses will also drop important resources used in the creation of some of the most powerful items in the game.

From a PvP perspective, looted items are equally as important. You might be able to acquire some powerful items and resources from players that will aid in the crafting and salvaging process. Some of these high-value resources are also un-insurable making these players prime targets for criminals or other players willing to supply crafters with these resources for money or for an exchange of product. Although it might not technically be considered a looted item, harvesting rare resources is one of the main aspects of the PvP territory conquest features in the game and these rare resources will have a major impact on crafters and the economy as they will be used in the production of the better and best items available in game.

2.C - Will Continoma and Noir have separate markets?
Yes, because of the political and military war being waged there will be separate markets for each faction. Players will have access to their particular market from every civilized location in the world, but not everything will be able to be put on it though. Noir technology that is considered illegal by Continoma will not be able to be listed in the Continoma market and vice versa. Neutral players will have access to both markets, so they will be able to buy items from players of one faction and sell them to players of another faction, reaping profits from the difficulty intended with the limited markets. These players will also carry the risks associated with 'smuggling' these items from one market to the other.

2.D - What is smuggling and how will it effect the economy?
Both Continoma and Noir have proprietary technology they wish to keep from the other side and in fact have laws banning the possession and use of such technology. Players will not be able to craft, store and trade forbidden items within controlled environment such as electronic warehouses and shops. Guards in the restricted areas will be actively searching for such illegal technology, and will become a threat if you are found to possess them. Some of these guards will only be searching for these items by sight, which will allow players to just stash their illegal tech in their inventory to avoid trouble. Other guards, and you will know them when you see them, will be actively scanning your inventory with special equipment to spot potential contraband.

Characters can gain skills that will aid in smuggling these illegal and restricted technology from one side of the conflict to the other. Smugglers will use these to hide what possessions they have in order to bypass the security and watchful eyes of the scanners. In areas where there is no law to abide by, players will have to watch for other players scanning their inventory for the potential profitable technology these smugglers might be carrying. Smugglers will have a dangerous but no doubt profitable role.

2.E - Will there be auction houses and player vendors?
Yes "Players will have access to the market from every civilized location in the world... to and from their warehouse. Their personal warehouse will also serve as the basis of player's personal shops, as a number of items can be marked for sale with assigned price. The size of the warehouse and the number of personal items for sale can be expanded by buying warehouse expansions, so players will be limited at first but will be able to turn their small-town garage sale into a profitable market store and take their profits further. Players will be able to access each other player's store by their in-game name, as well as search the global database of available items, with additional tools for market analysis."

2.F - How does mining and resource gathering work?
Resources are divided into common and rare.  

Common resources  (such as metal, plastics and silicone) used in the manufacture of the most basic and low-level items will have an unlimited stock from NPC vendors. If players don't want to invest their time in collecting these common resources they will also be available for purchase, however the price will fluctuate based on active game play. Common resources are tied to mines located throughout the low-level and high-level zones and will need to be protected from mutants and renegade bandits who shut down and infest the mines. Players will have to actively protect and defend the mines from such hostilities. When those forces succeed in shutting the mine down the price of the resource goes up while those who succeed in defending a mine will be rewarded with exchange tokens that can be used to acquire the said resource for free. This is how the most basic harvesting will be accomplished - through dynamic game play rather than a click-and-wait mining. Some resources can also be acquired through salvaging items from PvE or PvP loot (Ex. DNA from monster body parts or components or resources salvaged from player dropped items).

Rare resources  will be extracted in a completely different manner and will be used to manufacture the largest portion of items in the game - mid to high level. These resources will be the most valuable and beneficial and highly sought after. In order for these rare resources to be available on the server at all, they will have to be actively harvested by guilds since NPC vendors will NEVER provide them. If they are not harvested then all technology requiring the rare materials will not be able to be crafted since there will be no way to acquire the material. In order to harvest these rare resources guilds will have to conquer territory (each territory providing a limited number of different resources), and build mining facilities that will extract it.

Extraction of these rare and valuable resources will be an automated process of the constructed mining facilities in guild territory. They will be directly transported from the mines to the control center in the base, where guilds will decide how to transfer the bulk material to the guild warehouse. Guilds will have two realistic options, one will be costly but safe, the other risky but considerably cheaper. The safer option is to pay a costly transport fee so these resources can be sent directly to the safety of the guild warehouse. The cheaper option will be the use of player controlled mechanoids that will be able to carry large amounts of material. Using these mecha to transport resources to a safe area will be a risky option since they will be open to attack and possible loss of the resources being transported. Players may wish to personally transport materials by carrying it in their inventory, but transporting a large amount of material will not be economically feasible.

Xelyte  is a rare resource that will be mined in a different fashion. This is at least one highly sought after material that will only be able to be harvested and transported by player controlled mechanoids. It is a dangerous nano-byproduct that renders a large portion of the island under biohazardous radiation where some of the island's toughest mutated species inhabit. This area known as the Xelite fields is a rocky desert that will be as dangerous as it is alien. But mutated creatures are not the only thing to fear as other players seeking the same valuable resource contained in the area will be trying to extract it as well. This will make having support teammate(s) operating combat mecha to offer protection and safer transport a very desirable option.

Even though guilds will be the major factor in rare resource extraction, there will be options for solo players as well. Players can acquire rare resources from the market or through other means. Using the salvage process, solo players can extract the rare resources from items that other players have created or looted from powerful opponents or players from PvP. Options for PvE will also be included such as repeatable quests that are offered from some organizations that will offer some of these rare resources as rewards at the same time raising your reputation with them.

4.0 - PVP, TERRITORY, FACTIONS AND GUILDS


4.1 - What factions are in game?
There are two major factions in Earthrise - Continoma and Noir and the main story will revolve around the struggle between them. Players will start with a neutral character in the starting area where they will be introduced to both factions. They will not need to immediately choose which faction to join at that point as players will be able to choose their faction at any point in their career. It is important to also note that players will not be forced to join a faction and it is possible to remain neutral (sort of a third faction). Some neutral players and guilds might include smugglers, criminals, bounty hunters, mercenaries, crafters that want personal access to both sides of the market, etc... Being neutral requires players to continuously mind their reputation to not either be viewed as too friendly to either side, making you become an enemy of the other.  Some criminal, mercenary, spy or outlaw organizations might stray from the overall conflict or change their faction/guild loyalties to suit their own interest or whenever they feel a potential for lucrative gain.

There are also several minor factions (called organizations) that are aligned with either Continoma, Noir or remain neutral in the conflict. These will play an important role in the overall conflict and for player advancement and development. Organizations are based around the strategic knowledge and closely guarded technology that they specialize in that are given only to people who are loyal to that organization, in the form of favors. Players who gain reputation towards these organizations will be allowed to receive such exclusive designs, usually powerful enhancements for player technology. Some information on these organization can be found here, although it is not always completely up-to-date.

4.2 - Are you locked into the faction that you've chosen?  
No, players will be able to work towards changing their faction affiliation when they see fit and some players will no doubt have good reasons and plans for such betrayals. There will be a system that does limit continuous "Faction-hopping". "In some cases where players attempt to shift too much from one side to another and then back (with the exclusion of spy missions), they will accumulate Traitorship. This is a negative score that takes time and effort to clear and as long as players are considered a traitor, they won't be accepted among the other faction members. ...But it won't take long for an active player to return to normal so they can choose their side again." It is important to note that not only are you not locked into the faction you have chosen, you are also not limited to who you associate with. Players WILL be able to group with members of the opposite faction or neutral characters as well as form mixed-faction guilds. Although players in these mixed groups and guilds might find a tougher time in game with their higher discrepancy value.

4.3 - What is discrepancy value and what effect will it have?
Discrepancy is a value measuring the internal political or ideological turmoil of a group of characters. This means that groups made up of various faction allegiances  (including renown criminals) will have a High discrepancy value and will have a harder time taking on party quests. If most or all of the players in a group share the same political view then the group will find itself with a low discrepancy value or none at all. Discrepancy can also affect guilds... If a guild/group is seen as torn between its members interests, it may find itself temporarily in a position where it will be cut off from certain influential parties, impairing their progress and development. Although, all guilds (including mixed-faction) will still have the potential to conquer territory and make themselves influential through resource gathering and sheer fire power.

4.4 - What about guilds?
"In Earthrise players will be able to organize into Guilds - independent organizations following their own military, political and economic agenda. While Guilds are highly encouraged and courted by both Continoma and Noir, too often they rise with their own plans on dominance that slowly shifts from the civilized lands towards the contested grounds where Guilds vie for control over the natural resources of the island." Guilds will play a large part of life on Enterra and are a major force in shaping the land through their plans for profit and domination, separate from or in conjunction with the overall conflict. This strife will culminate ultimately in Guild vs. Guild (GvG) warfare in the territory conquest feature of the game where guilds strive to conquer and control territory. Guilds will be highly customizable and allow for a wide range of differing guild structures and environments catered to each guild's play style. As for guild management features, expect everything you would normally expect MMO's to have, including "message of the day", integrated message board and calendar feature, customizable guild ranks and structure, etc. Also, expect some not so common features such as polling to allow the group to make decisions on their own. As mentioned above guilds will not be limited in their membership and guilds will have the option of having a mixed-faction membership, but it could suffer from discrepancy.

Creating a guild  will be a familiar process for most guilds and will be done at places such as Sal Vitas, Noir's secret base, and few others. First, the soon to be Guild Master will need to have an initial number of registering players to form the guild. After this, the GM will be required to choose the name of the guild, its initials and icon badge. After this the GM will distribute his first five subordinates within four distinctive ranks.

Guild Ranks  and structuring will be highly customizable. Each rank will have a customizable name that can be modified to fit the guild as well as displayed proudly under your name for everyone to see. Rank's will also have customizable permissions and restrictions that can be set to allow for guilds to create whatever specific environment they would like to have in their guild. It could be anything from a completely open, democratic guild to a totalitarian system where everything will be controlled by one person. The permissions that can be set on each separate rank will include such things as managing the guild structure, modifying privileges or adding and removing players from the different ranks. It will also include Bank account access, item warehouse level of access, managing the guild store within the global market. As well as announcing wars or signing treaties with other guilds, deciding which buildings to build in guild territory, decide when these buildings should be deconstructed or set to self-destruct and much more. As you can tell, guilds will have a high degree of customization on how they want their guild structured through the use of this Guild Rank system.  

As mentioned above, guilds will NOT be limited to a specific faction only and players will be able to form guilds that are faction specific as well as mixed. Although mixed-guilds will suffer from a higher discrepancy, they will still have the option of conquering territory and creating a guild base. A guild base will be just as the name suggests - guild oriented. As such ANY guild will be able to conquer territory and develop a base if they have the resources to do so.

4.5 - What about guild bases?
Guilds bases will only be available in contested territory, and considering the contested territory contains some very valuable resources it will be a constant struggle to maintain dominance of these. Many of the more valuable and better items in the game can only be crafted using resources found exclusively in these contested territories. Guilds will set up mines in their bases to extract the valuable resources to either horde/use them for themselves or make a valuable profit off of them. The factions and guilds will be at war to control who has access to which resources and they will be disputed often.

Players will be able to design their own guild bases with player created buildings - including mining facilities, factories, administrative buildings, defense turrets, and facilities that provide easier access to the market, bank, and teleportation among other things. Guilds will be able to build these important buildings quickly in order to utilize the ownership of the land as quickly as possible, although constructing these buildings will be very expensive. A guild base will be extremely functional and useful, as well a profitable and guilds will want to own and secure these bases from enemy hands.

The control building  is the main building that determines which guild owns the territory. This building has a large list of available upgrades that will enhance or benefit the other buildings in the area. Building these upgrades will also enhance the overall control building's structure durability which will be important to secure the base from easy attack. Upgrades that have been mentioned so far are turret upgrades that provide either additional raw destructive power or different attack qualities that plays with the opponent's weaknesses and defensive wall enhancements. Expect many more and varied options that will provide a useful, functional and fortified base. Since these upgrades are meant to be destroyed, they will be fairly inexpensive, but they will take days to construct.

4.6 - How will sieging and territory control work?
We only know what has been released so far and no doubt the system will be more fleshed and explained completely in the upcoming months... Siege events are frequently timed events that will only allow guilds/alliances to capture enemy territory during these windows. Each territory has specific siege times that are in sync with its neighboring territory. Since these events will only be open for a couple hours, guilds can choose to attempt to take over territories that would be most comfortable to their play style schedule to allow for their guild "prime-time" being the same as the siege window. This will ensure that guilds (including their neighboring rival guilds) will have the most members on during these prime-time attacks or defenses. Unclaimed guild bases will start as neutral and guilds will have to fight off a mutant menace infesting the area before they are able to claim the territory. Once a guild has cleared the area and claimed the territory they will become vulnerable to attack and losing their territory to other guilds during their siege window.

During the siege window - The guild base will be open to attack from any player, guild or alliance... but only neighboring, territory owning guilds will be able to claim the new territory if they have a successful siege.

To control a territory, the attacking guild(s) has to access the control building by disabling defenses and destroying the control building's upgrades; thereby reducing the structure's durability back to it's initial state. The more upgrades a base has invested into it, the more time consuming and difficult it will be to conquer. Since these upgrades will take days to construct it requires the guild to remain in control for a long period of time to create the strongest control building and base defenses. Territories that don't invest in the upgrades or haven't been in possession long enough to complete them will have a much harder time fending off attacks. It is important to note that upgrades and buildings are in fact separate things. To conquer the territory the attacking guild will only have to destroy the upgrades, not the buildings themselves. In fact, guilds will want to try and keep these basic buildings in tact when they are sieging. If a guild can capture the control building with buildings still in tact, they will change ownership along with the territory to the new guild. This will be a valuable boon to the attacking guild if these expensive buildings are seized with the territory. If a defending guild feels that the defense is hopeless they have the option to slowly deconstruct buildings to transport them to safety to prevent these expensive resources from falling into enemy hands. Or, the owners will be able to set buildings to self-destruct and try to take the enemy down with them. This self-destruct process will be interruptable, but it will be a dangerous and timely task.

After the siege window - The territory will no longer be able to be captured and buildings and upgrades can no longer be damaged or destroyed.

This doesn't mean that PvP and guild fighting will only happen during the siege times. Siege events are not the only time for GvG fighting, they are just the culmination of the continuous warfare these guilds will be waging to gain an advantage on the others. Guilds can still wreak havoc on other guilds and their territory through outright open warfare or guerrilla tactics. There will be many strategies and options in these off siege times including attacking the guild's members to try and disrupt their mining, transporting, repair and upgrade work. It will be a very good strategy to disrupt other guilds efforts during non-siege times as much as possible in order to have the upper hand in attacking theirs or defending your territory. Guilds will not be the only forum for pvp though, as players will likely find themselves in precarious situations often away from their base or protection of their allies.

4.7 - What does becoming a criminal and criminal status mean?
Each faction - Continoma and Noir, has it's own set of laws regarding who can kill whom. Logically, Continoma are free to slaughter Noir, and vice versa. Players will find themselves in open warfare with other faction members often. But when Continoma or Noir players attack their own, or decide to kill a neutral player who isn't taking part of the conflict, they will be reported as criminals and they will acquire criminal status. Criminal status will open you to bounties where player bounty hunters will be likely to hunt you down to attempt to kill you. Some players will choose to live the criminal life and doing this will allow you to join criminal guilds for their mutual protection - especially against these would-be Bounty Hunters. Having criminal status can also affect what areas you are considered welcome in. The more kills a criminal has and the more notorious they become the more hostile guards will react to your presence. Eventually this can prevent you from entering certain areas, although there has been mention of criminals being able to try and disguise themselves to try and hide their reputation. Criminal organizations and gangs will likely form criminal territories that will be extremely dangerous to tread through, sometimes even for criminals. Criminal status will not be a permanent thing as players can also work to clear their name, only if they want to of course.  

4.8 - What is the bounty system and how will it work?
"Bounty hunters are players who use their perfected player killing skills not to cause turmoil but rather bring justice and vengeance where needed." Whenever you are killed by another player that isn't of the opposite faction, you receive a death report from your watcher chip. The death report can be taken to a Bounty Hunter terminal to put a bounty on the head of the killer. Any registered Bounty Hunter (player character that has paid a large fee to register as a BH) can take the mission and hunt the "mark". The "mark" with a bounty on their head will not know if they have a bounty on them or not, or if there is, how much it is worth. When a player creates a bounty they will be giving BH's a reason to hunt these "criminals" as there are several reasons and incentives to complete these bounties. Players who place the bounty will also be given the opportunity to add a monetary reward on the bounty to encourage BH's to complete your job. As added incentive BH's will also receive rewards, both permanent and temporary for achieving their goals. The best Bounty Hunters will also get their services advertised across the city of Sal Vitas or the underground base of Noir.

Choosing which mission to take will be a top priority for Bounty Hunters, and they will likely prioritize them by biggest reward or the easiest to find being their primary choice. Several BH's will also be able to take the same mission, hunting the same mark at the same time. Once a mark has been picked the Bounty Hunter will receive "carte blanche" against them. This means they will be able to kill their mark without repercussions, including in secure zones. BH's will also have tools to track their mark which will make it much harder for players with a possible bounty on their head to feel safe or secure. If a bounty hunter does manage to eliminate their mark, the bounty will be considered complete and all other claims to the same bounty will be nullified. Also, when a player with a bounty on their head is killed by a BH, they will not receive a death report and the BH will not gain criminal status from the kill. This prevents the mark from trying to put a bounty on the BH that killed them. The developers have also stated they are working on a system that will try to limit exploitation as much as possible.

4.9 - Are there safe areas and NPC guards?
Yes, there will be both Safe Areas and Secure Areas. Safe Areas will be limited to small "social gathering places" where attacking will not be possible. On the other hand, Secure Areas are areas where attacking will be possible, but it will contain consequences. Secure areas will vary in grade and range from High security to Non-Secure. Players will feel safe in the High-Sec areas where guards will not tolerate any hostility or violence and will react immediately to prevent it. Players can choose to remain in Medium and High-Sec areas where they are less likely to encounter the enemy faction and harder mobs, but this will also come with a downfall. It will take longer for players to advance their characters in these secure areas, as opposed to the Non-Secure areas where players will likely be attacked by harder mobs, the enemy faction as well as criminals. Players who find themselves in these areas will advance at a faster rate, but the only security in these Non-Secure areas will be those provided by the players themselves. The greater the risk, the greater the reward.

We know that guards will be a deterrent for would be attackers in the higher security areas as they will react to any violence they witness. As was also talked about in the smuggling section various guards will be actively looking for contraband that is considered illegal in these areas. We also know that if you are attacked and killed by a guard, the guard will send the player's insured items to the insurance department & confiscate any illegal items that the guard's faction regards as contraband. This means that guards can and will sometimes loot players. It is also important to note that guards can be killed. Although if enough guards are killed, stronger guards will come as reinforcements and eventually a squad of super-strong guards will charge in to fend off an attacking force.

~Reserved

~Reserved

Yes it is, thank you very much. I used a direct quote under the skill system section because I thought it summed it up very nicely. I've also gone through and done some preliminary editing of the Combat and Territory, guilds, pvp, section. Removed and combined some sections and cleared some answers up with more detailed info. Right now I feel most of the information is fairly organized and provides a clear and detailed picture of what we know. I will still continue to clean up, adjust and add information of course... especially if you continue to be such a valuable resource

I also ran into my first character post limit error so I will still have to redo/rearrange some sections to keep this information in the FAQ. Shouldn't be a problem.

Keep up the good work on this guys!

Thanks for the kind words everyone.

Vassago - by all means use it. That's what its here for.

Melkathi - Hah, that's not the reason I'm doing this But seriously Maelstrom has been a real help and a great fact finder and source digger.