OK, the time has come. Let's say that the only groups that Itani/Serco/NT can join are those of their own nation, since they're in the employ of their own respective "governments." Let's also say that there's a team 0 (currently green, robot nation) that can cause damage to anyone and everyone. Default players start there. Farther down the road, you could let team 0 people eventually join a nation as sort of a quest. But now, I think there should be team 0 open to players. With karma system, they *might* be able to use I/S/NT docks, if they're good and keep their nose clean.

Proposed (again): team 0 for players.

I think it's better if people start RANDOMLY at one of the teams, and can (docked in a station of a team) click on a button ¨switch to this team¨.

Switching to an other team (nation -> team 0) will remove all your items from the home sectors. Team 0 don't have a home sector, so they won't lose anything if they do. If you switch from a nation to team 0 you'd get ¨banned¨ from that nation for 4 days (to prevent people from quickly switching teams and get that valk/prom/maud).

On a non-nation station, if you click on ¨switch to this team¨ you switch to team 0. Team 0 shouldn't be able to get stuff free (couse they don't have a gov. right?) but should be able to dock everywhere they want. Repairs shouldn't be free unless they did the repair them self (only possible on bus) wich will cost 5 min.

If they fire weapons in a home sector they get ¨banned¨ for 12 hours (the bots will shoot at them). After the ban have been lifted they have 4 days ¨warning¨ if they fire within those 4 days, they get banned for 4 days, every time they reenter the home sector it resets the timer, but you won't get a ban for more than 4 days... (but if you keep breaking the rules the ban will last forever).

Making people start at team 0 is a bad idea, couse you'd need to add an other home sector for the n00bs... wich is not the idea of an ¨neutral¨ team.

Woah, you're going into waay too much detail. For instance, why not make repairs cost money instead of time? Who is really going to sit in front of their screen for 300 seconds and watch their ship be repaired? Helloo! not me!

My point is, people should start on team 0, become acquainted with the different nations, and then choose their career path ("good mercenary/bounty-hunter, bad mercenary/pirate, military pilot in a nation, national transport pilot, free-lance trader, etc.). This would allow for an easier creation of guilds.

But you'd need a safe haven for all those poor team 0 n00bs to prevent them from being mass-griefed... also I don't say repairs should cost time, it should only cost time if you don't have the money...

so you're suggesting if we're broke, we have to wash dishes in the mess hall?