*slap*
Back to your faction, miscreant!
Storm Summoning is great because it makes you better than everyone else in the game. - Camma
Knockback is mitigation. It won't be removed just because meleers ***** and moan. - Chaos Creator
As per Merriam-Webster:
1 : a party or group (as within a government) that is often contentious or self-seeking
4: an arrangement of groups or forces in relation to one another <new alignments within the political party>
Kind've splittin' hairs, don't'cha think?
Villains are not a group.
A game is not supposed to be some kind of... place where people enjoy themselves!
2 a: a number of individuals assembled together or having some unifying relationship
3 a: an assemblage of related organisms —often used to avoid taxonomic connotations when the kind or degree of relationship is not clearly define
A faction is specifically a group of something. Alignment has nothing to do with grouping. For instance, you can be of heroic alignment even if you're the only person alive.
The compass points north regardless of popular opinion.
As per The New Shorter Oxford English Dictionary Thumb Index Edition:
Alignment:
4. Bringing into (esp. political) agreement or alliance; a grouping of parties, powers, etc.
Faction:
2. A group or class of people; spec. a (self-interested or turbulent) party, esp. in politics
Are villains not a group (A number of people or things regarded as forming a unity or whole on the grounds of some mutual or common relation or purpose, or classed together because of a degree of similarity) or class (A group of people or things having some attribute in common) of people?
Have we really gotten so bored with GR that we've reverted to semantics? = /
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As per The New Shorter Oxford English Dictionary Thumb Index Edition:
Alignment:
4. Bringing into (esp. political) agreement or alliance; a grouping of parties, powers, etc.
Faction:
2. A group or class of people; spec. a (self-interested or turbulent) party, esp. in politics
Are villains not a group (A number of people or things regarded as forming a unity or whole on the grounds of some mutual or common relation or purpose, or classed together because of a degree of similarity) or class (A group of people or things having some attribute in common) of people?
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Villainy itself includes, at it's greatest focal points, a collection of multiple groups that are not interested in the welfare or needs of other groups within the system. Each group is out for itself, and can be more or less considered to only be working together in the loosest sense possible (IE: They're forced into light cooperation almost entirely by Arachnos, and this is only rarely [particularly only with things important to Arachnos] enforced).
I don't think calling them a 'faction' is exactly doing any of the villain groups proper justice. A moral alignment, however, is far more general, and the most general use in this case. An alignment can contain a faction, but a faction cannot (by the definition presented) contain an alignment (which is a greater classification of a number of groups, rather then being one specific group).
In other words: Using the most general terms, Alignment fits better then Faction.
EDIT for clarification:
Arachnos is a faction. The Circle of Thorns is a faction. Both have very different goals and aims, and due to Arachnos containing a sub-faction (Mu) that is diametrically opposed (in that they don't wanna be blowed up) to the Circle of Thorns, it would be a disservice to lump them into the same general faction of 'villain'.
Longbow is a faction. The Vanguard is a faction. They both have very different views on how one should go about saving the world, to the point that they regularly distrust each other. Lumping them into the same general faction of 'Hero' is likely to gain one an earful (at best) from one or both sides of the issue.
However, for the most part, we can all agree that Arachnos and the Circle are of a very villainous alignment, and the Longbow and Vanguard are on the opposite spectrum of being a heroic alignment (though the Vanguard has a more loose, whatever-it-takes view, and technically speaking the Arachnos will use whoever sounds like a good patsy that day as well).
Great, another person eagerly trying to correct others over the internet abt something so minor...with the name GuyPerfect no less! HA! Guess it could have been predicted.
While 'alignment' might be a better fit, 'faction' is not used improperly.
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While 'alignment' might be a better fit, 'faction' is not used improperly.
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I dunno, I think it is, but it really depends heavily on context. And even if used properly, it's still not exactly the best (or most polite) term.
The only time that I can see it being proper is from a metagame point of view, referring specifically to players that play a hero or villain, but given the fact that many people can and do play both sides, that's rather incorrect in trying to claim that somehow what side one plays somehow makes all that big of a difference in anything at all.
Trying to pigeonhole players into neat stereotypes works about as well as it does in trying to do the same thing to those people in a real-world environment - poorly, and woefully inaccurate for the most part.
From a game standpoint, Alignment is the better fit, with individuals belonging to X or Y faction within that alignment. Used that way, the term faction is fine.
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And even if used properly, it's still not exactly the best (or most polite) term.
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Umm...what? Why would it not be polite?
I sometimes use faction to describe the group the mob belongs to, ie Hallions, Rikti, etc. (Sometimes I use sect) But if someone wants to use it to describe hero/villain, go for it.
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And even if used properly, it's still not exactly the best (or most polite) term.
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Umm...what? Why would it not be polite?
I sometimes use faction to describe the group the mob belongs to, ie Hallions, Rikti, etc. (Sometimes I use sect) But if someone wants to use it to describe hero/villain, go for it.
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It's technically not polite, in that what if the person isn't exclusively one or the other, or is the other, and is just visiting on that side? Some people are really sensitive about that kind of thing, and depending on the context used (specifically in the derogatory), it can lead to a lot of pointless arguing back and forth about stuff that didn't even matter until it was put into a specific context or phrased incorrectly.
I'd go into real-world example mode here, but unfortunately, I'm not sure how to keep that civil and not delve into religion or politics for it. :/
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It's technically not polite, in that what if the person isn't exclusively one or the other, or is the other, and is just visiting on that side? Some people are really sensitive about that kind of thing
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Im still not gettin why it's 'technically not polite'. Well at least not any more that the general & common 'you guys' grouping. But that fits with alignment and ANY form of 'group' ie villain. Silly.
Sorry i dont live my life walkin on glass for those with skin that thin.
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It's technically not polite, in that what if the person isn't exclusively one or the other, or is the other, and is just visiting on that side? Some people are really sensitive about that kind of thing
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Im still not gettin why it's 'technically not polite'. Well at least not any more that the general & common 'you guys' grouping. But that fits with alignment and ANY form of 'group' ie villain. Silly.
Sorry i dont live my life walkin on glass for those with skin that thin.
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Thanks for answering your own question with a baseless assumption. 
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Thanks for answering your own question with a baseless assumption.
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Hmmm....Maybe if i can figure out what I was assuming I'll remember what it was that I was asking.
Btw, I think u missed my point. 
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Thanks for answering your own question with a baseless assumption.
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Hmmm....Maybe if i can figure out what I was assuming I'll remember what it was that I was asking.
Btw, I think u missed my point.
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You've missed mine frequently. I'd say at the least in that regard, we're even.
EDIT: Though, to be less of a snotty bint (I'm having a rough day trying to do tech-support for people that don't get or want to get computer information; This is why my preferred field is journalism. :<, my entire point is that when you start cramming players (that is to say, actual living, thinking people - or we can at least assume they're thinking for the sake of argument) into groups or clusters, you start to form pre-concieved ideas about the group that you then attribute to the individual person just for being a (perceived) member of that group.
I had another set of examples lined up, but again, religion/politics factor, and I make it a personal point to avoid those topics on a forum. Sorry about the HUGE delay in this edit, as previously mentioned annoyance sprung up mid-edit and I had to wander off to beat it with a hammer until it stopped being annoying.
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it can lead to a lot of pointless arguing back and forth about stuff that didn't even matter
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So, basically this thread?
And neither term would be incorrect. You claim Arachnos is a faction and it would be wrong to lump the Circle of Thorns in a similar faction (of villains) with them because they work at odds to each other, yet conveniently ignore how frequently Arachnos does the exact same thing.
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Originally Posted by PleaseRecycle
it has gone from unconscionable to downright appalling that we have no way of measuring our characters' wetness.
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Originally Posted by Brillig
It's hard to beat the entertainment value of Whackjob Wednesdays.
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Oops. Someone took me seriously again. Gosh darn it, I need to be more careful!
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You've missed mine frequently. I'd say at the least in that regard, we're even.
[/ QUOTE ]Im sorry, do I know you? Oh nevermind, Im sure I wont remember you after this post....
Anyway, lemme try and explain...
Me: "Your faction..."
MrSensitive: "HEY! Im not part of this faction! I was just visiting!"
Me: "Your alignment..."
MrSensitive: "HEY! Im not part of this alignment! I was just visiting!"
Me: "You guys..."
MrSensitive: "HEY! Im not with these guys! I was just visiting!"
Me: "You villains..."
MrSensitive: "HEY! Im not a villain! Im just a disgruntled hero!"
So basically, its all the same to me - and its definitely all sensitive. You say its not polite because people will be offended. I say people shouldnt be so easily offended because its not an insult. Thicker skin please.
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it can lead to a lot of pointless arguing back and forth about stuff that didn't even matter
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So, basically this thread?
And neither term would be incorrect. You claim Arachnos is a faction and it would be wrong to lump the Circle of Thorns in a similar faction (of villains) with them because they work at odds to each other, yet conveniently ignore how frequently Arachnos does the exact same thing.
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Does what same thing in particular? Because technically speaking, there's a lot of things that Arachnos does that sort of screw with the average. I mean, are we going to bust out with an itemized list of infractions, or are we okay listing just one thing in particular?
Any faction is prone to in-fighting, and any alignment is prone to having one group or individual at odds with another. I don't necessarily see how that refutes my point, which was nothing more then not only do Arachnos and the Circle of Thorns work at cross-purposes (to the point of viewing each other as kill-on-sight), but the only link of commonality between them is that they are both Villainous organizations with wildly differing views, goals, and methods (in particular what methods they use to make you cease life functions).
You need far more commonality then that to suggest a faction, unless you're using the term improperly.
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Oops. Someone took me seriously again. Gosh darn it, I need to be more careful!
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I know, right? 
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Oops. Someone took me seriously again. Gosh darn it, I need to be more careful!
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Oh, don't worry. I don't take you seriously at all; I was just hoping you or others might learn a few things.
Over these past, few days back in game I've noticed a rather startling preponderance of lackluster English skills from the player base as a whole.
"I go on-line sometimes, but everyone's spelling is really bad. It's depressing."
I'd just like to take a moment to thank the ever loving snot out of the devs for using the word "alignment" to describe the hero/villain occupation. All too often people have used the word "faction" to describe this, which is frankly incorrect.
So, um... Poison for Corruptors? We'll all be good to go after that!