I was wondering if you were going to start working on factions any time soon, as this is one area of the game that never was really fleshed out in any version yet seems to hold so much promise.
I don't see much game-play value there. I think the game is complex enough and it would be better to go in opposite direction, to streamline the game, make it more focused with specific missions and end game goal. Make the best of all the things the game can already do, rather than make it more complex and watered down.