Forum:Understanding Borderlands - Manufacturer

Hello there.

In an attempt to better understand the mechanics behind Borderlands, I wanted to set up a few experiments.

The first in this series will be to find out how your favorite manufacturer is determined, and how, if at all, it affects gameplay.

Before we just boot the game and run around like mad, let's see if we can come up with some theories about what factor it is based on. A few things I heard or thought of: After we found out how it is determined with weapons, we may have an idea of how items can affect it.
 * Time spent with a manufacturer weapon equipped.
 * Kills made.
 * Bullets fired.
 * Damage done.
 * Experience gained.
 * Amount of weapons of that manufacturer picked up.
 * Amount of weapons bought.
 * Money spent on a manufacturer.

If you got another possibility, I'd love to hear it.

Possible effects of favorite manufacturer: Again, if you think of something else, please let me know.
 * You'll find more weapons by that manufacturer.
 * You'll find higher quality weapons of that manufacturer.
 * Your efficiency with weapons from that manufacturer is increased.
 * Prices of that manufacturer will decrease when buying, or increase when selling.
 * Weapon vendors sell more weapons from that manufacturer.

A lot of these ideas seem and are far-fetched, but I just didn't want to rule anything out.

Comments, suggestions?