Global Faction PvP : how RPG join PvP

[pr0ger]

Hello, not sure, but that new content (pro-PvP) must hides the real gameplay intended. Odd way to come out, but.......
Two days ago i was about to cancel sub, utterly bored to be kami food in EP2, unable to do stuff, suffering of the old-friend-now-unbearable-retards effect, and overall abandon of the old habits who makes me feel like being "at home" in atys.
But this global faction stuff just ring a bell...



Explanation :

You're a fighter. You grind grind grind all days. You're now level 250. You try to forage/craft and get bored. You left the game.
Man, you know very well the game mechanics, some of the players, you've great knowledge and you'll quit the game ??? what a loss!!!
==> Nevrax idea : Honor point

** What is it ?
- Only 250ish people can get good amount of Honor Point (ALL skills, through temple building). Lowers one can try too, but it's harder.
- Using Honor point, The 250ish troops will conquere regions. a Spire gives REGION BUFF to all people down here. Low-levels people will get good advantage here to grind fast...
Also good boosts for fighters (high dodge, increased damages)
Maybe there is also good bonus on forage? (better extraction rate, high focus regen to get more mats)
And so the crafters will also have better supply (indirect benefit).
- Balancing : one region easy to protect, many regions hard to protect. currently it seems that there's tons of kami fighters, will they rules ? no : just lure them away and attack weak point... those 250ish fighters will be busy!!
- Honor point could also be exchanged for adv. technology stuff (karavan) or supernatural stuff (kami).


So, it seems to be an indirect help to the low levels playerbase. Win-win situation pretty good for everyone -- gameplay speaking.


** Roleplay part :
The teleporter ALWAYS was a grant from the superior beings of Atys. No one ever shouted about the fact Karavan people can't respawn in Thesos or Dyron, or Kami people can't respawn in Davae or Natae.
Following this point of view, I always wondered why teleportation ticket/pact was fixed pricing, both faction, since release, but oh well...

! But how to go in the far far place if i'm in the wrong faction if TP is gone ?
==> Mektoub mount! Although it's quite expensive (and the food is too bulky to make full inter-land roundtrip) This is quite easy to outrun aggro, and a level 150ish people can go anywhere with... Only thing missing is to TP with the mektoub mount -_-
Currently no one have use of the mount, it seems to be a good way for nevrax to recycle old forgotten content (BUT they must fix the bugs associated -_-)

Life of "god followers" will be harsh, but rewarding.


! What about the outta-faction PvP-off flagged dude ? Will the death be the end ?
Real Hominist should have access to any teleporter. The region is kami-controlled ? okay i'll buy a kami ticket. Karavan controlled ? okay i'll buy a karavan ticket. No real differences. [Just let's hope nevrax activated teleporter of place such knoll of dissent, hidden source, loria and many well-know "buggy" places].
Hominist will NOT benefit the regions spires "god" blessing (region buffs), but also be unattackable (pk). Low risk = less reward. Quite fair.
Hominist should not benefit city spawns "free" service from "gods"... But that would be mean. refugee's history link homins to the "rez" service. About that, [Nevrax should] let the little fame of hominists toward a faction decide where they can spawn, as it is currently done. (As a matisian I hate dying in Fyros 'cuz i can only spawn near pyr, but i'm used to).

So, still same old freedom, isn't it ?



** Now let's have an overall look :
PvP-enabled people have :
- at 250 : things to do
- at any level : things to gain
- having some politics/military relationship to develop : let's conquer ovoflak oasis ! d'uh we lost fleeting garden. living "risk" board ?
- outposts to gain and lost...
PvP-no-way people have :
- reduced movement freedom (teleport availability) BUT still access to any region.
- same old things to do...
- hopping that outposts bonuses can also be used by hominists, even if they dont participate in battles.

And it is actual content, no forecast.


Overall conclusion
Nevrax plays a smart moves, altough it's a slow one and many, many people dont have such patience anymore, sadly.
> playerbase is 30% kami, 30% karavan, 30% pvp-off, 10% in/out playerbase change.
> they are all about to quit if nothing really come soon (tm), only the 10% could stay (fanboys, trials...).
So, to keep :
> kami-karavan faction war will entertain 60% of the players, and could hold 5% of the playerbase.
> let's derivate content to allow pvp-off having some, allowing dev time for real stuff later...
Then :
> schedule pvp-off content to do ("junk" (ask grimjim) items, outpost improvement, real hominist's touch over the atys destiny...)
> doing thigs that should have been done but didnt got time to (rites fix, newbie zone)
> balancing the old old stuff they (nevrax) didnt have time because ppl would have left meanwhile (range fight, 1H, buggy mob behavior)
> enlarging overall world to make real some old promise (canope'n'core)



Okay from now you can react. I'll start, if you dont mind :
- That's painfully slooooooooooowwwwww to come, it's like 3000 people pulling a boulder, then they give up and forgot about, but the boulder was set in motion and now it's rolling down over the players...
- so far i see many of players suggestions getting in game since release (at least from september 04 to january 05)
- original Manual explanation ? i see encyclopaedia, i see outpost, i see faction war, guild and alliance... All stuff who's inside is coming... slooooooowly but it's in !
- Kitin raid : we got them in the past. I wasn't in the beta but in release, so i dunno what ppl expect really. I enjoyed 2004 and january-05 invasions and it's not because kami an karavan are here that at chapter 4 kitins will not awake. I'm still not ready for such battle anyway.
- Nevrax's slow, why ? because maybe they dont have enough subscriber to have a good cash flow allowing them to really make the stuff faster, thus please more players, thus increasing numbers of subscribers, thus increasing cash flow, etc etc etc... Why ? IMO looks like past management errors. Choice to the players : we forgive now or we kill them.

[grimjim]

I would be very, very surprised if the genuinely pro-PvP lobby from both factions were equal to the anti segment*, but thirds is a good, vague guideline.

*As there are people who are just happy to have SOMETHING and are participating regardless of personal feeling - also, a lot of annoyed diggers.

[cloudy97]

I am cautiously looking forward to this. It WILL CHANGE EVERYTHING. I'm not yet a pro-digger, not (yet?) a PVP'er, but here for the living breathing world. The war MIGHT contribute to it, but I'm probably naive.

Reason: economies
The game economy is a bit messed up. People is (I am) dressed in HQ gear. During my first day in game I was given swords and armor, "consider guild XXX". Seemed like too much money and too few players/things to do at the time, I was a frekkin newbie on a trial account(!).

With the current fighting the game's economy is already in motion. Prime Roots are safer, the merchants shelves are gaping empty. When the war gets world wide non-combatant diggers and crafters will definately be the winners! (like Sweden and Switzerland after World War 2)

Another reason is RL economy, I don't think the current (I'm only estimating here) playerbase of the three servers can pay for many salaries. A wider audience must join in. Not really the players problem, we're here as long as it's fun, which it is right?

Reason: roleplaying
While the simple-minded marines might not be my characters first choice of company (and Ulani is still only INT 65, go figure), I as a player can enjoy a conflict. I don't mind to not be able to travel as easily anymore, getting a mount seems like an excellent idea for an international mechant. Bonds of friendship will be harder to deal with though, the homins have been left in peace for so long that even love has arised between the races. A good scenario for roleplaying, if handled with care. The Risk-like scenario might be fun to follow. *holds thumbs*

But PLEASE make the PVP-toggle button have a 48h cooldown, it pains my heart seeing infamously aggressive Kami warriors running around freely in Yrkanis.

[marct]

I really like your thoughts and Ideas and will cross post a few in the feedback thread with appropriate credit.

I do see a huge advantage if something is implemented to BUFF a digger. That is a nice feature I did not think of.

Your thoughts on Mounts being more active is a good thing as well.

I would add, that I can see how the Outposts can tie in with these spires so that to build a spire in a zone, you would also need control of the outposts or such. Or the utilization of the outposts as a means of escape from the enemy or as a point of defense to build your forces at.

I see things actually starting to come together and be tied to a story. Everyone should think of the links between things as you have and post them to the feedback thread. As I am sure there are many many many good ideas about the links between these things that you, me, everyone else, and Nevrax included have failed to see.

Please try to help make it better, I understand the gripes, but you still ahve the opportunity to influence the features.

Noin.