How to make a simple version of Open World PVP that people can toggle...

[srmalloy]

13 minutes ago, El D said:

Enticing folks to support open world PvP probably shouldn't include an approach that makes them glad it's cordoned off.

Particularly when there is often a knee-jerk reaction to the term "open-world PvP", which for quite a few players with experiences in other MMOs, is a term that implies that your characters will be vulnerable to depredations from the sort of players whose sole measure of their "leet skillz" as a gamer is how fast their level-capped combat monster in BiS gear can gank newbies fresh out of the tutorial zone, and who will run away from anything that even suggests that it might be an even fight. It is unfortunate that the term has become poisoned this way, but short, oversimplified descriptions can't accommodate subtleties.

[Bionic_Flea]

19 hours ago, Xalon said:

I've always wanted to have hero vs villain battles in all the zones. We have the Arena matches and the full PVP zones. But what about something for all zones?

* * *

I think it would bring a lot more excitement to all areas. And because no one is forced to do it, PVE players won't cry and complain about it. 

What are your thoughts, pvpers?  

 

Edited 20 hours ago by Bionic_Flea

[Ravenplume]

3 hours ago, lemming said:

Flat Dog

Since Bottom Bitch would be unlikely?  😄

[Skyhawke]

1 hour ago, srmalloy said:

Particularly when there is often a knee-jerk reaction to the term "open-world PvP", which for quite a few players with experiences in other MMOs, is a term that implies that your characters will be vulnerable to depredations from the sort of players whose sole measure of their "leet skillz" as a gamer is how fast their level-capped combat monster in BiS gear can gank newbies fresh out of the tutorial zone, and who will run away from anything that even suggests that it might be an even fight. It is unfortunate that the term has become poisoned this way, but short, oversimplified descriptions can't accommodate subtleties.

 

Or being griefed by people looking to flex their e-peen by endlessly challenging someone to a duel. 

[Dacy]

Yes, you can set up bases for PvP. Upgrades to that are always possible, that's an instanced map. Upgrades such as what you are talking about, I do not believe are possible, due to the engine. We already have been experiencing lag issues, especially on Excelsior. "The engines, they canna' tek anymore, Captain!" Dare to dream, but dreams are the only place such a large modification and addition would happen, imo, even if this was the most requested and popular idea ever.

[macskull]

22 hours ago, Xalon said:

What are your thoughts, pvpers?  

Fine in theory, completely unworkable in practice. Powers behave differently in PvP than in PvE through one of two mechanics:

1. Some powers check whether their target is a player or a critter to determine their behavior. Most attacks fall into this category.
2. Other powers check what type of map they're on to determine their behavior. The simple version is that every map in the game has an "isPvPmap?" flag which determines behavior for these powers. This flag affects the entire map and requires a restart of that map if it's changed. Most self-affecting powers like armor toggles fall into this category.

Obviously, the first one is easy to handle since it's all done dynamically at the time of power activation. The second one is what makes what you're asking for impossible. You have to either have PvP everywhere on the map, or nowhere.

 

6 hours ago, srmalloy said:

PvP players got their game back; the rogue servers got reinstantiated from the SCORE code as it was, including all of the PvP zones and content. What they didn't get back was enough other PVPers to make PvP worthwhile spending the time to build and level characters for PvP -- the vast majority of the people returning to Homecoming were the PvE players, of whom only a tiny fraction had any interest in PvP, and generally entered PvP zones only for grabbing the exploration badges (for the 5 merits per zone for grabbing them all) and the PvE-useful content like getting Shivans.

There was a pretty active arena and zone PvP population on Homecoming from 2019-2021/2022, and there was at least one major update that had a ton of PvP changes (QoL improvements, PvP-specific accolades, new arena maps, etc.). Unfortunately PvP in any MMO needs pretty continuous development to prevent things from getting stale, and Homecoming's absolutely glacial pace of updates isn't really compatible with that. On top of that, HC does not consider effects on PvP when they're adding or changing things which often ends up having a negative effect on PvP (examples are the psi blast rework and forced rooting implementation, both of which reduced the already-small number of PvP-viable powersets even further).

Edited 17 hours ago by macskull