Jeremy - A possible quick fix for the faction uberness (for siege too).

[Traveller]

Well, I have to say that I like the fact that factions are being buffed, after so much time. Kudos to the dev team to actually improving/extending the pending content instead of adding new senseless stuff. For the first time in two years I am seriously considering to open my account again.

However, I do agree with the foretold consequences of these faction new items. People will stack them like crazy, thus making a requirement to enter faction if you want to pvp. While I do agree that faction people should have an advantage (after all factions ARE a more difficult game than just being blue, thus they deserve increased reward) uberitems stacking is definitely too much. On siege that goes even worse, destroying the very basis of the shard (no bless/insurance).

So, in case you guys have not already taken precautions against that, let me suggest you a fix that I THINK should be quick to implement. Just allow one char bound item per char. On siege char binding should count as the personal blessing.

This actually satisfies all the requirements. On one end it gives an edge to players in factions, but on the other hand it doesn't unbalance the game so much as to make the common suits useless.

Comments?

 

[Uvtha]

Or you know... come up with DIFFERENT artifacts, rather than uber old ones.

 

[Traveller]

Or you know... come up with DIFFERENT artifacts, rather than uber old ones.

Possibly. But that wouldn't solve the problem with siege, and the risk of artifact stacking would still be consistent if even one of those arties were slightly unbalanced.

I don't see any reason why more than one faction arty should be allowed.

 

[FrejaSP]

I agree only way to bless them on Siege should be using your Siege Bless on them.

But the extra bonus on the items should only work vs factions enemies, not against non factions players.

Else PK guilds will join Factions to get the items and use them to kill non factions victims.

They will also be forced to join Faction to protect themself against blue anti PK's who join Factions for the items.

Crafters, PvM'ers and RP PvP'ers will be hurt of this as they can't have this items.

I also found Siege was better before we got factions, we don't need faction to allow blue players to PvP, we have enough reds they can hunt or we had in the past.

 

[Traveller]

But the extra bonus on the items should only work vs factions enemies, not against non factions players.

Else PK guilds will join Factions to get the items and use them to kill non factions victims.

I have mixed feelings about that. On one hand I think that if the usable faction item were only a single one, it is not a problem to allow people to use them in every context. It's only a slight advantage, as reward for a more challenging gameplay than just being blue.

Moreover, if you apply the bonus only against faction enemies these arties are not incentive at all, actually the opposite. Simply put people who are already in faction will have to farm silver and rank to obtain them and be comeptitive, while those who are not in factions won't have anything to worry from them. It would tend to push people OUT from factions, not the opposite.

On the other hand I agree that reds are a problem with this system. While entering in faction they, differently from blues, do not get more risk (they already are permanent targets) while still getting full rewards from factions. Maybe reds shouldn't be able to bind to faction arties? But I don't like the idea much. Any other suggestion?

I also found Siege was better before we got factions, we don't need faction to allow blue players to PvP, we have enough reds they can hunt or we had in the past.

I don't think this is a concern of this thread. Here we are just trying to find a fix for the foretold faction uber-fest. Possibly one that can be sneaked into the same publish.

 

[Kaleb]

Yah the faction changes are interesting but as someone said on a Pacific PvP forum its just about 2 years too late. As for siege I believe the shard is basicilly deserted due to the fact that since aos UO has become item based hence the need for insurance on production shards. It should be like a red flag to EA that hey this AOS stuff dosnt work on siege if they are not going to allow blessings. one of the reasons I quit siege is because its a flawed item/combat system if they were able to revert items and skills(resist spells) back to publish 16 then it would be the ideal Vet shard. but it will never happen so siege will be cursed with a couple dozen players untill they pull the plug on it.

 

[FrejaSP]

As for siege I believe the shard is basicilly deserted due to the fact that since aos UO has become item based hence the need for insurance on production shards. should be like a red flag to EA that hey this AOS stuff dosnt work on siege if they are not going to allow blessings.

Siege is doing better, changes to runic, armslore and more arty drop had been a great help. Worse problem with AoS stuff was not the need for blessing but the problem with replacing it.

Now good items are more common = easier to replace, that's how we like it on Siege. We do not like blessing at all.

This new upper factions gear is bad as only some high rank factions players can use it and can use it against all others.

As long they are lootable, we at least can trash them when we kill a factions players with them.

 

[Kaleb]

I'm not saying to allow blessed items on siege. I play both systems The current EA and a Fel based Pre AOS shard (alot like siege pre aos). On production shard Insurance works UO is an item based game that way(orny of the magi), where on the other its not really item based so no insurance is needed everything can be replaced real easy (accurate, vanq longspear). How many siege players would come back you think if they reverted the item/combat system (just on siege) to pre AOS? I remember 10x (at least) more guilds and players on siege pre aos then there is now.

The way the new faction items sound you need to fight for rank to gain the best gear I believe that would make it hard enough to gain then anything else. Siege is to complex of an issue to add the system into factions there. then again what would be stopping you from joining a faction to get the Items the same way everyone else has?

but in the end it would be best siege dosnt get the factions update.

 

[Traveller]

Guys, would you please AVOID hijacking the thread?? I just suggested something to reasonably fix the risk of faction blackmail, without making it useless, and that could probably make it in the next publish without too much effort.

Really. Try to stay on topic.

 

[Kat]

Uber artifacts have NO place in factions. All it will do is create an imbalance for PvP outside of factions. Most of my characters are in factions, so I'll be on the winning side of this imbalance, but I highly reccommend re-thinking this move.

What we NEED is a NON item based reason for people to want to fight for the towns!

Suggestions:

-Reduced stat-loss if your guild is in control of the towns [based on the number of towns your faction controls]
-Control of all town guards, including regular non-faction guards [again, based on the number of towns your faction controls]
-The ability to have your own faction guards kill or ignore opposing faction players [currently broken]
-Temporary stat buffs that can be purchased with silver or life force points
-The ability to use faction guards around your own base if your faction controls the towns [besides TB & COM]

More suggestions welcome...

 

[D'Amavir]

Uber artifacts have NO place in factions. All it will do is create an imbalance for PvP outside of factions. Most of my characters are in factions, so I'll be on the winning side of this imbalance, but I highly reccommend re-thinking this move.

What we NEED is a NON item based reason for people to want to fight for the towns!

Suggestions:

-Reduced stat-loss if your guild is in control of the towns [based on the number of towns your faction controls]
-Control of all town guards, including regular non-faction guards [again, based on the number of towns your faction controls]
-The ability to have your own faction guards kill or ignore opposing faction players [currently broken]
-Temporary stat buffs that can be purchased with silver or life force points
-The ability to use faction guards around your own base if your faction controls the towns [besides TB & COM]

More suggestions welcome...

Personally, I would support just about anything as long as it wasn't done in a way that so severely hinders those not making a certain playstyle choice. It is possible to add content without that content being the uber item du jour. I only hope that EA realizes that before it is too late.

As for the original suggestion, it surely has merit. It is, if nothing else, better than the alternative of having someone being able to super stack these items in the most mathematically advantageous way.

How is that for a nice use of those big ticket multi letter words? heh.

 

[Nexus]

I'm looking at it as a possible stepping stone. Say they make it for you to be competitive in PvP, you have to be in factions for Uber Gear.....How big a leap is it to "You have to be in Factions to PvP".