****Walks into the town hall, nearly overwhelmed by the loud yelling and bantering. Calmly listening to all sides of the argument, waits to take turn on soapbox****
I can see the points of both sides here...well, actually all sides as there are some of you that are kinda split up the middle just like I am. Not that my opinion will add up to a hill of beans but here is mine.
First thing, anyone will telling you about me, would tell you that I truly suck at PvP...heck for that matter I'm barely a mediocre PvM player at best. I am extremely strange in that I don't use any third party program to play Ultima Online. That includes UO-auto map, UO-assist or any of the *
ahem* illegal ones. I suppose the closest thing to a "third party program" that I use to play Ultima Online is alcohol...it does make whacking on trees for hours and hours to skill lumberjacking a lot easier. Heh.
Secondly, I am not all that great in setting up my macros for "the perfect" PvP'er. I know that I could tweek my macros like: Select nearest target and such. And I believe that the evasion spell in the bushido skill I've heard is kinda helpful? But it would take me a lot of practice, and a lot of insurance gold to be able to even hold a candle to the folks who PvP with uber "third party" macros.
Third, I
like to play Ultima Online. In real life I don't have much of a temper and I'm an extreme pacifist. I don't like violence in real life. Heck, I can't even stand to watch more than 5 seconds of those "ultimate fighting" matches. "Smack talk" is so immature to me. And no...not just "because I'm always on the receiving end" I'd be ok, and would actually enjoy "smack talk" if it wasn't so rude and offensive. I know that may sound bizarre and confusing so I'll explain. If I get PK'd, which happens to me a lot, I will often hear the guy/gal who just killed me say something like: "pwnd your stupid (expletive) you (expletive) you suck, you should just stop playing" and then they try to rez me, just to kill me again. I've learned not to accept a rez from the person who murdered me. Now, that to me...
isn't enjoying a game. That just makes me want to turn off my computer and go play a console game. Which, when it really, really comes down to it, even a "red" wouldn't truly want. They would prefer a player to actually kill, than no players at all. I would have great respect for the player that killed me, to either role play a teeny-weenie bit and have something to say like "Another win for the kingdom of Britannia" or "The mighty hand of Minax has prevailed" Eh, a little on the corny side, but there are even "manuals" written that are posted on the main page of stratics on "
how to cuss" in the role play manner (
Yer clouted swag-bellied maggot-pie!). But, ugh...the "smack talk". Sorry, for me I prefer to actually have
fun when I choose to play a game. Haven't you ever watched a pro football game, its not completely uncommon to actually see the opposing side reach out with a hand to help another tackled player to his feet. But I digress.
Fourth, I can agree with the POINT system needing to decay a bit faster, since yeah...it does make it a bit unfair for someone to simply hoard points and not offer any chance what-so-ever of losing them. So, see? I really AM seeing things from both sides here. Maybe a compromise? Why would it be so hard to make it so that if you go through a blue gate you loose any gained points? That way no one is hoarding points. *shrugs* Just a thought.
Fifth, now this one may make someone mad, but its a point that no-one has ever been able to change for me. If you
truly wish that Trammel would just go away, and you
really think that your that much of a bad-(expletive) then you may want to go play on a
true PvP server. Its called
Siege Perilous. So, if your that offended by Trammel, then here...take some cheese to go with your whine, or go to Siege.
Aside from the point system though, I have never been able to see why a PvP'er gets so angry that a there is actually a way to play Ultima Online without being
forced to PvP. It may come as a surprise to a lot of players, but I strongly believe for every one PvP player there is about 15 non PvP players. So, according that math is correct (and I'm pretty sure its even more than that) if
you were EA would you want to cater to the "smaller audience" or the larger one?
Sixth, believe it or not, I do try my hand at PvP. I still haven't given it up. I may not be as active or attempting it as often as some. But I do try. And even every once in a great while I actually enjoy it. I'm not afraid to admit though that I've never gotten even one kill, but I do try. I suppose I'm kinda like my home town pro-football team, the Cincinnati Bengals. They don't win often, but I still root for them. I'll keep trying, but if/when a day comes when I do get a kill, don't be surprised if you hear some mid-evil jargon and not smack talk. Eh...I suppose I'm more like the Detroit Lions.
I know that it is impossible to make everyone happy, but I guess it makes some feel better to vent.
****Steps down from soapbox, and listens for other peoples opinions****