I've been laggy as hell, so I've been doing random things when playing rather than what i want to do (PvP). This had caused me to give what happened to PvP in UO some thought... All my opinion and thoughtful memory I suppose... But let's see if anyone sees how this played out the same way I did.
Let's go on a bit of a history lesson for starters. Original PvP was just fighting and trolling plain and simple. It evolved into a game of good and evil, reds vs. Blues. Groups of a certain type vs. Groups of a ceetain type. Murderers, roleplaying militias and orcs, and simple blues were common. The blues bandedbtogether to fight the reds and the reds preyed on anything that moved. As more people came into the game and complained about the trolling and griefing they felt they were receiving from reds or murderers, trammel was born. As more people flocked to trammel, PvP died down because living in the world with a constant glance over your shoulder was no longer neccesary. The only PvP that occurred was people who wanted to PvP against each other. There was no reward except bragging rights and fun.
As the game layout changed, PvP continued to die down, but some smart person, despite constant complaint by players who wanted nothing to do with PvP, added power scrolls and stat scrolls to the game and made them only available in fel. PvP was reborn in the form of fighting for these scrolls. Guilds would try to guard against them. Massive packs of blues would try to defend themselves from murderous guilds in order to obtain them. Zergs were born. Teamwork was born. Working together as large units of strangers had its payoff and PvP thrived. The game became more item based yet this element remained a true high point of PvP. More and more non PvP folks complained incessantly that power scrolls should be had in a tram non PvP setting as well without the risk, but the Dev teams understood how vital of a cog this engine was to the PvP and fel community and play style. Thieves were a focal point because they could steal scrolls. Pvmers were a neccesity because they could kill the beasts. Most play styles blended together seemlessly for one common goal.
Bargains were made as people who did not want to PvP lived with this, and rather than further complain they either worked into a role with PvP guilds to get scrolls, banded together to fight back with numbers or they did their normal gameplay and obtained the gold to buy them in a marketplace setting which was vital to the economy and sense of community. During this time massive numbers in guilds were common, and smaller guilds relied on their skill and teamwork. There were fights that lasted hours, even into the next day. There was no penalty to die besides insurance and a reward for winning in the form of a payout or item you or a guildmate needed.
As time wore on and powerscrolls became less vital, as many had what they needed, factions was looking for a resurgence. Despite what many people say, factions was a fun engine but it was barely about PvP. Roleplay and teamwork thrived in factions. At the request of players to popularize factions, the faction items were born. This lead many groups to join factions to get the new higher quality gear, somewhat belittling the faction community. Because more people joined factions, stat loss became a concern. Many had a good argument for it being available as it promoted teamwork, others hated it as it meant you took a break after you died. The town fighting element was lost and the only goal was items items items. But the problem with the faction resurgence was that it bred people to want to try to survive more than ever to avoid stat loss. Stealthers and smoke bombs became a staple of the game. Nearly everyone was finding a way to fit ninja into their template to avoid dismount deaths. There was even a period where people carried suicide trapped boxes to avoid the stat loss.
These new cowardly tactics became the norm, and carried into all facets of PvP, everyone runs away if they feel at any moment they do not have the upper hand. This lead people to regularly not fight without numbers advantages and furthered the degradation of PvP. Some groups would fight outnumbered, relying on stat loss as an equalizer, but this was hardly the norm. Templates with moving shot, bombard, or other items that could insta damage became a neccesity because of all the running away. The true dexer template (without arch/throwing) basically died because killing someone within 1 tile became near impossible (without deathstrike).
And here we are today with vvv. An engine that is attempting to be a PvP engine but appeal to the masses, which are heavily NOT people who want to PvP. The cowardly tactics remain even with stat loss being nearly eliminated. The vvv towns have no point in the fight besides getting points to buy items, which is just a fancier way of silver for faction items. There is no benefit to winning a town. There is no reward to fight for greater than simple updated artifacts again. Where is the substance? Power scrolls were added to the game without PvP in mind and they turned into one of its focus points because it was an absolute neccesity to get some skills higher.
The cowardly tactics may be an unsalvageable problem in the current state of the game as it is common place for everyone to run now and live rather than die and get berated by a troll in general chat. But the point about power scrolls is fixable. We need another medium that is strictly fel only, that is so heavily desired and needed like power scrolls were that everyone will want a piece of it. Causing the effect of bands of blues and reds fighting or defending for whatever this medium is. Causing those rich folks who don't want to PvP to do other things, to get the gold, to buy these things. This isn't a cry to add a new half apron with 10hci to fel only, but something much more important. Power scrolls were nice but quickly became a neccesity of the haves vs have nots. If you didn't have 120 weap skill you were at a severe disadvantage. Is this request doable, or has the game ventured to far away from this mindset to even come close to achieving this action again? Will to many complain that whatever it is is overpowered because not everyone has one within 5minutes of its introduction?
Can PvP have a renassaince period or is it too far gone?
Let the flames begin!
Let's go on a bit of a history lesson for starters. Original PvP was just fighting and trolling plain and simple. It evolved into a game of good and evil, reds vs. Blues. Groups of a certain type vs. Groups of a ceetain type. Murderers, roleplaying militias and orcs, and simple blues were common. The blues bandedbtogether to fight the reds and the reds preyed on anything that moved. As more people came into the game and complained about the trolling and griefing they felt they were receiving from reds or murderers, trammel was born. As more people flocked to trammel, PvP died down because living in the world with a constant glance over your shoulder was no longer neccesary. The only PvP that occurred was people who wanted to PvP against each other. There was no reward except bragging rights and fun.
As the game layout changed, PvP continued to die down, but some smart person, despite constant complaint by players who wanted nothing to do with PvP, added power scrolls and stat scrolls to the game and made them only available in fel. PvP was reborn in the form of fighting for these scrolls. Guilds would try to guard against them. Massive packs of blues would try to defend themselves from murderous guilds in order to obtain them. Zergs were born. Teamwork was born. Working together as large units of strangers had its payoff and PvP thrived. The game became more item based yet this element remained a true high point of PvP. More and more non PvP folks complained incessantly that power scrolls should be had in a tram non PvP setting as well without the risk, but the Dev teams understood how vital of a cog this engine was to the PvP and fel community and play style. Thieves were a focal point because they could steal scrolls. Pvmers were a neccesity because they could kill the beasts. Most play styles blended together seemlessly for one common goal.
Bargains were made as people who did not want to PvP lived with this, and rather than further complain they either worked into a role with PvP guilds to get scrolls, banded together to fight back with numbers or they did their normal gameplay and obtained the gold to buy them in a marketplace setting which was vital to the economy and sense of community. During this time massive numbers in guilds were common, and smaller guilds relied on their skill and teamwork. There were fights that lasted hours, even into the next day. There was no penalty to die besides insurance and a reward for winning in the form of a payout or item you or a guildmate needed.
As time wore on and powerscrolls became less vital, as many had what they needed, factions was looking for a resurgence. Despite what many people say, factions was a fun engine but it was barely about PvP. Roleplay and teamwork thrived in factions. At the request of players to popularize factions, the faction items were born. This lead many groups to join factions to get the new higher quality gear, somewhat belittling the faction community. Because more people joined factions, stat loss became a concern. Many had a good argument for it being available as it promoted teamwork, others hated it as it meant you took a break after you died. The town fighting element was lost and the only goal was items items items. But the problem with the faction resurgence was that it bred people to want to try to survive more than ever to avoid stat loss. Stealthers and smoke bombs became a staple of the game. Nearly everyone was finding a way to fit ninja into their template to avoid dismount deaths. There was even a period where people carried suicide trapped boxes to avoid the stat loss.
These new cowardly tactics became the norm, and carried into all facets of PvP, everyone runs away if they feel at any moment they do not have the upper hand. This lead people to regularly not fight without numbers advantages and furthered the degradation of PvP. Some groups would fight outnumbered, relying on stat loss as an equalizer, but this was hardly the norm. Templates with moving shot, bombard, or other items that could insta damage became a neccesity because of all the running away. The true dexer template (without arch/throwing) basically died because killing someone within 1 tile became near impossible (without deathstrike).
And here we are today with vvv. An engine that is attempting to be a PvP engine but appeal to the masses, which are heavily NOT people who want to PvP. The cowardly tactics remain even with stat loss being nearly eliminated. The vvv towns have no point in the fight besides getting points to buy items, which is just a fancier way of silver for faction items. There is no benefit to winning a town. There is no reward to fight for greater than simple updated artifacts again. Where is the substance? Power scrolls were added to the game without PvP in mind and they turned into one of its focus points because it was an absolute neccesity to get some skills higher.
The cowardly tactics may be an unsalvageable problem in the current state of the game as it is common place for everyone to run now and live rather than die and get berated by a troll in general chat. But the point about power scrolls is fixable. We need another medium that is strictly fel only, that is so heavily desired and needed like power scrolls were that everyone will want a piece of it. Causing the effect of bands of blues and reds fighting or defending for whatever this medium is. Causing those rich folks who don't want to PvP to do other things, to get the gold, to buy these things. This isn't a cry to add a new half apron with 10hci to fel only, but something much more important. Power scrolls were nice but quickly became a neccesity of the haves vs have nots. If you didn't have 120 weap skill you were at a severe disadvantage. Is this request doable, or has the game ventured to far away from this mindset to even come close to achieving this action again? Will to many complain that whatever it is is overpowered because not everyone has one within 5minutes of its introduction?
Can PvP have a renassaince period or is it too far gone?
Let the flames begin!
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