PvP: good or bad or ugly?

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Hi there!

I’d like to discuss the PvP question and see your opinions about it. I am one from those whose wanted PvP in this game, but nowadays I am more skeptical about it. I know it is planned (maybe only after 1.0 and only in specific planets but still), but would it do more harm than good? Currently our community is the less toxic ever (I think we actually cure toxicity), and toxicity have ties with competition. Of course PvE competition exists too but its always stronger and more frustrating in PvP environments, and dont forget that PvP games always attracts more cheaters. I have a good example: DayZ. I played it a lot and experienced a more toxic behavior on PvP servers, actually PvP servers mostly turned into swear and cheat playgrounds, and PvE servers had helpful communities. Will it hurt Boundless when PvP will be introduced or will it just spice up the game? We need PvP because we really like it or we just get used to that nowadays most games have at least some PvP opportunities? Boundless should be a calming, full anti-toxic PvE game, or PvP in some form is needed for the full MMO feeling?

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First, PVP is already confirmed and it’s gonna be opt in only, which I’m totally ok with, as I’m generally a player that plays PVE, but can deal with PVP here and there.

Second, I think the most important point regarding PVP would be, what do players gain from it? I know many will enjoy just the mere fact of fighting against friends or new people and have a test of skill. From my personal views, it’s important to always have a test of skills in MMO’s, and the way we can currently have that is by building and figjting creatures, I think PVP would be one of those skill contests as well as how good you’re able to find resources.

Third, is there gonna be another reward apart from the gaming experience? Are we gonna get experience from playing it? What goes a PVP user get? What does the loser lose? There’s many ways to approach it, we could have leaderboards, we could have a point system, we could have bets and gambles involved, both from the contestants and spectators, or we could have a mix of all those.

But no system is perfect having a leaderboard, will bring the toxicity out, it may cause match fixing from people to scale, it may just turn people against people. Having a point system to be exchanged for materials or exclusive cosmetics from those points, I don’t know, you could be able to get exclusive PVP ornaments and wearables, but it will bring the toxicity and match fixing to the table once again.
And lastly, gambling seems interesting, but it brings all the same troubles.

For sure it will require a good report system and a good matchmaking system. I’m for players choosing who they wanna go against, I don’t think there’s a need for any server match making where it looks for players. The only problem about players choosing who to go against, is that it makes people earning points or rankings too easy and with time, people may just lose interest in PVP as a whole.

So my conclusion would be having a mix of leaderboards and exclusive PVP rewards (purely cosmetic, no stats or anything) would be benefitial, everything balanced out with a good report and spectator system. Making math fixing an extremely hard thing to do.

Just look at what players do for cosmetics on HOTS, where people throw the match, just to earn their Overwatch cosmetics. It would be detrimental and make PVP less enjoyable for the people who’re looking for a nice PVP experience, with not much interest on the cosmetics

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That’s pretty much summed up everything ever.

Personally I live for the PvP in games, and Dzchan nailed it. It’s entirely about the exhilaration of the fight itself for me. I’ve always felt the most immersive and emergent gameplay comes from having to fight someone who is just as knowledgeable as you about the game, and the winner is determined by creativity.

That being said, PVP is inherently competitive, and feelings inevitably do get hurt. The nice thing about MMOs, however, is that if PVP has you on edge and you hate everyone, you can pick one of like 30,000 other things to do that are probably more productive in the long run

If PVP is opt in, and for cosmetic and competitive pride, i have no doubt it can be executed perfectly within Boundless.

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I think only allowing PVP through mutually accepted agreanace for individual battles is a good idea but should not be the only means. There needs to be something else a side from that, like a PVP planet where nobody is safe outside of their plots. If you don’t like it then simply DONT visit that planet. But only allowing PVP when the other person accepts a battle will lose its charm quicker then a spitter spawning the second @DanBeforeTime logs in. :smirk:

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Yeah that’s solid, I think I misinterpreted “opt in” as something equivalent to a PVP planet or specified battleground, but now realize it could easily have meant “duels”.

I agree with this completely

FlyFF was a really old mmo that employed a portal in each of its cities that led to a moderately sized area with some shops and community hangouts, and in the middle was an “arena” (just an octagon with no walls, foot-high ledges were the entrance)
Once you were in the Arena itself you were vulnerable, but the ability to talk to people just outside of it and discuss strategy, and watch fights was what made it unique and worthwhile

Another favorite of mine is actually the way wilderness works in Runescape and Minecraft, being able to have a hub of safety on a world of PvP would be a nice repose to plan with guild mates or partake in aforementioned discussions of strategy, with the option to go out and make a claim and fight for it in a completely PvP world would bring a challenge that even large groups of seasoned players could enjoy

Also mini games? Like Grapple Ball

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Arena based PVP is best PVP, GW2 WvW is really good example :smiley:

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As a personal opinion, I despise PvP in pretty much any game that I’ve played. Mostly, this stems from my experiences in which I witness far more negativity resulting from it than those rare and precious cases where it’s actually a positive experience (win or lose). I’m not even sure it’s possible to do PvP ‘right’ in an MMO, giving the range of players and playstyles they attract.

That being said, I also understand that games like this essentially need PvP. It gives players who are more combat focused something to do, and a way to challenge themselves more than against learn-able creatures.

My experience of duelling type systems is that new players spend a frustrating portion of time declining duel invites from people who hang around the newbie areas to show off how cool and powerful they are, and unless you can easily block all such requests, it just a nuisance and is rarely used to for it’s intended purpose. Your experiences may differ.

I’m not sure if I would ever personally visit them (certainly not till I was running dry of other things to do), but I’d be far more in favour of whole PvP worlds. I’d suggest that there shouldn’t be a better resource quantity or distribution than PvE worlds, and there should be some form of UI element or notification to tell you you’re in or entering a PvP area. Then players that enjoy that aspect of the game can carve out territories, guard the better resources spots they’ve found on a given world etc etc, while not handicapping people who don’t enjoy it. It ‘should’ end up being a better source of resources for PvP enthusiasts, if for no other reason than that you’re limiting the traffic to the planet by opening up to PvP.

I’d also maybe be in favour of allowing Beacons to have a PvP toggle, which enables PvP while inside of them. You’d have to have some sort of notification/countdown that give you 10 or so seconds to get the hell out if you don’t like PvP, but it could make from some Epic gladiatorial arena buildings. Imagine an uneven Ice-floored arena with cracks and crevasses to fall down, or an arena where the floor is mostly lava, and there are overhanging beams to grapple around on.

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Thats a really good idea. PVP enabled plots. People would travel far and wide to compete in different player made arenas. HOLY MOLY I LOVE THAT IDEA!!!

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I’d build a new Colosseum :heart_eyes:

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Based in Bartle taxonomy of player types, Killer players seems to be the hardest to pleasure. Since its goal is to compete, it’s kinda difficult to keep it without breaking game community.

My suggestion would be to let PVP on, always. BUT killing a player should be a tough decision, it needs to offer positive and negative values to make more balance (in terms of worthness - most games make killing worth almost 100% of the time).
This could be done with an align (as in Fable) or reputation (as in World of Warcraft) stat. People could be reward with discounts in guilds/towns with good reputation and big taxes in with bad ones based on the actions with the players living in the area.
Another thing is to motivate players to act as a group to get some objective, but that other group can contest it.
Example: A block that can not be mined, but can be moved. Some players would try to get alone, other players would try to steal from thouse players, them other players could group to protect the block transport, them players could get organized in a more bigger stealing and so one…

I’m maybe going too far, but I think the nice thing about sandbox games is to make tools for players, to let them explore and see what they build from it. The tough part is to make it nice to all types of players, but I belive this game have been make wise decisions about it so far :slight_smile:

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I like the PvP specific worlds with the same reasources as PvE worlds and the PvP beacons/plots but not a fan of permanent PvP.

We really dont need better resources on PvP worlds, not just because we dont want to cripple PvE players, but still in PvP worlds you will have more resources cause less players will exploit PvP worlds, most of them go there to fight anyway. So more room for the brave hunters/miners/explorers in PvP worlds than in PvE ones.

PvP beacons/plots… yea, gladiator arenas!

PvP always everywhere enabled isnt good because trolls/cheaters will just use this to annoy people, and hurt the community in a whole cause people will be afraid of everyone they dont know. Even the best reputation system cant help this, because there are always people whose dont care, they just came to kill.

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