Re: PvE vs. PvP - the endless discussion
As it stands there is NOT something for everyone in the game.
...
There aren't any gray areas where quite a few people like to play (I would argue most but that'd just be speculation). Maybe they could make an island type that would fit in between the two and improve the different areas based on the amount of players that live there.
That's also where i'd start.
So Wraith, here goes. Feel free to criticize or ask - i hope you can improve this very basic concept i'm gonna start. I making it easy in numbers and transitions to criticize it more easily.
The rather complicated looking rules are pretty easy to understand if visualy integrated and they are very easy to implement in software.
There are 3 Zones:
A(sanctioned/restricted pvp) - the common starting zone (yes, life can be tricky, so make a decision where to go)
B(safezone) - current alphas
C(ffa pvp without sanctioning consequences) current betas
of which A connects to B and C but B and C are not connected.
A)
- is the melting pot of players coming from B and C
- to do direct trades without any fees
- there are instanced player housings or can be built
- guards in form of flying observers are in place
- there is a mediocre mix of ressource grinding/farming and PVE to do here
-some special random spawns to spice up usuall robot day life
B)
- is the center of megacorp commerce and station trading
- its a safezone generally similar to current alphas
- it's the only access to high lvl market terminals
C)
- are the badlands, a warzone with outposts
- similar to the current betas
- the only access to highest lvl production facilities
1. Besides the NPC faction standing there will be 2 more standing indicators:
- a personal standing (PS)
- a corp standing (CS)
- available status are green, yellow, red / G, Y, R
- PS and CS status-colors are not visible to anyone but oneself/corp
- whenever a person joins or leaves a corp, the PS is adjusted to the CS standing, unless the PS is lesser then
the CS(cant improve by leaving or joining) and G can only join G or Y corps, Y only Y or R, R only R
- starting color is Y
- PS de/increase by missions, playerkills(something higher then an arkhe2) only
- whereas CS decreases each time you successfully claim an OP in C)
- to decrease from Y to R or G to Y, you need to kill a non-R player in A)
- to increase from R to Y you need missions in A) higher gain or in C) lower gain
- to increase from Y to G, you need missions in B) lower gain or in C) higher gain, kill an R in A) lower gain
- positive changes to the PS translate in a 0.1/member count ratio to the CS, reflecting back again only 0.01/member count to each member
- increase of PS through missions and kills and thereby CS is limited by diminishing returns/timewindow
- decrease of CS through indirect player PS affection is limited by diminishing returns/timewindow
- negative changes on the PS through agressive attacking a target depend on the color-difference
- an R attacks a G results in the largest difference, R on R, Y on Y, G on G in the smallest
- negative changes to the PS translate in a 1/0.01 ratio to the CS, reflecting back again 1/1
- changes to PS and CS are listed in personal/corp menu like transactions
- the PS/CS colors are a modifiers to certain interactions:
- PS comes into play for players without corporation and as a personal modifier
- the lesser color of PS or CS overrides the higher one in means of sanctional effects
- the higher color of PS or CS overrides the lesser one in means of rewarding effects
- rewarding effects:
- they give a bonus to industrie skills where G gives the highest bonus, Y gives a small one and R gives none
- they also modify the defensive values (shield/armor) on either A), B) or C), where G gives a higher bonus then Y and R no bonus(current state)
- they increase the chance against lower value color enemies of not being looted when being killed in A) B) and C)
- sanctional effects:
- the colors define, who and how much someone will be indirectly protected by guards on A)
- R also excludes players from entering B)
- R auto-enables pvp-flag on A) and B)
- R disables protection by guards on A)
- R also nullifying any insurance on A)
- R increase the chances of being fully looted by higher value colored players in A) B) C)
- Y reduces insurances effects in A)
- dying as an R in A) results in stackable temporal-kernel dis-integrity reducing speed
- colors can only do trades with their own color and yellow. G and R cannot trade and need Y as a transition
2. PWF-flag:
- besides the usual PVP-flag there is a personal warfare flag
- this flag flags the PVP attacker on A) only visible to the victim, in addition to the normal PVP-flag
- or generally if a player issued an offensive EVP(economy versus player) attack
- this flag is stackable
- this flag reduces the PS
- this PWF-flag enables the victim(G, Y, R) to attack the wearer in A) without enabling the PVP-flag(except R) and guards taking no action
to attack the wearer even in safezone B) (only G and Y)
- the PWF-flag reduces by 1 layer (if stacked) when being attacked by the original victim by:
- means of PVP on A) or generally by means of EVP(economy versus player)
- the PWF-flag can also be reduced by a fee being payed to the victim if the victim asks for it similar to a trade
3. PVP-flag:
- works like the current one
- has the addition of PWF-flag on A)
4. EVP: economy versus player
- traders have the possibility to sell fake/malicious/low quality loot anonymously via the market(terminals exclusively) to make more profit
- this is an offensive EVP attack, an untargeted/unspecific action without the need of having been attacked
- this action flags the creator and the seller for only the buyer and user with the PWF-flag
- traders additionally have the possibility to issue retaliating EVP attacks to people wearing the PWF-flag to them from an earlier attack
- this defensive attack means having the posibility to sell an malicious item via the market only visible to the one with the according PWF-flag
- and by issuing megacorp-prosecution, resulting in decreasing their PS and indirectly their CS in addition to the normal increase through the attack on A)
5. Mechanics are people who can disasemble and loot mechs better then others. They gain more loot from NPCs and have higher chances
to loot a player corpse allthough the victim has a higher PS. They can also modify looted modules and sell them as prerequisite
for EVPers. And, you can build houses!
6. Guards:
- work only in A)
- are instanced objects popping up in the sky out of nowhere, 1 for each attacker thus having no LoS or availability issues
- attack the attacker except an R is being attacked or an PWF-flagged player is being attacked by the victim
- also attack supporters of an attacker
- don't attack R players if they are being attacked
- continue fire until target is dead or zoned
- guards attack strength is derived from the difference of their colors favoring G over Y over R according to PS and CS as described earlier
- maximum dmg = accum+effective HP(armor+resistances)+1 = insta kill independant of target HP, EQ and support
- G1 attacks G2: normal dmg to G1
- G attacks Y: normal dmg to G
- G attacks R: no guard dmg to G
- Y attacks G: increased dmg to Y
- Y1 attacks Y2: normal dmg to Y1
- Y attacks R: no guard dmg to Y
- R attacks G: maximum dmg to R
- R attacks Y: increased dmg to R
- R attacks R: normal dmg to R
7. Results and dynamics:
Given the different roles generally being assigned by the game goals you have traders, pvers and pvpers.
These roles are now multiplied by their PS values allowing different careers.
And in combination with their CS values again some more intensive specialisations.
Also Corporation size can affect these roles again.
I find it necessary to start on the not-so-safe A) to make people think about what they want to do. If they already know,
everybody can do as he does now.
1)
As a trader you can head from A) to B) - farm resources, grind some mob, do missions on your way to PS-green, trade, build a green Corp,
whatever you like.
If your a bit of a Marshall Braveheart guy You could also pay A) a visit to do some direct trades, with the possibility of a yellow attacking you,
because he doesnt know that you are deep-green and your protection is better then normal and watch the guards rip him apart and even loot him in the end
because your green favors you over his yellow. I'm sure you dont wanna risk your hard earned green, go yellow and attack someone here - but you can still do
that on C) - allthough a lot more reds are likely to be found in this warzone. But if you make it - you could use your deep-green bonus plus the highest lvl
facilities to build the best stuff possible! Sure it's not easy on C) as a green-scientist but its worth the try.
But - you could also stay on B) in your terminal and become a fierce EVPer - someone who sells low quality goods and even more cash. Going to A) now or just
leaving the B) terminal could now be more of a problem! If a victim or you EVP skills finds you - he can just kick your *** unharmed.
Of course - you mustnt stay in B) as an EVPer, you could aswell go to C) but those terminals there arent as good as the ones in B) - so maybe you stay on
B) and and just avoid going red there and wait until a leet PvP-Corp seeks some leet-EVPers.
2)
You are a leet PvPer and have a big *** corp? Ok then directly head for C) and do anything you like there. Kill everybody and everything, you have awesome
resources and good quality mob there. Also with these facilities your red scientists can build as effective as the green guys from far over in B) but yeah,
trading probably isnt that easy located in C).
And if you joined one of those big mega corps you prolly cant go back trade your good stuff that easily on A) or even B) because big corps easily go red
and hardly go green again - unless they support each other and do missions so you can become their transporter guy.
So get yellow. This way you can still kill some other reds on A) or some yellows - but beware of trying to have a go at a green transporter on A) with 10 of
your buddies, because maybe with that 1 kill you are whoops back to red because all your 10 friends alpha striked that guy and made your corp go red again,
because they all reflect their PS on your corp.
So maybe you just stay red better hire some guys to do that eh? Some of those guys lurking around everywhere - on A), B) and C) and they kinda seem to know
what they're doing. They cant prevail on C) because they're too small and small isnt good to hold OPs. But being a small corp favors guys accidently going
red because unlike others they can do missions or kill reds and re-gain yellow faster because their PS increases their CS more effective then in those kickass
big sized corps you control C) outposts with.
3)
You like trading? Go to B) and farm a bit while your jelly-pizza is waiting for you. You wanna grind some good mob and hang around the trading hub where
lotsa strange guys are at? And you also feel a bit strange because you eat jelly-pizza? Aight do it. Or go to C) and grind some bigger mobs. Or yes,
if you can go everywhere that easy, why dont you get some stuff from the green guys to the reds over there or vice versa? And if someone pisses you off, well,
shoot him, loot him - your chances to loot a green on A) are better then the chances of a red. And if that red doesnt pay - yeah - shoot him also! And loot back
the stuff you just sold. But beware - they now can attack you or sell you some bad machinery - and maybe you even prepared that malicous weapon that doesnt fire
or that shield that only empties you accumulator and doesnt work.
Easy, no reason to run away - you can build your house here. Neighbours are nice - there's that green guy only wanting a house for his bot collection
and yeah - from time to time you see a red sneak into the other door.
But over all its a nice place here - you can decide tomorrow if you like the green guys more or go with the red ones.
Short self-test:
-Ganking/Griefing noobs: oops your red - say byebye civilisation.
-Spies wanting to damage the CS of a corp by over and over killing an allied: cant do this with arkhes, you will die each time and have a timer-based disintegrity
on A) the only place where you can do this. Also - you go red long before you have your corp red and even if your trying - your corp has an eye on your PS/CS
actions.
-Self-assigning different roles with alts as in using your private green EVPer or producer for a red corp on C): yes you can do that, have fun transferring goods
and running around untagged on c).
-Pushing green PS by killing a red alt: yes, but doing missions is prolly faster and easier to do.
-ambushing a green hauler on A) with some untagged greens, a yellow mechanic and some red firepower - yes - but you still all get attacked by guards, the reds
insta pop, the yellow go red, the green yellow - you must really be dedicated to this. But over all A) is not their safe heaven so what.