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I Only Like Certain Types of PvP

I go back and forth on PvP. Some of the best games (mostly MMOs) I’ve played were all about player-versus-player interaction.

I like there being PvP when it makes sense (to me). I like fighting for my realm. I like fighting for territory and seizing objectives. I don’t like ganking. I don’t like PvP when it’s just about fighting and beating the other player; I want it to be about beating the other side.

PVP I don’t like:

  • Anything promoting malicious activity designed to ruin another player’s fun
  • Ganking and open-world PvP with no safe areas
  • PvP where you can take everything a player owns
  • PvP without a purpose other than to kill another player and/or gain personal points
  • Instanced, small-scale or individual battles

PvP I like:

  • Team/Realm/Faction PvP (or RvR)
  • PvP that takes place in a designated area
    • Areas must be large and feel like a big open world
  • PvP for objectives like realm relics, castles, territory
  • Large-scale battles with dozens to hundreds of players

Games with ganking draw a type of player that I do not enjoy being around. I don’t want to generalize too far, but for the most part — based on my personal experience — the type of people who thrive on the ganking type of PvP are also the type of people with obnoxious personalities hellbent on ruining my fun.

Going back to my preference for social gameplay, I like playing with a team. I like having an army of players all attacking a castle together. Maybe it’s because a group of players means each player isn’t as accountable. I’ll be the first to admit I’m not an awesome PvPer. I’m not sure that I ever was. But when I play with others I feel like I do a decent job contributing. Maybe that’s an important part: I like filling a role in PvP rather than just being there to kill players 1v1 or in a tiny group.

In fact, let’s take this all a step further. I would rather there be no PvP at all over the open-world gank anyone you want style of play.

What type of gamer am I? I’m a bit of a carebear.

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  • Wow are we different on this one.
    I love small scale instanced objective based pvp like wow battlegrounds.
    I hate large scale pvp like GW2 WvW and WAR RvR, it feels so utterly meaningless to me. Heck even Alterac Valley is to large scale for my taste.

  • “PVP I don’t like:

    Anything promoting malicious activity designed to ruin another player’s fun” -slash EVE Online

    ” Ganking and open-world PvP with no safe areas” -slash EVE Online

    ” PvP where you can take everything a player owns” -slash EVE Online

    ” PvP without a purpose other than to kill another player and/or gain personal points” -check EVE Online

    ” Instanced, small-scale or individual battles” -check EVE Online

    Yes, you are a carebear. XD

    (me too, yet I play EVE Online…)

    • And yet EVE is fully (90%?) of carebears. Mining/trading/building/PvE is pretty pointless if there isn’t a need to replace stuff.

      That 10% is loud and often make the stories that drive EVE, but if you ever really talk to those people (talking alliance leaders now, not random high-sec gankers), they 100% understand that they need the 90%, and that keeping the 10% isn’t an issue. It’s why almost every major power bloc in the game has a new-player friendly Corp, and (at least in Goons) ultra-strict rules against being an ass to the new guys (in fact new guys are often showered with ISK on their first fleet).

      It’s a weird perception/reality thing EVE has going. One of many of course.

  • You should consider trying out the new player run DAOC Classic/SI server Uthgard 2.0. It’s based on patch 1.65 and I have to say, it feels just like what I remember and love from Daoc circa2001. You’ve played daoc so I’m sure you know what I mean so I won’t go into detail, but I’ll just say I’m having a blast playing a game that is so socially focused. Having to find your own groups, find a good camp with bonuses, using your friends list to network for grouping, and of course Darkness Falls; all this has given such an overwhelming sense of nostalgia and reminded me how good DAOC was back in its prime. They recently bumped the server up to a max concurrent capacity of about 4500 players, and even with there is a few hundred people in queue during EU prime time. I have to say the game has held up well for being 17 years old.

    • I’ve given thought to Uthgarde. My hesitation stems from knowing that those who play have so much more experience that it lacks the truly “fresh” feel. There’s an element of min/max to it that wouldn’t be present in a newer experience. It was the same way with the EQ servers and even the UO servers when they relaunched.

  • “Anything promoting malicious activity designed to ruin another player’s fun”

    “Ganking and open-world PvP with no safe areas”

    “PvP where you can take everything a player owns”

    —————-

    Love this but only if there are consequences for your indulgence a la UO. If the balance between freedom and consequence is perfect, then this is an awesome experience.

    • I’ve written about consequences a few times over the years, and sadly so many of the people with a PvP mindset dislike the penalties (or “consequences”) associated with “playing the way they want to play.”

      People seem to dislike the idea of being presented with choices that close doors. They want to open a door yet have the door they chose not to go through still be an option as the next door to open. It’s a fascinating case of wanting their cake and eating it too.

      What older gamers see as “choice” and “replayability,” the contemporary gamer sees and “penalties” and rigid “barriers.”

      I think that open pvp has to carry with it such a MASSIVE penalty for someone who is ganking, and it can’t be reversed. Devs won’t make those decisions, though.