Confused on incentive for open world PvP

SorcererKingGown

I understand the incentive to kill corrupted players. I don't understand the incentive to kill other characters. Yes if there is a caravan of materials or preventing a player from using your mining spot that is a pretty decent incentive, but what about all the other times? I remember being told Ashes isn't supposed to be a gank fest (which I am glad for), but with gear drops only occuring for corrupted players what other reasons do I have to ever engage in open world PvP?

Myosotys

Iskiab wrote: »

I've played lots of PvP games through the years, I've found there's no need to provide a reason for players to try and kill each other, that's the easy part.

The hard part is developing a game where there's a reason to maintain opposing factions. In a lot of games players will jump on whatever side is winning, or will try and join the largest group for the advantage it brings. When one side starts winning it snowballs and the losing side collapses.

Totally agree.

If the reasons why a player will engage in PvP are not interesting enough, then PvP players will automatically turn to abusive noob bashing.

Let's face it, there will always be players trying to kill noobs over and over. But it is possible to naturally limit this phenomenon, not by coercion but by orienting PvP players towards higher stakes.

1. If there are too many PEX farming zones, the PvP players will have little interest in defending their xp area. They will be frustrated and the risk of noob bashing will increase.

2. The same goes for the resource farming area. If the resource farming areas are well distributed (not too many), there will naturally be PvP to defend these areas.

3. The same goes for the bosses, too many bosses will limit the potential encounter rate between players.

In conclusion, the game should be designed so that the natural evolution of the PvP player leads to combat. In this case, the PvP player will be too busy living his life in the game to think about taking on noobs. The free PK will then be opportunistic and not abusive.

What I suggest :

1. Bosses/Mini-bosses

- Bosses/mini-bosses must be long to kill. Even thos which are not very strong, it must take a loooong time to get killed.
- Bosses/mini-bosses must loot some very rare gear/items. And not only are but also unique (If a player is loooking for an item, he must know that he find it only on this boss).
- The respawn must be regular and not random (if random, then the server should ve alerted that in XXX minutes that boss will spawn).
- The time to reach a boss area but not too short to avoid players that has been kicked to return in 20 seconds.

2. Farming area

Ressources must be very located. (Not every ressources a little bit everywhere).

3. Most PEX areas must offer a low/medium xp/hours. Only few pex areas must offer in significantly good rate xp/hour to force people to fight for the best areas. The people who prefer to play with low risk can still pex in the low/medium xp/hours areas

If these pointed are respected, the pvp should be fun.