AOC PvP some theories

Fuerchtegott

So, I've been playing AoC for two weeks now, am not far yet in the game, and despite some bugs, of which the major ones have shunned me so far, i like the game a lot. Just recently I found out what the major difference between AoC PvE combat and Auto-attack combat is: When i used to doze off in EQ2 or WoW at 3 am in front of the screen, and woke up a second later, my avatar was alive and the Mob dead. In AoC my avatar is dead and the Mob alive

This just on a side note. The main point of my topic concerns PvP in AoC. The following thoughts are pure theory, since I haven't PvP'ed yet (can i write PeeVeePeed?) and are based only on what i have read so far on the official forums and these forums on the topic. My whole point draws its conclusion from three major facts:

1. Classes seem to be unbalanced.

2. Collision detection prevents avatars to walk-through mobs or other players

3. Funcom attempts to achieve a more down to earth, more "realistic" approach than let's say for ex. WoW, Guild Wars, or WAR

(there is no judgement involved in this statement, just stating that Funcom doesn't want too many colourful effects flashing all over the place, instead they are aiming for a dark and dirty look. The choices are purely aesthetical. Instead of beheading they could have also implemented some colourful flash or something)

 

These three points lead me to the following: Apart from the usual balancing issues, maybe Funcom does not aim for all classes to be equally balanced? This would give PvP a definitve and unique spin. In combinantion with Collision detection this means, that players are actually able to form formations, and develop semi-realistic strategies. Let's imagine the following scenario:

A group of players want to hold a bridge or a narrow valley. So naturally, they place the tanks in front, then come second row dps and healers and robe wearers are in the back. In a non-collision detection game, the attacking players would just charge through the tanks and attack cloth-wearing spellcasters and healers. There would be no way to protect those except to kill the attackers faster than they can kill the healers and mages. In AoC, however, the attackers would not be able to rush through the tanks. But they would smash in their heads at the mighty shields of the first row tanks.

This adds a lot of strategic depth to the fights I would say. It also necessitates players to group together, since it is not necessary to make priest types as mighty damage dealers as tanks or rogue types as ideally they should not stand in the very first row of combat. Therefore these classes will either keep their distance during soloing from melee classes or they will run around in bands or in company of a mighty warrior.

This doesn'T mean that Priests and Mages should have no offensive ability at all, however, i think it is beyond the point if spellcasters and priests survive a hand-to-hand combat with a melee class. Instead the focus should be more on ranged attacks and evading skills in case a grim warrior all of a sudden appears right in front of a mage ready to spill his brains all over the battlefield.

So, to conclude, I would say, mayhap PvP in AoC is not that much unbalanced but the devs want to introduce a new level of realism and strategy to the mmo-world of which we, the players, have not realized its full potential since we are so used to the "let's ignore the warrior and smash the priest right behind him" of so many older mmos.

I would like to hear what the rest of you think about this.

karat76

It would make sense. But since when do MMos make sense

kishe

AoC pvp is aimed group vs group and guild vs guild...not player vs player...it's been said from the start.

checkthis500

Originally posted by kishe


AoC pvp is aimed group vs group and guild vs guild...not player vs player...it's been said from the start.

Maybe we remember things differently, but I seem to definitely remember Funcom developers saying that people that want to play by themselves without a group or guild would be fine.  Hence their Mercenary system and things like that.

They said that the game should be fun for the single player and the group, and that they were making it like that.  While obviously from the start it's been about guilds and groups, Funcom stated that it wasn't like that.