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why I left - forced PvP
badpuppy1
Member Posts: 34
I joined at the boarding party, played a free trader. I like the economy part. As I got into the game though I found myself forced into PvP over and over again. Sure you coudl travel away from the PvP zones but those changed almost daily.
The game should have been advertised as PvP only as that is what it is, and if that how you enjoy gaming then you will have a good time. If you are a casual player your leveling takes forever and you will lose and lose and lose until you can't take it no more.
I am especailly disappointed that the PvP part didn't really take foot until after I had paid my first ubscription fee.
Comments
How to word this without sounding like a flame....
You bought a game about pirates that's advertised as historically accurate, and you get mad because pirates attack you? You see giant red circles on your map that indicate you can be attacked and complain because you have to go around? What exactly did you expect?
The game is about the Caribbean of the early 1700's, which was extremely dangerous because of pirate activity and privateers attacking other nations. Of course you can't sail around with impunity and expect everyone to just pass you by. The whole premise of the game is the dangers and risks and rewards of the 18th century naval wars. Spain and England were fighting over land, the French wanted their share, and the pirates were just taking advantage of the easy money to be had. It was a dangerous time, that's why all the ships, even cargo vessels, had large, numerous guns. I would be very disappointed n the game if it didn't work the way it does. It's very accurate, you never know when you're gonna get attacked, you have to be wary all the time, and sometimes you have to fight your way through. At least they let you know where the PvP is happening so you can decide if you're having a bad night you can go around.
I happen to like the game, very strategic, no hack and slash point and click, and very dangerous to just sail around. It's the first game in long time that actually remembers what RPG means in MMORPG. If you sailed a ship in 18th century Caribbean waters, this is kind of what it was like. Dangerous and uncertain at all times, pay attention closely or you will lose your life. And death means something in this game. Especially for pirates. I've lost numerous ships already, and I'm sure if I continue in my pirating ways, the Spanish, French, and British crowns will do their best to eradicate my kind to make the waters safer for their trade vessels. Just like it happened all those years ago. Until then, however, beware of pirates on the high seas, you never know when the scurvy dogs will attack you for your cargo of tobacco.
Have fun in the game
Captain Wenn Galloway
Free Roaming Pirate of the High Seas on the Kidd Server
*hug and comfort*
There could have been a server for peoples like her where Pirates are all NPCs. It wasn't clearly advertised that you have to be careful and aware that other players may attack you at all time. Seeing reactions as the OP is normal with poor advertisements.
Don't lose hope, there will be games to come where it won't be possible to PvP on any server or to duel. Real PvE will be the focus at all moments, on every server, and the devs will always focus on improving your fun.
- "If I understand you well, you are telling me until next time. " - Ren
thats the whole thing, players CANT attack you at all times, they can only attack you at certain WELL ADVERTISED areas.
The pvp info was well documented in the manual and the website.
It was rather clear what type of game it was.
Also, if pvp isnt your thing, you dont have to pvp, you can easily avoid it.
It wasn't clear when she PURCHASED the game (can't count on the website, you only have 1 tool there...the box).
And obviously, she can't avoid the PvP without suffering from it, and that wasn't advertise that avoiding PvP zones might be troublesome for a PvE player.
It become clear only much later...this isn't marketing anymore. The marketing was poor.
- "If I understand you well, you are telling me until next time. " - Ren
Actually....no.
Pirates most often used small fast ships (Brigs, Brigantines, Sloops, etc)...and their weapons of choice were small railing mounted cannons not the typical large cannons you see on an English ship of the line. The exceptions to this were Blackbeard and Batholomew Roberts who both used very large ships but Blackbeard had the luxury of a friendly port he could visit and Bartholomew Roberts simply laid seige to a port if he needed to enter.
The reason pirates didnt need many guns is they rarely fired them..all they really needed was noise makers. Why do you ask? It simply wasnt good business. They typically only attacked merchant vessels which carried few armaments themselves and whose crew were not very good at repelling attacks. If the crew and passengers believed that upon surrender they would be set free relatively unharmed they would not put up much of fight when confronted with a pirate. If the pirates killed, raped, and pillaged such as in the movies then everyone aboard the doomed vessel would fight for their lives to the last man. Not a situation either side desired.
And why the small ships? Simple...pirates were not welcome in ports and ships needed to be careened frequently (the hull needed to be cleaned of barnacles, wood eating parasites, etc). Pirates need to find a nice beach upon which to put their ships, tip them to one side, and clean/repair the hulls themselves...not an easy task to perform on a larger ship. Plus the small ships were faster, more maneuverable, and had a more shallow draft...all of which came in handy when outrunning whatever authorities took objection to your activities.
As for sailing with impunity...ironically the only ships that could sail in relatively safety were the authorities themselves as no pirate crew with half a brain would risk a direct confrontation. Pirates typically ran from such encounters and they represented little profit opportunity.
If you are interested in pirates here's a good read....
UNDER THE BLACK FLAG
The Romance and the Reality of Life Among the Pirates
by David Cordingly
P.S. Another interesting note...I'll spare you the gory details but life aboard the pirate ships also tended to resemble life in other all-male populations (ie...prisons). You do the math.
Again, I only posted to explain why I quit. But I do take issue with the comment that PvP can "easily" be avoided. When the red zones come up in places like grenville and havanna the route to get around them can take forever. Imagine having to sail around cuba rather than through its striaghts.
"Can" you avoid PvP. Absolutely. Does avoiding PvP kill your game? Again. Absolutely.
On the BOX, there is only this text...
As Captain, you take command in solo, group or PvP gameplay...
The keyword here is OR. This suppose you have total freedom and it is easy CHOOSE, not to be forced with heavy consequences. See, a sentence such as: You could take shortcuts in PvP areas or take longer and safer trade routes...now that would work, this explain everything, as to how "optional" it is. But the Marketing here, clearly suppose, that without any effort, you can solo, group or PvP.
Marketing get an E result on this.
- "If I understand you well, you are telling me until next time. " - Ren
Hello Risk Vs Reward. How are you?
Your being forced into PvP because of the way your playing.
A smart thing to do would be spread your ships and your warehouses out amongst the carribean, therfore if one of your home base ports is contested than you could just port to a one of your other home ports and scout the open sea around your destination...if you see enemies in the red zone then simply wait for a party to stroll by and use them as your body guard.
You're exactly right, Chicago. And in the game, I haven't seen any pirates sailing around in 104 gun SOL's. We like to use smaller faster more agile ships and attack in groups.
Privateers do the same thing, because as you well know, they were just mercenaries that were allowed to raid merchant vessels as long as they paid the king his share. Only difference between a pirate and a privateer that I have ever seen is one works for the government, the other doesn't.
If you play the game, you will also know that there is a surrender option in all PvP fights. If you are a pirate, you really think a British warship is going to let you wave a white flag and go on your merry way? Pirates just want the money. navies want to get rid of the pirates to make the merchants safer.
And yes, I usually run from a flotilla of navy ships because there is little money in it, and their ships are better equipped. I prefer to jump lone merchant ships and board them so I can take their cargo and ransom the crew. Seems to me that this is as accurate as possible for a video game.
Anyway, I think the game is decent, not perfect, and I'm having a pretty good time playing, even though I get attacked sometimes in contested areas by high level navy players. That's the pirate life, I could go around the contested area, but sometimes I don't. It's risky. Just like it was in 1720.
And regardless of PvP or NPC, in every game I've played, sometimes you can't just go straight through. You wouldn't run right through a high level NPC zone in any other game and complain when the elite monsters killed you. What's the difference? If you're afraid you might not make it, get a group, go around, or stay away.
Also, the back of my retail box clearly states "Intense ship-to-ship battles and swashbuckling combat await. As Captain, you take command in solo, group or PvP gameplay and battle for glory, power and treasure on the open ocean and in more than 100 tropical ports."
I'm not sure how much clearer FLS can state what is involved in playing the game.
The game mechanics of how PvP worked were a much bigger turn off for me. Gank squads sitting just close enough to the battle site to beat the lock out timer. Weak, instanced crap, and a hugely lazy way to program/structure group combat. So my society mates take more than 60 seconds to get to the battle site... too bad, so sad, they get to watch and you get to die. Yeah. The group gankers love how PvP works now, and that is a lot of why so many people did not stay after their month. I played out a friends acct time, after he quit after a couple of weeks. He was repeated gank-banged in the narrows of a map, where a PvP "shifted" to. Lost two weeks worth of play to a bad game mechanic.
And then he quit.
So basically you're part of the problem. You run from people that can actually defend themselves to go after crafters who probably aren't looking for a fight.
Let me get this right you are saying the reason you quit the game is because you were forced to pvp?
Am I missing something I play both a FT and a NO in this game and I never been forced to pvp the areas are clearly marked and they do not take that long to go around as you seem to want us to think( I know I have done it when you use the wind guide). So I do not feel sorry for you(which is what I think you really wanted when you posted this)
To me people like you are part of the problem not the pirates that attack you and to be honest I am glade you quit
Badpuppy1, I fully emphasize with you. POBS is really a PVP game masquerading as a MMORPG. It is a PVP game. The end game right now is ALL PVP. Personally, I find it unfathomable that the developers didn't understand that most MMORPG players don't want PVP or want it as solely an option. However, this is the current status of the game. I suspect that there will be MANY more people besides you who will leave the game due to the reasons that you noted.
The folks here who say to you "good riddence" don't understand that if most people who try this game stop playing, this will kill the game!
If you give better/faster rewards in PvP, than it is forced. As simple as that.
- "If I understand you well, you are telling me until next time. " - Ren
If you give better/faster rewards in PvP, than it is forced. As simple as that.
No you are not being forced to PvP, the areas are quite clear on the map. You do not have to PvP at all. You can play the game all you want and avoid PvP. Where is the forced PvP? Please explain it as saying "It's as simple as that" is really quite an ignorant statement. You do not have to PvP if you choose not too. Now it is as simple as that.
Yep, Thanks for pointing that out. It certainly reads that PVP is just a minor part of the game the same as in most other games. "Or PVP" certainly sounds optional.
Typically for what is now an SOE game they're doing an "NGE" on the game and redesigning key elements every week. Unfortunately, as per usual SOE, they are making the game worse, not better.
I just plated for almost 48 straight and was never "forced" into any PvP. One time a Rank 47 tried to gank me and I ran. I had my PvP flag on and when he trimmed his sails and turned towards me I knew he was coming
Grow a pair?
Old Skool Ultima Online Junky
Bring back the OLD UO so I can play again
The problem with the pvp in this game is not that it's forced, its that the whole economic support structure for the pvp is flawed.
I also left due to forced pvp. I didnt mind that there was pvp but when im not in the mood or just dont want to pvp i had to when trying just to pve mission run etc.
There were groups of 6x 50th lvl peeps waiting and they would attack you no matter how lower level you are. There was pvp zones around newbie areas a lot too.How does one go around pvp red zones when they fully cover the towns you need to go to? Tortuga is perma pvp on robertsut is not capturable but due close proximity to smaller towns is always in pvp.
Now the devs want to have MORE red pvp zones which means its just going to be pvp all over.This i find is rather unfair since theres no mention on box etc that you HAD to pvp and that you should expect to be ganked by high level groups even if you are only 10th lvl etc.
Devs were asked about this and they said they were happy that groups were hunting and it didnt matter what lvl they killed.Also each member of the group , 50th or whatever ,gets credit for killing the lowbie.Even if it takes one shot from one person to sink him.
Lame lame lame. Not a carebear whine but a whine about CHOICE.Going around pvp zones will soon mean all you can do is pvp or sail around the sea.
Avoid
Play longer then a few days before generalising?
I have to disagree with the forced PvP comment. I have been playing for about 2 weeks and I entered a PvP zone once by choice and had no issue and once by accident and yes I did get hunted down by a level 38 pirate. However it was my fault and I accepted it. Besides it was fun since I had three level 50 society members literally about to enter the battle but I could not hold out long enough.
I do get a little annoyed when I see gamers complaining how its hard to make money as a merchant, trader or whatever because the PvP zones change all the time. Almost everyone is seeking an MMO that has dynamic and fluid borders and gameplay that changes and requires gamers to adapt and change. What we don't need is another MMO that has set trading paths with no risk and just pure cash cows. If you manage to haul that tonne of goods through a PvP zone to make 100% more profit wouldn't it mean a lot more to you and feel like you accomplished something?
Even though I am a Naval Officer I hauled a heap of Oak to a port where the price was 50% more lucrative. I was delighted when I got there and even happier to see them sell the same day at the increased price.
Forced PvP...deal with it and work for you cash
It is true that nobody is "forced" to PVP.
However, what IS true is that people are forced to enter the PVP zones if they want to play the PVE and Economy parts of the game the way they are designed. It is also true that a lot of high level players like to get their kicks by hiding in the "red circle" PVP zones and killing low level players when they do enter or leave port to continue their PVE quests etc.
So when people complain about being forced to PVP, what they are really complaining about is being encouraged to make a kind of "chicken run" every time they log on either to be killed by high level gankers or being lucky enough to be able to run away in time. Not really my idea of fun!
This was always possible, but since a new patch last Thursday the number of areas where this can happen is likely to increase dramatically. Quite a few players have said they are quitting because of it, including myself.
Yeah reaper thats maybe a better way of putting it.
Forced pvp maybe indicates to the pvp kiddies that we mean once we enter the zones we HAVE to fight. What i ment was there are many MANY places that i have to go to on the map that i cant because if i do theres a high chance of being ganked by 6 x50th lvl idiots. Then that leaves me with no where to go since the missions from places i can go to are too high level and ive finished all the lower ones.
Getting to Oranj is a trial in itself at times lol but can be done .However some places arent *go around-able*.
I feel mislead totally by FSS since the blurb on the box and game sites like GAME say pvp in the passing like WoW has pvp and EQ2 has pvp. Its actually meaning its a pvp game that you can sometimes when there are less people online, do pve for money to fund pvp.Also having euro servers in america and then claiming the pings the same is sh!tty and a lie. And yes lower ping does kinda matter when you have to pvp all the time.
Was *THIS* close to taking out station pass again and playing long term etc until i found out the truth.Shock horror SOE are behind another lie. Guess some people never learn tho
This time i have and thats it , no more of my hard earned money going towards the (anti euro) management over there.