Is this real life, or is it fantasy?

Yeah that's exactly what I said. They aren't confusing the two, they're just placing a lot more emotional attachment to their avatars than some others, because of the normal bad life experiences that we all go through. It's a valid coping mechanism. And to the extent that it doesn't ruin the experience for others, I think they should be accommodated. It's a game for relaxation and enjoyment, afterall. But people also need to understand that most (all?) video games are about goals, and overcoming obstacles to these goals.

I know some people say "Why don't you just go to Second Life" in a snarky way, but honestly, some personalities would just do better in that sort of environment because it is less a game, and more of a completely non-confrontational sandbox (an "experience", not a "game".)

 

so how do you place rules and guidelines on emotional attachments?

 

That's just it...you can't.

 

yep, thank you!

 

Just curious why this was an issue for you.

 

that is a personal question and not on topic. Message me maybe for off topic convo.

 

This can be really really boring, though.

As you know, I don't normally PvP. But, as a role-player, in order for me to be motivated at all to get involved in it, PvP needs to have stakes to it. It has to matter if I win or lose. I'm not really interested in getting a prize, or doing PvP just to socialize with other players.

The topic of escapism comes up sometimes in the forums, and people will ask why they would want certain realistic features in games when they go into games to escape real life... Its true to some extent you play RPGs to escape... but you escape to another world, to live a life other than your own. For instance, to play a thief. But playing a thief that can't get caught isn't fun. Or to play a warrior. But playing a warrior that can't lose a fight isn't fun, either. In a sense this all does make you "powerful," but if you can't lose, its only an illusion of power.

So, I also play survival RPGs, where you deal with a lot of real life things, including starvation and thirst and so on. I play those types of games because its a form of escapism, too; you're experiencing a situation that would have real consequences in life, but can be fun in a game, because its just a game. Wandering the wilderness, hunting animals and fishing, looking for shelter, is immersive and a kind of meditative experience.

For PvP, too, the question the devs have to answer for me is, why would I ever want to PvP? To earn a title? Get a trinket? Get a buff? Or to accomplish something real and meaningful in the game world that isn't just an illusion... ?

 

I totally agree, and I think many people do. But some don't. Some want a walled off garden where nothing affects them. I don't understand this; why play multiplayer at all?

It sounds like this idea of having a "PvP area" with several towns in it, kind of a PvP microcosm inside of the larger world itself is going to be worked on. Don't know how you feel about the plans so far...?

 

Just skipping the conversation so far and just going to answer the question as I see it.

A game is one of the ways we unwind and relieve stress. It's also an escape. People just want to enjoy it. The difference between getting killed by a mob or another player.. is a mob is programmed to try to kill you. A player consciously makes a decision to do so.. usually without asking you first if you're ok with it. The knowledge that a real person is going out of their way to disrupt what you're doing.. regardless of intent.. can feel very personal. It's like someone invading your personal space to have their fun at your expense.. usually when you were just minding your own business and did nothing to provoke them. The PK is actively.. and often aggressively disrupting a person's time to relax..

The fantasy.. is that it's just pixels.. the reality is.. that somewhere out there.. a real life person is going out of their way to interject themselves into your play time. The PK is treating someone like a mob.. a thing to be killed without remorse when all that someone is doing is trying to relax and enjoy their personal private time and then saying "it's just pixels".. translation "To me you're just a bunch of pixels and I don't.. so you shouldn't care how I affect your game". It's not a nice feeling to be at the receiving end of. Especially when it's unprovoked. (If you provoke someone you should expect a fight).

It IS a real life experience.. not that it happened in-game.. but how a real person just treated you from the other side of the screen.

 

Hmm. I'll have to answer in their name again : that is asking for the moon.

Merely reaching a mathematical "safe zone" balance seems out of reach for now, because we wanted compleckzties to create a stable "market" in game in hopes this can be a sustainable way of funding the game. Honest, concise and fair...

I say we but I'm not like including anyone by force here, the goal to keep enough people that would give a fair try to the final product so the immersion becomes a meaningful one (again as theorized) was priority number one, housing, collecting etc... its, getting there... to me the progress in the last year is impressive.

Guys is like when you think about me and you're like "meeeeh".

To be or not to be that is the question.

You guys keep saying you can't do this you can't do that :

You actually can, but you cannot give control of the system to humans, you need a purely benevolent AI that is built, quite differently... the AI's core elements are transparent so you do not need to convince players to abide by the rules, because what they get in the balance is personalized and almost magical, the very reason of it being an AI.

Darker themes can be served, and transparent governance becomes de facto, as well as releasing worry on ALL parties involved.

You know, the devs have never said yes to my proposals, but then again they never said no

I just get the heat because I've got a freakin big heart, and thats not performant.

Thats not comfortable, thats not well

I am that I am...

I am telling you guys, you are speaking too soon on whats and whats not possible !

Life always finds a way.

 

A perception not shared by all.

 

Don't act all innocent... people like to have a regression to their childhood sometimes, and you are not in a position to judge them.

Being an adolescent doesn't mean being superior. I spent like months playing ABC music in the game... made alot of friends, some days I might chose to want to roleplay seriously with them, other days we'll play music in our fenced off garden.

My gripe has never been about such trivialities, I'm after invisible forces that prevent blooming in the community, of people's talents and natural gifts.

 

Well Bowen, wouldn't you agree that right now in the world, people are living this nightmare ? We're all getting antsy about someone getting a piece of our virtual treasure in the comfort of our chair ?

That is like only the surface argument... the larger argument is that contribution over time should be superior to contribution of money, and even then follows a cascade of arguments that lead us back to pure roleplay.

We should dig deeper, and find the real root of the problem, not quickly blaming the guy who just mirrors the world.

 

For me, its my RL-Time I spend to play, my few time I have after work so I decide what to do with it, what I think I enjoy to do.
If I don't like to die by PK and loose stuff I spend RL-Time to get it, I think it is ok and my choise.
For others its fun to have the risk and they enjoy spending RL-Time like this, thats fine for me too.
This way gaming and RL are connected for everyone I think

 

Um.. no. The original question was phrased in the context of PCs getting killed by NPCs vs other players. My response was solely in that context. I've no idea what you're on about but I'm not antsy about anything..

 

Thank you Milady, but they must not half do it ! We must have our siege perilous ! I say that, knowing I can advance a fusion system... but at least the gameplay wouldn't be contaminated by the current "collector's" market, and much more.

In order of priority :

1- give an immersive single player
2- balance economy
3- create a homeostasis with pve
4- balance pve and pvp
5- balance skills
6- finish episode 2 quests...
7- complete map

wait a minute...

my siege perilous is number 333 &?!

 

Yes but you basically complain about some stranger making you lose your time, while you know that by living life you will be confronted by such people... don't you think there is a deeper reason why you feel he gets so much in your bubble ?

Thats the distinction I'm attempting to make here...

We're talking about escapism and other reasons, I'm not throwing you in a corner here, just saying that we should not ignore those people, we should rather give them a game to play so they can learn. Right now the game is attempting to incense the positive lightey lovey dovey while its pushing the dark in the abyss.

Thats not how you build a community... you keep pushing away trouble, worse comes back I think you should agree to this.

 

fixed this for you.

 

I disagree. I think that we all should know that we are playing a character in a game. If you are actually playing the game and you are immersed in it you would be in character and thinking that everything in the world is a character, not another human.

 

I appreciate that you or others may feel this way, but this game is not advertised as, and never promised to be, "the ultimate in PC relaxation software". It is a video game, and with that, comes with goals and obstacles.

OK, and at the same time, someone who is being PK'd should be just as empathetic and remember, "Ah this other person does not feel the same way I feel about this game, and I am getting in his way of playing if I remove myself totally from repucussions."

Play a single player game, or a game with no goals and obstacles. And no, I'm not telling you this in a snarky way, I'm telling you the obvious rational thing to do if you are upset with obstacles and goals that do not 100% line up with your own personal wishes for the universe.