This Flag System is disincentivizing PVP

In Star Wars Galaxies, if you where an openly supporter of the Empire e.g. (open means flagged for PVP) you could always be jumped by other flagged rebels or covert (unflagged) rebels.

Attacking without flag ofc flagged you and you needed to unflag yourself at your faction.

Now why take the risk of being attackable? You got nice little gimmicks only openly flagging people could use. Special Armor etc etc.
I also was a nice little addition into roleplay as you didn't really know what faction someone was.. Kinda like Paranoia if you know that game.

Roleplay in my opinion is best of the game mechanics kinda make you play a certain role in the world, and its not solely on imagination.
How cool would it be if we had secret faction supporting the oracle or working against it or whatever.

Just a suggestion though, and still you will maybe be ganked by others. But virtual life shouldn't be eating sugar all day. Not only it makes you fat, the sweet taste goes away

 

Loved SWG. I really wanted to see a tie fighter drop down when a group of rebels openly attacked the empire in an empire capital city. Or a transport loaded with storm troopers.

 

The act of flagging oneself for PVP shouldn't be rewarded, but playing while flagged should. The better option is something story related; since the Oracle is the one that protect the players she should have a reason in game to do so, and those without protection may have a purpose, and by fulfilling it they fulfil this rewards. Nothing fancy nor amazing, just something useful for the general public and story related.

 

Being good at PvP should be rewarded... Otherwise we could reward players for fighting dragon even if they get eaten in 10 seconds

The trouble with rewards in PvP is, they can be magically created out of nowhere just for wearing the flag and the whole system will get exploited by people who can minimize PvP risks. Or the rewards are items other players have and if someone is good and feels they should be rewarded, there must be someone who is bad and will lose stuff. The thing is, how do you convince bad players to flag themselves and lose stuff to those who are better? How can you make losing stuff fun? (It can be done, just look at people wasting their salary in slot machines).

 

The reward for being good at PVP is already in through the ransom system, no matter what kind of PVP you engage in (Open or in Ruins/Shardfalls). We could discuss how well it fulfills it purpose but i prefer to focus in rewarding the risk that refusing to be protected by the Oracle implies, which is currently uncovered even the aforementioned risk was increased allowing non flagged players to attack flagged players.

The scenario you propose is doable, but as you also state we are facing the same problem of linking any Open PVP rewards to the act of PVP itself; some must lose so others may win, and it's easily exploitable.

My line of thought goes in a different direction. The idea is to give Flagged PVP players access to "something else" that can only be obtained by playing while being flagged. This "something else" should be a raw material by nature so it can be used in the economy. To round the link to PVP it could be done as "always lootable" and to make it fit appropiately its appearance should be justified as part of the fact that the Oracle is no longer protecting you and the source should be linked to the same "danger" the player is exposed.

That way, PVP flag has a reason to exist within the story, and being attacked by players is a collateral effect. You get the same effect but offer an appropiate reward and at the same time makes the flag meaningful beyond the "PVP because of PVP" factor. The name of the flag should be changed as well to reflect its purpose.

 

To be honest, I put my PVP flag up on day one, at level 1. The only PVP that I have found in the game, is when I've been one-shotted by a non-pvp flagged player who waited to attack me when my health was low. That's happened to me many many times this release.

*edit, I did find a PVP flagged player in game one time, and tried to engage that person, but the NON-PVP flagged people that were with that person ganked me, and I had to flee.

 

@Jordizzle That's why I vote for a EXP reward while you farm flagged. Or higher regen rate out of combat... I think something like this will come. As it is not hard to implement and you don't take something away from someone.

 

I wouldn't be against the EXP reward for farming while flagged. I just don't understand how we got here. For me the issue is just so simple to solve. Don't let players who aren't flagged for pvp attack other players. Make it so that you have to be flagged for PVP in order to PVP.

 

Dont have much time right now. Read up on how pvp worked in star wars galaxies. Was good fun and getting attacked by blues made sense.