I feel like it’s all backwards, though I understand FDev’s likely original intent. Were I in charge, the default game mode would be more like Mobius and forbid non-consensual pvp. Consensual pvp would be handled via a combination of meaningful system security and individual player flags.
“High security” should mean that committing a crime likely means you’re going to have your ass handed to you by forces that can overwhelm even a highly engineered, talented player via superior tech, higher skill, or just overwhelming numbers. Getting away with a murder in high sec should be one of the hardest things in the game, and it should still carry a meaningful penalty even if you do. Maybe that’s a system lock for a month. Maybe all lawful systems in a 50 LY radius are instantly hostile and send security forces against you the moment any pilot scans you. Maybe the Pilots Federation insurance doesn’t cover criminal activity and you not only have to buy and outfit an entirely new ship, but also have to re-engineer everything from scratch. But there has to be some skin in the game for the criminal.
Similarly, going into a lawless anarchy system should mean something. The law-abiding commander is now the one with skin in the game. Prices should be commensurate with that. By going into that system, you acknowledge that you might run into a psychopath and nobody is going to help you. High risk, high reward. How much piracy is there on the highways of Sweden or off the coast of the US? That’s why we don’t need armored and weaponized semi trucks to haul iPhones. But head to Somalia…
(Yes, crime does happen in those places, and yes, we do have armored trucks for super-high-value goods, but knocking one of those over takes incredible planning, resources, and force, and the consequences if caught are severe).
In addition, I’d put a pvp consent flag in the player’s control. If you want to fight in a high sec system, fine - enable the flag and the security forces won’t show up. Or head to the “bad neighborhood” in the form of a combat zone or similar (like arenas in other MMOs).
Finally, the progression system should never require a player to go into a hostile area until there’s a decent chance they can survive. Felicity Farseer doesn’t strike me as the type who would put up with living in a place where murderers hang out killing all of her customers. But maybe an engineer for hatch breaker limpets or interdictors doesn’t mind so much. I don’t mind environmental hazards and challenges, that’s what makes a game fun, but it’s so ass-backwards that the most secure places in the game are hangouts for the Dahmers and Gacys of this universe, and nobody does a thing about it.
The “psychopaths welcome!” Mode would be the alternative, not main game mode. Security would be pretty much meaningless. Everyone, even newbies, would always be fair game. The law might show up, but in weak ships, piloted by idiots, and with no real consequence, just minor inconvenience. You know… exactly how the game is now.
None of this will happen, though. FDev got it wrong from the beginning (in my opinion) and it’s not going to change. And to look at it from the griefer’s point of view, they are simply playing a game by the rules as they actually exist. They don’t care if others are inconvenienced, because those utopians are playing by rules that don’t exist. I get it.
And that’s why I give zero #*%$s about anyone whining about it being unfair for CGs or BGS to be impacted by commanders in solo. I’m playing by the rules as they exist. If you want to be an apologist for griefers, if you are a griefer, that’s fine. The rules of the game allow it. FDev condones it. My opinion is that you diminish the game for the majority of players, but the cold reality is that FDev coded the game in a way that supports your playstyle at the expense of mine.
But they’ve at least given me effective tools to avoid you. I’d love to fly in a world rich with other players, who want to engage in a more civil universe, but that’s not the game FDev made.
They designed the game (intentionally or not) to encourage most players to avoid player interactions because griefers are not just accommodated, but encouraged to continue their behavior. The reason most of us don’t even respond to chat is because we’ve been conditioned to expect that other players are a hazard, even if that’s statistically untrue.
But that’s the game as it is and as it will continue to be. I still love it. I’ve still played it more than any other game in the last ten years and will continue to play it until FDev makes some even more customer-hostile business choice and drives me and my money to less antagonistic pastures. I’m sad it’s not all it could have been, but c’est la vie. I’m still flying.
“High security” should mean that committing a crime likely means you’re going to have your ass handed to you by forces that can overwhelm even a highly engineered, talented player via superior tech, higher skill, or just overwhelming numbers. Getting away with a murder in high sec should be one of the hardest things in the game, and it should still carry a meaningful penalty even if you do. Maybe that’s a system lock for a month. Maybe all lawful systems in a 50 LY radius are instantly hostile and send security forces against you the moment any pilot scans you. Maybe the Pilots Federation insurance doesn’t cover criminal activity and you not only have to buy and outfit an entirely new ship, but also have to re-engineer everything from scratch. But there has to be some skin in the game for the criminal.
Similarly, going into a lawless anarchy system should mean something. The law-abiding commander is now the one with skin in the game. Prices should be commensurate with that. By going into that system, you acknowledge that you might run into a psychopath and nobody is going to help you. High risk, high reward. How much piracy is there on the highways of Sweden or off the coast of the US? That’s why we don’t need armored and weaponized semi trucks to haul iPhones. But head to Somalia…
(Yes, crime does happen in those places, and yes, we do have armored trucks for super-high-value goods, but knocking one of those over takes incredible planning, resources, and force, and the consequences if caught are severe).
In addition, I’d put a pvp consent flag in the player’s control. If you want to fight in a high sec system, fine - enable the flag and the security forces won’t show up. Or head to the “bad neighborhood” in the form of a combat zone or similar (like arenas in other MMOs).
Finally, the progression system should never require a player to go into a hostile area until there’s a decent chance they can survive. Felicity Farseer doesn’t strike me as the type who would put up with living in a place where murderers hang out killing all of her customers. But maybe an engineer for hatch breaker limpets or interdictors doesn’t mind so much. I don’t mind environmental hazards and challenges, that’s what makes a game fun, but it’s so ass-backwards that the most secure places in the game are hangouts for the Dahmers and Gacys of this universe, and nobody does a thing about it.
The “psychopaths welcome!” Mode would be the alternative, not main game mode. Security would be pretty much meaningless. Everyone, even newbies, would always be fair game. The law might show up, but in weak ships, piloted by idiots, and with no real consequence, just minor inconvenience. You know… exactly how the game is now.
None of this will happen, though. FDev got it wrong from the beginning (in my opinion) and it’s not going to change. And to look at it from the griefer’s point of view, they are simply playing a game by the rules as they actually exist. They don’t care if others are inconvenienced, because those utopians are playing by rules that don’t exist. I get it.
And that’s why I give zero #*%$s about anyone whining about it being unfair for CGs or BGS to be impacted by commanders in solo. I’m playing by the rules as they exist. If you want to be an apologist for griefers, if you are a griefer, that’s fine. The rules of the game allow it. FDev condones it. My opinion is that you diminish the game for the majority of players, but the cold reality is that FDev coded the game in a way that supports your playstyle at the expense of mine.
But they’ve at least given me effective tools to avoid you. I’d love to fly in a world rich with other players, who want to engage in a more civil universe, but that’s not the game FDev made.
They designed the game (intentionally or not) to encourage most players to avoid player interactions because griefers are not just accommodated, but encouraged to continue their behavior. The reason most of us don’t even respond to chat is because we’ve been conditioned to expect that other players are a hazard, even if that’s statistically untrue.
But that’s the game as it is and as it will continue to be. I still love it. I’ve still played it more than any other game in the last ten years and will continue to play it until FDev makes some even more customer-hostile business choice and drives me and my money to less antagonistic pastures. I’m sad it’s not all it could have been, but c’est la vie. I’m still flying.
