DW2 has reintroduced the argument of PVE Open to the forums in a big way.
FDEV seems unwilling or unable to embrace a PVE Open server.
So the PVE community is stuck with the Private Group solution, with the overflow being grist for the mill in Open.
One of the core features of a collaborative PVE experience is that it shared between players with similar goals and expectations.
PG population caps, related instancing restrictions, and being pk targets all reduce the basic biochemical reward for positive social interaction that is a reasonable expectation of an MMO experience.
PVP players are simply playing within the rules outlined by FDEV when they attack any other player within Open instances.
The PVP players are NOT the reason that PVE players are restricted from a collaborative positve social experience.
The game design has established these conditions.
Currently, the consequences for PVP character death represent an insurance rebuy, loss of all exploration data, loss of cargo, loss of all missions, loss of all bounties, loss of all combat bonds, and a reset of your ship to the last station visited.
It is fair to say that the threat of character death at the hands of NPCs or pilot error is VASTLY LOWER than the threat of character death by an actual PVP player.
The consequences of character death seem appropriately punishing given the minimal threat in solo or PG.
So the calculation a player must make is:
Is my desire for collaborative positive social interaction worth the loss of personal time the threat of PVP death represents?
FDEV has demonstrated a passion for design that prolongs player time on repetitive tasks.
FDEV has embraced the model that players will accept the character death risk because the biochemcial reward is such a positive incentive.
FDEV likes pvp player death because it demands a players invest more time in the game to recover from the setback.
In my opinion, this is a design that significantly impairs socialization.
My plea to FDEV is that they reconsider the heavy handed rebuy and character losses for PVP deaths.
It is probably too late to develop a PVE Open offering, but it is certainly not too late to reduce the costs of PVP death.
FDEV seems unwilling or unable to embrace a PVE Open server.
So the PVE community is stuck with the Private Group solution, with the overflow being grist for the mill in Open.
One of the core features of a collaborative PVE experience is that it shared between players with similar goals and expectations.
PG population caps, related instancing restrictions, and being pk targets all reduce the basic biochemical reward for positive social interaction that is a reasonable expectation of an MMO experience.
PVP players are simply playing within the rules outlined by FDEV when they attack any other player within Open instances.
The PVP players are NOT the reason that PVE players are restricted from a collaborative positve social experience.
The game design has established these conditions.
Currently, the consequences for PVP character death represent an insurance rebuy, loss of all exploration data, loss of cargo, loss of all missions, loss of all bounties, loss of all combat bonds, and a reset of your ship to the last station visited.
It is fair to say that the threat of character death at the hands of NPCs or pilot error is VASTLY LOWER than the threat of character death by an actual PVP player.
The consequences of character death seem appropriately punishing given the minimal threat in solo or PG.
So the calculation a player must make is:
Is my desire for collaborative positive social interaction worth the loss of personal time the threat of PVP death represents?
FDEV has demonstrated a passion for design that prolongs player time on repetitive tasks.
FDEV has embraced the model that players will accept the character death risk because the biochemcial reward is such a positive incentive.
FDEV likes pvp player death because it demands a players invest more time in the game to recover from the setback.
In my opinion, this is a design that significantly impairs socialization.
My plea to FDEV is that they reconsider the heavy handed rebuy and character losses for PVP deaths.
It is probably too late to develop a PVE Open offering, but it is certainly not too late to reduce the costs of PVP death.
Last edited:
