Question for Open players who don't like PVP/ganking... help me understand

[CMDR Corky the Great]

Just a point of order. It's usually not the people who play in Open and get hit by PvP who are whining. It's more often the people who want to control others' game mode choices.

Not so. At least once/twice a week there's a post either here or on reddit moaning about PVP.

As I said, the design is fine, the game is fine, the people who gank and troll new players for the lols are the problem. They could just stop doing it, if they wanted.

Ganking =/= trolling. Why should they stop? Almost all of us PVPers experienced our first encounter as a gank and it was a pivotal moment that led to the best part of the game for us.

I mean, isn't it? It's one of the most expensive ships in the store, bar the two rank-restricted ones. Players since the game's launch talk about how it used to take literal months to save up to afford one, and the impression I get is that it was something of a status symbol at one point.

It was meant to be an endgame ship. As a combat-focused player, it took me about a year to earn one back in the day, and it was heavily albeit poorly engineered when I got there. Took two years to get in the vette, and it was a G5 PVP loadout the first time it left the hangar.

New players these days often speedrun credits to get into the big boys, realize they suck and then leave the game because there's no obvious other progression lol. We try to manage this tendency at NEWP as much as we can, try to make it clear that the gameplay is its own reward, that the only true progression is in your skills as a combat player or in the sights you see as an explorer. Some folks even like to see the numbers on their spreadsheet go up. Power to them if they enjoy that.

Getting into the big ships isn't endgame anymore. I mean, you're basically brand new and you've got a conda...

 

[Rat Catcher]

What if it's a Cutter or Corvette flown by a Mostly Harmless player? I've seen that, too.

I think I'd got to Novice when I bought my first Cutter... Expert for the Corvette if i remember correctly.

Interestingly enough, Combat rank is only 'useful' for unlocking engineers, once a player has unlocked Lori there is no benefit to be gained by making any effort to progress further - pretty much the same as Duke and Rear Admiral - once the final 'unlock' is done the ranks have no purpose in-game.

Naturally, your good self would consider combat rank an indicator of progress as that is your own particular interest, so an active desire to further your rank is perfectly understandable.

Others may not feel the drive to fill the buckets to advance in rank quite as urgently (if at all) as yourself - but to suggest that solely combat rank could be an indicator of 'newness' is a little blinkered - which is perfectly understandable as I have a suspicion you are not particularly bothered with acquiring Exploration or Trade elite with any alacrity.

This topic made a request for other opinions - you have had many - it has been fascinating to read for me...

 

[thistle]

You do know that the new player area of the galaxy is locked off to the rest of the playerbase right? Do you really think someone unlocking Farseer is a "new" player or that the only players in Deciat are players unlocking Farseer for the first time?

Yes new players do go to Farseer as it's the one we all tell new players to go to. Is everyone at Deciat new? Obviously not, I'm not aware I suggested they were.

 

[Bigmaec]

Yes new players do go to Farseer as it's the one we all tell new players to go to. Is everyone at Deciat new? Obviously not, I'm not aware I suggested they were.

I don't. I tell them to go to Martuuk.

 

[thistle]

That would make you a spanker.

Close lol

 

[Rat Catcher]

I don't. I tell them to go to Martuuk.

As do I...

Get FSD, Thrusters and shields upgraded at once there...

 

[ACowForAllSeasons]

As do I...

Get FSD, Thrusters and shields upgraded at once there...

Am in Khun right now. You're doing the Lords work.

 

[thistle]

You seem to think all we gank are new players. This isn't remotely true. Sure a newer player is more likely to become another pretty pixel explosion running into a ganker, but you'd be shocked how often I pull people with higher combat ratings who are flying paper ships. Come ganking with us some day and broaden your horizons. You might actually like it.

I've no problem with players ganking each other. I'm one of those who is saying the game is fine as it is, don't try and make changes to the game to prevent ganking. I just laugh at the rationalisations for actual seal clubbing as some sort of selfless training initiation for the hapless.

God bless our clown faced heroes.

 

[Brrokk]

Not so. At least once/twice a week there's a post either here or on reddit moaning about PVP.
...

OK, quote one post on here in the last couple of months moaning specifically about PvP.
(Reddit isn't something I can care about).

 

[Bottom Hat]

Close lol

Are there monkeys involved then?

 

[thistle]

Oh but didn't you know, apparently it's selfish of us gankers to expect other players to learn the game. Apparently we just need to fly around and o7 everyone.

No, it's selfish of seal clubbing gankers to silently gank a new player because they can.

But since you mention it - who gives you the right to "expect" other players to play your way?

Edit - or any way?

 

[thistle]

Are there monkeys involved then?

Just the one! More would be weird ..

 

[CMDR Corky the Great]

OK, quote one post on here in the last couple of months moaning specifically about PvP.
(Reddit isn't something I can care about).

The forums=reddit. Same cesspool lol. But since you asked, here's one rationalizing his combat logs by crying about gankers:

Newb friendly PvP groups

Greetings and salutations CMDRs I'm a somewhat fresh commander finally looking to get into some PvP after a few hundred hours grinding away in the black on PC. Excruciatingly, the player encounters I've had so far have involved mostly hard ganks and am currently blacklisted on PvP hub for...

forums.frontier.co.uk

The "un"official reddit is much more active, and they happen once or twice a week there.

 

[thistle]

Ganking =/= trolling. Why should they stop? Almost all of us PVPers experienced our first encounter as a gank and it was a pivotal moment that led to the best part of the game for us.

That's true, I agree, ganking isn't necessarily trolling. I'm suggesting we all know the difference.

 

[Rat Catcher]

I've no problem with players ganking each other. I'm one of those who is saying the game is fine as it is, don't try and make changes to the game to prevent ganking.

This is exactly my (out-of-game) opinion (If I'm commenting in role the impression may be entirely different to that )

The game is fine as it stands with the options presented to every player - make a choice and jump in-game.

 

[Nikephorus Phocas]

once the final 'unlock' is done the ranks have no purpose in-game.

which is a huge short coming for me. Unfortunate that by design any further progress is rendered useless.

 

[CMDR Corky the Great]

That's true, I agree, ganking isn't necessarily trolling. I'm suggesting we all know the difference.

There are a few people who choose specific targets to harass and talk all kinds of trash in chat, and I think those guys are toxic. My block list has 4 people on it: 2 have since been banned from the game altogether, and the other 2 who fly together really should have been: I suppose Frontier considers one guy continually talking trash while harassing players, stalking twitch streams and making jokes about the car crash that killed a player's brother acceptable. The other guy-- and this I find truly unconscionable-- is an avid seal clubber and ALSO a combat logger. The notion of expecting other players to take their rebuys when they're outmatched but refusing to take your own really chaps my cheeks.

 

[Danquememe]

Naturally, your good self would consider combat rank an indicator of progress as that is your own particular interest, so an active desire to further your rank is perfectly understandable.

I mean, if we can't tell how experienced another player is by the ship they're flying, and if combat rank isn't a good indicator of skill/experience either, then how are we supposed to tell who the "seals" are?

Are they explicitly only players who are Harmless or Mostly Harmless in Sidewinders? If that's the case, then I've never, to this day, sealclubbed anyone.
(I did get a Harmless guy in a Cobra Mk III one time - but it was me flying the Sidewinder)

On the other hand, I have destroyed Anacondas flown by players with a higher rank than me, and in about 15 seconds. That definitely felt like sealclubbing - but wasn't?

It's complicated, I think.

 

[Havvk]

I mean, if we can't tell how experienced another player is by the ship they're flying, and if combat rank isn't a good indicator of skill/experience either, then how are we supposed to tell who the "seals" are?

It's complicated, I think.

By not attacking.

 

[Rat Catcher]

which is a huge short coming for me. Unfortunate that by design any further progress is rendered useless.

The remainder of rank progression is really just for completeness - which is why I'm progressing to complete 3rd elite on my 2 'important to me' accounts... But those buckets start to get a bit deep, and boring to fill, so I don't rush it

It'll be 'nice' to see all of the relevant 'boxes' ticked if only because from there any action in-game is just because I wish to do it, rather than considering how it may affect a particular 'bucket-fill'.