Thoughts on bandit PKing, cutthroat and general PvP

(also posted here, since that's mine and I can repost it wherever I like)

If you've been on the general/gameplay forums at all, then you'll know there was recently a huge uproar about this one player who PKs people at bandits in HC, which subsequently branched out into a general uproar about bandit PKing in general.

Let me state for the record that I have no substantive problem with the bandit PK mechanics as they stand. If you don't want to read "if your party mate chooses differently, you will have to fight them" then you deserve what you get for it. The lack of delay between the last player to choose and the beginning of the fight may deserve some looking at, but adding a delay or checkbox would pretty much completely wipe out any and all bandit PKers. And in that case, what is the party fight mechanic even for? Other than that one duel with the Russian guys, and I think that's more demonstrative of broken PvP mechanics than anything else.

Mostly, though, I figure I can always either manage to pick last, or open a portal right next to me while standing as far away as possible from whoever hasn't picked yet. That should be standard practice anyway, the portal thing. There will always be sufficient time to make one click and especially if he's halfway across the screen. (If he refuses to stay halfway across the screen, you may want to port out, as he clearly does not have your best interests at heart.) This is not even counting friends, guildies, etc. whom one finds trustworthy.

There is no reason to die to a bandit PKer except carelessness.

Cutthroat, now that's a different story. I like cutthroat. I think it's absolutely hilarious to enter someone else's instance and kill them, and I even think it's hilarious when it happens to me and my party. I mean, we're playing CT, that's what we signed up for. With a larger player base, though, I would definitely recommend controls to be implemented, since camping is always an issue. (Potential control measure: damage scaling on level difference?)

A long-term CT league, whether HC or SC, is likely to be guild-dominated and run a lot of maps. Maps are THE safe haven, given the portal system. The Eternal Lab is a public instance, though, so one has to be careful coming back through the gateway...because logging out/in is for cheaters, so of course everyone's going to do it. That might be an issue.

On the third hand, equipment standards in this game are ridiculously varied. That has to be fixed if any longer-term CT leagues are to ever find their footing. Since items drop on death, there will essentially be zero pollution issue with SC leagues (see also Descent: Champions) so it may be possible to make CT the basis for self-found league, or crafting league, or any other idea that has already been stated. Crafting league in particular. Balance is either everyone mediocre or everyone OP, and while I do see certain builds being superior, item distribution is a much greater threat to build equality in a PvP setting. And as long as we're talking about fooling around with item mechanics, may as well remove Aegis, etc.

There's a lot more to balancing a long-term CT league, or even a longer-term one than 5 hours, but just some thoughts from a balance perspective. I would love to see it happen.

I've been asked to go back on SC and play PvP. Apparently <ICU> is the #1 SC PvP guild, and let's be honest here, there's no real reason to do serious PvP in any other league, because SC is where all the best items are, and because PvP is - by design - isolated from the rest of the game. PvP tournaments are coming out soon, too.

And then there was that one guy who posted a speedhack build for capture-the-flag play.

I feel that PvP is not well enough explored, but I recognise the trouble of balancing PvP - for all situations or otherwise - in a primarily PvE game. It's not even easy to do in a primarily PvP game. PvE's just simpler all around.
How to make a build: http://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/510084
Current guides: N/A
bro I would kill u before u got through your portal.
I Stream PvP Twitch.tv/GrindcoreTHRALL
THE STORY OF MY Descent into the Abysmal Afterlife( HC to SC, too Stronk!)
http://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/346754
PK massacre, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ldz09uBZ-ug
As u said u want CT to be selfound/crafting League.

I agree with this and I think that CT should also be a solo only League to make it more balanced. No Trading. Not sure about guild stash... Prob. should not be allowed so that it is fair for everyone aswell.

I think solo cutthroat with no Trading is a must to make ct Work at least somewhat in the long term League. You get the ressources you find from other players and drops only. Meaning that having to twink ur character would not just be like... go to poe.xyz.is... find the highest dmg weapon in ur level and buy it... that just doesnt suit a cutthroat League at all.

Unique items are like trophies in cutthroat League... If u find them from a player u killed. You wont be able to trade for Unique items. I think this makes ct much more fair on a long term. Suddenly Uniques are HARD TO GET.. you dont just buy them. You find them as trophies or as Lucky drops. Sounds VERY exciting to me!

Cutthroat League also needs to be solo because... It suits the atmosphere of the game alot. Seriously. It doesnt seem very "cutthroatish" that everyone will be in a party of 6 and fight each other. It is not a battle League, it is a hostile League, were everything in the land of wraeclast is hostile.

I dont know if there should be HC cutthroat... maybe this would help the League. Removing high lvl players from the ladder so that they start all over. Problem with that is that everyone WILL die. So it would feel a bit meh to have it in HC, but it would really suit the cutthroat atmosphere though... But losing ur items is enough imo.

Anyways still waiting for info on cutthroat League in the annoucements... hopefully before 2014.

Also if a perm. cutthroat League is not possible... then how about this:

You make a permanent 1H cutthroat solo race system. Like this:

You basically run a 1H cutthroat League every one hour and 5 mins. The 5 mins are so that you can register for the League and put items for old CT characer in stash... etc. You dont need to show these races in the Leagues/events forum, because it will be a permanent part of the game, that every 1 hour and 5 mins there will be a cutthroat race. When a new race is about to start it will say in the global chat: The NeXT cutthroat race starts in 5 mins. It does not need to say anything else. This would make a really really great replacement for a permanent cutthroat League if it is not possible, at least imo.

Also, you get a Unique kill counter Glass Shank called something like Cannibals Looting Knife etc... This Unique dagger will be given to everyone. You cant eguip the Dagger as a weapon. The dagger will say how many people you have killed in all the cutthroat races.

Thats just my suggestion for a PERMANENT REPLACEMENT for a CT League, if the permanent League is not possible.






"
GrindcoreTHRALL wrote:
bro I would kill u before u got through your portal.


Ha, so true
GGG, the ADA of gaming....huuuur i gotz mai skilz.
IGN: MullaXul

Report Forum Post

Report Account:

Report Type

Additional Info