Player Features and Ideas Discussion

I find PvP daunting. Giant blobs fights are awesome in the news but has never been part of my EVE life. I’ve done roams and fleets trying to break gate camps and that can be fun but lacks a certain ooompf. To me, they seem to be based on a flawed system. I personally hate gate camps and their heavy use to “find a fight’. I have to problem with it as a system to control a system or an area but using them just to pick a fight just feel wrong to me. Trying to roam by myself is a struggle. So it got me to thinking about a way to have some controlled combat fun in an environment accessible to noobs and veterans. I see the tourneys being held these days and imply shrug “must be fun for them…no way I can enter.” Why not make something I can play?

The first aspect to build would be a tiered system. One that takes into account either your desired match up or your current ranking in the Arena World. Your Arena Rank would be earned through predefined Arena match victories and loses. If you win you get an AR increase; you lose and your AR decreases. This is coupled with Tiers. For example:

Tier 1 Copper = 0-9,999 AR points
Tier 2 Silver = 10,000 – 29,999 AR points
Tier 3 Gold = 30,000 – 59,999 AR points
…
Tier 10 Diamond = 999,999 -1,0000,000 AR points

So in the ranked arena you work to increase you ranking and thus net higher rewards calculated at the rank you are fighting. It also creates a system where you can actually loose raking ‘get sent down to the minors’ if you will. When you enter a new tier you essentially enter a higher level of skilled players and skill point pools. It’s kind of like match making in Halo but not on the spot. You have to earn your right to fight in the next Tier.

Certifications have always intrigues me. They are cool but have little impact on the actual game. Expanding the certification system would allow you to purchase an Arena License based on your Certifications. This ensures that you meet the minimum requirements to fight and your team mates can count on at least some level of usefulness from their teammates.

I see four types of Arenas:
1) Prebuilt Solo
2) Prebuilt Team
3) Free For All Team Fights
4) Free For All Solo

Prebuilt requires an entry free and you are assigned a prebuilt ship to fly and win or lose with. You don’t get to keep it or modify it. Free For All means you can enter any ship you like as long as it meets the requirements for the rank of the match. If say I want to work on my T3 flying skills I can sign up for those fights assuming I have the license to enter the match.

I imagine you could also create a ton of additional Arena types, weekly challenges ect. Can 4 Frigates beat a drake. Random match ups between different ship types ect. And of course special tournaments are held for additional prizes outside of the normal system.

This would all be handled automatically and run by an NPC corporation. Fights would take place in deadspace sealed off areas immune to outside interference. Two ships enter; one ship (and a pod) leaves. Every player in EVE gets a perma clone to the Arena System that they can use to jump to and fro. If they are playing prebuilt then all they have to do is jump in, sign up and get their arena ship. If they are playing Free for All then they have to travel to the system.

So why all this? One I think it gives all players a way to improve the PvP skills and thus will improve the overall universe PvP environment in a control way, accessible. If I've won a bunch of matches with Ishtar I’m much more likely to go out there and try it in the real world with a little more confidence. You also learn things like angular velocity, orbiting, optimal ranges and such in a controlled environment where you have a little more time to understand what’s occurring. You also increase your 'fun' time. if i want to hop on for an hour I have a place to go and get into some action instead of a possible boring roam that nets me nothing but a fuel bill.

/me runs for cover

Prepare to be attacked voraciously and be told to GB2WOWZOMG. Every time arena is mentioned people freak out.

If they could make an arena system in which everything blown up in the arena is lost just like normal and was an overall isk sink, I probably wouldn't mind seeing it. No special items or any other bullshit, just an in game mechanic for arranged fights that benefits the economy by being an ISK sink.

I don't disagree that those options are needed. They are plenty of ways to arrange a fight now if you're willing and pople by into it. I'm talking about something that is accessle at all times. Like I can pop on and run a mission. Why not be able to pop on and sign up for a match?

EVE does a wonderful job at giving the players a universe where they can create the content but that doesn't mean that should be the only way it can be done.

Why to ruin the beauty of EvE with theme park arenas, fair fights and consensual pvp?

It's up to the players organizations to arrange torunements, if it make sense for them. And many already do this. Enforcing it by some game mechanics would overwrite the player driven ones.

EVE is *not* the sort of game for PvP-on-a-silver-platter and PvP without consequences. FFS, you even talked about prebuilt ships that you don't keep or lose. This is fundamentally against the spirit of EVE.

Also, 1 frigate can beat a drake.

Any time you think you have a good idea for an arena you simply provide a way for players to be immune from interference from other players and that is quite obviously a big no-no.

If you want a 1v1 go somewhere quiet to have it. The tools are already there to allow it. There should categorically NOT be a way to provide ship immunity which is exactly what these arena proposals always forget.

I have to ask why? Why is temporary environment where you can have a fight a bad thing? What are the downsides? I'd like to hear them because maybe there's a way to resolve them. They wouldn't be able to do anything special. It not like we're creating a WH where then can setup a POS and mine. they can't hide in there from aggressors, simply put a time time on matches and between matches.

I'm generally ambivalent towards arenas. In some games, they're rather well done, in others not so much.

I do like the idea of a "holodec" training arena of sorts. This was implemented in Pirates of the Burning Sea, when developers realized that a lot of players avoided PvP because they weren't sure how to properly PvP. And the "lossless" training area, where you use your standard ship, but don't lose (or gain) anything if you lose (or win) was found to be very beneficial, especially to newer gamers.

So I do feel EVE could benefit from this, especially if the goal is to attract and keep new players. Such a training arena would be perfect to ween people off the fear of PvP in a safe training environment. Corps can use it for training purposes and practice, etc.

Bottom line, it can't hurt to have it. As long as it is totally non-profit for the player.

True. I'd move it if I could.

It will get moved, no worries... And +1 for the idea, I think it could be a nice thing to have if done right.