Player Features and Ideas Discussion

Hi there,

I have been playing eve for quite a while (this is my second character), but I also play a lot of other MMOs. My guild/corp/cabal/fleet/group/etc play a lot of MMOs as well and have been looking for an another MMO until Star Wars and The Secret World are released.

So we started playing Pirates of the Burning Sea, a fun little MMO that has sort of an EVE feel to it. What is interesting is how they have implemented world PvP, since faction warfare (my other character played that for a few months) is maybe getting a revamp I thought of explaining these mechanics to anyone who wants to listen.

There are 4 nations: English, Spain, French, Pirate. The english, spanish and french include the Privateer career which almost counts as its own nation.

Server wide PvP
The four nations are at war with each other. The players of each nation will try to gain points for its nation and win the war. The war is won when a nation has gained enough points, and a short cease-fire period is started. Points can be earned by taking over ports of other nations.

Although a player can make characters for each nation, once a nation is selected in war time, this nation is locked for your account until the next cease-fire period.

Zones
There are three zones in the open sea:
1. Normal - Only concentual PvP
2. Pirate PvP - EN,FR,SP can attack Pirates/Privateers, and Pirates/Privateers may attack EN,FR,SP.
3. Full PvP - EN,FR,SP,Pirates may attack each other, however players from the same nation cannot attack.

The Full PvP zone, lays within the Pirate PvP zone, and the zones appear and disappear during the day in a circle around a port (city). The PvP circle can intersect with other ports, and size of the zones vary.

Ports
Each port belongs to one of the nations. And these PvP zones appear when there is enough unrest around a port. Unrest is created and removed by players around the nation. There are many ways to change the unrest.
* You can increase the unrest by turning on your PvP flag and sail around the port of another nation. (blockading)
* You can decrease the unrest by turning on your PvP flag and sail around your own port. (patrolling).
* With PvE you can attack ships from the nation that increased your ports unrest, which decreased the unrest against that nation.
* With PvE you can attack ships of the same nations the port, increasing the unrest.
* The port governor (yes a player can claim a port) can spent resources which are manufactured by players to reduce unrest.
* There are special 1 time missions that decreases unrest as well.

Port battle
When the unrest becomes even higher, a battle for the port is scheduled. People get invited to join this battle at random, and the opposing nation will try to conquer the port, the port owners will try to stop them. I believe a port governor also can spent resources on port defenses, not sure if that helps in a port battle or not.

When the opposing nation wins the port will change ownership to the other nation. Between EN,FR,SP this will be permanent until the cease-fire. If it was a pirate port, or the conquerers are pirates then the port automatically flips back after 4 days.

Misc
The change of nation of a port gives stiff penalties to another nation, including increased tax rate for manufacturing. And the exchange may be closed for you if you have too much negative standing toward such a nation.

There is a maximum number of ports that can be taken over by nation, which limits the number of places where there are PvP zones.

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I like the way this world PvP works, because there are consequences for people in the form of taxes and such when you loose a port. At the same time, and I think this is important, anyone who is affected by these penalties can influence unrest at their port; PvP players, PvE players and industrialist, each in their own way.

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How would you do this in EVE? I am not really sure, lets see how far we can get:
- Allow a character to change the alignment to his faction during cease fire periods.
- Navy should not open fire on FW-players by default, unless fired upon.
- Convert all of faction warfare space by default in high sec.
- Maybe increase the size of faction warfare space (except for starter area, but do include the major market hubs)
- Stations in FW-space can be conquered by causing unrest.
- FW-players can sit on the grid at the station to "patrol" / "blockade" the station.
- Unrest is reduced by delivering goods to an agent in the station.
- Navy NPC from different sides can be killed on the station grid by PvE players to reduce/increase unrest.
- Station grid becomes 0.0 once unrest is above a certain level.
- FW players can attack normal players aligned to other factions, players aligned to other factions can attack FW players in the whole system once Station grid becomes 0.0.
- When the unrest has grown high enough, the station goes in reenforced mode (showing a timer). When the timer goes to zero players from the other faction are allowed to shoot it, while the owner faction can kill them. They have 30 minutes to take it down before the station's shield come back up. If they take it down then the station changes faction.
- Tax is raised for manufacturing, trading and mission awards for characters who are not aligned to the station owner.

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If resources are good in faction warfare systems, maybe people would like to live there and defend it. As long as anyone can defend their system in their own way, it should not be a pure combat-PvP only thing, but include PvE and industrial. And PvP zones are temporary also allows people to live with that fact.