Goblin Squad Member
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As for the AI matter, let's not make this personal. As far as I know I have never discussed my personal view on PvPing with you. Lets talk in generals. That established my point was that trying to make out that PVP's "riskiness" is grounds for generating more wealth in my view is false as an AI can be created that puts up an tougher fight (read: even more risk) than the majority of humans. Developers choose not to do so, but it can be done. (and no, I'm not suggesting they do so with PFO, I'm just pointing the fact out)
You set up a premise, I asked a question.
I am trying to figure out where you are coming from. If you see that as an attack, then this isn't going to be very productive.Let's see what I was responding to...
As long as it allows the avenue for a player then it isn't broken in my mind. The real point is that I do not subscribe to the line of thought that being in a PvP area is more risk because of other players attacking you and so you should get "more" or "better". "Different" rewards, sure.
I posted previously that you could set up a merchant enterprise without ever setting foot outside of a safe area.
But whether you subscribe to the thought or not, extra risk is going to add extra cost.
Not only are they looking at losing time when they have to stop harvesting to defend themselves, but they will be looking at the cost of combat consumables and the occasional losses that they will have if they are defeated and looted.
Travel time also adds to the cost.
If you are 2 minutes from market when you harvest your resources and someone else is 10 minutes from market, then they lose productivity in travel time.
They have to charge more money for their stuff to maintain the same income/unit of time. Just like time spent dealing with hostiles.
There can be things in safe areas that no one can find anywhere else, but since everyone can grab those things at no risk, they just aren't going to be worth much.
While it hasn't been done in a major MMO yet, AI can be programmed to be even tougher without "cheating" and thus an even greater Risk vs, Reward option.
People's perception will vary.
When does AI stop being "tough" and start "cheating"?
If I see a lone mob 50 meters from any other mobs and attack them, but every mob in the vicinity starts racing towards me, is that 'cheating'?
If players can consume potions in a fight to restore health, is it cheating if a mob does the same?
The person that thought that they had the gryphon beaten until it suddenly healed up may disagree with you if you say no.
If they are going to expand the 'safe' areas then that automatically shrinks the 'open' areas.
How far out should these 'safe' areas extend into the wilderness?
How much of the game should be built into the 'safe' areas and how much in the 'open' areas?
And this discussion has been limited largely to harvesting, but what about empire-building? Shouldn't people with that interest be able to enjoy it from the luxury of a 'safe area' as well?
Should people that wish to play a diplomatic role be able to negotiate peace between to NPC kingdoms, where they won't have to worry about being attacked by other players as they venture through the battlefields that exist between the two nations?
There might even be a few players who could be such an AI too. But that number would be tiny.
Players can not be AI and AI can not be players.
If you mean that maybe they can let some players have a chance to play a monster for a day, then you are still fighting the same human intelligence that you would be if they were playing their character.
If that is the case, why not just deal with other player characters from the start?
If it's not, then what do you mean by players being "AI"?