Hiya All, I just would like to introduce myself. I'm ilkhan and I've been following PFO for about two months pretty much daily. I have only played one other MMO for more than about a month and that Game was Shadowbane. I played Shadowbane for about a year in Beta by winning a story writing competition. (I didn't win it they just took everyone who wrote a story, LOL. Oh, the crying and gnashing of teeth there was on the shadowbane forums that day by those who didn't write :P) I played it till the day it closed up shop in '09 and I still play it now and then in the deepest darkest parts of the internet. Shadowbane shares much in common with PFO and I would like to kinda share my perspective and advice here with all of you.
First, To limit open world PvP you don't need a PvP flagging system. What I suggest is a location that is somewhat centrally located or easy to get to with totally open PvP. People who are looking for a fight can always find one here. Don't set up a tournament system or any of that just an open brawl will do. I suggest the River Kingdoms city of Tymon to let the PvPers beat each other senseless in. This will not eliminate all open world PvP but will put some downward pressure on it. In Shadowbane we had a whole open city named DooVu for brawling.
Second, All actions in Shadowbane as in PFO are PvP related. Blacksmithing and wand manufacture are PvP related. Resource gathering and dungeon crawling are PvP related activities. You can not participate in a game of this nature without participating in PvP. PvE is simply another means of getting the resources for those Gauntlets of Ogre Power for your fighter who will PvP when his kingdoms capitol is under siege. PvE is about logistics for PvP.
To those of you worried about being killed while out resource gathering or some other logistics related activity I say, "buck up." Because there will be blood and you will get ganked. You will be attacked without warning and killed without remorse by groups of players who will outnumber and outgun you. They will laugh at you when you gripe. To avoid this fate join a strong guild, farm in groups, be fast and stealthy, learn to love Teamspeak/Vent/Skype and call targets/learn to target the targets called. And always remember there is always someone out there better than you. Grow a thick skin and don't take it personal. I look forward to the Alignment/Reputation System softening this a bit.
Third, Cash shops, GW should not sell items or magic them into the world, players should sell items. Everything in a cash shop should be made or found by players, except of-course game time itself. GW should just charge a tax on cash shop sales. There should not be a global market. If you want a specific magic item you may have to shop around. That means going to cities that will allow you in. In Shadowbane everyone was "if its not blue kill it." This will make merchants put pressure on nation leaders to keep cities open. More open cities will make life easier on newbs. Newbs will find it easier to find guilds and homes.
Being a newb in Shadowbane with no guild to help you was about like giving a piglet a paper-cut and throwing him in the Amazon river and urging him to "SWIM PIGGY, SWIM!" Every living thing that swims will take a bite and the shore is so very far away. I played all of Beta with no Guild, It sucked and I never got a Char above 35th level soloing. I was wearing whatever crap fell off Mobs and only enough money to repair my damaged gear. After Beta I got into a guild. It had some really nice people but nobody knew what to do or how to play the game and we as a guild sucked. We couldn't hold a leveling spot or acquire any good gear and we got our rear ends handed to us regularly. Eventually I got into some better guilds got some gear and started having fun. But for a long while Shadowbane was an exersize in massacism. But I grew a thick skin didn't take it personal and learned the game. Once I learned the Dupe I really started having fun it meant for once I had money and allot of good gear. Yeah I cheated, Not real proud of it but it sure was nice to not have to worry about being ganked when you were trying to make enough money to repair what gear you still have. That's why I favor Cash shops. I have kids and wives and a life I may not be able to give the attention to a big raid or resting my nose in the posterior of the guild leader that would be expected of me. But because I have kids I should never have my Girdle of Storm Giant Strength? That sucks.
Ok, Gonna go I've rambled enough today.
Goblinworks Executive Founder
