[TSW] 3 Faction PvP ?

[eksdee]

All the PvE stuff they put into the PvP, the cannons, holding objectives etc. That stuff always detracts from PvP as it encourages people to do the lamest thing possible to 'win' by the easiest option (which is 9 times out of 10 the PvE option such as taking objectives etc).

Then there's the fact CC will be reduced in PvP to what the tooltip values state, as well as the devs saying there will be lots of abilities to 'move your opponents around'. No proper CC, crappy healing (I really dislike their idea of having no 'traditional' healers) and lots of abilities to knock players around - sounds FAR too much like Warhammer to me and also sounds like PvP will be a case of who can gib someone fastest wins.

Witht that said, it still may well turn out to be great, I just don't like the way things are going. Every time I hear something new I'm disappointed by it.

 

[svartalf]

MMORPG had a column on this topic. I'm going to ignore the spelling mistakes and I hope you can find it in your heart to do the same.

Garrett Fuller
The Return of Three Faction PvP

One of the inescapable facts of life is that "there ain't nothin' new under the sun". In today's column, MMORPG.com Industry Relations Manager Garrett Fuller takes a look at the return of a "new" old feature, three-faction PvP. Check out Garrett's thoughts and then weigh in with a few of your own in the comments.
Column By*Garrett Fuller on September 06, 2011

MMO trends continue to change into this new decade and many of those trends are just old styles becoming new again. PvP is at the heart of every MMO, players who want to battle it out against more than just AI are automatically excited by different PvP styles. Back in 2001 Dark Age of Camelot introduced a PvP system where three factions were at war. Despite a few of the game’s flaws, the PvP system in DAOC is often considered one of the best the MMO genre has ever seen. The problem is that after Warcraft came out in 2004 and set the model for all MMOs to come, no matter what had come before it. Now over a decade later several MMOs are coming back with this three faction style of PvP which could change things into the next decade if even just one of them makes a splash.

Why the three tier system works in simple, there is no Good vs. Evil. Everyone has an equal fighting chance, and no one side is more righteous than the other. If one side overpowers the other two, most of the time the other two teams join to defeat the greater enemy. Once that enemy is eliminated the two survivors battle it out. Back in the old days of DAOC, there were many fights where Midgard and Hibernia formed temporary alliances to defeat Albion. Once that was over, the fight continued to see who was truly king of the zone. There were even times we just went our separate ways and decided to fight another day.*



Overall though, the three factions gave us more enemies to worry about. In Warcraft it changed to two factions and this took one of the enemies out of the equation. Thus, players were always forced to do battle against one group and after a while it got boring.* On your server, for world PVP, you knew whether you had a chance or not based on the opposing faction’s population. The other flaw Warcraft had when it launched was the considerable lack of world PvP in its end game. For a game called World of Warcraft, it definitely lacked the war feeling. This lead to a decline in the three faction PvP system quickly as all other MMOs were built on WoW’s back. Even the folks at Mythic who created Dark Age of Camelot failed to capture then same PvP glory in Warhammer Online. It seemed a sad end to a great system which many players loved.

There is hope now with several games going back to the three faction model. The Secret World is boasting three factions from the start and looking at ways PvP will matter in their end game. Even though players will have access to over 500 skills and no specific classes, there are factions to join and fight for. The Illuminati, Templars, and Dragon create a system similar to DAOC’s style. Three factions at war throughout the underground vying for world domination offer a lot of options for players. If Funcom plays it smart and give solid rewards plus faction bonuses to players for staying on top, you will see a strong PvP community form.* Heck we’re already seeing lines drawn in the sand across the web and on Facebook.



One thing that was critical to DAOC’s success was the dungeon Darkness Falls. This was the best place in the game for players to level therefore it was very desirable to hold onto it. It could only be won through world PvP. This is a system that upcoming games should take a serious look at. Hopefully The Secret World will deliver a solid three faction PvP system that players can enjoy.

Guild Wars 2 has dropped a few hints on their PvP system in the past. Right now they are showing off instanced PvP, however in a few past blogs that had mentioned world PvP ideas that the team had. One thing to keep in mind is that some of the top developers on Guild Wars 2 were former DAOC players. The three server system that has been mentioned for GW2 also boasts a dynamic environment where servers themselves are battling over objectives in open world environments. So you may not have the factions broken down, but you will be fighting against an entire other server for bragging rights. This could become major and players are already keeping a close watch as more information is released by ArenaNet. It all depends on the rewards players can reap from their victories. If one server gains a bonus to experience or leveling, it will be a fantastic fight in the server wars. Overall Guild Wars 2 has hit a lot of winning points with fans; this part could be a major deciding factor for them among the PvP crowd.



So was we move into 2012 there are some serious contenders out there to bring PvP heavies back into their games and away from WoW. These systems have been proven to work in the past but many players have not experienced them. In the end having two enemies against you instead of just one makes combat more interesting no matter what type of game you are playing. Let’s hope this trend continues and more future MMOs follow suit.* The whole idea makes war a lot more interesting in the content of the MMORPG.

Garrett Fuller has been playing MMOs since 1997. He originally joined MMORPG.com as a writer in 2005. In 2007 Garrett went on to handle Industry Relations for TenTonHammer.com. Then, in July 2009, Garrett happily rejoined his old team at MMORPG.com as the site's News Manager. Garrett lives in Hillsborough, NJ with his wife, son and daughter.
His column appears here every Wednesday

 

[svartalf]

Some video... The Secret World - Tokyo Flashback - YouTube

The Secret World unveils Tokyo Flashback at New York Comic Con | Massively

by Matt Daniel on Oct 16th 2011 9:00AM

Fantasy, Horror, Video, Game mechanics, Previews, News items, PvE, The Secret World



As The Secret World draws ever closer to its April 2012 launch date, more and more information on the game continues to trickle forth. Today's treat comes to you from New York Comic Con, where Funcom has revealed the first eight-ish minutes of gameplay that new players will experience when they jump into the game.

This introductory instance is known as Tokyo Flashback, and not only does it serve to introduce players to the mechanics of combat within The Secret World, but it also sets up the game's conspiracy-laden storyline by introducing players to four key characters of The Secret World's universe. Most players will be familiar with these characters from the title'sprevious trailers, including the one from Gamescom 2011.

The demo of Tokyo Flashback follows a shotgun-toting heroine as she tags along with the NPCs against a horde of infected humans known as the Filth. The demo also imparts some new knowledge of gameplay mechanics. For instance, mobility is very important, and few -- if any -- abilities will root the character in place, allowing players to move freely at all times. It's also revealed that combat (or shotgun combat, at any rate) uses a combo-point-esque mechanic wherein certain attacks build resources on a target, and other "finisher" attacks expend those resources.

For the full trailer, head on past the cut, and check out the write-up of the Comic Con panel over at The Hydra Initiative. And don't forget, players interested in beta-testing The Secret World can sign up for The Secret War on the game's official site.[/url]

• Source: The Hydra Initiative
• More coverage: The Secret World official site
  

 

[svartalf]

If the video doesn't work, here is a link: http://uk.ign.com/videos/2011/10/20/the-secret-world-the-dragon?objectid=905880

The Secret World's Dragon Week continues with new video, interview
by Matt Daniel

on Oct 20th 2011 4:30PM

Fantasy, Horror, Trailers, Video, Lore, Previews, News items, The Secret World



Dragon Week is in full swing over at The Secret World, and today players get a double dose of Dragon with a new video and an interview with Ragnar Tørnquist. The video highlights a previous trailer's character -- referred to hereafter as Milkshake Girl -- and her initiation into the Dragon. Poor Milkshake Girl's idea of chaos prior to the Dragon was "a messy apartment," but disorderly living spaces have nothing on the Dragon concept of chaos, as the video points out.

The interview focuses entirely on, surprise, the Dragon faction and the lore behind it. Tørnquist is reluctant to give away any juicy gameplay details, however, and refuses to reveal what faction-specific abilities the Dragon will have access to. But if you're a lore junkie, read on: Tørnquist discusses the hierarchy of the Dragon, the organization's modus operandi, the central characters of the faction, and the group's relation to the Templar, Illuminati, and the Council of Venice. So head on over to IGN for the full interview, jump past the cut for the video, and remember, Dragon Week isn't over yet. Check back tomorrow to see what else Funcom has in store.

More The Secret World Videos

• Source: IGN
• More coverage: The Secret World official site

Tags: dragon, dragon-week, faction, factions, funcom, interview, milkshake-girl, ragnar-tornquist, the-secret-world, trailer, trailers, tsw, video, videos

 

[svartalf]

Devs talk PvP:
http://uk.ign.com/videos/2011/10/14/the-secret-world-developer-diary?objectid=905880

 

[LordjOX]

Looking forward to it