My Take on PvP

Disclaimer: I know most of you will disagree; I'd just like to humbly make my case.
Disclaimer: tl:dr

I've been playing CoX for a few years, and PvP is about the only real endgame, for me, in this MMO. I am also mostly a zone PvPer.

Here is what I think is wrong with PvP:

Range Exploitation: The one thing I have noticed in this game, different from every other, is that range is more easily exploited. I'm not saying that range isn't exploited in other games, just that it's easier in this one. Because of Super Speed, mostly, and that's pretty much why a majority of heroes and villians have super speed. Not because they want it, but because they need it competitively.

Anyhow, in my opinion, that's why they implemented Travel Supression. Because you could speed by an opponent, melee or ranged power, and be out of range before a counter attack. I know many of you prefer the fast-paced action and running; I really don't; I try to come up with other combinations. That's ok, though, I accept that nearly everyone (and every stalker) is going to have super speed. I wish it didn't have to be that way, but you use what works. Right?

Stealth/Invisibility/Hide: Nearly every game has a problem with their Rogue/Thief counterparts in PvP because they use stealth and have an awesome backstab. What did City of Heroes do? They created the Stalker, so now, he gets weakened and declawed, step by step, because he is (or was) the easiest Archetype to play.

My problem with the Stalker is that it takes little effort to be stealthy. You don't need to use shadows or darkness. You don't have to worry about making sounds. And in PvP, you can stand right next to your opponent without being detected. Even if your opponent is maxed in perception, you have to within about 5(?) feet before he can see you. In any event, this is why I feel the Stalker is having such a difficult time; you gave him the tools to be the perfect "PvP take-down machine", but didn't even him out. Now, his Assassin Strike gets weaker and I can only imagine what they'll take from him next patch.

THE HUDDLE: Egads, It's an abomination. For just one day, I would like the devs to implement "friendly fire". If you go into RV, you'll see each side standing in their prismatic huddle of effects. For some reason, if a hero produces a Rain of Fire, all the other heroes can stand in it. Anyhow, that's why I feel CoX suffers in particular. Because of AoE effects and how they work, no one spreads out.

Just for one day, I'd like to see a group fight within the bounds of friendly fire. I suppose Warburg is the closest indication of what it would be like.

Targetting Reticule: I know the developers can't, or won't do anything about it, but it seems sorta silly that I can use the TAB button to find people. And once in my reticule, the range doesn't matter. If you are close or far, if I am standing still or running at super speeds, my ToHit factor is the same.

Zone Spawning: I don't know if this would make a difference, but I'd like the ability to spawn in different areas of the map in a pvp zone. Seems like most of the game is base camping when one side has more than the other side. I don't know if this would change base camping, but it's just an idea.

BUILD UP: No. Just no. Now everyone is Goku. And so everyone practices spike damage. Devs, your world would have been a lot easier had you avoided these. Obviously, I know many of you like the BU/AIM stuff...or course, that's why they have been downscaled in effectiveness in pvp.

Defense: I don't know how you can fix defense anymore. It's basically useless with the level of +ACC in Purple IO's, Pvp IO's, etc. Now days, I don't even slot Defense powers for pvp. To me, it's all about resistance. If you focus on defense, you either don't PvP, or you slot up and work around your Eluder power.

I'll wrap up my opinion. I like playing a hero/villian, and I like PvP. I just wish City of Heroes PvP was much better. I recognize I come from a different perspective than a lot of other long-time PvPers here, but I thought I would offer mine, nonetheless. Some day, I hope the Speedster is more unique, the city has more aerial battles, and pvp zone fights are less predictable. (I won't even bother discussing Regeneration). You're all my friends, and I hope I didn't rub you guys the wrong way.

I completely disagree with the majority of your points, but I won't rip it apart because it is your opinion vs mine at that point.

I will say that the PvP 2.0 changes seem to be designed toward people who share similar opinions as you do - yet they seem to have fallen short and ended up pleasing no one.

Hey Kiri,

Your comments are fair; I probably haven't been a PvPer as long as you have. I've been PvPing since 2007 or before the Invention system (whichever came first) and I don't claim I know all the in and outs of the system.

As far as playing a bad stalker, I'm not really a stalker-player. I am willing to admit that my stalker pvp is limited knowledge.

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Originally Posted by IcyKiri Travel Supression was created for people who cant play melee's. Bad players who cant hit a moving target even while their target is supressed should consider teaming with a Trick Arrow or anything with webnades.

I always felt that TS had to do more with the kiting at super speeds.

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Stalkers have a lot of balance issues. There is a really thin line of balance between overpowered and underpowered when it comes to this AT. If you have a logical suggestion for balancing Assassin's Strike or Sharks or their bad melee modifiers please feel free to present it.

I wish I had a good suggestion for the Stalker, either he's too good or basically useless. I feel that the AT is a bad design decision and will just have to be accepted.

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I've really got nothing here.. Its fairly obvious you are referring to a stalker here.. the comment stinks of "I am a bad stalker".

Actually, I think you really missed me on this one. The "huddle" has always bothered me. Not just in PvP, but also PvE. I mean, let's say we are in a fight, with the healer spamming his AoE. Why doesn't the enemy also get healed? What about Caltrops? Why is it only the bad guys hurting?

Well, the quick answer is "it's a game". Yet, I will still like to see a day of people playing with friendly fire on. I'd like to see, in PvE and PvP, if players spread out more, try combo techniques with their powers, and otherwise stop spamming AoEs and start using strategy.

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I can kinda see where you are coming from here... I do think its kinda silly that you can que up melee powers and try and run in range. However in the context of PvP there is so many other problems that this is not even worth causing an uproar over.

You are right, but I thought I'd mention it anyhow.

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Probably a bad idea in general.. this would open up for people to be singularly camped once people figured out the spawn areas. At least in the base you can mount up an offensive/rebuff and try and push people from the base.

Maybe it is a bad idea, although it would be more interesting if the spawning was entirely random, meaning the coordinates were random. And also, if you were a flier, it would be interesting if you could spawn at a higher altitude.

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I dont understand this arguement. You have provided no logical arguement against Build Up. Now that DR maintains a fairly constant cap for tohit/damage, I have no idea what you are complaining about.

It's personal on my end. I don't see why some sets have Build Ups, others don't, why there needs to be a Haste Power, and then durations are capped, etc. Anyhow, I deal with it.

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Defense is kinda weird in this game. High defense toons can get completely wrecked by an unlucky random number streak. However on a lucky day they are near unkillable, VEATS in particular come to mind. They have a really high cap that is fairly easy to obtain, but on a bad day they get destroyed by the Random Number Generator.

Yeap.

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I will wrap up my opinion and make a rather bold statement that says you have not PvP'd as long as you would like us to believe. Some of your statements are based on a lot of "PvP Zone" myths that have been propagated by bad players. I13 PvP was introduced to satisfy the more casual players and really hurt PvP as a whole. A lot of the stuff you are complaining about were targets of these nerfs. PvP in COX is a balance of Build/Money(IOs)/Skill. It takes all three to become a great pvp'r.

I'm not offended by your comment; at least you're honest. I loved Siren's Call and RV, didn't really care for Bloody Bay or Warburg. On your last statement, though, I'd have to see the balance is primarily IO/Build and then Skill.

In RV, you can use different base exits to appear in different areas of the map.