Why Don't You PvP

Hey fellow forumites

I recently joined up with Virtue PvP Redux, a group of players that are doing a lot to introduce people to CoX PvP and show 'em the ropes of taking on other people in the Arena and zones. It's led me to wonder why more players don't PvP in the City. As is well known, a lot of the reason PvP is largely neglected by the Devs is because PvPers are a very small percentage of the player base. As a result there's not much in the way of gains for time spent on improvements.

Personally, I didn't PvP until now because the game mechanics are so radically different from PvE. Without someone to tell you how and why your powers work so differently it can be extremely confusing and often amounts to little more than an exercise in frustration. CoX is the only game I've ever played where there's a completely separate method of operation between the two different content types. It's not just that your powers have different effects. The game itself works differently. Not having the proper resources to figure these sort of things out was a major contributing factor to why I never tried my hand at PvP.

So, in an effort to better understand why people are adverse to giving PvP a whirl I'd like to get your opinions on the matter. What's keeping you away from this aspect of the game?

I think the whole PvP experience sucks.

The simple fact is I have zero interest in PvPing in any MMORPG. I find that the basic requirements of an MMO fundamentally clash with what I want from PvP. When I engage in PvP gaming I'm looking for a test of playing skill and I don't want to have to worry about selecting the right character type, leveling them up and then getting the required gear just to make a character who is optimized for PvP (and therefore isn't necessarily well suited for PvE).

I don't mind some character progression in PvP games (which seems to be the trend nowadays with a lot of modern games) but in MMOs character progression is the focus and I'm just not interested in PvPing that way.

I don't like playing against player characters. There is no change the devs can make to PvP that will make me want to participate.

I PVPd for about 3.5 years.. approx 1.5 before i13 and 2 after.

I used to host base raids when they were live... have done a lot of 8v8 arenas...and even ran a few super teams in zone pvp.

About 1.5 years ago I stopped.

I had a rather large reply typed out and decided... meh.. like pvp it's just not worth my time.

There is nothing wrong with pvp in this game..it can be quite fun..and I sill do it in the arena on occasion with some friends (we just take random pve toons and mess around in arena for giggles more than anything).

But there is nothing the Devs can do to make me pvp again...as the issues I have with it are not development related..and more player related.... I miss the days of good sportsmanship.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paladiamors I love you, I Burnt the Toast!

This may only be a partial list:

1. It's not fun.

2. The maps aren't fun. (No mechanics besides gank the other guy.)

3. Don't like grinding for PvP builds.

#1 May have a few other factors. The DR mechanic is not fun. I don't like movement-suppression. Certain PvE mechanics for radically shifting the balance like inspirations or set bonuses unbalance what little balance there is.

I've played games like Team Fortress 2 and Return to Castle Wolfenstein: Enemy Unknown. Those were fun. Guild Wars and City of Heroes, not so much. It's kinda hard to put my finger one why. I guess one reason is I like aiming and don't like the RNG.

I don't enjoy beating other people, and I certainly don't enjoy getting beaten, which makes PvP a lose-lose game for me before even considering any other aspects.

So many reasons.

I don't play any video game because I want to fight other players. My tastes in video games lean toward either single-player or cooperative multiplayer, and that's pretty much it. When I fire up my Xbox and pop in Left 4 Dead, it's because I want to team up with three friends -- or strangers, for that matter -- and work together toward a common goal. I have no desire to blow them up. I'm just not that competitive.

I don't like the "culture" that goes along with PvP (again, in any game, not this one specifically). As little interest as I have in fighting other players, I have even less interest in having a fourteen-year-old pelt me with racial (and other) slurs and otherwise tell me how much I suck because he got the drop on me. Nor am I interested in hearing about how any sound smart tactic I might employ to get the drop on him is "cheap." Because it seems they all are, except when he's using them.

I don't like how PvP works in terms of preparation. Not just the idea that in order to be truly competitive, you have to have a build specifically for PvP, though the whole thing where you get PvP IOs by winning at PvP and you win at PvP by having PvP IOs is a turn-off too (and yes, I know you don't need PvP IOs to win at PvP, but they sure do help). I'm talking more about learning the ropes at all. I don't venture into multiplayer maps for other games I play either, because the only way to learn those maps is to get thrown right into the fire. Get to the helipad? Where's the helipad? I just bought the game yesterday and I had never seen this map before until forty-five seconds ago. I'd love to do what you're asking, team leader, but I honestly don't know how to -- oh, we lost. And now you're berating me for "wasting your time" by not having put five hours into this every day since launch (or beta, even).

The rewards suck. I know, I know -- I'm being greedy, and playing the game should be its own reward. The drop rates still suck. And there's exactly one drop I can get in PvP that I actually want. So even if I get eighty kills a day, the marginal chance of any drop I might get is even worse because the chances of it being any good to me are even marginal-er. Slightly less these days thanks to enhancement converters, but still marginal. The whole time I'm PvPing, there's this little voice in my head telling me about all the constructive things I could be doing with that character right now. Buying those PvP IOs with merits may take forever, and buying them with Inf may leave me broke across multiple alts, but at least I know I'm making progress toward something.

Ultimately, though, I don't PvP because I simply don't care to. It's not why I come here. It's not why I come anywhere.

I did back in the era of base raids.

PvP was team oriented, base raiding gave the PvP part of it a goal.

When it switched to solo oriented with out a real goal I quit.

If it ever reverted, and the mechanics of it were such that every AT had about a reasonable contribution to the base raiding experience, I would begin again.

Sadly they implemented multiple builds the same time they "fixed" PvP in Issue 13. My biggest problem with pre-I13 PvP was needing to have a character built for PvP vs PvE. If they had simply added the alternative build system I bet they would have seen an uptick in PvP play without the need to "balance" all the ATs.

I actually liked the whole Rock-Paper-Scissors model which added a fun element to team vs team play.

I like being in control when I play. I want to be able to set the pace and pick the level of challenge I'm going to face. PvE lets me do that, PvP doesn't.

I don't like fighting other players (I suck at video games and literally cannot win without some half-cheating tactic like casting Grant Invisibility on a heavy in RV).

I don't like that everyone's powers act differently in PVP. It's like having to learn a second game. No thanks; if I wanted to learn a second game, I'd go play a second game.

I don't have enough money to make a build good enough to be viable. I have no interest in making enough money to do so.

But the biggest part, the attitude of a large number of the PVP player base frankly sucks.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dispari I don't know why Dink thinks she's not as sexy as Jay was. In 5 posts she's already upstaged his entire career.