Status/Ability to be permanently opted out of any PvP for non-combat classes

[Cailener1234]

I'm presenting this suggestion on behalf of some folks who feel that when they're playing a non-combatant class, i.e. entertainer/crafter, they should be exempt from any and all forms of PvP, especially concerning when accidentally attacking FRS Jedi.

As such, here is a suggestion that VikingMando/Jax, Zero, Sphiynx and myself thought of and contributed to.

If you're wanting to be fully exempt from any and all PvP activities and to not accept any risks and benefits from doing so, the following should be met concerning your expertise points, of which you have 135 total:

1) Obtain Master Artisan/Entertainer
2) Obtain Master (Crafter of your choice)/Master Muse or other Ent tree.
3) You must have at minimum 120 Expertise points spread across the Entertainer/Crafting expertise trees

Fulfilling all 3 conditions can allow for those who do so to have an ability, to toggle on or off, to opt out of any and all PvP activities and cannot be forced into PvP in any natural and event-ran PvP zones/Fight Pits or cannot enter them. The extra 15 points can be used in any combat tree to assist those who are out and about doing resource gathering or otherwise get attacked by much lower level NPCs to make it easier to deal with those scenarios.

If you are not able to maintain the 3 requirements above at any given time, this buff will be removed from the character and you lose the ability to use it until all 3 requirements are satisfied and is granted again to you.

This is mainly meant to have a conversation started around this idea, it can always be adjusted to be more stricter or loosely depending on the community feedback.

 

[NORD]

Continued:

2. Profit & loss of the current system

The heart of this issue is a binary question – do FRS participants profit from the kills of non-combatants or not? There are many ways to address that answer, but for now, I’m only interested in the raw metrics of the system. All the other related answers I’ll address later when I’m back into my opinions rather than looking at facts.

I personally do not have a factual answer to this question, so I will answer it both ways. When it comes down to battle-outcome, as it relates to non-combatants, I think we can all agree that - without fail - the non-combatant loses. If you disagree, I would like to hear your viewpoint.

If the current FRS system does allow FRS participants to profit, they win the fight and they profit. The non-combatant gains nothing of positive value.

If the current FRS system does not allow the FRS participants to profit, they win the fight and lose nothing. The non-combatant gains nothing of positive value.

At minimum, the non-combatant is inconvenienced in all cases, and to varying degrees, depending on the specific circumstances. It has been my frequent observation that this experience is upsetting and disturbing to the non-combatant.

If anyone wants to dispute that assessment, please do so in detail. I want to hear your viewpoint.



An important side-thought to this section – how much opposition would the idea of compensating non-combatants in these circumstances find? Something to mitigate the inconvenience and disturbing aspects of such an incident for a non-combatant? Please think on it and give me your thoughts.



3. What would be the result of changing the system to protect non-combatants?

As I proceed into this area, I am again shackled by not knowing if the FRS system allows a participant to profit from the action against a non-combatant, or not. Once more, I’ll address it from both points of view.

If the system were to be changed from FRS participants being able to engage non-combatants where they were able to profit from those engagements, the FRS participant would lose out. The non-combatant would be able to continue on their way without consequence.
In this case, I would think that an adjustment could be made at some level to help mitigate this negative impact for the FRS participant.

If the system were to be changed from FRS participants being able to engage non-combatants where they were not able to profit from those engagements, the FRS participant would lose nothing. The non-combatant would be able to continue on their way without consequence.
In this case, there is no need to adjust anything as there was zero impact to anyone, positive or negative.

From my viewpoint, any loss sustained by FRS participants in the course of any change to this system is relatively simple to mitigate, and removal of negative events for non-combatants makes a powerful case for making such changes.



What conclusions can be drawn from where we are:

Foremost, I think the starting place in addressing this issue is clarifying for both existing and potential players in this community is the expectation of what we will encounter here. Is this a dedicated PVP server? Am I required to participate in PVP to play here? Is this baiting that I have witnessed a cost of playing with this community? Is getting caught in the crossfire of FRS combat a cost of being a part of this server?

As stated in Section 1, there is no warning in any place that I have found that a normal, customary use of the SWG UI can result in finding yourself in immediate - willing or not - PVP combat. To my thought process, this is *the* core mechanical issue that allows these chains of events. It is normal in every other server community that I have played in to click on someone for various purposes with no negative impact of any kind.


It is not normal in any other SWG environment that I have participated in over the course of 20 years for a *single* mouse-click or key press to be the only step from peaceful action to PVP combat when you have no expectation of or prior commitment to it (I.E., declaring Combatant or Special Forces in the standard NGE terms.) As a player, with no forewarning that this can happen, it’s not difficult to imagine the negative impact to my own or anyone else’s play experience.



While I have no facts or data to back this up, it is not difficult to imagine that this play mechanic as it stands results in a very high number of abandoned accounts and poor new-player retention. I would welcome any data that the server leadership would be willing to share in this area.



It is here that I’m going to begin crossing from analysis gradually into opinion. I will remain fact-based in what I have to say, or I will label it explicitly as my opinion.



The idea that any player can profit from the exploitation of another player who is not aware of the rules that they are playing by is objectively repugnant, setting aside the combatant/non-combatant issue for the moment. While I acknowledge that this is a moral position for the most part, it is possible to see that this mechanic has vast negative implications and impact for new-player retention. Who is going to click on someone to greet them, a normal action in the SWG world, get killed for it, and continue to hang around? Who is going to go through that without knowing it could happen and continue to participate? At best, this would result in creating a negative, adversarial feeling in such a new player that could manifest in a host of counter-productive ways. At worst, they leave and they don’t come back. I suspect that this has happened many times already. I suspect that the truth of this could be derived from the account and log-in history of the server as a whole over time.

If the FRS participants cannot profit from these engagements, this escalates the issue to a level of gross sadism. Again, I don’t profess to know whether anyone profits or doesn’t from these incidents. If no one is profiting from these non-combatants being subjected to unwilling PVP in the course of what is a totally normal interface action most anywhere else…

I’m stopping that thought there. There’s nothing good that can come of me finishing that thought for anyone. It would be counterproductive at this stage of the discussion.



The heart of SWG has always been its community. It is the reason why SWG was great more than 20 years ago. It’s the reason why it’s still here, 13 years after the last official server closed down. Everything good from this game comes from the people who play it - and yes, the people whose passion maintains it. I guess what I don’t understand in the issue at hand is this:

Why is it necessary, okay, or acceptable to make things more difficult for a part of the population that makes things better and/or easier for everyone??? While I’ve not made a study of it, I’ve looked at the market on this server, and it’s not awesome. It’s not terrible, I have seen worse, but it could definitely be better. That’s in the hands of the crafters. Why does their experience have to be worse than it has to be?

This is the question that I’d like the FRS participants to consider.

As for the server’s leadership, please let us know what your vision for this place is. Not so that we can judge it good or ill, but so that we know what to expect, and we can choose our own course without surprises.





TLDR:

The problem here centers around three facts -


New players are ambushed by this unique PVP system without warning.

This is driven by a normally benign action - clicking on another player. This action will result in no negative consequences on most - if not all - other servers.

If this server is supposed to be a PVP- dedicated or a Hybrid-PVP server, it is not communicated to new users. This is creating a false expectation.



The problem here may be complicated or compounded by two other factors, and one of them is certainly true -

FRS participants are actively profiting by the killing of non-combatants.
-OR-
FRS participants are griefing non-combatants for unknown reasons; and none of the possibilities appear pleasant.



The final fact is that none of the above is good for the server, as this certainly makes new player retention far more difficult.

I think you might be taking this a little too seriously.

If you don't want pvp, don't flag up or enter a pvp zone, and don't double click Jedi. It's really a simple as that.

To add to that, you could also remain neutral as a crafter or ent so that flagging up isn't even a possibility.

 

[windshadow0177]

I think you might be taking this a little too seriously.

If you don't want pvp, don't flag up or enter a pvp zone, and don't double click Jedi. It's really a simple as that.

To add to that, you could also remain neutral as a crafter or ent so that flagging up isn't even a possibility.

It's my opinion that I don't think you're taking this seriously enough. I think it is extremely likely that this system, as it stands, is costing this server a large percentage of it's potential new players.

And the fact is I have watched this happen, to brand-new, non-aligned, non-combatants. So remaining neutral or not flagging is not a solution. The problem here is we do not know if or not this is a PVP-dedicated server. The larger problem over that is that a perfectly normal action resulting in no consequence on any other server is filling unsuspecting people's mouths with the taste of the floor they were standing on a moment before.

I hear your opinion, and I understand that you don't want things to change. What I don't know is why you don't want them to change. That makes me question your motives. If you read my message in full, you saw me ask you this, and I ask you again - Why do you not want this to change? How are you profiting from the death and discomfort of non-combatants? That you don't want to lose this profit is the only somewhat positive reason I can see for you to not want change.

By any objective standard, there is a problem here. Be it in unclear expectations. Definitely in the difference between the norms of interaction with other players in other SWG servers.

 

[Obani]

Continued:

2. Profit & loss of the current system

The heart of this issue is a binary question – do FRS participants profit from the kills of non-combatants or not? There are many ways to address that answer, but for now, I’m only interested in the raw metrics of the system. All the other related answers I’ll address later when I’m back into my opinions rather than looking at facts.

I personally do not have a factual answer to this question, so I will answer it both ways. When it comes down to battle-outcome, as it relates to non-combatants, I think we can all agree that - without fail - the non-combatant loses. If you disagree, I would like to hear your viewpoint.

If the current FRS system does allow FRS participants to profit, they win the fight and they profit. The non-combatant gains nothing of positive value.

If the current FRS system does not allow the FRS participants to profit, they win the fight and lose nothing. The non-combatant gains nothing of positive value.

At minimum, the non-combatant is inconvenienced in all cases, and to varying degrees, depending on the specific circumstances. It has been my frequent observation that this experience is upsetting and disturbing to the non-combatant.

If anyone wants to dispute that assessment, please do so in detail. I want to hear your viewpoint.



An important side-thought to this section – how much opposition would the idea of compensating non-combatants in these circumstances find? Something to mitigate the inconvenience and disturbing aspects of such an incident for a non-combatant? Please think on it and give me your thoughts.



3. What would be the result of changing the system to protect non-combatants?

As I proceed into this area, I am again shackled by not knowing if the FRS system allows a participant to profit from the action against a non-combatant, or not. Once more, I’ll address it from both points of view.

If the system were to be changed from FRS participants being able to engage non-combatants where they were able to profit from those engagements, the FRS participant would lose out. The non-combatant would be able to continue on their way without consequence.
In this case, I would think that an adjustment could be made at some level to help mitigate this negative impact for the FRS participant.

If the system were to be changed from FRS participants being able to engage non-combatants where they were not able to profit from those engagements, the FRS participant would lose nothing. The non-combatant would be able to continue on their way without consequence.
In this case, there is no need to adjust anything as there was zero impact to anyone, positive or negative.

From my viewpoint, any loss sustained by FRS participants in the course of any change to this system is relatively simple to mitigate, and removal of negative events for non-combatants makes a powerful case for making such changes.



What conclusions can be drawn from where we are:

Foremost, I think the starting place in addressing this issue is clarifying for both existing and potential players in this community is the expectation of what we will encounter here. Is this a dedicated PVP server? Am I required to participate in PVP to play here? Is this baiting that I have witnessed a cost of playing with this community? Is getting caught in the crossfire of FRS combat a cost of being a part of this server?

As stated in Section 1, there is no warning in any place that I have found that a normal, customary use of the SWG UI can result in finding yourself in immediate - willing or not - PVP combat. To my thought process, this is *the* core mechanical issue that allows these chains of events. It is normal in every other server community that I have played in to click on someone for various purposes with no negative impact of any kind.


It is not normal in any other SWG environment that I have participated in over the course of 20 years for a *single* mouse-click or key press to be the only step from peaceful action to PVP combat when you have no expectation of or prior commitment to it (I.E., declaring Combatant or Special Forces in the standard NGE terms.) As a player, with no forewarning that this can happen, it’s not difficult to imagine the negative impact to my own or anyone else’s play experience.



While I have no facts or data to back this up, it is not difficult to imagine that this play mechanic as it stands results in a very high number of abandoned accounts and poor new-player retention. I would welcome any data that the server leadership would be willing to share in this area.



It is here that I’m going to begin crossing from analysis gradually into opinion. I will remain fact-based in what I have to say, or I will label it explicitly as my opinion.



The idea that any player can profit from the exploitation of another player who is not aware of the rules that they are playing by is objectively repugnant, setting aside the combatant/non-combatant issue for the moment. While I acknowledge that this is a moral position for the most part, it is possible to see that this mechanic has vast negative implications and impact for new-player retention. Who is going to click on someone to greet them, a normal action in the SWG world, get killed for it, and continue to hang around? Who is going to go through that without knowing it could happen and continue to participate? At best, this would result in creating a negative, adversarial feeling in such a new player that could manifest in a host of counter-productive ways. At worst, they leave and they don’t come back. I suspect that this has happened many times already. I suspect that the truth of this could be derived from the account and log-in history of the server as a whole over time.

If the FRS participants cannot profit from these engagements, this escalates the issue to a level of gross sadism. Again, I don’t profess to know whether anyone profits or doesn’t from these incidents. If no one is profiting from these non-combatants being subjected to unwilling PVP in the course of what is a totally normal interface action most anywhere else…

I’m stopping that thought there. There’s nothing good that can come of me finishing that thought for anyone. It would be counterproductive at this stage of the discussion.



The heart of SWG has always been its community. It is the reason why SWG was great more than 20 years ago. It’s the reason why it’s still here, 13 years after the last official server closed down. Everything good from this game comes from the people who play it - and yes, the people whose passion maintains it. I guess what I don’t understand in the issue at hand is this:

Why is it necessary, okay, or acceptable to make things more difficult for a part of the population that makes things better and/or easier for everyone??? While I’ve not made a study of it, I’ve looked at the market on this server, and it’s not awesome. It’s not terrible, I have seen worse, but it could definitely be better. That’s in the hands of the crafters. Why does their experience have to be worse than it has to be?

This is the question that I’d like the FRS participants to consider.

As for the server’s leadership, please let us know what your vision for this place is. Not so that we can judge it good or ill, but so that we know what to expect, and we can choose our own course without surprises.





TLDR:

The problem here centers around three facts -


New players are ambushed by this unique PVP system without warning.

This is driven by a normally benign action - clicking on another player. This action will result in no negative consequences on most - if not all - other servers.

If this server is supposed to be a PVP- dedicated or a Hybrid-PVP server, it is not communicated to new users. This is creating a false expectation.



The problem here may be complicated or compounded by two other factors, and one of them is certainly true -

FRS participants are actively profiting by the killing of non-combatants.
-OR-
FRS participants are griefing non-combatants for unknown reasons; and none of the possibilities appear pleasant.



The final fact is that none of the above is good for the server, as this certainly makes new player retention far more difficult.

Wow that was a read. I don't want to respond with a short and seem as though I didn't take your thoughts into consideration.


But I'll offer you my perspective. Coming from a miner/spacer myself who also pops.

I haven't found an issue at all. Nobody has personally tried to kill one of my hand samplers or crafters. And if they did, why would it matter? There is no penalty for cloning.

I think you might be taking this a little too seriously.

If you don't want pvp, don't flag up or enter a pvp zone, and don't double click Jedi. It's really a simple as that.

To add to that, you could also remain neutral as a crafter or ent so that flagging up isn't even a possibility.

Honestly, yea.

Being that there is no pending for death/cloning... I don't see the point.

I'm a miner/spacer and it hasn't been an issue

 

[NORD]

It's my opinion that I don't think you're taking this seriously enough. I think it is extremely likely that this system, as it stands, is costing this server a large percentage of it's potential new players.

And the fact is I have watched this happen, to brand-new, non-aligned, non-combatants. So remaining neutral or not flagging is not a solution. The problem here is we do not know if or not this is a PVP-dedicated server. The larger problem over that is that a perfectly normal action resulting in no consequence on any other server is filling unsuspecting people's mouths with the taste of the floor they were standing on a moment before.

I hear your opinion, and I understand that you don't want things to change. What I don't know is why you don't want them to change. That makes me question your motives. If you read my message in full, you saw me ask you this, and I ask you again - Why do you not want this to change? How are you profiting from the death and discomfort of non-combatants? That you don't want to lose this profit is the only somewhat positive reason I can see for you to not want change.

By any objective standard, there is a problem here. Be it in unclear expectations. Definitely in the difference between the norms of interaction with other players in other SWG servers.

The Jedi FRS TEF system makes them attackable by anyone. That's by design and is a check to balance the powerscaling that they have access to from the FRS. In order for a Jedi to attack you, you have to attack them first.

That's it, that's all.

Evolve is not a pvp dedicated server, your friend just accidentally TEFed a Jedi. PvP will only find you if you take the actions to make yourself vulnerable to it. Also, you don't lost anything if you die. If someone dies because they TEFed a jedi and don't want that to happen again, they're now equipped with the knowledge to not allow that to happen again.

Let's stop trying to attribute meaning to what I'm saying beyond what I'm actually saying or trying to sniff out some underlying motive.

 

[Carista]

The Jedi FRS TEF system makes them attackable by anyone. That's by design and is a check to balance the powerscaling that they have access to from the FRS.

What is the reasoning to making the Jedi TEF system so they attackable by everyone? What is the benefit of this? What is it that is hoped to be accomplished by making Jedi attackable by everyone and their grandmother? What powerscaling is achieved by making them attackable by everyone, including non-combat characters like entertainers and crafters?

The Jedi TEF is bound to FRS and should be treated as "Jedi business." No need what-so-ever to involve everyone into it. Right now, everyone gets involved in some way or form, and in my eyes, this is a flaw in the TEF. I would suggest making it so that Jedi are only attackable by Jedi. If some other profession and a Jedi want to battle it out, go to a PvP zone or organize a duel.

 

[windshadow0177]

The Jedi FRS TEF system makes them attackable by anyone. That's by design and is a check to balance the powerscaling that they have access to from the FRS. In order for a Jedi to attack you, you have to attack them first.

That's it, that's all.

Evolve is not a pvp dedicated server, your friend just accidentally TEFed a Jedi. PvP will only find you if you take the actions to make yourself vulnerable to it. Also, you don't lost anything if you die. If someone dies because they TEFed a jedi and don't want that to happen again, they're now equipped with the knowledge to not allow that to happen again.

Let's stop trying to attribute meaning to what I'm saying beyond what I'm actually saying or trying to sniff out some underlying motive.

Please answer my question. How do you profit from this system, if at all, as it stands? How do you lose, in this system, if it changes so that this kind of incident can not happen?

Also, in the more general sense, do FRS participants profit from this kind of kill? Do FRS participants get points for this? Is this a part of the FRS system? I need an answer to this, please. Anyone?

Perhaps the biggest part of the problem in this area is that these people cannot recognize the threat that is in front of them. Maybe this should be changed so that they show up like a hostile creature? Something that says, "I'm dangerous, don't try to interact with me." In any other SWG environment that I've played in, trying to interact with a flagged character, while faction-neutral or not flagged yourself has N E V E R resulted in combat, or any other negative reaction. To me, that all it takes is a mis-click, is like leaving firearms laying around in a daycare center.

Blaming the person who got TEF'd, while performing a customarily normal SWG Interface action, is, in my opinion, wrong. That's victim blaming. If they didn't know this could happen, why shouldn't they be surprised and shocked that it did?

To those that think these deaths are no big deal, consider this scenario -

You've just moved into a new house. You walk outside. You see one of your new neighbors. They wave to you. You wave back. They beat you to the ground immediately. Nice place to live, right?

You call the police. The police come. You tell them what happened. They tell you, "Well, that's the way it's always been here. Boys will be boys." And leave the matter.

Does this sound like somewhere you want to live?
This scenario is 100% what happened in the first incident I related to you.

This server does have a bunch of great things going for it. The complete absence of the grindy time-sinks between me and the things I love most? If that idea could wear a dress, I'd have already absconded to Jamacia to propose to it.

This FRS-TEFing system is a huge problem, and especially because I have already witnessed greifing with it, as well as some of the staff's attitude towards it. My combat toons that I need for farming? All of them have to be reworked to remove AoE DoTs and AoE direct damage. Because someone in the FRS system that gets it into their head to just wander into where I'm farming and kill all three toons. I know that kind of griefing will happen here because I have seen it.

And I am keenly aware that by standing up and giving voice to this, I don't just have a target on my back. There is not a square centimeter of me that is not a target. Quite possibly anyone that plays with me, too.

The time it takes to get set up? To get buffed? Get on an appropriate spot? This is not insignificant. Every time I'm sent to the cloner while I'm trying to do something, I lose time. This is not a victimless situation that some of you seem to think it is. Not one of us can get or make more time.

Look guys, I want to play here. I've already made adjustments to my play style to remain here until I get fed up. I'm making adjustments to my characters to work within what is, in my opinion, forced PVP where innocent and uninterested people are cashed in like coupons, or worse, played with like toys. I can't make you see the destructive elements that are at work here, if you agree about their existence or not. Even if you don't agree that it exists, you'll reap the result regardless.

Until I can't stand to be here anymore, peace out.

 

[NORD]

What is the reasoning to making the Jedi TEF system so they attackable by everyone? What is the benefit of this? What is it that is hoped to be accomplished by making Jedi attackable by everyone and their grandmother? What powerscaling is achieved by making them attackable by everyone, including non-combat characters like entertainers and crafters?

The Jedi TEF is bound to FRS and should be treated as "Jedi business." No need what-so-ever to involve everyone into it. Right now, everyone gets involved in some way or form, and in my eyes, this is a flaw in the TEF. I would suggest making it so that Jedi are only attackable by Jedi. If some other profession and a Jedi want to battle it out, go to a PvP zone or organize a duel.

FRS jedi have increased powerscaling, and part of the way that this is balanced out so that there is some give and take, is to have them be perma SF and attackable by everyone.

For non-jedi players, it is absolutely 100% their choice to engage in combat with jedi - jedi cannot attack them if they aren't attacked first. If you attack a jedi and TEF them, that's on you.

It's not a big deal.

Considering that jedi are meant to be an alpha class, the TEF system surrounding FRS jedi is not going to be changing.

 

[NORD]

Please answer my question. How do you profit from this system, if at all, as it stands? How do you lose, in this system, if it changes so that this kind of incident can not happen?

Also, in the more general sense, do FRS participants profit from this kind of kill? Do FRS participants get points for this? Is this a part of the FRS system? I need an answer to this, please. Anyone?

Perhaps the biggest part of the problem in this area is that these people cannot recognize the threat that is in front of them. Maybe this should be changed so that they show up like a hostile creature? Something that says, "I'm dangerous, don't try to interact with me." In any other SWG environment that I've played in, trying to interact with a flagged character, while faction-neutral or not flagged yourself has N E V E R resulted in combat, or any other negative reaction. To me, that all it takes is a mis-click, is like leaving firearms laying around in a daycare center.

Blaming the person who got TEF'd, while performing a customarily normal SWG Interface action, is, in my opinion, wrong. That's victim blaming. If they didn't know this could happen, why shouldn't they be surprised and shocked that it did?

To those that think these deaths are no big deal, consider this scenario -

You've just moved into a new house. You walk outside. You see one of your new neighbors. They wave to you. You wave back. They beat you to the ground immediately. Nice place to live, right?

You call the police. The police come. You tell them what happened. They tell you, "Well, that's the way it's always been here. Boys will be boys." And leave the matter.

Does this sound like somewhere you want to live?
This scenario is 100% what happened in the first incident I related to you.

This server does have a bunch of great things going for it. The complete absence of the grindy time-sinks between me and the things I love most? If that idea could wear a dress, I'd have already absconded to Jamacia to propose to it.

This FRS-TEFing system is a huge problem, and especially because I have already witnessed greifing with it, as well as some of the staff's attitude towards it. My combat toons that I need for farming? All of them have to be reworked to remove AoE DoTs and AoE direct damage. Because someone in the FRS system that gets it into their head to just wander into where I'm farming and kill all three toons. I know that kind of griefing will happen here because I have seen it.

And I am keenly aware that by standing up and giving voice to this, I don't just have a target on my back. There is not a square centimeter of me that is not a target. Quite possibly anyone that plays with me, too.

The time it takes to get set up? To get buffed? Get on an appropriate spot? This is not insignificant. Every time I'm sent to the cloner while I'm trying to do something, I lose time. This is not a victimless situation that some of you seem to think it is. Not one of us can get or make more time.

Look guys, I want to play here. I've already made adjustments to my play style to remain here until I get fed up. I'm making adjustments to my characters to work within what is, in my opinion, forced PVP where innocent and uninterested people are cashed in like coupons, or worse, played with like toys. I can't make you see the destructive elements that are at work here, if you agree about their existence or not. Even if you don't agree that it exists, you'll reap the result regardless.

Until I can't stand to be here anymore, peace out.

It's not a big deal. If you don't want to be attacked by jedi, don't attack them first. That's literally the long and short of it.

 

[Rezec]

Lets see. I will try to address most of your questions in my summary, apologizes for anything that I miss.

On FRS: This is an optional system for Jedi to opt in/opt out of that offers some increase in power as they rank up and it offers PvP-Mains the opportunity to be on their toes and be attackable, but almost anyone, anywhere, at any time. They are some built in restrictions around same guild, same account and same faction while SF to prevent unintended scenarios.

Is this a PvP Server: No, its not. There is a ton of PvE QoL on Evolve. There are upcoming updates that include World Bosses and new Heroics and Hardmodes of the existing heroics. However, we also have PvP QoL and encourage people to try out PvP who never have. There have been players who come out to PvP Events on Evolve that have NEVER PvPed on any SWG server in the past and that is amazing to see. Some things may seem a bit PvP heavy and that is because you can churn out PvP content far quicker and easier than PvE Scripted scenarios, but those are still coming.

On Population: Do we want to be the size of Legends? No. Are we competing with Server X, Y, Z? No. My unpopular opinion is that this is a bad way to look at it. Almost every server has something unique to offer and different takes on the same game. This should be celebrated and its amazing to see the things that talented people on different projects come up with.

As far as Evolve stands on population, we have a solid active population that continues to grow. Just last night we had 123 unique accounts playing. Do some people leave? Yes, that is every MMO that has ever existed. It won't be what everyone likes because it is impossible to please everyone. People who like to become AFK billionaires, will not like it here and we don't want them to like it here. People who are complete discord trolls? They wont like it here and we dont want them to like it here. Evolve has a long history of taking out the trash, so we will never be the biggest SWG Server, but we try our best to have the BEST COMMUNITY. Quality over Quantity of players has always been our motto.

We do our best to deal with trolls, exploiters, etc so that everyone here has a fun experience to relax and play a game. Some people will complain that I am too hands on with the community and should just let people run rampant and do what they want. If people want that, there are other servers for that.

If people are genuinely harassing other players they will be dealt with. We have zero tolerance for that. At the same time, this current situation is a bit blown out of proportion. The person that did get killed, got apologized to and tipped 50k or something because the Jedi didnt realize it was a crafter until it was too late. As an FRS Jedi almost everyone on the map is red to you, so yes you will try to click on a red player because you don't know if its a TEF, if its an enemy player, etc. A jedi can 100% NOT attack another non-SF player unless that player initiates the combat. You can wave back at players without clicking on them.
It is not uncommon for Jedi to hang out at starports and for the most part it is not to be spiteful, it is to make themselves easy to find.

That being said, I read feedback and I am constantly looking at adjustments to the TEF system that could make things more smooth for crafters and entertainers that WONT be exploitable in some way. Expect some adjustments, potentially in Tuesdays patch.

 

[windshadow0177]

It's not a big deal. If you don't want to be attacked by jedi, don't attack them first. That's literally the long and short of it.

Again, you evade and do not answer my question(s). This tell me that either you enjoy using people as toys or, you do, in fact, profit off of this.

 

[Carista]

OK, I'm not gonna argue with you anymor, NORD. You obviously don't want to answer critical questions and sweep every counterpoint under the carpet with remarks like "It's not a big deal." I've had it with people that don't take other points of view into serious consideration.

 

[NORD]

Again, you evade and do not answer my question(s). This tell me that either you enjoy using people as toys or, you do, in fact, profit off of this.

There's no exploiting going on and dying in swg has zero negative consequences on the player. Furthermore, you have to attack the jedi first in order for them to attack you.

It's an entirely voluntary and opt-in system for both parties.

I'm giving the facts as they are and not dramatizing the incident(s). Please stop attributing meaning where there isn't any.

 

[Rezec]

Again, you evade and do not answer my question(s). This tell me that either you enjoy using people as toys or, you do, in fact, profit off of this.

If a non-jedi kills a Jedi they will receive GCW (if they are in a faction), Restuss Comms (if they are in a faction), 5,000 credits and a BH Token.

If a jedi kills another player they will receive FRS, Restuss Comms, 5,000 credits and an FRS Token.

Either person will get something for killing the other.

 

[windshadow0177]

Lets see. I will try to address most of your questions in my summary, apologizes for anything that I miss.

On FRS: This is an optional system for Jedi to opt in/opt out of that offers some increase in power as they rank up and it offers PvP-Mains the opportunity to be on their toes and be attackable, but almost anyone, anywhere, at any time. They are some built in restrictions around same guild, same account and same faction while SF to prevent unintended scenarios.

Is this a PvP Server: No, its not. There is a ton of PvE QoL on Evolve. There are upcoming updates that include World Bosses and new Heroics and Hardmodes of the existing heroics. However, we also have PvP QoL and encourage people to try out PvP who never have. There have been players who come out to PvP Events on Evolve that have NEVER PvPed on any SWG server in the past and that is amazing to see. Some things may seem a bit PvP heavy and that is because you can churn out PvP content far quicker and easier than PvE Scripted scenarios, but those are still coming.

On Population: Do we want to be the size of Legends? No. Are we competing with Server X, Y, Z? No. My unpopular opinion is that this is a bad way to look at it. Almost every server has something unique to offer and different takes on the same game. This should be celebrated and its amazing to see the things that talented people on different projects come up with.

As far as Evolve stands on population, we have a solid active population that continues to grow. Just last night we had 123 unique accounts playing. Do some people leave? Yes, that is every MMO that has ever existed. It won't be what everyone likes because it is impossible to please everyone. People who like to become AFK billionaires, will not like it here and we don't want them to like it here. People who are complete discord trolls? They wont like it here and we dont want them to like it here. Evolve has a long history of taking out the trash, so we will never be the biggest SWG Server, but we try our best to have the BEST COMMUNITY. Quality over Quantity of players has always been our motto.

We do our best to deal with trolls, exploiters, etc so that everyone here has a fun experience to relax and play a game. Some people will complain that I am too hands on with the community and should just let people run rampant and do what they want. If people want that, there are other servers for that.

If people are genuinely harassing other players they will be dealt with. We have zero tolerance for that. At the same time, this current situation is a bit blown out of proportion. The person that did get killed, got apologized to and tipped 50k or something because the Jedi didnt realize it was a crafter until it was too late. As an FRS Jedi almost everyone on the map is red to you, so yes you will try to click on a red player because you don't know if its a TEF, if its an enemy player, etc. A jedi can 100% NOT attack another non-SF player unless that player initiates the combat. You can wave back at players without clicking on them.
It is not uncommon for Jedi to hang out at starports and for the most part it is not to be spiteful, it is to make themselves easy to find.

That being said, I read feedback and I am constantly looking at adjustments to the TEF system that could make things more smooth for crafters and entertainers that WONT be exploitable in some way. Expect some adjustments, potentially in Tuesdays patch.

Thank you for your detailed response.

I'll repeat another question that I can't seem to get an answer to. Do FRS participants profit/gain points from any kills that are NOT a direct participant to the FRS system? Are the non-combatants that have been attacked in these interactions contributing to the FRS system scores?

RE: the alluded to crafter death with my friend:
As I said before, that one was of both lesser and in a way, greater concern, because she was drawn in through no fault of her own. I absolutely appreciate both the apology and the effort to make my friend whole. To be blunt, that interaction is why I did not leave immediately. My understanding, however, was that it was a bystander that apologized and tried to make the situation right, not either of the participants.

Can something be done to make it more clear to those of us who do not wish to engage in this FRS combat who these participants are? So that we know that these people should not be interacted with in any way?

 

[mediocrebh]

The Jedi FRS TEF system makes them attackable by anyone. That's by design and is a check to balance the powerscaling that they have access to from the FRS. In order for a Jedi to attack you, you have to attack them first.

That's it, that's all.

Evolve is not a pvp dedicated server, your friend just accidentally TEFed a Jedi. PvP will only find you if you take the actions to make yourself vulnerable to it. Also, you don't lost anything if you die. If someone dies because they TEFed a jedi and don't want that to happen again, they're now equipped with the knowledge to not allow that to happen again.

Let's stop trying to attribute meaning to what I'm saying beyond what I'm actually saying or trying to sniff out some underlying motive.

Let me preface this by saying that I would not want to see one dissatisfied player leave the game. I agree with NORD, I have never had my ent or crafters attacked but I, of course, am aware of the TEF. If there is a player that is harassing you with this or any other manner in the game, please report. I don't see the need for a massive overhaul based on a group of very few players that are trying to utilize the game mechanic to create disharmony for another player. I do not want to see anyone leave the server because they may have had a bad experience, but unfortunately, not everyone will be pleased with all of the game mechanics. If we go this direction, are we next going to nerf aggressive NPC/beasts because a new player drove by a group of aggressive kreetles and got killed and had to clone? Early on in this game's life, Jedi were always TEF'd and there has always been collateral damage. I mistakenly attacked the very first jedi (Eyeown Joo) I seen in the game while standing in the Coronet starport and got a trip to the cloner and some decay on my armor and weapon...such is life. My very first death by a player was because I was unknowingly TEF'd while running imperial missions and was unaware of the TEF system, plus lost my speeder. It would be unfortunate for anyone to leave this server because they dont agree with 1 of the hundreds of game mechanics that might cause a slight inconvenience, because they would be missing out on a great community and a unique spin on this game. All you have to do is look at the discord channels here to see how helpful/tolerable/considerate this community is. Even our PvP channel has very little toxicity...we have players who compete against each other (PvP or business) being helpful even if it might not necessarily be in their best competitive interest...I can't say that about other places.

 

[windshadow0177]

If a non-jedi kills a Jedi they will receive GCW (if they are in a faction), Restuss Comms (if they are in a faction), 5,000 credits and a BH Token.

If a jedi kills another player they will receive FRS, Restuss Comms, 5,000 credits and an FRS Token.

Either person will get something for killing the other.

LOL You beat me to it by answering my question. Thank you for making clear what the profit motive is for this.

 

[Griffy]

LOL You beat me to it by answering my question. Thank you for making clear what the profit motive is for this.

To further add on to all of this incentive for killing, you have to also understand that there are dry weeks of no PvP. If by Thursday there wasn’t an event that someone could make or a big PvP battle that they brought their jedi to, there is a huge possibility they will derank that week due to not accumulating enough FRS points. Being a R6 jedi myself, I know that if I’m standing around and someone comes and hits me, even unintentionally, my very first reaction is to hit back and collect the FRS. Does that mean I had a grudge against the person or should /spit on their corpse? No, in fact I think the situation that fueled this flame was handled the best way it could’ve, with a free revive, some knowledge to get a new speeder and some credits. Don’t get it twisted with toxicity. A lot of the toxicity that was on Evolve has been eradicated prior to your group of friends making their way here. I’ve seen nothing but awesome, healthy, fun filled fighting in the PvP scene since then. Hope to see y’all stick around and enjoy the best QoL, community driven server out there.

 

[windshadow0177]

To further add on to all of this incentive for killing, you have to also understand that there are dry weeks of no PvP. If by Thursday there wasn’t an event that someone could make or a big PvP battle that they brought their jedi to, there is a huge possibility they will derank that week due to not accumulating enough FRS points. Being a R6 jedi myself, I know that if I’m standing around and someone comes and hits me, even unintentionally, my very first reaction is to hit back and collect the FRS. Does that mean I had a grudge against the person or should /spit on their corpse? No, in fact I think the situation that fueled this flame was handled the best way it could’ve, with a free revive, some knowledge to get a new speeder and some credits. Don’t get it twisted with toxicity. A lot of the toxicity that was on Evolve has been eradicated prior to your group of friends making their way here. I’ve seen nothing but awesome, healthy, fun filled fighting in the PvP scene since then. Hope to see y’all stick around and enjoy the best QoL, community driven server out there.

Thanks for jumping into the discussion. And also please forgive me for the inherrant sarcasm of part of my response.

So everyone who is not a jedi is a potential coin for Jedi to buy what they want/rank/etc? Sith-like, sure. Jedi? _skepticalfacehere_

To me, that sounds like the system badly needs adjustment. Based on your description, I'll have to think on it a bit to figure out a decent solution-suggestion.

You guys deserve your fun too. Contrary to my viewpoint on this specific issue, I don't have a problem with PVP. I do not think it should be abolished. I'm just not interested. I really don't like blundering my way into it, or being tricked/forced into it. I especially DO NOT LIKE that people are finding out that if you click on the wrong person here, you die first hand - rather than at sign-up or immediately on first log-on. I also really don't like that it's so hard to tell who's safe to interact with as you normally would and who is not. This is, it would seem, the chief failing of this system.

I do, on the other hand, understand the knee-jerk I've-been-attacked-gotta-defend-myself camp. I get that your play environment is high-stress, fast paced, high stakes. That's not for me, though. That said, it's not for me to yuck your favorite.

 

[windshadow0177]

Let me preface this by saying that I would not want to see one dissatisfied player leave the game. I agree with NORD, I have never had my ent or crafters attacked but I, of course, am aware of the TEF. If there is a player that is harassing you with this or any other manner in the game, please report. I don't see the need for a massive overhaul based on a group of very few players that are trying to utilize the game mechanic to create disharmony for another player. I do not want to see anyone leave the server because they may have had a bad experience, but unfortunately, not everyone will be pleased with all of the game mechanics. If we go this direction, are we next going to nerf aggressive NPC/beasts because a new player drove by a group of aggressive kreetles and got killed and had to clone? Early on in this game's life, Jedi were always TEF'd and there has always been collateral damage. I mistakenly attacked the very first jedi (Eyeown Joo) I seen in the game while standing in the Coronet starport and got a trip to the cloner and some decay on my armor and weapon...such is life. My very first death by a player was because I was unknowingly TEF'd while running imperial missions and was unaware of the TEF system, plus lost my speeder. It would be unfortunate for anyone to leave this server because they dont agree with 1 of the hundreds of game mechanics that might cause a slight inconvenience, because they would be missing out on a great community and a unique spin on this game. All you have to do is look at the discord channels here to see how helpful/tolerable/considerate this community is. Even our PvP channel has very little toxicity...we have players who compete against each other (PvP or business) being helpful even if it might not necessarily be in their best competitive interest...I can't say that about other places.

Thanks for throwing in your thoughts and POV.

My specific issue in this place is with the radical departure from the norm of basic SWG UI use. It is the norm, everywhere that I am aware of (and I've played on most of the NGE servers, even Prophecy, where I know Chavex and I think Reedux also came from once upon a time,) to click on someone to interact with them. To my knowledge, short of prepared, specific circumstances (like flagging SF,) clicking on someone alone is not enough to initiate PVP combat anywhere else.

To my thinking, new players should be warned. Also, to my thinking, it should be visually apparent who/what is dangerous. Using your example, a player wandering into a group of yellow creatures should have nothing to fear. Wandering into a group of red? They get what they get. The system has conditioned those of us who have not been on SWG Evolve before that all other players -unless you have prepared yourself to engage- are safe. That is, as I see it, where the SWG Evolve system has failed. It does not inform or alert players to the danger.

Taking that line of thought a little further, if I understand how this works properly, now I have to strip out all AoE damage abilities from all of my combat-enabled farming toons, so that I cannot accidentally aggro an FRS participant or be griefed by one in this fashion. This is highly disruptive to me personally - my main tank is a Commando. My main supporting toon is an officer/squad leader. The commando skills must go. The AoE elements are the most effective. I don't know yet if the squad leader/officer elements can be reorganized in a fashion that keeps them viable.

 

[Rezec]

There's already a visual indicator. It you hover over someone that is attackable, you have a red X over them.

If you are playing with Auto Aim on, you already play at a disadvantage because you have a lower Crit and Hit chance. This is in the source code and true on every server.