Blog Banter 32: “Non-Consensual Combat Restrictions”

This month’s Blog Banter comes from Drackarn of Sand, Cider and Spaceships. He has foolishly chosen to poke the hornet’s nest that is the non-consensual PvP debate. Whilst you read his question, I’ll be finding a safe place to hide.

“A quick view of the Eve Online forums can always find someone complaining about being suicide ganked, whining about some scam they fell for or other such tears. With the Goons’ Ice Interdiction claiming a vast amount of mining ships, there were calls for an “opt out of PvP” option.

Should this happen? Should people be able to opt-out of PvP in Eve Online. Should CONCORD prevent crime rather than just handing out justice after the event? Or do the hi-sec population already have too much protection from the scum and villainy that inhabits the game?”

 

I recently answered this question in my “Is Hi-Sec Broken?” posts **, so will cheat and copy some of that here:

I regularly hear people in my corporation lamenting the fact you can be suicide ganked, or Can flipped, or have war declared on you.  You can imagine what the attitude towards Hulkageddon is!  For some they just don’t understand why people would want to, for others they want to be safe to do whatever they fancy. 

I love the fact Hi Sec is not 100% safe.  The three main reasons:

. It fits the EVE backstory.  Life for the vast majority of the populace in EVE is harsh and very unfair.  Read the EVE Chronicles, have a look at how many crew your ships require, and contemplate the number of them which have died over your career.  Did you give them a second thought?  An arbitrary safe zone where there is no risk at all just does not fit.

. It is part of what gives value and consequence to your actions in EVE.  When you undock a ship, you put it at risk.  If you lose it, you suffer a financial set back.  This is what puts value around your efforts to generate ISK.  The old saying “easy come, easy go” sort of explains my mindset here.  If your life in Hi Sec is 100% safe and easy, the value of your achievements (and the game itself) is diminished.

. It generates game content.  I adjust the way I play EVE to reflect its danger.  I always align to a station when mining; keep an eye on local; balance the value of what I haul etc.  Read a sample of the EVE blogs to see how many stories are generated by the danger that resides in Hi Sec.  Take that away from the game, and it will be far poorer for it.

As it is, if you take the time to educate yourself and are careful in how you play the game, you can avoid most non-consequential PVP. 

While I don’t think Hi Sec should be made safer, I also don’t think it needs to be made more dangerous.  There has to be room for people to try and limit the risks, and accept that margin of danger they cannot eliminate.  To help in that acceptance, I would like to see some of the more annoying aspects of Empire PVP be tweaked and finessed.  Idea’s as I have mentioned before, such as:

. I’d like it to be possible to sell, auction or transfer kill rights to someone else.  This is particularly useful for those with no practical way of exercising the right themselves, but still wanting the option of revenge.

. I would like it to be possible to have a limited War Dec on individual pilots in Non-Player Corporations.

. Docking games make Empire PVP too safe.  I would like to see something similar to the changes to the log off mechanism copied over to docking.  If someone is actively being aggressed – they shouldn’t be allowed to dock.

. Make aggression rules far more obvious and clear.

. Look at the faction police response times for pilots with very low sec status who board ships in space while in Empire. 

. Make Shield Dec’s illegal

. Allow the option for aggressors to put a ransom amount on a War Dec, which if paid to them invalidates the war.  (Have this be immediately effective if shooting has not begun, or within an hour or so if it has.) 

. Allow mercenaries or allies to join under the umbrella of an existing war – on the side of the defenders.  This will go active either when the original war does, or after a shorter period of time, such as 6 hours, if it is already active.  This shouldn’t count in the calculations of how expensive the War Dec is.   Make it easier for those being targeted to gather help, or conversely give the aggressors more targets.

This is a random mixed bag of ideas impacting both sides of the fence – but the basic concept is to try and move away from using game mechanics to manipulate Hi Sec PVP, and put the emphasis back on game play.

 

A list of participants (that will be updated by the owner as time permits) can be found here:

http://freebooted.blogspot.com/2012/01/blog-banter-32-non-consensual-combat.html

 

** The full posts can be found here: Is Hi-Sec Broken – Part 1 and Part 2