Feedback request from James Ohlen: PvP

[StageSith]

What I would like to see is a very basic change. PvP is fun and should be left as is with gear and all in my opinion but what I would like to see is I stop getting exp as a lvl 50 in pvp matches and instead receive more warzone comms or valor points. That makes more sense to me and would be an easy fix. I don't mean a lot, maybe just 1000 valor exp or 100 warzone points for being lvl 50 when you finish a warzone, just a little extra boost just in case you got that huttball match for the 8th time and you need a little boost because you've lost your drive. This would be per match.

[demonolithic]

To stop screwing the pve game to balance pvp.

[Omegi]

Just one?

 

1. Either remove expertise from sub 50 gear or put the same amount of expertise on each piece of gear. Leveling itself doesn't justify the difference in gear availability. That's what more pvp is for.

 

2. After valor rank 60 it should stop or limit the amount of warzone commendations and award more mercenary commendations.

 

3. Customize the color/shape of the cursor icon. It blends into the walls in huttball.

 

4. Clickable frames above the targets head. Ones you can sort by friendly/enemy

 

5. Stop nerfing abilities class wide due to PVP imbalance. Fix PVP elsewhere without restricting other playstyles.

[Decedere]

James,

 

First off, thanks much if you actually read this post. Or any of these. It really does feel like you are all interested and vested in making SWTOR the greatest experience possible.

 

 

Skill versus Gear:

 

It wasn't until I hit about 10% expertise that my skill level caught up with my gear level and i was happy with my contribution to warzones. At around 10% expertise I felt comfortable facing any class 1v1 and knowing that i had a chance of coming out the victor. PVP should be FUN and COMPETITIVE...players that have copious amounts of time to invest should have a slight edge in gear (via farming); but to what extent? Long story short...i feel the difference from Cent < Champ < Battle Master was toooooooo wide of a gap. Its not fun dinging 50 and starting that "grind" to get gear so you don't get your a** whooped every time. IMO it actually has a negative impact on any player who has a remote interest in PVP.

 

Could we please continue to add pvp gear tiers that narrow the gap between the highest tier and the next one available. As a father, the primary bread winner, USAF deployer, and husband (of course in no priority order!) its hard to farm the valor rank to attain Battlemaster. And now that i'm close to 60...we have more gear coming out. I just wish we could find a way (was the same with other MMOs that i have played) to where people don't have time to spend countless hours (its seriously completely unreasonable and unfair to loved ones) farming to attain gear that will allow them to make an impact in PVP. PVP should be a FUN, COMPETITIVE experience...but i personally feel like MMOs have gotten the equation all wrong. Too much focus has been on gear and less on skill. I'm sure that if we lowered the edge on gear...pvp would be so much more interesting to others.

 

Can I get a pat on the back?

 

As a Marauder (spec'd annihilator), I would love to see a column added in the post warzone chart specific to each warzone. For example, in Huttball, a column would display how many times a person scored the huttball or saved the huttball from a goal. With the options available in my specific tree...i can haul a** and score with the best of the sorcs. However, because Marauders are primarily damage dealers we get zero credit in warzones for the helpful things we do to win (because not many people can tell). When I'm primarily focused on winning huttball rather than giving into my crack addiction to damage, I have scored 4-5 times in a single match. However, because the current chart at the end of the warzone just breaks it down as objective points...folks who aren't paying attention to who is actually contributing will not appropriatey designate MVP votes. I just feel damage dealers get a bad rap in warzones because we don't have an obvious way of displaying what they have done objective wise.

In Alderaan you could add a column for capturing turrets...etc.Thanks.

 

-Bamba

 

Pilot, SWTOR addict. =)

[brstreetfx]

Some open world PvP, similar to Dark Age, where its a massive assault on a location for an objective or item. This objective can be guarded by elite or greater NPCs as well as anyone from the other faction. An incentive would be needed to capture this objective so perhaps a stat boost for those that hold it?

 

Its something that can be in constant conflict and no Operation team itself can capture it. It would require the cooperation of multiple guilds in order to achieve the goal.

[bizcuits]

More focus on world pvp such as more zones where PVP is encouraged, objectives exist and rewards are also vast. There is suppose to be a war going on, but it doesn't really feel like it... Why aren't we fighting over entire planets where cities can be taken and lost to the enemy faction.

 

*Idea:

 

Why not have an entire planet established like Balmora where it is a complete warzone. Republic have their landing zone and Empire have theirs. Between each sides landing zone / "main base" are numerous smaller villages and towns that are capture-able. Each village or town or outpost would be on different types of terrain like one on a large hill with narrow bridges and approach to attack up where knock backs throw players off the cliffs. Others down hill where ranged DPS rain supreme.

 

Each area that is captured would offer unique specific rewards, mobs to kill and quest or rare equipment to purchase from vendors.

[DarthBloodloss]

Resolve should work differently. Currently we are CC'd far too often in my opinion. The immunity should kick in sooner, such as after the duration of 1 stun. No more chain stuns. This could also allow for the removal of Stun Break for PvP (and possibly PvE as well).

[Trigon]

Remove same faction PvP. This takes on ludicrous heights when the same guild members are pitted against one another.

[Loading]

Make open world pvp more rewarding to attract more people*, not only on Ilum but everywhere you encounter an opposite faction member.

 

*this includes server merges, because there is not enough people to accomplish something like that

Edited March 21, 2012 by Loading

[chompper]

If I could change 1 thing about PvP:

 

I would nerf guard. It's ridiculously strong. I don't want it to be useless, but right now it's nigh impossible to kill people with guard on. Adding an extra healer (potentially also with guard from another tank) just makes it worse. It's a mechanic where the health transfer is solely used in pvp so it wouldn't impact pve at all. I'd reduce the health damage transfer to 25% and eliminate the base 5% damage reduction. I would, however, increase the range to ~50yards to make it useable in larger area combats.

 

guard is not used solely in pvp my guildhas found it invaluable in ops/fps however nerfing it as you suggest just in pvp i would support wholeheartedly and this is coming from someone who uses it quite often in pvp as well as pve.

 

All the talent trees in my opinion are viable and useable for pvp and pve even though some are more effective than others but i would support the balancing /nerfing/buffing etc etc of talents/abilities for pvp so long as it doesnt effect the pve world because all that accomplishes is making it much harder to build a varity of ops/fp grps and the variety of grps that people would be able to take and succeed in pve shouldnt be controlled by pvp combat.

[Kotlx]

Removal of expertise (creates a massive division between the pve and pvp community, not to mention a massive advantage for those willing to spend hours a day grinding WZ's for the gear that most people simply do not have the time in a day to do).

 

Drastic, yes, but thats the sole reason I lost interest in pvp in WoW.

 

As for a less drastic change;

 

Removal of position manipulating abilities in warzones (i.e. pulls, pushes) for both enemy and ally alike. Far to broken in Hutt ball. 4 PT's and 4 Tanksins can literally pull the ball carrier from mid to inzone and vice versa.

[Omniana]

PvP feels far too reliant on CC at the moment.

[Sandevistan]

Fix the bug with the battlemaster commendation drop rate (80+ bm boxes opened = 5 bm commendations), or even better leave the whole unnecessary random chance factor out of pvp rewards.

[Cywaz]

Yo!

So far I'd say that the pvp system is shaping up for 1.2, the only change I'd like to see it some sort of change to the resolve.

 

My own suggestion is that you lower the immunity time when the resolve bar is full, but when it fills up you instantly break all CC.

 

just my 2 cent

[RTribesman]

I'll say the same thing word for word that i replied to the feedback email they sent me(copy and pasted)....

 

 

Very shortly im planning on cancelling my account. The game lacks any form of 'interesting' PVP. Right now the game is literally a cloned version of World of Warcraft in a Star Wars skin.

 

Warzones *= Battlegrounds

Aldaraan Civil War(and the new upcoming warzone) = Battle for gilneas / Arathi Basin

Voidstar = Strand of the Ancients

Huttball is kinda original but i suppose you could just compare it to Warsong Gulch.

Illum = Wintergrasp / Tol Barad, however in TOR Illum = *Dead. There's no info on world pvp until 'further notice' which isnt good enough for me. I dont mean to sound like an *** but why pay a subscription for a game that does nothing for me? The same reason i decided over a year ago to never play WoW again.

Rated Warzones... i could go on but*what's*the point, i think you see where im coming from.

 

MMOs need to move away from the traditional capture the flag/arathi basin style crap and start going with Warhammer style murderball and conquest or a mixture of both. World pvp cant be based in 1 place like illum or wintergrasp it needs to be based everywhere hence the name WORLD pvp. It needs to be somewhat spontaneous but not too much. Needs to be based around guild and faction ownership of locations to promote rivalries and grudges.

 

I hoped patch 1.2 would give me some reason to remain but right now it just makes me want to leave more with the end of illum and its quests. Even if the*long-term*plan for pvp was released it would still take many months to*develop*and implement which is just too much time to wait while there are many more promising MMOs in the pipeline with release dates coming up. Tera, GuildWars 2 for instance.

 

Niall.

 

----

 

Over and out guys hope to see you all some time in the future.

[Kotlx]

Fix the bug with the battlemaster commendation drop rate (80+ bm boxes opened = 5 bm commendations), or even better leave the whole unnecessary random chance factor out of pvp rewards.

 

Refer to patch 1.2. RNG is being replaced by a set cost, bags are being removed.

[chompper]

I agree with the many many posters about the chain stun/ or as i call it getting stunlocked then beat to death without being able to do anything about it. if you get stunned it should give you a buff that doesnt allow a stun to effect you for at least 20-30 secs. that would be plenty simple enough just add the buff and done. which in turn would force pvper's to get better at their combat skills instead of faster at hitting their stun button.

 

i dont think it would eliminate the need for a stunbreaker in pve but deffinitly it would reduce alot of agrivation in pvp.

[ShadowKntSDS]

More maps! More maps! More maps!

 

I think the new PvP gear in 1.2 will fix most of the Expertise problems.

 

I also think the resolve system as whole is fine, even it could use a few tweaks.

[Snowwarrior]

Remove the PVP trauma effect. It will make games feel faster and have more natural movement.

[Isime]

Open world PVP must have meaning!

 

Why do we have to go there?

What are the benefits / rewards?

 

It is not supposed to be mindless and has to have substance. goals and fun!

 

Empire vs Republic must have an impact on each faction to make them want to pvp.

WE NEED A REASON for world PVP.

[chompper]

Open world PVP must have meaning!

 

Why do we have to go there?

What are the benefits / rewards?

 

It is not supposed to be mindless and has to have substance. goals and fun!

 

Empire vs Republic must have an impact on each faction to make them want to pvp.

WE NEED A REASON for world PVP.

 

i agree completely!!!!

[Voraxus]

PvP Change:

• Incentivize PvP in a way that is conducive to both group PvP as well as one-on-one PvP.
  

 

Why?

• One of the reasons I play SWTOR almost specifically for PvP is because I find myself trying to replicate that traditional epic one on one duel scenario that you find all throughout Star Wars. Unfortunately, due to the current state of warzones (although fun and competitive) and open world PvP, this is often very hard to accomplish without some kind of outside player interference.

• Lots of players (such as myself) find it difficult to pull groups together for PvP due to various reasons (awkward gaming hours, guild is PvE-focused, willingly unguilded, etc). This change would allow the solo players to thrive while still contributing to the cause of PvP, whether that be a warzone, open world PvP, or what have you.

• One on one battles are communally intense on a level completely different than group PvP. 1v1's have the potential to form deep rivalries (and sometimes also bonds, both out of rivalries or out of mutual rivalries), which build player relationships, which makes for better player communities.

 

How?

1. Warzones
   

Let me first start off by saying that I enjoy the warzones in SWTOR. Admittedly, they can be somewhat repetitive at times, however I still find myself getting mad when my team is incompetent (which is a good thing).

 

• The current design of warzones is very linear. Wherever the objectives are (doors in Voidstar, turrets in Civil War, ball in Huttball*) is typically* where the action is. What this does is water down warzones to: "Which team has more players/is more coordinated?", which isn't necessarily a bad thing because it provides great team incentive for things like ranked warzones. The flaw with this design is that it tends to shut out players who solo queue in full Battlemaster, and get stuck with maybe a team of fresh 50's.
  My proposal to make warzones
  conducive of both group and solo environments
  would be to add side-objectives that make it viable for players to branch off to the beaten path with something like team or self-specific buffs that hold the potential to turn the tide of a battle. This design allows for the primary objective to still be the center-piece of warzone, but adds a whole new strategic approach to warzones for both the single and group players (and provides a neat new way to earn your Assassin Medal!)

 

• Open-World PvP
  

• When we look at Ilum's design, there is one factor (in my opinion) holding PvP back, turning Ilum into a glorified fishing contest at choke-point locations like bridges: Ilum is massively horizontal and barren with not a lot of stuff going on vertically or environmentally, attempting to force open world PvP to be in the form of even, head-to-head combat. This puts the outcome of Ilum PvP in the favor of whichever side has the most numbers (in my servers case, Empire), while forcing the minority faction to utilize the Spartan-esque choke point tactic to even the playing field.
  So how do we deal with the population imbalance? Simple: by evening the playing field across the board. Numbers are virtually insignificant when environmental hazards--such as pitfalls, bridges and even (cough cough nudge nudge) giant space-cores or sarlaac pits--are running rampant in the environment. Additionally, these obstacles wouldn't necessarily have to be deadly; Ilum's tunnels and Jedi/Sith ruins (which I wish there were more of, and on a larger scale) provide a great way for players looking to fly under the radar to get around. Episode I has a great example of an obstacle
  conducive of both group and single player PvP environments
  , namely the on-and-off laser-walls in the Qui/Obi/Maul battle (though I'm sure the logistics of implementing this in-game would be subject for multiple conversations and layouts).

 

• Provide a real world-PvP objective. "IMPERIAL FORCES CONTROL ILUM!" or "REPUBLIC FORCES CONTROL ILUM!" with a bonus to valor gain for farming simply isn't a good enough incentive for players to battle on the objectives (which are too many, and too spread out).
  Consolidate the objectives in a centralized location with multiple exits and entrances so battles become more random, personal, and unbiased, while still keeping the player battles within the general area of the objective (which should be, instead of a % increase to valor gain, a consistent stream of valor that is provided to whatever faction controls the objective within a certain radius of the objective). I envision this new objective point to be a multiple level bunker-style base (which you could easily turn into an ancient Jedi or Sith Academy based on the lore of Ilum) that the factions battle each other over in a sort of tug-of-war meets king-of-the-hill battle. This would also probably require the use of those aforementioned environmental hazards to maintain some balance with regards to the population.
  This design encourages consistent combat over an incentive that cannot be farmed, but rather needs to be defended and maintained WITHOUT having all of the combat occur in the same exact location, but throughout the location.

 

TL;DR

• Better warzone/world PvP design to provide more one on one duel scenarios which build bonds, rivalries, and make for better player communities.

• Side-objectives for warzones would provide new, innovative tactics for group queue as well as solo.

• Population imbalance can be nullified by means of environmental hazards & choke points.

• World-PvP objectives should be more consolidated (less horizontal and empty; more vertical and dangerous) with various environmental structures such as (more) tunnels, hidden areas/entrances, and (in the case of Ilum) expanded upon Jedi/Sith ruins.

• World PvP incentives should encourage perpetual back and forth combat to maintain control over an objective, as opposed to zerging control of the objective for the sake of improved farming capability.

 

I really hope this post helps, James! I look forward to the upcoming changes with 1.2, and I am excited for the future of The Old Republic.

[frostyjonnyd]

Revamp the Warzones. All 3 could use some worRevamp the Warzones. All three could use some serious work to make them more competitive. Granted it’s hard to get the proper data without ranked Warzones which would allow you to get data from equally geared teams and group composition. But in my opinion they need some tweaking.

 

Aldaraan- Warzone is too small. With the way that you respawn here it’s pretty easy to defend 2 turrets with competent players. Which leads to a lot of, first team to capture 2 wins. Now I know there is a change coming in 1.2 so maybe that will fix it but either way I think the zone could be a little bigger. Also may be put in some randomly spawnin 1 shot rockets in the open fields that can be picked up to maybe add another angle just a thought.

 

Huttball-Course is way too small with the way you let people move the ball. With the current size of the map players shouldn’t be allowed to force charge, leap, ect with the ball. If they do this it should automatically drop the ball. People can score way to fast at the moment. This should force people to you know actually have to pass which could give the other team more opportunities to intercept the pass. And this map is really made for ranged classes. It seems if you a melee and you leave the middle floor you just get knocked off the path. Not sure what could be done about that but having a Ranged and melee class I can see it’s an issue.

 

Voidstar-By far my favorite but it still could use some work. I think the defending teams respawn in the points are in terrible spots, makes it easy to defend most times. I figure there is really no other good place to put it so how about maybe making the door have a health bar for lack of better term and cut the bomb planting time to like 3 seconds and after 6 or 8 successful plants the door blows up and we move into the next room.

Anyway that’s my 2 cents. Like I stated before its I understand it’s hard to make these kind of calls with the current state of PvP given gear gap and only have 2 brackets ect. So we will just have to see how things work in Ranked Warzones.

k to make them more competitive.

[Mayams]

I hate to belabour the point or say anything like "do what the other guys are doing" but in the interest of reference: In WoW, on PvP servers, when you hit the 30s and waded into Stranglethorn Vale, you were flung head first into PvP whether you wanted it or not. Teaming up was your only real survival option and those encounters and skills only got more honed on the way to 60 and the zones you'd have to quest through. You may have the occasional 1v1 "let it ride" mutual kinda truce thing but more often than not, you were getting jumped - often. And I dearly loved being called out to come over and tear some guys head off harrassing a guild member or sending out that call and seeing the cavalry arrive and just stomp them into the ground .

[recsa]

If i have to change 1 and only 1 thing, my choosen one would be:

 

 

- Allow server transfers or merges, so we can have a healthier population to PvP with

Edited March 22, 2012 by recsa