"stealing" objectives from oppositet faction on a PvE server

[Nyxotic]

It may help (or may not) to not look at 'objective stealing' as an issue of right or wrong, but consider simply that doing so will have a risk-benefit ratio depending upon the potential rewards and the potential consequences.

 

There are times, I will admit, that I have 'stolen' an objective. I can tell you exactly the circumstances: heavy server load, crowded area, and a free-for-all scrum of players all trying to grab limited objectives as fast as they can. In those circumstances, I don't even feel a twinge of guilt trying to grab objectives as fast as I can as it is, in those specific circumstances, the de facto law of the land. The risk of being specifically called out amongst a dozen or so other players all madly grabbing for the same objective is pretty minimal compared to the reward of not having to camp a spawn point for an hour. There is tacit approval of the behavior in a very localized sense by the other players all engaging in it themselves. This also goes for revenge stealing (i.e., doing it back to someone who did it to you first).

 

Now, if on the other hand you jump in to objective steal some poor bloke who's just going on about his business all by his lonesome, whether it is right or wrong you just upped your risk of getting called out on it. From there, perhaps you lose the opportunity to have a new mate to group with, or your reputation begins to suffer and other players begin to shun you (like that poor bloke's guildies) as you begin to look more and more like a selfish and self-centered ******. But, hey, maybe you are playing a Smuggler or Bounty Hunter and are actively trying to create that sort of reputation because you are really, really into authentically RP-ing your character. Risks and rewards.

 

Mechanically, you can objective steal; the game makes it possible. But, it is also possible for others to get torqued at you over it. So, really, just ask yourself first, is it worth it? For me, I'd rather get along with my fellow gamers as much as possible (or, as much as my smart-arsed mouth will allow), so I don't think the rewards of getting an objective first through stealing are worth the risk of losing out with my fellow players.

[dvkisok]

I think objective stealing is a bad thing no matter the circumstance. That said, I do it very, very often. Why? All reward, no punishment. If someone calls me out, I'll close the chat window or swap characters for a few minutes. When it happens to me, I silently accept it as objective karma making me pay for my past wrongdoings. In a game like this, objective theft sadly is an inescapable fact of life.