PvP on the RP server

[Shadowfox]

When it comes down to it, it's really up to Igiss and the admins... But I still think it would render factions null and void.

The Phantoms like flying about monologing to themselves while the noobs in NY have a quizzical look on their faces.
---- i.e. :mellow:"What?"
So really, they would be okay, because they are perfectly content killing the Navy in 2 shots while floating about like the three evil cousins from Casper. Which is ironic...

But you couldn't enforce systems that you painstakingly bought for 600 million or anything like that.
Anyways, I'm not going to repeat my points since I know everyone here can read... But thats just my opinion.

And... in response to Unselie, does that mean I can kindly ask for your money next time I see you? :P

Response to Alpha... Two words that we were almost born with in our vocabulary. "Calm down."

Treewyrms solution actually makes the most sense in the long run. We could introduce a few more admins to help with the load.

And finally, in response to Harlequinn... Well said. And it actually makes sense. A paradox!:D

Well, I can give a noobs viewpoint on RP on this server.

I find it...well, difficult. So I've been flying around exploring and keeping my head down ( the perma-ban had something to do with that of course ;))

I haven't played Freelancer for years - in fact I'm here because I found it while throwing out a bunch of old games and thought it would be fun to boot it back up.

I have been spending a lot of on-line time playing NWN. Most servers are PvP based - get the best weps and gear and hack other players to pieces. Sound familiar? Boring once you have the best of everything.

I spend most of my time on a RP server. It's 100% RP, all the time. PvP too, but always in RP. Lots of factions that RP very well amongst themselves and other factions. Reading this thread got me thinking about how that server does it.

Here is what I came up with:
1. Since everyone RPs, noobs are guided by all players in earshot if they step out of line. I found the first few hours a bit of a shock, but found it suprisingly easy to fit in.
2. All gear and weps are severely nerfed. You need other players to survive. You step out of the city alone, the NPCs will tear your head off. You need to learn who you can trust and you need to cooperate.
3. You die (and you can die frequently and in many ways) and respawn, you come back naked and at a lower level. No gear. Nada. The higher the level you are when you die, the more levels you lose. You hope your trusty companions have retrieved your gear and return it to you. Some will steal it. See "learning who you can trust" above.
4. The NWN engine runs on XP. XP has been severely nerfed. You can advance a few levels solo, but then you have to find some friends. It's hard to earn money. No money, you starve. You see someone of high level with good gear, you respect the many hours of play it took to earn it. Not many players are of high level. NWN levels max out at 40. On that server, 10 is high level. Makes it interesting spending most of your time at low level. Like exploring Sirius in a Starflier with a Lvl 2 shield. It can be done, but you have to be really, really good....
5. Lots of help from other players. You make good friends with the other characters because you've had each others backs many times. That server is full most of the time and has a dedicated following of loyal players.

So, Discovery RP. It's hard for a noob to know what to do. A lot of the time system chat is "LOL", "wanna PvP?", etc. as pointed out in other posts. Some players RP a bit, some a lot. I think you could make Freelancer a good RP game, but not the way it is currently configured. It's too easy to make money, too easy to do it solo. You don't need other players to survive, hence you don't really need to RP. You can solo yourself to a good PvP ship in 30 hours play and fly around like a fool killing everyone in sight. You die? No problem, respawn with your ship and all your mounted gear. If you respawned in a Starflier with J1 guns, you might think twice about taking on that cap ship with your HF.

Just my rambling thoughts. The Admins do a great job running this server - I've found them fair and unbiased. The rules appear designed to prevent the worst of Pvp behaviour and , as with all rule sets, it appears they have evolved as situations required it. It's a great mod, and nerfing the weps and ships would gut a lot of the work that has gone into the mod. I don't think there is an easy fix here. Turning off PvP won't solve the problem for the folks who want more RP. The PvP server is a great idea but no one is on there, so the PvP folks have to come here for their fun. PvP is a necessary part of RP because it is a key part of the Freelancer universe. I think the community as a whole (or the Admins) may have to decide the extent of RP and how it should play out. If we want a strict RP server, something will have to change to drive it that way.

Back to trying to fly under the radar until I get the RP thing figured out.....

Shadowfox