It seems that every other blog has posted the authors view on the Open RvR or the lack of it. Never being too good not copy a good subject I’ll take my own spin on it.
What’s wrong:
1. Momentum is needed to gain momentum. You’ll need a big band a warriors to get the ball rolling. Untill this happens people rather just carry on with their quests – a pure cost/benefit calculation due to:
2. Logistics. It takes time to get from your questing/PQ’ing area to the keep and you cannot be sure that there’s actually defenders there to ensure renown (you don’t get points for doing a WW1 trench charge) or that the keep hasn’t fallen already.
3. Rewards. As it stands now most of my RvR experiences have been like doing the PQ: Kill the King and hope to get a lootbag. Twice I've managed to get to a keep before it fell with actual defenders inside and a zerg of attackers swarming the walls - this is within two months of gaming. Still these two episodes have been the highlights of my WAR experience telling me that IF players could get out to fight regularly the game could improve immensely (from good to godlike, that is). More lootbacks rewards taking empty Keeps, more renown/xp rewards fighting the enemy - both is needed I think, but rather more of the latter than of the former.
What do I propose then? What are the golden hotfix? Look no further:
Solutions:
1. Teleport to keep defense/offense. If Mythic implemented a teleport mechanism like they have in scenarios the travelling bit could be avoided. Perhaps do it like the Summoning Stones in WoW, so you only could go one way (and not teleport back once you're done with the keep taking - which would ensure more people staying perhaps?). Trouble is that the element of surprise is easily lost and that is one of the biggest strength the offense posseses. Perhaps put a timer on the teleport? Only after the wall is breached? Only after 5 minutes of fighting? 10 minutes? After the King has been attacked for the first time?
2. Provide a steady stream of renown/xp for fighting in a keep. This way there would be an incentive to go even if it's you against the world. As it is you need to gather a group and organize the defence - rewarding individuals to ride to battle to gather these groups incrementally. You can't defend the castle on your own, but you can dent the offense a bit. As it is now it just don't award you any noticeable renown/xp.
Perhaps make it scale with group size, but getting expenentially smaller thus rewarding small groups for defense, but letting the bigger groups fight it out for themselves? The bigger groups should stand a chance of farming/defending properly and getting their rewards that way.
This solution could also deal with troublespot number one: Momemtum. If individuals get a piece of the action on their own they'll show up. If they show up they'd most likely group up (just dont award going solo with the steady-stream) and then eventually fight it out like a real posse of defenders. Perhaps even coordinating and talking nicely to each other. Ok perhaps not the last bit, though...
3. My last idea is not related to Keeps, but more to getting people into the lakes. I was thinking about how cool I found it when I entered Barak Varr for the first time. Orcs and Dwarfs constantly battling it out and it gave me a feeling of actually participating in a big battle. A great experience! So, how about having bands of warriors (10, 20, 30 or even more) travel to the Lakes with the event being heralded as when a Keep is under attack. Then you could travel along and fight along side of your comrades (although they'd be AI controlled drones). Put in a few Champion/Hero/Lord mobs depending on the size of the army and have them drop lootbacks and you should have a good deal of RvR going on. Even if there ain't many players actually showing up (low pop, non-peak hours etc) it would still instill a feeling of an epic battle going on. And if there's one thing I've learned from MMO's it's: GIEF EPIX!!1!!!
Any thoughts on this?
I just found this excellent idea to reintroduce Darkness Falls. Seems like a really good idea as well.
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