Theres been talk in these forums of the potential of PVP sets, gained similar to STF sets as a way of drawing players to PVP as an alternate grind. But it was only just now i began to wonder what these potential sets could/would do?
http://www.stowiki.org/Set - thats a full list of all current ground and space sets. What do you guys and gals suggest be added to "PVP Sets" in terms of abilites, visual look, would there be seperate sets for each faction etc.
Comments
I will add more ideas later.
1) A turn rate buffing set. Always popular to have more turn rate.
Your turn rate is increased by +5 points (not a percentage modifier, so particularly useful for low-turn rate ships)
Activate this power to gain a +100 % turn rate buff and a +20 % defense buff for 10 seconds.
Or something like that.
the maco set visual could look like... the enterprise macos
Ent Maco
By That I mean... add say...
War Hero Set...
2 Piece bonus... Aegis 2 Piece bonus.
3 Piece bonus... Bog Hull heal.
This means something new but similer, for balance reasons. A combo you could easily do with 2 pieces of both borg and aegis... but its new its different and it can look cool.
Could be all sorts of variations... bottom line is they would have to be designed so they couldn't be comboed with existing pve sets to offer > bonuses. Still they could be slightly different and the 3 piece sets could offer the typical bonuses people get now out of running 2 of one and 2 of borg ect.
.... 2 piece Tet Glider like Omega... 3 piece borg hull heal.
PvP sets could focus on PvP perfered engines. (Hyper Impulse) and defelectors that have shield and hull bonuses.
Deflector
10% Acc Bonus
+28 to emitters
+28 to hull repair
+28 to tolling on the forums
Engine - Combat Impules
+20 to turn rate
+30 to BAness
Shield - Covariant
make it a little higher than the honor guard
Maybe we should go into an entirely different direction with PvP Sets - maybe it should be weapon sets, so that they work better with the existing PvE sets?
Or a console set?
Chance to put an offlined subsystem back online when taking damage.
3pc bonus
Subspace Nuke, PBAoE similar to PSW but without the stun. Does boosted damage to NPC's. Designed primarily to combat mass fighters/spam. Does Kinetic damage.
Secondly, rather than Gear Sets, Id like it if players were able to eventually earn a token that would allow the player to exchange one of his/her career specific abilities for another, equal or lesser level ability from another Career.
But how about sets that push us into different directions in terms of play, giving incentive to use less-used energy types for example. Plasma doesen't get used much as many people use items with an inate plasma resistance, a PVP set or two might give reason to start using it? Reasons that give PVPers more choice and yet no making existing sets redundant,
Or, we could introduce a 4th piece to existing sets much like the Borg set, this would open up sets like the Breen, Jemmy and possibly Reman and Aegis that fall to the wayside. It would also tempt the completionists to come and PVP for the final pieces in order to have them all.
The incentive to PvP isn't the gear, it never was nor will gear specific to PvP attract players who aren't interested in PvP. You may get some farmers to grind out the sets but, bonus achieved, they go away never to return.
Many players come to PvP curious only to get blown away and never return. Instead of spending dev time on gimmicks, spend those same dev hours on balance, a working matchmaker system, and a method to bend the learning curve so that new PvP'ers aren't insta-ganked.
Adding more gear to separate the PvP player from the casual player will have the opposite of the intended effect: it will create in the minds of the non- or would-be- PvP'er that without gear he can't succeed at PvP, and without success in PvP he can't get gear. Justified or not, this concept will do more harm to PvP than any shineys and omg consoles can heal.
With PVP's current health being so bad, dont you agree that anything is worth a try at this point?
Match making systems will do pretty much NO GOOD AT ALL, without a playing population to actually match make with.
We would need to see consistent que numbers of 30+ for a que to realistically consider match making accomplishing much of anything. The player base just isn't there for it to work.
Balance is more or less "ok" just add a BoFF power that can counter RSP and balace would be pretty good.
Learning curve is impossible to balance aside from removing premades, the issue isn't "oh look pug vs pug I got vaporised" its "premade primaried me and I went pop before I saw anything". Very rarely if ever will you get insta-pwnt from a pug unless they bring some teamwork (which is rare).
They can try to facilitate teamwork, such as with built in target calling and that sorta thing but thats really it.
Probably the biggest change they could make would be to make the 5 shield distributions toggles and explain/encourage there usage. Though some people would be "zomg you are automating the game HAX! to nub friendly wtfomgbbq! Its only ok to have keybinds tied to all your keys that do that for you, toggles are hax!
I am a troubleshooter by training and trade. I analyze systems and fix them. The first thing you learn in my craft is to not break it more. And this is what I believe PvP sets would do. These sets would widen the gulf between current PvP'ers and those who might PvP if it were accessible.
While I don't entirely disagree with this, I would like to ask you to consider why queues aren't 30+ players at any given time. World of Tanks gets this easily with a game that is nothing but PvP.
Balance has been addressed many times by many players with far more experience than I, so I won't address specifics, but to say generally that adding more unbalanced BOff abilities and consoles isn't the answer. A Rock/Paper/Scissors system which is the existing framework, balanced so rock isn't always a win is what is required. And before adding any new abilities or consoles, to integrate them into the existing system instead of just saying, "Hey, new power! Cool beans!" A science ship, cruiser, and escort of the same tier should stalemate one another one on one when played by players of equal skill, and then teamwork and skill would be the determining factors in a victory.
And aside from dumbing down top tier PvP, there is a lot they can do to make information on how to PvP more accessible. Abilities descriptions which are detailed and accurate, for one. A 'manual' which explains basic PvP concepts and how they are applied to different ship and career choices, and yes, explaining how shield distribution helps, all before the player ever queues up at level 45 or 50 for the pwnfest he currently receives. There are 45 levels where this learning could take place and this would never impact the top tier play, other than to bring in players who are ready to learn instead of players whose first and last experience is to get pwned, respawn, and quit PvP forever.
I'm not so sure about the latter, but I definitely support the former. I'm not so sure that there's any pvp-related accolades in-game at the moment, but it's definitely a possible reward system that rewards ability in a pvp setting, for a pvp setting, rather directly.
Yeah there are, but most/all are "Kill TRIBBLE amount of Klinks, Klink ships, Feds, Feddy ships, do PVP YYY amount of times."