What this means is that I only PvPed with others in my fleet (with like 95% of this fleet hating PvP with a passion) in 1v1 matches or flew around Kerrat a bit.
In general I kind of enjoyed it for a time, but It seems my play style doesn't really sync with this game (play only with good friends, pug/solo the rest), I get rolled in queues and I often get rolled in Kerrat too, and as a science officer it seems that to be 'effective' in PvP im shoehorned into 1 of 3 builds:
1. Torp Boat (Ive invested a lot into energy weapons, im not about to throw them away for a play-style ill probably be complete TRIBBLE at anyways.)
2. Zombie healer (Pure healer, unable be killed while unable to kill? Sounds like pure boring to me imo, not to mention the fact that I don't have a team.)
3. Energy drainer (Not viable for feds Ive heard, not to mention it requires some hellish min-maxing that requires you to drop the EC and console slots for high level flow cap consoles to even do anything, no thanks.)
I made this sci pre-f2p back when science was a force to be feared, now-a-days science is like little module hooked on the side of escorts for the sole purpose of sub-nuking then promptly getting out of the way.
Thanks to this, Ive largely quit as a whole, don't even 1v1 anymore, in fact Ive found myself drifting away from the game in general as nothing is really keeping me around, hell... my friends quit ages ago.
Why I do PvP? Cause STO is only modern Star Trek game and the PvE in it is simply boring (so boring that watching paint dry or grass growing is more exciting). There is nothing else to do but PvP in STO.
I do it for fun, some entertainment after work. Do not care enough to grind all the F2P stuff, so I stay in low-level PvP with constant rerolls. Do not care about being the best, winning or loosing. Just some funny fight here and there.
What kind of PvP I prefer? I think C&H from those two we can choose from. But my main play field is Ker'rat and challenges in secotr space. I'm dueler and simply love to get 1v1 and test various strange and mostly stupid ideas for builds I come up from time to time. Using other players and guinea pigs
And as it does not cost me anything to reroll and get new toon - I can do some really stupid things. I think this "and now I try it this way" and the thrill that comes with trying it is what keeps me in the PvP and the game.
Social aspect does not exist for me. I play for myself and myself only. For socializing I have real life.
A better question for me might be "Why Don't You PvP?"
But to stay on topic, I would be interested in two things and only two things: Rewards and Interactions.
Given a relatively level playing field (equivalent gear/skill), interaction with other players in PvP is fun and interesting.
My views may not represent those of Cryptic Studios or Perfect World Entertainment. You can file a "forums and website" support ticket here Link: How to PM - Twitter @STOMod_Bluegeek
What motivates you to PvP, in this game and/or others?
Oh I'm just here for the women.
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC] @Aquitaine985 Lag Industries STO PvP Fleet - Executive
A Sad Panda of Industrial calibre. 2010: This is Cryptic PvP. Please hold the line, your call is very important to us...
I remain empathetic to the concerns of my community, but do me a favor and lay off the god damn name calling and petty remarks. It will get you nowhere.
I must admit, respect points to Trendy for laying down the law like that.
I usually PvP for the Dil Daliys but I do like the challenge of it espically when its a fair challenge.
One day in doing the Arena Daliys it took me 4 runs instead of 3 as I couldn't stand the first one where it ended up being me vs 5 other ships camping my spawn point. I was dead constantly in less than 10 seconds.. I just left while in respawn oblivion and tried and hopped to get better ones. Thankfully the next 3 of the day were good more evenly matched ones. Sure didn't win any but had some fun and was a little bit challenging.
I PvP for the challenge. Although this game is relatively easy compared to some other competitive online games, it still takes effort at times. Winning feels good of course, but close matches where you have to work for it gives a sense of accomplishment whether you win or lose.
Doing well gives a bit of an ego boost sometimes, but at the end of the day it's still just a casual game which is purely for entertainment.
Obviously the social aspect is a big part of the entertainment, and one of the primary merits of PvP in this game is the emphasis on community and teamwork. Playing live against other people has endless replay value as it is always dynamic and fresh.
I PvP because if I would not, I would probably not be playing this game anymore.
I like challenges, challenges to overcome obstacles, players, teams, tactics.
It is as complicated, dynamic, and complex as you want to make it (as a solo player or team player)
Yet fun, especially with more people at your side thinking the way you do. Find new hax with your fleetmates and use that in PvP play.
Just awesome, this particular aspect even puts less enjoyable gameplay mechanics in the background once in a while...
I PvP because it's never the same experience twice and it's always a fresh challenge. Also because it requires actual skill and thought instead of just spacebar smashing.
It's fun to make builds
It's challenging
The complexity
Going up against players is more personal (Community)
Tense
In some of the posts I read one of the reasons they play this game is because they like Star Trek, for me its the other way around, before I played this game I had a rather low opinion of Star Trek, but this game encouraged me to give it another chance and now I would have to say its one of my favorite things to do (watching the TV Series I mean).
Do you prefer straight up kill matches, capture the flag? Special modes?
Arena: everything else just gets in the way (its not about the surroundings its about the ships and the captains behind them), but C+H is still fun but only because its different.
Are you in it just for the competition?
Competition is fun, its one of the cornerstones of PvP...
Are you in it for ego stroking? (I'm serious)
A long time ago, but thankfully not now
Do you enjoy the social aspects (teaming, cooperation & coordination, competition against other live players)?
Definatly
V Klingon teams with half a brain its just a walk over by the Klingon's they Battle Cloak and then all hit the same target then battle cloak rinse and repeat...
V Klingon teams with half a brain its just a walk over by the Klingon's they Battle Cloak and then all hit the same target then battle cloak rinse and repeat...
Or, you know, you carry 1-2 of the dozen or so abilities/consoles that can be used to keep someone from re-cloaking, or from escaping to re-cloak safely.
My PvP toon is Krov, of The House of Snoo. Beware of my Hegh'ta of doom.
When I made my first character I didn't want to play fed so just went to level 25, made a klink. You can't really avoid pvp as a klink, well not before anyway, it was the main way I leveled up and it just seemed like the natural thing to do in this game. I had so many missions that needed pvp so I did them. I found it fun and liked how I could level and farm dil at the same time.
Anyway I admit a lot of it is still to farm dil as I like to cap multiple characters each day, but I figure might as well do your best while there and have fun at the same time.
I do it for the same reasons as nearly everyone else; having something to do in-game. PvE gets boring after a while, and the only fresh things left are either PvP or foundry stuff. And even then, only PvP is actually a challenge.
Then again, there are times when PvP turns me off too....
Do you prefer straight up kill matches, capture the flag? Special modes?
Straight-up is generally the way to go, in this game, at least. I mean, I fly starships to pew, right? XD
Are you in it just for the competition?
Not only for the competition, but it is part of the reason.
Are you in it for ego stroking? (I'm serious)
Well, I would be lying if I said ego didn't play any part of it, but it certainly isn't the main reason.
Do you enjoy the social aspects (teaming, cooperation & coordination, competition against other live players)?
Yep, definitely. Except for the fact that I play STO on a connection that keels over at the mere sight of a voice comm.
What motivates you to PvP, in this game and/or others?
In most MMORPGs I very rarely PVP. The last one I did on a regular basis was long ago in Pre-CU SWG in 2004 For STO, I did it for more variety in gameplay as well as it being "Star Trek." When I say "variety," I mean the greatly varying skill levels, ship builds, and all the different factors that go into a PVP match. In the same match, you can have someone that can wipe the floor with you, people that are on par with you, or someone that's less skilled / built up than you. All without changing game difficulty nor cheesey AI, 1-shot instakills that you have no warning about.
The hard part: Remain constructive, do not make derogatory remarks about others reasons and try to keep PvE out of it. Some ideas for deeper conversation:
Do you prefer straight up kill matches, capture the flag? Special modes?
Most of my PVP is via the queues. C&H, Arenas. I've done a few private / fleet ones as well as the occasional trip into Kerrat (rarely done). That said, I really did wish Cryptic enabled more maps, more modes, more PVP missions for both factions.
Are you in it just for the competition?
Competition + Excitement of PVP and its sometimes unpredictable nature + Validating a ship build I'm experimenting with. PVP forces the player to constantly refine their build.
Are you in it for ego stroking? (I'm serious)
I get satisfaction from winning a tough match, of course. I don't gloat, and I prefer to stay quiet if my team is wiping the floor with the other. No need to rub it in, nobody likes being used like a mop Just get the match over with and get on with another fight.
Do you enjoy the social aspects (teaming, cooperation & coordination, competition against other live players)?
I mostly PUG with the occasional fleet mates to join up with. The social aspects I do enjoy, even among PUGs. Seeing someone in dire need, then coming in to try to even the fight out and saving them. You regularly see something small like a 1v1 go into 2v1, then next thing you know, lots of people are there guns blazing. I also want to mention that KDF PUGs I feel are much "tighter" than most Fed PUGs. Not talking about skill, but I feel the KDF stick together far more, and are better on cross-team support in the PUGs. I like that feeling that even in a PUG, I can feel that the vast majority of KDF players will have your back.
Not saying Fed PUGs cannot do it, but from my time in PVP as both Fed and KDF, the KDF cross support is usually better.
I was bitten by the PvP bug waaay back in the first days of Dark Age of Camelot.
I used to play games for the story, for the PvE content.
Once I killed my first elf....The adrenaline rush of him being able to use a list of abilities against me, and it was difficult, was...intoxicating. I was no longer content with the grind of just killing mobs. I wanted a real challenge.
I have played so many games, and PvP'd in all of them. RPGs, Shooters, flying, sailing, t..tanking? (World of Tanks). Nothing beats the thrill of a real challenge.
Why do I PvP?
It may sounds stupid, but I honestly PvP to lose, to ultimately become better. You may learn a bit by winning, but you learn so much more by losing. Losing means I have something to improve upon, which is the challenge that I seek. Tweaking and changing my build, trying this in place of that. Swapping that for this. I love to refine myself, honing my skills to perfection.
Since perfection can never be achieved, its a perfect process since I am never done
In all seriousness though, I PvP because I find it more exciting than the endless STFs, Fleet missions, story missions, etc. as it's a dynamic team environment, which is much more fun than the same scripted encounters. Even losing at an arena is a lot more fun than grinding the same encounters for marks/dil!
I do PvP because it's more interesting than the PvE content provided. NPCs are slow, mostly predictable, and just not that much of a challenge. The way the game makes them 'challenging' is to tack more hullpoints, shieldpoints, or firepower on them. They don't carry many abilities, and they don't always use these abilities in a way that makes tactical sense.
Why I do PvP? Cause STO is only modern Star Trek game and the PvE in it is simply boring (so boring that watching paint dry or grass growing is more exciting). There is nothing else to do but PvP in STO.
I do it for the same reasons as nearly everyone else; having something to do in-game. PvE gets boring after a while, and the only fresh things left are either PvP or foundry stuff. And even then, only PvP is actually a challenge.
There seems to be a trend here...
I enjoy PvE/single player in pretty much every game but this one. Let's face it...the PvE in this game is absolutely terrible.
I PvP because that Romulan Experimental Beam Array, the wings of Elite Scorpion Fighters, that supposedly overpowered Aceton Assimilator, the 'I hate what it does but I want it for my faction' Plasmonic Leech, the 'what is that thing oh gods why is it so MEAN to me' Bio-Neural Warhead, the 'Hahaha puny Federation shi- WHAT THREE SHIPS HOW' MVAE seperation... all of the nifty things AREN'T going to use themselves. Plus it's fun to watch people rage.
What motivates you to PvP, in this game and/or others?
I enjoy the challenge of fighting human players. I get a rush from it. A close battle can be pretty dang exciting.
The AI and difficulty level of most MMO's is not enough to keep me interested long term
so turning to PVP is a natural progression for me. This is the first one I've really gotten into. I've tried three others and I lasted till around level 25 before I got bored. So, Star Trek drew me to this game and the fun space combat has kept me here. Before this, the majority of my PVP experience was in console FPS games and the Souls series.
The hard part:
Remain constructive, do not make derogatory remarks about others reasons and try to keep PvE out of it.
Some ideas for deeper conversation:
Do you prefer straight up kill matches, capture the flag? Special modes?
I prefer Arena matches. I think capture the flag would be a lot of fun with spaceships though.
Are you in it just for the competition?
I'm a pretty competitive person so I do enjoy that aspect of it. But the important thing for me to remind myself is that it's just a game and if I'm not having a good time I need to take a little break and go do some Borg killin'. If we had more post match time to discuss the match in map or leader boards, kill stats etc. it would be cool.
Are you in it for ego stroking? (I'm serious)
Hmmm no, not really. If I was I think I would've chucked my lappy out the window by now. lol It does feel good winning but if it was a total smackdown then it feels like a hollow victory. Also, if I feel like I was the weak link, had the lowest DPS or lowest heals then I try to think about why that was and what I can do about it for next time.
Do you enjoy the social aspects (teaming, cooperation & coordination, competition against other live players)?[/QUOTE]
I've only Pug'ed but I love the social aspect of it. When you have a good team that is calling targets, healing each other staying together things tend to come together nicely.
My current fleet is pretty small and there's only one or two guys that will randomly join me in the Q so I'd love to find a regular group to play with or PVP specific fleet to join. Seems like the best ones are invite only
There seems to be a trend here...
I enjoy PvE/single player in pretty much every game but this one. Let's face it...the PvE in this game is absolutely terrible.
I agree there is a strong running theme with that, and to be completely honest that is what actually brought me into PvP in this game - but it's not what has kept me here.
What has kept me here, PvPing, is actually the other strong running theme: The social aspect.
I'm impressed, though not surprised, at just how many responses voice very specifically a social element to the reason for PvPing.
I don't think many "PvE only" players actually realize the level of social interaction with PvP even though PvP by it's very nature outright requires you to socially interact with others.
Competition
Friendships
These two key elements continually surface throughout the thread.
Everyone has been so generous with their responses, it's only fair I disclose as well.
What motivates you to PvP, in this game and/or others?
I've actually not PvP'd much in other MMORPGs, I usually prefer FPS type stuff for that as it's technically more "balanced".
Surprisingly though I've come to find STOs PvP, even with all it's bumps, warts and bruises, to be much more satisfying than the quick and dirty gank fests of other games (not that those aren't fun).
What motivates me to continue PvPing is the fun of competing as part of a team against other teams.
I've always loved min/maxing and theorycrafting, and testing out these ideas in PvP or bouncing them off of others provides continuous fun for me.
Do you prefer straight up kill matches, capture the flag? Special modes?
I personally find the premade vs. premade fights to be deep enough to be enjoyable without requiring game instituted modes.
I'm not personally against other types of PvP beyond arena, but they would need to be better designed than C&H.
Are you in it just for the competition?
No, but I do love the competition.
Are you in it for ego stroking? (I'm serious)
Sometimes. Although it's more the satisfaction of having played well or fought well, or coming up with a new successful ship build/strategy.
Do you enjoy the social aspects (teaming, cooperation & coordination, competition against other live players)?
Absolutely. This is probably the most fun aspect for me, and specifically being in an very active fleet of very diverse personalities.
I don't think many "PvE only" players actually realize the level of social interaction with PvP even though PvP by it's very nature outright requires you to socially interact with others.
I'll quote this from another thread...keeping the person's name anonymous:
Honestly, I've never really thought much for PvP. I find it generally brings out the worst in people, and the worst KIND of people. Given that there's no real purpose to PvP in this or really any other game (except Warhammer Online), there's little reason to PvP in STO other than to stroke one's e-peen.
I didn't reply to them. I've replied to "them" in countless threads here, in other games, and even on general MMO forums. It's simply not been my experience. Quite to the contrary, I've found that PvE brings out the worst in people...and dear God, the sheer number of them...meh.
Spend a day PUGing PvP and a day PUGing PvE...there's going to be far more moaning, groaning, elitism, and TRIBBLE going on in the PvE than in the PvP.
But yeah, folks have this image of PvPers as the worst kind of scum out there...
...course, imho, it's not whether it's PvP or PvE - it's the person; so yeah, you can find them wherever you go...
...but I've found PvPers tend to have a better understanding of mechanics in various games and are more willing to share that knowledge than a PvE player is.
PvE you have to learn a particular dance for an encounter.
PvP you have to know how to dance in general because there is no particular dance for an encounter.
The PvPer won't care if you have XYZ too...its going to come down to skill in the end.
So they're going to be more likely to share info.
Again, it's not all hugs and pats on the back with PvP...ahem, certain people just don't get along.
But to stereotype them as so many PvE folks do...while wallowing in the muck of the PvE community...has always struck me as funny.
I've found that PvE brings out the worst in people...and dear God, the sheer number of them...meh.
Spend a day PUGing PvP and a day PUGing PvE...there's going to be far more moaning, groaning, elitism, and TRIBBLE going on in the PvE than in the PvP.
But yeah, folks have this image of PvPers as the worst kind of scum out there...
We're stretching a touch into something that could probably be its own topic, but I'll put my thoughts out there.
1) A lot of PvErs feel that way, maybe they don't voice it.
2) I think there are aspects of PvE that are also social - this game unfortunately does not promote them very well.
3) While I've found quite a number of e-peen wagging bafoons in PvE, I do think what happens is that PvP does, sometimes, attract personalities that are both caustic and parasitic. Players who literally derive enjoyment from the misery of others or who simply enjoy tossing around vitriol under the false guise of "telling it like it is". These are definitely not the norm though.
Unfortunately #3 is very loud, very visible and makes enough of an idiotic stink to ruin the image of the rest of the community.
I'll go out on a limb and say those players also have probably clouded the view of PvP and PvPers for many game developers.
It's nice to see just how many players here have basically come out against that without trying to, simply by showing how important community, friendship and competition are to PvP and PvPers in general.
Internet PVP tends to have a high sample of misfits. This game has a few, the reason it doesnt have more is because the PVP isnt attractive enough to have a significant pool to draw from. A lot of people restrain their builds on purpose becasue you all know each other and want some peer respect, but there is still KDF fleeties in Kerrat sucker-punching low-level Feds who are fighting off a sphere. A lot of people just say effit, and then turn off that part of the game.
Comments
What this means is that I only PvPed with others in my fleet (with like 95% of this fleet hating PvP with a passion) in 1v1 matches or flew around Kerrat a bit.
In general I kind of enjoyed it for a time, but It seems my play style doesn't really sync with this game (play only with good friends, pug/solo the rest), I get rolled in queues and I often get rolled in Kerrat too, and as a science officer it seems that to be 'effective' in PvP im shoehorned into 1 of 3 builds:
1. Torp Boat (Ive invested a lot into energy weapons, im not about to throw them away for a play-style ill probably be complete TRIBBLE at anyways.)
2. Zombie healer (Pure healer, unable be killed while unable to kill? Sounds like pure boring to me imo, not to mention the fact that I don't have a team.)
3. Energy drainer (Not viable for feds Ive heard, not to mention it requires some hellish min-maxing that requires you to drop the EC and console slots for high level flow cap consoles to even do anything, no thanks.)
I made this sci pre-f2p back when science was a force to be feared, now-a-days science is like little module hooked on the side of escorts for the sole purpose of sub-nuking then promptly getting out of the way.
Thanks to this, Ive largely quit as a whole, don't even 1v1 anymore, in fact Ive found myself drifting away from the game in general as nothing is really keeping me around, hell... my friends quit ages ago.
I do it for fun, some entertainment after work. Do not care enough to grind all the F2P stuff, so I stay in low-level PvP with constant rerolls. Do not care about being the best, winning or loosing. Just some funny fight here and there.
What kind of PvP I prefer? I think C&H from those two we can choose from. But my main play field is Ker'rat and challenges in secotr space. I'm dueler and simply love to get 1v1 and test various strange and mostly stupid ideas for builds I come up from time to time. Using other players and guinea pigs
And as it does not cost me anything to reroll and get new toon - I can do some really stupid things. I think this "and now I try it this way" and the thrill that comes with trying it is what keeps me in the PvP and the game.
Social aspect does not exist for me. I play for myself and myself only. For socializing I have real life.
But to stay on topic, I would be interested in two things and only two things: Rewards and Interactions.
Given a relatively level playing field (equivalent gear/skill), interaction with other players in PvP is fun and interesting.
Link: How to PM - Twitter @STOMod_Bluegeek
Oh I'm just here for the women.
@Aquitaine985
Lag Industries STO PvP Fleet - Executive
A Sad Panda of Industrial calibre.
2010: This is Cryptic PvP. Please hold the line, your call is very important to us...
That might be a good thread to make, Bluegeek.
While you don't PvP I think your contribution is equally valid as to what would motivate you to PvP.
Which is what is at the heart of this thread essentially, the motivation.
One day in doing the Arena Daliys it took me 4 runs instead of 3 as I couldn't stand the first one where it ended up being me vs 5 other ships camping my spawn point. I was dead constantly in less than 10 seconds.. I just left while in respawn oblivion and tried and hopped to get better ones. Thankfully the next 3 of the day were good more evenly matched ones. Sure didn't win any but had some fun and was a little bit challenging.
PaxOttomana: gawd mirror event is like fighting a tsi premade, they keep comin and comin!
Competitions are part of the human nature, it's whitin us. We as Humans like to compete, call it Politics, Religion, Sports, Games, you name it.
And the best part is that we ENJOY IT! IT'S FUN!
www.divisionhispana.com
Doing well gives a bit of an ego boost sometimes, but at the end of the day it's still just a casual game which is purely for entertainment.
Obviously the social aspect is a big part of the entertainment, and one of the primary merits of PvP in this game is the emphasis on community and teamwork. Playing live against other people has endless replay value as it is always dynamic and fresh.
Plus...PEWPEW LAZORZ!!!1
I like challenges, challenges to overcome obstacles, players, teams, tactics.
It is as complicated, dynamic, and complex as you want to make it (as a solo player or team player)
Yet fun, especially with more people at your side thinking the way you do. Find new hax with your fleetmates and use that in PvP play.
Just awesome, this particular aspect even puts less enjoyable gameplay mechanics in the background once in a while...
It's challenging
The complexity
Going up against players is more personal (Community)
Tense
In some of the posts I read one of the reasons they play this game is because they like Star Trek, for me its the other way around, before I played this game I had a rather low opinion of Star Trek, but this game encouraged me to give it another chance and now I would have to say its one of my favorite things to do (watching the TV Series I mean).
Do you prefer straight up kill matches, capture the flag? Special modes?
Arena: everything else just gets in the way (its not about the surroundings its about the ships and the captains behind them), but C+H is still fun but only because its different.
Are you in it just for the competition?
Competition is fun, its one of the cornerstones of PvP...
Are you in it for ego stroking? (I'm serious)
A long time ago, but thankfully not now
Do you enjoy the social aspects (teaming, cooperation & coordination, competition against other live players)?
Definatly
V Klingon teams with half a brain its just a walk over by the Klingon's they Battle Cloak and then all hit the same target then battle cloak rinse and repeat...
Seriously whats the point of Fed V Klingon.
You bring a dedicated decloaker...
oh wait they're useless for everything else lol.
Or, you know, you carry 1-2 of the dozen or so abilities/consoles that can be used to keep someone from re-cloaking, or from escaping to re-cloak safely.
Anyway I admit a lot of it is still to farm dil as I like to cap multiple characters each day, but I figure might as well do your best while there and have fun at the same time.
Then again, there are times when PvP turns me off too....
Do you prefer straight up kill matches, capture the flag? Special modes?
Straight-up is generally the way to go, in this game, at least. I mean, I fly starships to pew, right? XD
Are you in it just for the competition?
Not only for the competition, but it is part of the reason.
Are you in it for ego stroking? (I'm serious)
Well, I would be lying if I said ego didn't play any part of it, but it certainly isn't the main reason.
Do you enjoy the social aspects (teaming, cooperation & coordination, competition against other live players)?
Yep, definitely. Except for the fact that I play STO on a connection that keels over at the mere sight of a voice comm.
In most MMORPGs I very rarely PVP. The last one I did on a regular basis was long ago in Pre-CU SWG in 2004
The hard part:
Remain constructive, do not make derogatory remarks about others reasons and try to keep PvE out of it.
Some ideas for deeper conversation:
Do you prefer straight up kill matches, capture the flag? Special modes?
Most of my PVP is via the queues. C&H, Arenas. I've done a few private / fleet ones as well as the occasional trip into Kerrat (rarely done). That said, I really did wish Cryptic enabled more maps, more modes, more PVP missions for both factions.
Are you in it just for the competition?
Competition + Excitement of PVP and its sometimes unpredictable nature + Validating a ship build I'm experimenting with. PVP forces the player to constantly refine their build.
Are you in it for ego stroking? (I'm serious)
I get satisfaction from winning a tough match, of course. I don't gloat, and I prefer to stay quiet if my team is wiping the floor with the other. No need to rub it in, nobody likes being used like a mop
Do you enjoy the social aspects (teaming, cooperation & coordination, competition against other live players)?
I mostly PUG with the occasional fleet mates to join up with. The social aspects I do enjoy, even among PUGs. Seeing someone in dire need, then coming in to try to even the fight out and saving them. You regularly see something small like a 1v1 go into 2v1, then next thing you know, lots of people are there guns blazing. I also want to mention that KDF PUGs I feel are much "tighter" than most Fed PUGs. Not talking about skill, but I feel the KDF stick together far more, and are better on cross-team support in the PUGs. I like that feeling that even in a PUG, I can feel that the vast majority of KDF players will have your back.
Not saying Fed PUGs cannot do it, but from my time in PVP as both Fed and KDF, the KDF cross support is usually better.
I used to play games for the story, for the PvE content.
Once I killed my first elf....The adrenaline rush of him being able to use a list of abilities against me, and it was difficult, was...intoxicating. I was no longer content with the grind of just killing mobs. I wanted a real challenge.
I have played so many games, and PvP'd in all of them. RPGs, Shooters, flying, sailing, t..tanking? (World of Tanks). Nothing beats the thrill of a real challenge.
Why do I PvP?
It may sounds stupid, but I honestly PvP to lose, to ultimately become better. You may learn a bit by winning, but you learn so much more by losing. Losing means I have something to improve upon, which is the challenge that I seek. Tweaking and changing my build, trying this in place of that. Swapping that for this. I love to refine myself, honing my skills to perfection.
Since perfection can never be achieved, its a perfect process since I am never done
I enjoy PvE/single player in pretty much every game but this one. Let's face it...the PvE in this game is absolutely terrible.
I enjoy the challenge of fighting human players. I get a rush from it. A close battle can be pretty dang exciting.
The AI and difficulty level of most MMO's is not enough to keep me interested long term
so turning to PVP is a natural progression for me. This is the first one I've really gotten into. I've tried three others and I lasted till around level 25 before I got bored. So, Star Trek drew me to this game and the fun space combat has kept me here. Before this, the majority of my PVP experience was in console FPS games and the Souls series.
The hard part:
Remain constructive, do not make derogatory remarks about others reasons and try to keep PvE out of it.
Some ideas for deeper conversation:
Do you prefer straight up kill matches, capture the flag? Special modes?
I prefer Arena matches. I think capture the flag would be a lot of fun with spaceships though.
Are you in it just for the competition?
I'm a pretty competitive person so I do enjoy that aspect of it. But the important thing for me to remind myself is that it's just a game and if I'm not having a good time I need to take a little break and go do some Borg killin'. If we had more post match time to discuss the match in map or leader boards, kill stats etc. it would be cool.
Are you in it for ego stroking? (I'm serious)
Hmmm no, not really. If I was I think I would've chucked my lappy out the window by now. lol It does feel good winning but if it was a total smackdown then it feels like a hollow victory. Also, if I feel like I was the weak link, had the lowest DPS or lowest heals then I try to think about why that was and what I can do about it for next time.
Do you enjoy the social aspects (teaming, cooperation & coordination, competition against other live players)?[/QUOTE]
I've only Pug'ed but I love the social aspect of it. When you have a good team that is calling targets, healing each other staying together things tend to come together nicely.
My current fleet is pretty small and there's only one or two guys that will randomly join me in the Q so I'd love to find a regular group to play with or PVP specific fleet to join. Seems like the best ones are invite only
I agree there is a strong running theme with that, and to be completely honest that is what actually brought me into PvP in this game - but it's not what has kept me here.
What has kept me here, PvPing, is actually the other strong running theme: The social aspect.
I'm impressed, though not surprised, at just how many responses voice very specifically a social element to the reason for PvPing.
I don't think many "PvE only" players actually realize the level of social interaction with PvP even though PvP by it's very nature outright requires you to socially interact with others.
Competition
Friendships
These two key elements continually surface throughout the thread.
What motivates you to PvP, in this game and/or others?
I've actually not PvP'd much in other MMORPGs, I usually prefer FPS type stuff for that as it's technically more "balanced".
Surprisingly though I've come to find STOs PvP, even with all it's bumps, warts and bruises, to be much more satisfying than the quick and dirty gank fests of other games (not that those aren't fun).
What motivates me to continue PvPing is the fun of competing as part of a team against other teams.
I've always loved min/maxing and theorycrafting, and testing out these ideas in PvP or bouncing them off of others provides continuous fun for me.
Do you prefer straight up kill matches, capture the flag? Special modes?
I personally find the premade vs. premade fights to be deep enough to be enjoyable without requiring game instituted modes.
I'm not personally against other types of PvP beyond arena, but they would need to be better designed than C&H.
Are you in it just for the competition?
No, but I do love the competition.
Are you in it for ego stroking? (I'm serious)
Sometimes. Although it's more the satisfaction of having played well or fought well, or coming up with a new successful ship build/strategy.
Do you enjoy the social aspects (teaming, cooperation & coordination, competition against other live players)?
Absolutely. This is probably the most fun aspect for me, and specifically being in an very active fleet of very diverse personalities.
I'll quote this from another thread...keeping the person's name anonymous:
I didn't reply to them. I've replied to "them" in countless threads here, in other games, and even on general MMO forums. It's simply not been my experience. Quite to the contrary, I've found that PvE brings out the worst in people...and dear God, the sheer number of them...meh.
Spend a day PUGing PvP and a day PUGing PvE...there's going to be far more moaning, groaning, elitism, and TRIBBLE going on in the PvE than in the PvP.
But yeah, folks have this image of PvPers as the worst kind of scum out there...
...course, imho, it's not whether it's PvP or PvE - it's the person; so yeah, you can find them wherever you go...
...but I've found PvPers tend to have a better understanding of mechanics in various games and are more willing to share that knowledge than a PvE player is.
PvE you have to learn a particular dance for an encounter.
PvP you have to know how to dance in general because there is no particular dance for an encounter.
The PvPer won't care if you have XYZ too...its going to come down to skill in the end.
So they're going to be more likely to share info.
Again, it's not all hugs and pats on the back with PvP...ahem, certain people just don't get along.
But to stereotype them as so many PvE folks do...while wallowing in the muck of the PvE community...has always struck me as funny.
We're stretching a touch into something that could probably be its own topic, but I'll put my thoughts out there.
1) A lot of PvErs feel that way, maybe they don't voice it.
2) I think there are aspects of PvE that are also social - this game unfortunately does not promote them very well.
3) While I've found quite a number of e-peen wagging bafoons in PvE, I do think what happens is that PvP does, sometimes, attract personalities that are both caustic and parasitic. Players who literally derive enjoyment from the misery of others or who simply enjoy tossing around vitriol under the false guise of "telling it like it is". These are definitely not the norm though.
Unfortunately #3 is very loud, very visible and makes enough of an idiotic stink to ruin the image of the rest of the community.
I'll go out on a limb and say those players also have probably clouded the view of PvP and PvPers for many game developers.
It's nice to see just how many players here have basically come out against that without trying to, simply by showing how important community, friendship and competition are to PvP and PvPers in general.