If I may be so bold as to offer the devs some advice. Obviously, this is only one person’s perspective.

I’m not sure which direction this game is headed but I’ve played both and prefer faction-based PvP by a wide margin.

In guild-centric PvP, your fun-factor is dependant on whether or not you are a member of one of the active PvP guilds. This type of design also encourages the formation of large guilds (power in numbers) and makes it nearly impossible to participate in solo PvP.

My best experience with faction-based PvP was in PlanetSide. The beauty of this type of PvP is that it caters equally to solo players, small guilds, medium-sized guilds, and large guilds. This reason alone makes it a crucial design decision given the popularity of solo and small-guild playstyles.

But another equally important yet subtle feature of this type of design is that while supporting soloers it actually promotes teamwork. In PlanetSide, it was great being able to simply show up at any base my empire was defending/attacking and work side-by-side with empiremates without being forced to join a guild or ask permission. In most MMOGs that support solo play, you only interact with other people when you hit the main town or auction house. But in PlanetSide, you could play solo while never forgetting you were in a MMOG surrounded by other people.  I think this is important for people that want to feel part of a community but for whatever reason don’t want to join a guild.

Now don’t get me wrong, the best times I had in PS where while in a good guild (Outfit) just like in other MMOGs. However, the combination of faction-based combat and a persistent battleground (not instanced and closed off from the world), is a very flexible design that supports all playstyles and guild sizes equally.

Another great feature of faction-based PvP is that it is friendlier to people who may be new to PvP. As hard as it my be to understand for those of us who love PvP, the fact is that a whole lot of players are afraid of PvP. In a faction-based PvP game, it would be easy for a sheepish player to go to a battlefront and slowly begin engaging the enemy in a wing-man, supportish type of role. They would be fighting alongside many friendlies which makes it less likely they will be criticized for any lackluster performance. However, if a player new to PvP is forced to join a large guild in order to try PvP, there will likely be a lot more pressure to perform and a lot more scrutiny.

I prefer guild-based PvP. EVE Online is a good example of how interesting this can be. It allows 'guilds' to fight for views and ideologies, making the game politics player-driven. I love pvp, but I don't like pointless pvp. The politics allows me to believe that I'm fighting for my benefit, as well as the benefit of my fellow guildmates, but with faction pvp you are merely fighting for a faction that was created by the devs, a faction with no real goal or purpose other than to simply exist for the sake of players.

However, EVE Online is about to enjoy the best of both worlds as it will soon have faction-based pvp in empire space and guild-based pvp in non-empire. It would make my day if Jumpgate emulated this.

I've always found that starting with a faction that will defend you in their area but that you have the ability to leave to make your own faction (guild/clan/whatever) is the best way to go, everyone gets what they want. I know your all thinking I'm talking about EvE but the thruth is lots of games have doen this, although EvE may have doen it the best especically if what the last poster says about the update is true.

I would like to see a guild based PVP systemm as well.

Right now, in the Classic version of Jumpgate, PvP is only limited to being factional.

So in that case guild vs guild PvP only exists if you are representing one faction going against another faction.

I would like to see that change once Jumpgate Evolution goes into beta.

Faction based is best in my opinion because it lets people play both ways. It gives an overall framework (the actual factional war) to the game, but also lets players that prefer to go guild do that as well. There is nothing stopping guilds in opposing factions declaring war on each other.

Neither, FFA PvP is the way to go. But I guess that is what you call guild-based?

Originally posted by Yamota

Neither, FFA PvP is the way to go. But I guess that is what you call guild-based?

I just like my pvp to have bigger meaning.

I have to apologize for any spelling errors upfront.

I must say i find the RvR aproach to PvP that WoW, WAR and Aion have not to good. I'm not saying giving a player a story based insentive to kill other people but that can allso be done in an open pvp or guild based pvp sistem. Being able to endlessly greaf a player of an opposing faction and yet not being able to even attack a player of the same faction makes no sense. Don't get me wrong i'm not for totaly open PvP and there should be consequences for your actions but you should allways have a choice of who you aligne yourself with and who you disslike and kill.

If we take WoW for instance here which has arguably the best PvE out there atm it on the other hand totaly lacks any intelegent comunity driven PvP. In WoW you don't know many people outside your guild and maybe one or 2 of your normal instancing group + a few players from the other faction (guild leaders of the bigest guilds) and that is it. When you kill someone or someone kills you it's usualy just to greef them and has absolutly no positive or negative efect on the WoW world or on the server comunity. So if it doesn't amount to anything why even have it...

MMORPGs should not restrict it's players but just give guidelines. Saying who i should hate and kill makes me want to hug them and kill my own side :)

This must be one of the most summarized threads about pvp I have ever read.

On one hand we have the "Hardcore" folks that want to kill all and everywhere and still get away with it, on the other hand. The proclaimer of being sheepis.. a.k.a carebear pvp..

The OP is in fact giving his version of what he thinks would be best for all aspects. NOT what you "Hardcore" dudes things is the most fun...

Everyone can and will have fun.. if they don't they will play something else that is better and more fun. In the end it comes down to making a quality (does that word even exist today?) game and you will earn $$ from it... don't be afraid. Just do it as Nike once said.

//Peace!

Originally posted by impulsebooks

 

Originally posted by Yamota

Neither, FFA PvP is the way to go. But I guess that is what you call guild-based?

Yes that's what I meant about guild based. Thinking more about this I think factional is better.  You will then have RvR like the upcoming WARhammer where, although you do pvp, all your efforts have an overall impact on the factional war. I like the feeling you get when you fight and win a skirmish that pushes the front line forward a little bit and changing the world/verse we all play in.

 

I just like my pvp to have bigger meaning.

I dont agree with dev enforced teams. It should be up to the players to decide who to ally with and who to make war with. PvP can still have a meaning with that kind of system, however the meaning is given by the players and not by the devs. For example, fighting over territories which holds some value such as leveling spots, quest spots etc.

I don't think the OP was talking about guilds pvping vrs a instanced or RVR type I think what he means by guild based is a Game where pvp can only be fought in a Guild war ie Tabula Rasha.  Who ever keep mentioning EvE is confused, EvE has an Open pvp based system with death penalty. 

Originally posted by Ruckup

I don't think the OP was talking about guilds pvping vrs a instanced or RVR type I think what he means by guild based is a Game where pvp can only be fought in a Guild war ie Tabula Rasha.  Who ever keep mentioning EvE is confused, EvE has an Open pvp based system with death penalty. 

I think you are the one who is confused. Whether the pvp is instanced or not is irrelevant. We are talking about guild based pvp vs faction based pvp. How the pvp system is implemented is really of no consequence in this debate. As for EVE, you are right that it is an open pvp game, but a large part of pvp stems from alliance wars, invasion, empire building, etc. That's why some of us have used that game as an example of how guild-based pvp can function.