The last article topic, and the one that I know old KaS members wil love to hear about, is open world competition. You folks were some of the best pvPers in UO and I would love to see you set loose in PFO.
Open World CompetitionNot all sandbox games have open world competition or PvP, nor is every decent PvP game a sandbox. However, when you put the two together, you get a level of realism and dynamism that stands out among games where competition and PvP are isolated to certain zones, limited to only predetermined opponents, etc. Certainly, competitive play is not everyone's cup of tea, but competitive play does not strictly mean that participants must be the ones slugging it out in traditional PvP fashion. In a territorial control based, settlement vs. settlement competition, the harvester gathering valuable resources, the crafter helping build a new settlement structure, or the merchant opening new markets for his goods are all involved in competitive play. Of course, there will also be plenty of opportunities for PvP, since the struggle for territory and resources are at the very heart of PFO.
Benefits:
As mentioned above, there will be many forms of competition in PFO, but given that most people unfamiliar with the game will have questions/concerns focusing on traditional PvP, let us focus on those considerations.
In my mind, the benefit to open world competition in a territorial control, settlement vs. settlement game is that there will be a meaningful context for most of the PvP occurring in PFO. Unlike free-for-all PvP venues, where everyone is a target for little more reason than the thrill of the kill and what the winner can strip off the loser's corpse, the vast majority of PFO's competition will revolve around controlling territory, controlling that territory's resources, and defending your own holdings. To this end, Goblin Works has taken a rather layered approach by providing a range of PvP opportunities depending on the scale of the competition, from individual character to entire settlements and even nations. Below is a list outlining some of the proposed forms of conflict with links provided to the Paizo board discussion threads and the link to the Developer's blog for each:
• Feuds - used by units as small as individual companies to engage in "sanctioned" PvP (i.e. PvP that will not affect reputation or alignment).
• Raids - used to attack and plunder outposts.
• SAD (Stand and Deliver) - used by bandits to attempt to demand goods/coin from travelers.
• Bounties - contracts allowing you to hunt down and dispatch individuals for profit.
• Guard Contracts - for hiring on to guard caravans and the like.
• Factions - though still being fleshed out, warfare based on membership to NPC factions.
• War - settlement vs. settlement or greater PvP.
This list does not include "sanctioned" PvP stemming from enforcing a settlement's laws against those flagged as criminals, attacking trespassers, or defending against anyone flagged as hostile due to their aggressive behavior, etc.
Considerations:
Certainly, the hope is that if PFO provides this many opportunities for PvP minded players to scratch their competitive itch, that they will be less likely to bother those who don't have that itch at all. Does this mean that if you are not engaging in any of the PvP activities listed above that you will be safe? No. Open world conflict means that the conflict can reach any part of the world, including where you might be peacefully doing your nonviolent business. Of course, some places will be far more dangerous, and conversely, far safer than others, but even with all these opportunities for what we might call constructive or "meaningful" PvP, nothing will stop a player from attacking you if they desire to do so. This is part of living in a sandbox game - some players' idea of player-made objectives may include some rather unseemly activities.
However, there are two things to keep in mind. First, as with so much of PFO, working in groups can alleviate much of this concern. The most passive traveler, harvester, or merchant will likely have settlement members more than willing to act as guards. In fact, any settlement worth its salt will devote whole companies of well seasoned PvPers to acting as guards, sentries, home defense, etc., so as to protect their members who are less skilled in combat. Second, PFO will contain a number of mechanics that provide consequences for PvP outside the methods outlined above, including a reputation and alignment system that will, in part, control access to skill training and settlement membership. The practitioner of repeated poor behavior might quickly find themselves out of a home, out of access to the skills they desire, and onto multiple groups' kill on sight lists.
