When a developer makes a MMO with massive PvP elements in it they normally encounter the same problem, zerging. This is in a way human nature, to blob up for a better chance of survival, but it is also a design flaw.
By having static objects that are the highest rewarding things on the map forces people into zerging. They go to where the profit are.
And when the static objects also gives the highest rewards on taking them it also encourage “flipping” ie you get a better reward losing one to reclaim it later.
So a very quick change into some of the “point” mechanic in WWW could make a huge change in how players zerg up.
1. Keep all the things that are now with keeps and supply camps etc. but take away that they give Victory Point ticks or any reward on taking them, and take away the NPC´s.
Instead have it so they give a BIG bonus reward to the owning player when they are making a kill in that area. Something in the line of 500% xp/karma/gold bonus on enemy kills ikittenone.
The rewards should NEVER be stat bonuses, but drop, xp, karma, gold and drop bonuses.
add a zone of control to every static object that a server can cap, that will be visibly on the map/radar.
2. make it so when ever a server kills a player from the other server they give their server a victory point, as keeps and towers do today.
3. put back orbs of power.
When a server has its own orb they get victory point on every tick, if they own another servers orb they get additional victory points every tick, NO BONUSES TO STATS.
Important! When a player has the enemies or of power he should always be “in combat” running abit slower then a player not in combat.
It should also apply poison, forcing a solo player to drop it once in a while and a larger group of players to change the orb carrier.
What will these “small” changes do?
It will make it so the most profitable way to earn anything in WWW is PvP.
It will create more PvP, it will still encourage zerging but not to the same extent as static objects that gives the biggest rewards.
It encourage players to defend its servers static objects rather then to let them fall and retake them for a higher reward, and creates a more of proper invasion force to claim new land to get higher rewards.
It gives players a “reward” reason to roam in smaller groups or solo more, you can kill enemy players and help your server get victory points.
And as a side note, this will in a way kill night capping, no players on line equals no players to kill for victory points, you can how ever still ninja another servers Orb of power, so night capping is not useless.
The only problem with this system is that it in someway encourage defending by not fighting, ie if a server is very much behind in victory points, and they dont have an organized group fighting they actually lose more points in entering the PvP zone and dying leaving the other server with no players to kill.
In GW2 this will not be much of a problem since we have a three way war, and the tiers are some what balanced now.
So what does the community think?
Would you like these changes, do you think they will make a posetive change in how we WWW today?
Will it affect zerging at all?
Would love to hear your feedback on this.
// Zorion
(edited by Zorion.7504)