SYMPATHY FOR THE PK [Author: wirehead]
Origin’s proposed changes to recall have some folks up in arms; specifically reds; specifically reds who like to PK indiscriminately. Here’s a letter sent to Sunsword and CC’d to the other two dev team members (Dr. Twister and myself)…
Generally, I don’t pipe up and talk, and I am certainly not one of those who views every programming change as an evil conspiracy…. But I must say, that the proposed no recall rule for agressors will cause me to stop playing UO.
Allow me to explain…. As it stands, if you are an agressive Pvp, you will soon be red…. and risking stat loss., you can’ t go to town and you are hunted by any non-red (and many red) players when not in town. Your newbie items aren’t newbie, there is only one shrine to rez at (after you macro – and yes, everyone macros the hours). And now, regardless if you are blue, grey, red, purple, green or orange, you can’t recall after an attack… sorry, this pushes too far…
Here is why…. The difference between U.O and EQ, and AC, and the other six million games available is that U.O is not a game anymore… It has become a virtual world. And, in this virtual world, the bad guys can kill you and get away clean sometimes (just like real life)… Sometimes they get caught (just like real life). Your proposal basically insures that my get away car will not start…. This does not further the game fiction, it does nothing to bolster role-playing… What it does do, is make UO much more like every level up monster bashing game on the market….
Well, a big hint to you OSI…. I can monster bash without being online, I can do that in any single player game on the market. So, fine, if this is how you want it, I will buy your $50 game one time, and never give you my $10 a month again…. Because after you get done making PvP a joke…. UO will just be another single player ultima, only with more houses between me and Britain…
PvP is what makes this game different, it is what makes this game survive…. take it out and you are another worthless hulk…
Explain to me, in the game fiction, what cosmic force is policing my use of recall? Make that role playable…. Why should I become less of a mage if I am the attacker? No reason?…. and that is why it does not fit in…
I hope you will reconsider this change, you might lose a dedicated player…. or more…
Good Luck.
Speaking of Dr. Twister, he had a few things to say on the subject himself. Here’s an excerpt.
Well here we go. Yet another opportunity for OSI to screw with PvP and PKs…
…My proposal, if you take away Recall then you MUST take away stat loss. COMPROMISE people!…
…Take a look and let me know what you think, but to me, just another example of OSI’s hatred towards PKs and PvP.
Now for my take.
Most PKers (not all, not nearly all, but most) are lame little children. They warp in, gangbang one or two people, and whenever anyone actually presumes to put up a fight they warp out. That is not PvP, that’s a virtual mugging. The last thing these muggers want is a challenge.
Origin’s preferred response to PKing has always been “player justice”. As in if you are attacked, you get on the horn and yell for help from the Order of Virtuous Gimps and 12 OVGs jump in and protect you from the evil PKs. Of course, if the PKs can warp out immediately upon killing you and looting you, this deterrent value becomes a bit weak. The risk/reward ratio for PKing then swings heavily to the reward side – which is why you see so many PKs. Easiest way to win the game, donchaknow.
Is removing recall for aggressors fiction-breaking? Sure, assuming there is any fiction left to break. Let’s see, we’ve got murderers that become weaker when they die (take that, Nietzsche!), teleporting instakill guards, counselors and GMs wreaking havoc on the landscape, a person’s current status with the law displayed in neon above their heads, boats used more as houses and mining barges then transportation, the best fighters in the land getting that way from keeping polar bears barricaded in their dojos, and, by far the most fiction-shattering, a few people actually dare to try roleplaying elves. Given all that, removing the ability to recall from aggressors seems quite a bit minor in the scheme things.
Of course, this isn’t mere theory. There’s already a shard where no one has recall – Siege Perilous. And the PKs do quite well there, thank you. That long-neglected spell “Gate” gets a workout – and PKing is no longer a sure thing.
You can still walk around Siege somewhat safely as a blue — and there’s no stat loss for reds. Go figure.