The PvP Poison

Tobold posted the other day about the problems of PvP. I have a love/hate relationship with PvP. I love PvP in first person shooters -- I rarely play single-player FPS games. I like it in MMORPG's, as long as it is done well, which rarely happens. I'm absolutely terrified of PvP in RTS games.

Regardless, PvP causes ... problems. Let's hit five of them quick.

The Attitude Problem

One of the most irritating WoW Player Archetypes is the Cocky PvPer. No matter what you accomplish in game, or choose to accomplish in game, they can gank you and that makes you worthless. At any given moment they are either bragging about their "skill" or whining about how raiders with "no skill" are getting all kinds of epic loot. Unless they are whining about how much more difficult it is to level on PvP servers.

There's just something about PvP that turns people into loud, unbearable idiots.

The Symmetry Problem

Having PvP in a game means balance is King. If balance is King then the game must be designed in such a way that it is easy to balance. And that means conflict in the game must be symmetrical. So no 10 normal players vs. one really buffed player. No 1 super-powered player plus one strong player plus four minion players in a mirror match. No lopsided sieges where the defenders just need to hold out for a short time. No archers vs. dragons (or what have you) where different sides have dramatically different units.

So this actually goes further and tends to eliminate all sorts of fun gameplay from PvE. Although such things in PvP would be fun too.

The Fun Deficit

Whenever I try to argue on forums why I dislike being killed by someone ten levels my better, my complaints tend to fall on deaf ears. It's pointed out that I'm a noob, and that's what *real PvP* is supposed to be like, and also that I should die in a fire.

Hardcore PvP, while great for forum trolling, really lacks in that whole compelling gameplay side of things. You guys thump your chest and gank your lowbies and brag about it in the forums -- I'll be playing a game that is actually fun.

It's Repetitive

One thing you always hear about playing against other people is that it's "never the same". It's true that it's never quite the same. This time you go for the flag and there are two mages and a stealthed rogue defending. Next time you go for the flag and there is a warrior and a druid, and on and on.

It tends to blur together because, to be honest, it's not all that different from match to match. You can play a thousand rounds and you'll only ever be playing against other players with roughly the same skills and power as you.

But I bet if you take people who've done a hundred rounds of Warsong Gulch in WoW, and ask them what games they remember, they'll only remember a handful. But if you ask those same players about The Deadmines, they can probably tell you almost every crazy enemy you fight in that place. So which is more repetitive?

It Exaggerates Success and Magnifies Failure

I wrote an entire blog on a similar subject in the past, but another line you often hear is that PvP gives a title longevity, because look at all the PvP-intensive games (MMOG and not) that are still successful after all these years.

But it cuts both ways. On one hand TF2 and Halo 3 and CoD4 are still huge years after their releases. On the other hand, other multiplayer games are unplayable months after launch because they don't have the momentum to retain a playerbase.