Wordless PVP

[Jasede]

This isn't about a specific incident.


Almost every single character I play ends up getting, at one point, attacked by someone I don't know. These attacks are out of the blue from invisible opponents, fully buffed, which I have never even met. During the PvP there's not a single emote. The only talking happens when my PC lies in the ground.

Is that really ok? I know we all want to "win" but couldn't people at least say something like "I will kill you!" or "Drop your weapon!" or "[Draws his weapon menacingly]" so I can at least tell I'm not being griefed and some legitimate thing is going on?

Or am I totally in the wrong here and PvP as well as attacks out of nowhere from people you've never met are an expected and okay part of EfU, part of the danger and intrigue?

Personally these encounters leave me empty. I am much more impressed with a PC who roleplays - who types something - than with one who saves all his words for when I can't do anything anymore. I remember my favorite anecdote I heard second-hand: someone attacked a friend travelling with the Scholar, Aleczumberzeil te Esoterotept. Instead of just mashing all his PvP potions he exclaimed a warning and wrote out an emote, even as he was being wailed on. Then he kicked their ass.

That is a thousand times more interesting, engaging and memorable than wordless PVP encounters with people you never met before who want to force you into a position of submission.


So tell me:

Am I wrong here? Is that what you're supposed to do when you attack / defend? Do you really stop typing at all until the fight is over, switching into arena PVP mode? If so I'll do that from now on. Probably a good idea! I've died countless of times while trying to type emotes/words in the middle of PvP because the enemy does not.

[Disco]

Sometimes stealth is needed. But I agree. A showdown is always more interresting.

[Ebok]

I am always typing, which is why I'm always losing. >_>;

[granny]

not to mention when you prefer to start it up RPing and the guy just buffs up, ignoring you completely.
of course. when the guy is fully buffed he attacks you and finishes your RP.

[Numos]

With the exception of heavily buffed fighters I really don't think anyone else has time to hammer out emotes like that in pvp. Some characters rely a lot more heavily on ambushes and quickly decimating an opponent than others, and a back and forth like that is much more to their detriment because they want to FINISH IT. Now granted, a single word out of them might be nice. But its not always appropriate depending on what the goal of the pvp is. If you're trying to assassinate someone you really 'don't' want to be speaking.

[HalflingPower]

When I try to do the emote and talk thing before attacking someone here, they drink invisibility and run away mid sentence.

Its left me a little disappointed.

I don't think its cool to gank random people from invisibility though!

Sometimes, you need to disable someone to get them to listen to you.

Ha Ha Ha

[Paha]

My personal feelings are as well that normal jumping is fairly dull. Albeit, everyone has done this at times as they wish to get that jump on someone. I do encourage people to risk it and be cool at the danger of being hit back, and face their target, threaten or be clever and put them in a situation where they have no place to easily escape.

Folks are right in one thing. I do not reward pvp, however I will reward good RP where pvp is carried out well and with flair of drama, and where the person still can achieve that "victory" at the risk of staying true to their style.

[Blue41]

Depends on the situation. But agreed, being on the subdued side of the gank-squad is usually never very entertaining or fulfilling. I'm sure it can be, but I've yet to experience it.

[Paha]

Being struck down is never really fun. There's no denying it. It's really up to the person behind the screen if they can take even that situation as a twist in the story and enjoy it. The bandit can never make it happy for every "customer".

However, it is the harsh reality of efu and this kind magical world. It's quite brutal and happens.

Point here should be on the integrity of the character. People do not think too much of it, but it is very chaotic and random act, even if you're a thief or bandit, to jump a random person without a word, fully prepared and ready to even kill them if necessary. It is very twisted and out of the norm. Just think about it a bit. It's a game, but these kind things can be thought with real life logic - can you imagine to randomly just bashing someones head in out of the blue without any word or warning? Quite many robbers in movies and tv also do this, threatening and demanding things before they get rough.

If we'd be really strict and rough as well, we probably should be reacting to normal invisi ganks much more as it is with this logic just as well. It is simply an aspect folks forget to take as seriously as it should be. Like killing a person. It is extremely hard thing to do.

Just my personal thoughts on the matter.

[Divine Intervention]

Whilst as many have said, sometimes jumping out to whack someone makes sense because for example they have 10 allies there with them and unless you strike first you'll be mashed into the ground like a bug.  However to me it is infinitely more fun for the villain and hero to face off and have some dialogue, the bandit to accost his victim and demand some kind of toll or surrender.  Though I should note this works both ways, as halfling power has said, sometimes you'll try and make things interesting as the aggressor only to be instantly attacked or have your target sprint off to fetch a bunch of people to gank you.

[Big Orc Man]

While being killed doesn't add anything for your character, as they're dead, it does add a sense of dread in other characters.

If it's done tastefully and in a cool way.  Just saying, "ah, I'm his enemy and he's low level, I'll slit his throat now!" isn't a very good way to rock.

Remember, this is supposed to be a story, not a deathmatch.

That said, there are definitely times when a wordless jump is warranted.

[AllMYBudgies]

PVP can only be fun when people leave behind the 'I win' mentality that is often prevalent; otherwise it simply becomes a situation of character survival that borders (as is often, entirely focused..) on metagame that becomes totaly bland and adds very little to story.

PVP should always be a means of enhancing an enmity, as reprisal for in character actions or other interesting, well played in character antics and always should be always handled with style and creative flair. Simply ganking someone that you hardly even know the name of for some personal, or passing glory rarely leads to anything but anticlimactic, blasé gameplay.

[Gotham]

True warriors can communicate complex idea's and emotions with only their weapons, and the striking of steel on steel.



Idea's such as "I kill you"

[TeufelHunden]

I used to say something every time before pvp...now I pick and choose who I say something to. I cannot even count the amount of times I could have wordlessly ganked people I confronted first and they just invis potioned and ran the second I even said "Stop for a moment" or "Hello there *Unsheathes weapon*" So really some times it makes little sense to warn someone if you plan to beat them up and take maybe a couple hundred gold, pat them on the ass and leave them on their way.

[Jagged]

The thing is that it's very easy to run away from someone in PvP, since unlike in real life, it's doesn't take just one great axe blow to the back to nearly kill someone (even if they're an amazing warrior of legend).

I'm not disagreeing with you, Jasede. Wordless PvP is indeed very dull and heavily focused on "winning", but sometimes done out of mechanical necessity. A way around this is to find two or three buddies to play bandit with.

A lone traveler goes to cross the Scars bridge and four people pop out of stealth/invisibility, two on each side. His exits are somewhat blocked and the character is in a situation where he cannot easily escape you. Initiate conversation. PvP if target resists.

If you're alone, litter the area with tangle traps beforehand. As soon as you exit stealth, drink a see invis and put pressure on your poor victim to hand over things immediately, trying to get him to relent out of impulse. Attack him if he stalls.

Players have an obligation to try and make things as interesting as possible for everyone involved, especially the victim. Let's understand though that if the guy simply drinks an invis and runs away without a word himself, then there's really no conflict, no story, no interaction and no fun for anybody.