Dueling/PvP Arena & Scorekeeping

[Saulus]

I just thought I would prematurely start a thread on this feature to get some ideas from the community about what they would like to see in this system.

What do you think an arena should have? What should you be able to do? What kinds of things should the tracker keep track of? Kills, deaths, kill ratio... Longest battles? Should players automatically heal after a battle, what about team play... perhaps being able to fight against monsters?

[TibberToo]

I'm all for being able to fight monsters, but there definately needs to be a limit on how many can be summoned at any given time.

Anyone having any memories of the Black Marble Lounge?
Jesus Christ.

Someone'd summon quite a few of those Incognitos and we'd be floored with lag and raining death.

Not sure what I'd want to see with the PvP though.
I think healing right after battle would kind of threaten realistic RP, unless they prayed at an alter or something.
I'm not really sure of my opinion on it.

[GodBeastX]

I think people should be at least res'd after battle. Probably have xp loss and such for death like most servers, so dying in a duel would just plain be depressing. Healing would be up to the fighters?

[Saulus]

I'm thinking it will be best to have some kind of healing fountain after a battle... players also shouldn't be penalized in XP for dying in the arena. Clerics would definetly be nearby to raise the losing player.

[TibberToo]

Yeah, I'm not diggin' the xp loss thing. And Clerics should be near by.
Would there be XP gain for the winner of the battle?

[GodBeastX]

Since we're all about RP, I see winners getting alot of prestigue. So we should definitely track wins and such in a manner we can refer to for event DM'ing too.

[Saulus]

I think a prestige system would be a great idea, it would reap benefits such as a higher reputation and perhaps the ability to win prizes.

[Maxx Powers]

For RP purposes the arena is a place to test your might, not to train, i dont like the "gain xp" idea. Fame and fortune is what the arena should be designed for. I do think there should be a penalty for death. Maybe an entry fee? Amount dependant on the difficulty?

[Saulus]

I think a small entry fee will be fine for the penalty with a prestige system as the benefit. Prestige will offer many benefits in the game the main one being fame and even eventually fortune.

[TheId]

The arena system should have the following features:

-PvP capability for multiple duels at one time.
-A scoreboard showing how many times a contestant has emerged victorious or been defeated by his opponents. There should be a distinction between losses and victories against NPCS and PCS.
-Victories should result in a faction gain with Sundren City, thus resulting in prestige. The benefits of a high faction are yet to be conjured, but participating in games to raise your faction will almost certainly be worth it!
-Experience rewards and penalties should not be present. This leaves room for intensive exploitation as well as penalization that should not occur.
-NPCS should be despawned or "return to their pens" following a match if they remain alive.
-Those "killed" in the arena system should in reality be reduced to 0 hitpoints and knocked out, sparing them both the in-character and out of character aspects of death.
-Both group and solo NPC encounters should be designed. This will cater to groups of friends who wish to engage in battles as well as those who prefer solo play. Encounters should be designed on a general basis, not class specific until a demand is present. There should be at most, 2-3 "arenas" for these battles to occur in.

[Maxx Powers]

I agree with everything TheId said.

I suggest that if defeated in the arena you should not take the normal penalties for death, but you should be revived with 1 hp, losing your entry fee as well as fame/renown.

As for class-specific, i dont think arena matches should be based on class, though if there were three different arenas, possibly one would be "easier" with magic and another "easier" with melee. If a player wants an all-out monk battle then they should organize their own PvP. (just a suggestion)

[Saulus]

I think everyone has had excellent suggestions so far. We will definetly take them all into consideration when we tackle designing the arena.

[Rainrix]

The whole reputation gain is a nice idea... but what would happen to people who's characters aren't aimed towards pvp? I'm tempted to aim for a Rogue type that can do lots of skills but is nothing special in combat, like a spy or something (Surely he'll be VERY useful for parties full of combat crazed fighters )... maybe.

Sure yes it the players choice if they choose a character that isn't geared towards pvp combat... but does this mean they cannot gain any reputation what-so-ever? (If this reputation does anything outside of the dueling arena anyway?)

[TheId]

Reputation gains are unique to different factions, as are the rewards for gaining standing. The rewards for gaining influence with the arena faction within Sundren are currently undecided but rest assured, they will be considerable but will not cause those with no interest in arena games to feel compelled to participate.

[Wolfgang]

While perhaps this could be taken care of "outside the gates at dawn" but what if one wanted (as was agreed on) to dual to the death? I can think of a few times (RP) that having the option of defending ones "honor" in front of peers would be usefull.