Returning player thoughts on PVP

[Velerin]

Quick background: I played pretty much my entire EQ career on VZ back in the day from when it first opened on and off until it merged into Zek. I won't say I was great at it but I definitely held my own. I just recently found out about this Project 1999 and have had a blast so far (but on the blue server now). I just started reading these forums and have seen a lot about people wanting a team pvp server so I thought I'd give my thoughts coming from a fresh player just starting (I think what you guys want more of to enhance your server?).

I really want to play pvp but I just never liked the FFA Rallos style. When I tried it out it never felt like pvp. It was more (unless you wanted to be a "pker") just a blue server where you never knew when the guy next to you was going to gank you. I know at high levels it changes a bit when it turns more into guild A vs. guild B but not at low levels for non-guilded, non-alts.
Team pvp was always a blast for me, especially at low levels. If I saw another team in the zone I attacked him and if he saw me he attacked me. I got to play offense and defense. I made friends quick from people I saved or saved me and they remembered it. I don't think anyone new wants to come to a FFA style alone. That guy you just grouped with and was your "friend" just ganked you when you were low on health. Most likely he is an alt and doesn't care about some no guild newbie not liking him.
Team pvp has its flaws, oor/cross team heals (though I don't know why that can't be coded out, no x-team heals/buffs or if you do it flags you pvp??) Each team won't have all of the classes for pve. I think it actually felt like more of an accomplishment to beat things without class A/B/C?
If this pvp server was teams I'd definitely play on it.

Just some thoughts from a returning player having a blast playing some classic EQ.

Velerin

[ChubbyBubbles]

Welcome to Red99. I also played VZ way back in the day. While this server is not teams pvp like vz was, at high levels it pretty much is just how vz turned out anyhow. Crossteaming guilds Vs crossteaming guild. It's a bunch of fun, and you will enjoy being back in Eq. GL and HF

[Gustoo]

Welcome to server. FFA allows you to establish who is trustworthy on your own. There is no group to "otherwise" and kill without rationality coming into play. You need to think about your actions and your attitude can determine whether or not the people you kill will become your friends later on.

Being FFA maximised the focus on the individual. In your leveling you really need to communicate with the people around you and if someone blatantly betrays you, it will be remembered by you and the people that you regularly group with.

I have personally never been betrayed by a group member here. Most of the time people are happy to get into a decent group and want to take it as far as it will go.

Teams is a fun idea at the surface but really doesn't make for a good community in the long run. This is especially true for everquest where no team design is very well balanced geographically, racially or religiously. Teams even fall apart on vastly newer and more sophisticated games that spent a lot of time focused on their development.

Unfortunately ffa is really the best solution to eq PvP.