Open World and Instanced PvP

Anyways, after finding out that there would be battlegrounds in Tera. I decided I should write an article that many gamers and game developers may find interesting...

Very seldom do we ever see game developers successfully balance Instanced-PvP (battlegrounds) and Open World PvP. Therefore, for Blue Hole Studios to take up the task is quite ambitious, to say the least. Then on top of that, to implement a reward system for PvP is perhaps the most monumental task before them. Both PvP systems have pros and cons in a MMO, battlegrounds PvP offer quantifiable balance in regards to numbers per side, where as Open World PvP is unregulated. Open PvP caters to a more hardcore PvP crowd where as instanced based PvP is more for the casual PvPers that overall play MMOs for its PvE content. So how do you balance these to polar opposite systems while maintaining player satisfaction?

In an idealistic game, open world PvP must be more rewarding than Battleground PvP. In open world PvP games, conflicts arise from guild drama/politics, competition for the best leveling/grinding/ gearing/raiding areas. Therefore, this element is vital for any Open World PvP game to exist. If the best areas to level, gear, grind, or raid is in a PvE/Instanced Area then you can mark the game as a failed open world pvp game, and move on. This is the reason why battlegrounds should not be able to produce the best gear in the game.

Furthermore, open world PvP needs to hold consequences. If dieing/killing in open world PvP lack consequences then the PvP will become pointless. Without consequence griefing will run rampant, if you look at the Aion and WoW communities and compare them to the Lineage 2 Community you will see a vast difference in PvP demeanor. In Aion it is not uncommon to see the same side grief each other. In Lineage 2, griefing is asking to get PKed off the server. This reality contradicts many casual PvE'rs fears concerning open world PvP. They only experienced a casual PvE game where griefing was rampant and then use simplistic logic to conclude that less regulated PvP equates to more griefing when in reality, Open World PvP actually reduces griefing. In order to fully combat griefing severe consequences for PKing should be implemented. Dropping Items, losing levels, not being able to buy/sell are all possible Anti-PK measures.

In addition, a mistake many casual PvPers make is that PvP is all about balance. Simply put, PvP is NOT about balanced fights it is about knowing when and where to fight. Choosing the right fights to fight and let the other one slide by. If you are getting zerged by 3x the number of people you have, perhaps use a strategy of laying low. Casual PvPers fail to see Open world PvP in the long term. They see a fight of 5 vs 20 and then go into ragemode and whine about zergs, and why there should be no Open World PvP. They don't strategize and plan to get the 20 people when they split up or some log off. Casual PvPers want a quick instant PvP fill and that is why battleground PvP should exist. Hardcore PvPers are able to dig in for the long campaign against your enemies.

Therefore, what role should battlegrounds play in Tera? A limited one. Rewards must be minimal, cosmetic items, consumable items, and weak to decent gear. They should have little to no affect on server politics. Battlegrounds are for the casual PvPers to get a quick fix and then go back to PvE. Open World PvP should be the prevalent PvP system in Tera with battlegrounds as a side dish.