This post officially breaks my Forum cherry for any game I've ever played . This however, is a topic that I feel deserves a lot of discussion as it seems to me that this will be the difference between a fast paced shooter with quirky (and endearing) mechanics, or an MMO that truly brings something new to the online community. That being said here is why I believe PVE, if done correctly, would make this the game we all want it to be (even the hardcore PVPers):
When I started playing Mechwarrior, oh let's see... about 17 years ago (has it been that long?), the PVP option was mind-blowing to say the least, but only because I had earned the right to be there. I had battled odds of 1:10 and come out on top. I had figured out the best methods for exacting precision kills against fierce (albeit by today's standards 'stupid') AI Mechs. I then defeated their leader at the end of the campaign in a Mech that towered over me and could melt me in one blast.
And for all of this preparation, I entered PVP and got my proverbial handed to me.
After a while it stopped being fun to PVP, and I was forced back into campaign to try to perfect the lessons I had been embarrassed with in PVP. Things like Alpha strikes that didn't cause me to overheat every single time. Things like Jump Jetting and putting a boot on someone's nose .
Things that I had never needed to use in campaign, but would never have a chance to test out in PVP as I was getting obliterated, and no one was willing to help me learn.
Enough nostalgia. My point is by adding an engaging PVE feature to the game, those lulls in between epic clan clashes (that will eventually only take place on Friday night after everyone is home from work), will be filled by you and couple of friends, a hundred of your clan mates, or even a PUG, fighting your way through some random planet only to come up on a GINOURMOUS SPIDER-MECH TOUTING 10 MECHS WORTH OF FIREPOWER, AND NEVER SEEN BEFORE ANYWHERE BY ANYONE IN THE GALAXY ('cept the last time you did it of course ). Then comes the satisfaction that I was pining for the whole time I was getting smashed in PVP: taking that **** down in a collaborated group effort and rejoicing in the spoils as the Boss explodes like a CBill pinata .
Then what really matters in community games like this starts happening:
Later, when you go back to base and add that guy to your friends list who ran in front of you and took a PPC blast for you because he knew it was his duty as an assault Mech. Or the other guy/girl/w/e who orchestrated the main assault by rearing back the Cata's to stay just distant enough to fire off LRMs while the brawlers went in to pound ground.
I'm sure some people (let's be real.... the one person who actually read this far) is asking themselves: "How is this any different than PVP? Er, besides the giant spider thing of course..."
The simple answer is: No fear of defeat.
I'm not saying that a PVE system should be without costs. And, I'm definately not saying that it should be worth so much as to feel mandatory. What I am saying is that there are a lot of people out there who simply won't play a PVP only game because they don't want to feel guilty when they read posts from some brat 12 year old who racks in 6 hours a day EVERY DAY after school, and feels inclined to tell you what a "eFFIn' FAT WERTHLUSS newb L2P POS" you are simply because your clan lost a territory/match/couple bucks
And yes, that will still happen, but if the rewards/loss isn't so great in PVE, then it will happen less.
So, if you're still with me... What does PVE do for PVP?
Keeps it alive for one.
There will come a time, when you/your friends/your clan just aren't having fun fighting the same people week in week out (winning or losing), because one of them has beef with you about a ridiculously long post you made about PVE a while back... This can be a breaking point for a game if there are no alternatives. Not to say that the PVP is weak!!! Hell, I love what they've done so far, and feel it was worth every penny (already) spent just to get a glimpse. However, I don't want this particular franchise to be an 'almost' simply because people are afraid PVP will suffer if PVE is added.
Secondly PVE can be a way for PVPs to hone their skills, come up with new tactics, try out new cadets/builds/CATCH PHRASES! And they can do it all with the comfort of knowing that nobody but them was there to see the SPIDERNATEROVER-9000 decimate their entire clan (difficulty scaling with number of people is a must for a setup like this, so that 1 person can do it or 100), and in the end they thanked him; Simply because he showed them that having an entire team of Jenners simply was not going to cut it .
TLDR; I have played other MMO's and I know there are people who would live entirely in PVP. There are just as many who would live entirely in PVE. I think we should be very supportive of that If we're going to make this game as good as it possibly can be, because once it comes down to it, the people that really love this game like I do, are going to do both, and I think we're the majority.
Edited by Hennessey, 17 August 2012 - 10:46 PM.