The PvE server needs some attention...desperately!

[AngryPanCake]

As you may know by now, I am a strong advocate of the game on the PvE server and was hoping to attract the Devs' attention one more time. See my previous post here:

 

 

Which has actually attracted the attention of the Admin and one of the forum moderators. Now hoping to get some action!

A few weeks ago, one of the chat moderators spoke to one of the admins and provided an end to a speculation that was going on at that time about PvP/PvE merger and PvE server closure. He quoted the admin say:

"closing pve server is not currently on the cards. we promised that we will keep it for the while UNTIL it becomes completely unprofitable".

We have 2 pieces of information to digest here:
1- Devs are not considering the termination of the PvE server at this time. (good news)
2- It will remain active until it's completely unprofitable. (not so good news, but not terrible either...if)
The second piece of information may indicate that PvE is profitable, somewhat profitable, a little profitable, not very profitable but not "completely unprofitable". In other words, it still has some life in it.
Now, here is the caveat: for it to remain active, it HAS to remain profitable or become more profitable (which I believe it will). To keep it profitable it is obvious that it needs attention. This server is not going to increase it's population and retain it for a long period of time if not much is put into it.

So my question to the devs is: while waiting for feedback from PvP players regarding the latest patch, would it be possible to work on the PvE server game play?
I strongly believe it has a significant potential to becoming a major Age of sail MMO trade and combat Sim with Cooperative battles and interactive player driven economy. Most of the ground work is already done. It needs some details specific to PvE version of the game.
Even the changes brought on by the latest patch that are geared towards Clan Wars and PvP can be used for the PvE version of the game, well maybe not the map as it is now with most ports changed to Neutrals.

Anyway, I had started a thread with some ideas about making a PvE version of the game and added new suggestions related to the latest patch, see it here:

 

I hope the development team allocates some time to bring us the very first PvE patch and help make the server more profitable by giving us a great product.

Thank you,

Edited September 13, 2017 by AngryPanCake

[Teutonic]

I believe the Admin said further that it would be at least 12-18 months before any discussion of the server closing (this was probably 2 months ago).

[AngryPanCake]

oh sure, I didn't forget that, that was great news. But if nothing is done to make it viable (profitable) till then, how is it going to survive a year to a year and a half longer?

[kitsunelegend]

1 hour ago, Otto Kohl said:

PvE is pointless.

Go away troll. Nobody likes you.

 

Sadly, with the way things are going OP, I dont see anything happening. The devs are far too set in their ways, and I dont see any major change unless the game goes under new management by another dev company...

 

Pretty much all of my friends have completely given up on this game... why I still stick, I'll never know...

 

I have 0 interest in pvp in this game...but I guess the devs simply dont give a flying hoot about me or other pve players...

[kitsunelegend]

7 hours ago, rediii said:

Thing is that there are pretty much pve zones with the new safezones on pvp server

I dont get why we need a extra server either but maybe im biases becahse i like to play pvp

As a dedicated pve player, I do not want to be confined to a VERY limited area to play the game. I want to be able to explore the entire map without the risk of some bunch of 1st rates deciding to gank my tiny 6th rate for the lulz or whatever.

 

Also, pve players tend to be way nicer and more mature than pvp players who get salty over the littlest of things.

[BetaVape]

Maybe the Hostility Missions can be activated and PVE players can 'paint the map' without any conquest mechanics.

[AngryPanCake]

2 hours ago, BetaVape said:

Maybe the Hostility Missions can be activated and PVE players can 'paint the map' without any conquest mechanics.

interesting idea!

[Genma Saotome]

IMO the PvE environment needs a lot more than modest extensions and tweeks.  The entire supply demand model is not very useful due to the inadequate relationship between buy, sell, and quantity.  For example, when I drop 800 fish meat in some port1 you'd expect a couple of things to happen: The price I get should go down if the quantity is far in excess of normal demand and that I might be confronted by a "that's all we want to buy limit,  What we have now is a broken market: buyers must purchase everything on offer even it that means inventory levels that will take years to work down (when buy prices are set to 1).

Building a simple price model is pretty trivial mathematically; Finding the right price curve will take some iteration thru various slopes but that too isn't hard to adjust.

In the OW one thing that could be a big improvement to players is adding features and functions that increase the realism of gameplay: Winds that do not slowly rotate counterclockwise thru the compass at a set rate but instead blow variably, both inm direction and intensity as determined by a slightly weighted curve tending towards another change in the same direction as last time.

Adding features to increase management of sails (in response to the ever changing winds and waves gives players something to do when sailing from Nassau to Belize.  Yes... that would require changing the animation of every ship but IMO such effort would be warmly received by PvE Players.

Another possibility is to turn the Admiralty into a special sort of clan: Players no longer buy and sell warships from other players but from their Motherland Admiralty (i.e., from Great Britain, not Surrey).  Taxes fund each Admiralty; Players acquire new warships (or refit old ones) via interaction with the Admiralty... perhaps prices being adjusted inversely to combat experience, not gold.

BY this means the PvE environment can be a testbed for such feature changes, essentially identifying candidates to propose to the PvP community.

Edited September 14, 2017 by Genma Saotome

[Esprit]

would be great to have some port conquest mechanisms on the PVE server.

I guess taken ports would need to be left opened to all nations/players and some limitations would be potentially needed to avoid one or a few large clans to take too many ports.

 

Please Devs, consider this option! thank you

[monk33y]

Don't mean to upset anyone but doesn't conquest on the pve server just turn it into pvp 3!!

Edited September 16, 2017 by monk33y

[Esprit]

3 hours ago, monk33y said:

Don't mean to upset anyone but doesn't conquest on the pve server just turn it in pvp 3!!

very fair question.

I think there are potentially interesting mechanisms here - just as an example:

• let's say a clan might be able to raise hostility and win a PB, and then might be able to set a tax and see the port assigned to that clan in a way that is invisible to other players
• in some sense every clan on the PVE server can do the same without any conflict
• this can add some content to the PVE server without introducing any competition between clans or nations
• there could even be a random attack of that port by an AI fleet time to time
• there are probably more ports than active players on the PVE server

what do you think?

Edited September 15, 2017 by Esprit

[Esprit]

On 13/09/2017 at 10:02 AM, rediii said:

Thing is that there are pretty much pve zones with the new safezones on pvp server

I dont get why we need a extra server either but maybe im biases becahse i like to play pvp

I am playing on both servers Redii and the players are extraordinarily different. The PVE community is quiet and focused on simple tasks with having fun on TS. They love boats and history. They hate drama and ganking. Many of them come from the PVP server but yet would probably not be happy just "swimming" in a small pond around FR, Gustavia, etc. 

Please see the PVE server as complementary and useful for player retention and training. 

[EdWatchmaker]

Thanks AngryPanCake for this thread. 

I would think that by "profitable" the Dev's mean the amount of players on the server. So it behooves us to keep up the population if we want to be taken seriously. As I have said often, I play all 3 servers and I like them, each for it's own flavor. Most of my time in the past few months has been on the PvE server. I do love this server. I can just chill, sail around, build ships or other stuff. Not have to worry about my awesome sea dog nose bumping me at the wrong time, that has caused some disasters on more than one occasion. Not have to worry about getting locked into a battle for an hour or more that, though I like the battles, I just don't have time for. Enjoying the great friendliness and warm reception of the other players. Though I find goodness on the other servers, it is not something we can really do because we are all opponents. There it is our duty to slay the foe, or run like hell if we're a trader. Here on the PvE server it much more relaxed and we can truly enjoy the scenery, the great beauty that the Dev's have built. Over a year and a half and more than 1200 hours and I don't think it can be done any other way.

I don't think there is any better server for people to practice on. Often people on the other servers just don't have the time to help noobs. Sometimes it's because the noob thinks he/she knows it all or because the noob is seen as a possible alt spy and players are shy about getting to know them. So I think PvE is the best available tutorial.

I do think the this server needs more content, I for one want exploration, and I think that if we keep showing our interest we'll get it. I really like a lot of these ideas, we have some very innovative players, keep the ideas coming folks. I may sound silly but I do think the Dev's read and listen. 

Remember that not everyone that plays is on the forums. Talk to all you meet on the high seas and tell them that if they love this server to get on here and voice their opinions and their ideas.

      

[monk33y]

From a pvp player, the purpose of the pve server baffles me!

Would not merging the pve server with the test bed server not be a better use of resources. If pve players just sail about with no need for wealth etc then the test bed server would be good enough!

Let's be honest the eu and usa servers need merging to keep this game alive. 

Please for the love of donuts being back defender set attack-windows on a 24 hr server called pvp.

 

Edited September 16, 2017 by monk33y

[The Wren]

9 hours ago, monk33y said:

From a pvp player, the purpose of the pve server baffles me!

Would not merging the pve server with the test bed server not be a better use of resources. If pve players just sail about with no need for wealth etc then the test bed server would be good enough!

So you admit that you are baffled but you still feel obligated to offer your opinion on how others should be playing their game?

Read the paragraphs of praise for the PvE server on this site from the people who've actually played there. Then go actually try out the PvE server yourself and see what you think of it. I enjoy playing on the PvE server BUT sometimes it doesn't satisfy my gaming needs and I'll play on PvP global for the live opponents and inherent danger. Sometimes the normal toxic nature of the PvP server doesn't cut it for me and the relaxing atmosphere of PvE will beckon where toxic players and their immature friends are totally silenced with the ignore button.

What is wrong with having the choice?

[monk33y]

Iv turned over a new leaf on these forums but for you my friend I feel like the old monkey may return..  

[The Wren]

Lol, I'm not trying to attack you Monk33y, all I'm saying is play your game your way and let others play it their way.

Simple as that.

[Jean Ribault]

6 hours ago, The Wren said:

Lol, I'm not trying to attack you Monk33y, all I'm saying is play your game your way and let others play it their way.

Simple as that.

 

And this is the nature of the pve server monk33y.  Playing it for a while you would see it's live and let live, mostly friendly and helpful, and people ARE having a good time with it, in spite of a current lack of development on it.  The time will come for more development for this server, and then it will become even more of a destination for many players.  Try to look forward to all of us having more fun, as I do.

[hoarmurath]

11 hours ago, The Wren said:

Lol, I'm not trying to attack you Monk33y, all I'm saying is play your game your way and let others play it their way.

Simple as that.

But this is the whole point of pvp as it's implemented so far, to not let others play their way... The thought that there's a safe haven somewhere called pve server, where people can play their way, is just unbearable for some pvp players.

 

The pve server is there because the devs didn't knew how to make pvp and pve players play alongside on a single server. I don't believe that the pve server will get any significant attention, all the efforts are focused on pvp, conquest, and since it's still not working as intended, i think it's going to stay that way for a very long time... Probably until the end.

[monk33y]

My posts were aimed at pve players asking for Conquest to be added to the "hand holding while singing comb-bye-yar server".

In asking for the ability to conquest (taking others things), does this not add an element of pvp?

Even if it only benefits certain captains, whos skill levels max out against the stupid and predictable AI....?!

Having conquest on the pve server makes the server into pvp for dummies, does it not!

(iv tried soo hard, to be the new Monk3y but some people deserve to get the old me)

Edited September 17, 2017 by monk33y

[BetaVape]

2 hours ago, monk33y said:

My posts were aimed at pve players asking for Conquest to be added to the "hand holding while singing comb-bye-yar server".

In asking for the ability to conquest (taking others things), does this not add an element of pvp?

Even if it only benefits certain captains, whos skill levels max out against the stupid and predictable AI....?!

Having conquest on the pve server makes the server into pvp for dummies, does it not!

(iv tried soo hard, to be the new Monk3y but some people deserve to get the old me)

 

To be fair there was a bit of handholding added to PVP servers as well recently. Theres no need to be hostile PVE server is a chilled out place with good people.

[monk33y]

Just now, BetaVape said:

 

To be fair there was a bit of handholding added to PVP servers as well recently. Theres no need to be hostile PVE server is a chilled out place with good people.

Ironic!! Don't you think... I wasn't aggressive until poked..

[AngryPanCake]

3 hours ago, monk33y said:

Ironic!! Don't you think... I wasn't aggressive until poked..

Hi Monkey,

thank you for your input about the PvE server. If you feel you were "poked", could you please take it up with the person you believe poked you and have a personal/private discussion?

This back and forth is distracting from the purpose of this thread, which is to bring attention to the PvE server and not bring back the "old monkey".

Thank you.

Edited September 17, 2017 by AngryPanCake

[Maloco]

bring the conquest to the server pve, of course, as long as it is players against the AI, example that players go to attack a port and this is defended by NPCs. And please, let the IA navigate all the ship models that exist in the game, I want to be able to face any existing ships in the game

 

[Quineloe]

Devs aren't sitting here hitting F5 to collect feedback. They're fixing bugs that weren't fixed in the last builds.

What is it with this forum that has people create threads linking to their other threads where no one cared as well?

I also don't believe in the "PVE server is just training ground for PVP server". There's genuine pure PVE players, who will never even consider a game where they fight other players.  If the PVE server were just that, you might as well just create a no-PVP newbie zone where all new players start and can play until they choose a nation and leave on the PVP server, and save yourself an entire server.