Eternia is a PVP game.

[TheHopscotch]

There's been this re-occurring meme within the community as of late that has been lingering in the back of my mind for sometime now. 

The jokingly made statement that Eternia is nothing more than a PVP game, where roleplays only matter when you have a proper build backing your character. When creating your character and designing a concept you would find yourself enjoying, assuring you have a build described as 'optimal' should be the last thought on your mind. It is a struggle of balance between encouraging rewards and the combat system, and there's been a failure to uphold the former lately.

While I am certain few would find issue with this, the core problem stems from the fact that people do treat this game like a PVP game nowadays. This meme hasn't really cropped up in previous iterations of Eternia, mostly stemming from how build-central the game has become. In Spires, there were countless crazy combinations of magic, far more obnoxious ones too, but good behavior, proactivity, and a commitment to playing an immersive character was actually rewarded.

Now, I'll say this as blunt as I can.


Eternia should not be a game which rewards optimizing builds over well-rounded IC.

You shouldn't need worry about having the most optimized combo or how you'll sustain the hardest to come out on top. While there should certainly be some nuance and skill behind it, players who put significantly more time behind their characters personality/depth need to be rewarded in a more nuanced manner.

People who would rather treat this game like a PVP game as opposed to an interactive roleplaying experience should be put at a disadvantage. I've seen annoying spam of LOOC during serious scenes, and worse, shitposting in IC, often, where another players life is placed on the line in obnoxious attempts at being funny when it's just eyerolly. Characters which come off less as 'real' and more just a means to spout ooc phrases/lingo, drawing you out of the overall roleplaying experience and actively hurting the atmosphere by normalizing it and encouraging others to do the same.

Many even going as far to be disparaging in scenes which otherwise could do without snide side-liner comments. In my opinion, actions like this should be heavily discouraged. Players should not need to worry about the jeering of their fellow players whenever a serious scene or otherwise is currently ongoing. If people want to play shallow self-inserts with a thin veil between IC and OOC, let them, but at least empower those who put in the bare minimum.

Now, how do we fix this?


I believe the issue is a bit more than simply rewarding well-rounded players / handing out denials to others. Systems like this create a feeling of unease and can feel like your own actions are being undermined, when you truly are putting your best foot forwards. Similar to how moment apps more or less created a rift within the community - Many players feeling like the consistency wasn't quite there.

Naturally - No system can be made perfect and human error is more likely to occur when handling something as delicate as this. Should you have a mechanical system where players 'vote' on who they believe is impacting the meta the heaviest, its undeniable that such a system would be ripe for abuse/turn into a popularity contest very quickly.

No.

Something should be done, though. Perhaps when the administration sees a player actively making the gamestate better / more appealing their rewarded with a 'buff' to something as basic as their stance, but whatever it is then it needs to be significant and actually influence the IC rather than a few measly stats, preferably on a tiered basis. The old ruby/sapphire/etc passives were pointless because they were micromanagement for no real change. I want to see drastic, significant boosts applied to good actors, actively maintained and adjusted depending on the story.

And while I'm not entirely certain on what would be the best approach to address this, one thing remains - Eternia is not nor should it ever be seen as a PVP comes first experience. You want to actively push against this mindset, before it truly creates a toxic environment with characters nothing more than a hollow shell piloting the next overpowered combination their OOC buddies thought up.

TL;DR
Empower players who;
1. Don't spam looc with annoying attempts at humor, or worse, IC,
2. Actually come across as a living, real character rather than an attempt to be a 'meme.'
3. Are immersive to be around
4. Strive to be proactive and world shakers
5. Losing often in their RPL bracket despite all of the above (and if not, are exceptional / stand out)

P.S: I've never personally had problems with being strong and influential, even prior to acquiring hiddens. I know how to make a solid build that's unique, and I'm decently experienced in the game. Not everyone has that luxury.

Thank you for coming to my ted talk.