Open Questions for Jorb

[Eyesgood]

Jorb,

Would you mind explaining to me your reasonings for making a perma-death game? What do the players of your game gain by you allowing them to irrevocably kill each other and/or grief each other? I truly would like to know because it just doesn't make sense to me that a developer of a sandbox game would not care that the actions of unscrupulous players would discourage other players from playing, supporting, and enjoying the game. In the end, it only hurts the game and your bottom line.

Would you ever entertain the concept of a server that would allow consensual pvp on the personal level and faction pvp for groups?

Your game is marvelous and I am enjoying playing it. But given human nature it is only a matter of time before someone comes along and does to me what they have done to so many others - that is, to grief and murder for no other reason than because they can. It just seems to me that it is in your best interest and that of the success of your game that you work to prevent one player from discouraging another player.

However, if you have some specific gratification, motive, or goal with these mechanics, I truly would like to understand why.

Thank you.
Eyesgood

[Grailen]

To keep the wussies like yourself out.

[jorb]

Would you mind explaining to me your reasonings for making a perma-death game?

Was super hyped for WoW when it came out. Was super disappointed in that it was just a theme park, when I had expected building, and whatnot. Talked loftar into all of this.

What do the players of your game gain by you allowing them to irrevocably kill each other and/or grief each other? I truly would like to know because it just doesn't make sense to me that a developer of a sandbox game would not care that the actions of unscrupulous players would discourage other players from playing, supporting, and enjoying the game. In the end, it only hurts the game and your bottom line.

A meaningful experience, perhaps. Your own obvious sense of loss -- for which I am sorry -- is probably a realer emotion than most things a theme park MMO can provide.

Also it's interesting to watch as a little microcosm of human behavior.

Not sure I have deeper motivations than that.

Would you ever entertain the concept of a server that would allow consensual pvp on the personal level and faction pvp for groups?

No.

Your game is marvelous and I am enjoying playing it.

Thank you!

But given human nature it is only a matter of time before someone comes along and does to me what they have done to so many others - that is, to grief and murder for no other reason than because they can.

If that bothers you then you do not have to passively accept it. You can fight back, go at it again, or move out farther into the wild. I myself have walked my normal character so far out by now that I doubt I'll ever see another soul. Being griefed is a choice you make when you are not zen enough to either let it go, or, left-hand path, take it back.

I apologize if that sounds cold. It isn't meant to.

It just seems to me that it is in your best interest and that of the success of your game that you work to prevent one player from discouraging another player.

I don't agree. If I may again wax philosophical; there's a general sense in the spirit of our times that people deserve to have their emotions protected from the ravaging onslaughts of cold, harsh, reality. The production and reproduction of such artificial senses of cosmological security appear false and pernicious to me, and I have a certain affinity for more primordial modes of existence. I guess parts of this game may reflect this attitude of mine.

But...!

This is just a computer game. It does not matter much. People are beheaded and set on fire for actual actuals in Syria, every day. In a world like that I, frankly, find the notion that people deserve to have their feelings protected laughable.

Thank you for playing. I hope to see you get back on the horse.

[Ailaa]

Is this guy kidding? I am playing this JUST because it's permadeath, it's a great challenge compare to other games.

[Sevenless]

You really need to sticky an FAQ about this jorb. Questions come up with every new batch of players

[Alzuule]

There are many games out there that protect you from other players, but few or none other than haven that does what haven does, which is why im playing haven and none of the other games. You might feel bad when your character dies, but you also grow alot more attached to it as it progresses into something epic, where in other MMOs everyone eventually become a epic king/demon/godslayer and its nothing special its actually a big achievement in haven to reach that level of strength where you are truly powerful.

[burgingham]

Jorb,

Would you mind explaining to me your reasonings for making a perma-death game? What do the players of your game gain by you allowing them to irrevocably kill each other and/or grief each other? I truly would like to know because it just doesn't make sense to me that a developer of a sandbox game would not care that the actions of unscrupulous players would discourage other players from playing, supporting, and enjoying the game. In the end, it only hurts the game and your bottom line.

Would you ever entertain the concept of a server that would allow consensual pvp on the personal level and faction pvp for groups?

Your game is marvelous and I am enjoying playing it. But given human nature it is only a matter of time before someone comes along and does to me what they have done to so many others - that is, to grief and murder for no other reason than because they can. It just seems to me that it is in your best interest and that of the success of your game that you work to prevent one player from discouraging another player.

However, if you have some specific gratification, motive, or goal with these mechanics, I truly would like to understand why.

Thank you.
Eyesgood

Hm, I cannot seem to find Jorb's big post on why PvP is not only combat actions but every action a player comes up with, even as small as taking a branch from a tree. Might shed some additional light on why the game is what it is.

Basically removing permadeath and open PvP would not make things better for you as a peaceful player, but worse. The ways to grief people in this game are endless as has been shown countless times, wether it was by blocking doors of others with hard to destroy objects or someone simply standing on the very spot you just wanted to dig clay from.
Open PvP and permadeath allow you to fight back and to punish others for actions you consider wrong. Wether there is such a thing as right or wrong behavior in HnH is an entirely different question though and I am not going to get into it now.

[Ninijutsu]

Hm, I cannot seem to find Jorb's big post on why PvP is not only combat actions but every action a player comes up with, even as small as taking a branch from a tree. Might shed some additional light on why the game is what it is.

I found the original post, but not the stickied thread. I think the latter has been deleted.

viewtopic.php?f=7&t=4840&p=55705

[simimi]

I remember old videos games, likes first Marios or whatever, there was no saves, when you made an error you had to go it all again.
And that was this that made it addictive, the sens of achivement when you could go a little further before dying.

[jorb]

I remember old videos games, likes first Marios or whatever, there was no saves, when you made an error you had to go it all again.
And that was this that made it addictive, the sens of achivement when you could go a little further before dying.

You and me both.

This philosophy of game design was a cultural carryover from the old arcade days, where the creator had strong incentives to kill you (and make you replay the whole thing) in order to make you throw another five cents down the game's insatiable maw. Who doesn't remember classics such as Shadow Warriors/Ninja Gaiden or Rygar?

Made for pretty good games.