"Society in every state is a blessing, but government even in its best state is but a necessary evil; in its worst state an intolerable one ..." - Thomas Paine
Ok, so lets say in the game that someone is a "ganker" in, there are guild cities. Now in this game all weapons or at least most of these weapons are craftable, including most of the best weapons. Now in order to build these weapons you have to collect resources. So you are travelling through a zone and see people of an enemy guild gathering resources. These are low level characters. These resources are going to be used to make said guild stronger. As a member of your guild you should kill enemy players gathering resources that will likely be used against you should you not? Now if this is a full loot game you also just increased your guilds resources by taking all the resources they had gathered back to your guild.
How does it not make sense for this person to "gank" the low level players gathering resources to be used against them? Should it matter that in that particular instance it is not a fair fight?
Exactly this ganker guy here. He may be a douche or w/e but because of him we have an entire episode of south park which was entertaining. Gankers like him have a purpose. They create tension which in turn creates action. Just look at the episode to see what followed up after he ganked em. Things that many of us experienced too.
So you're leveling up on your own, or perhaps just sitting idly somewhere, chatting with a friend, when suddenly it happens. Out of nowhere, someone who is much, much higher level than you strolls up to you and kills you with little effort.
Your heart sinks. You stare at the monitor as your jaw opens in disbelief. Perhaps you even get angry. You just got ganked.
Hi, I was that guy. I just killed you.
Now, please, don't take it personally. I don't really know you, nor do I hold a grudge of any sort against you. You just happened to be in my line of sight, and are part of the opposing faction. (unless this is an open pvp world, then.. you were just unlucky.)
No, I didn't stalk you. This wasn't some elaborate plot against you. You just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Its just business.
Now that you're dead, feel free to rez without being harassed. Your body will remain where it was, and i'll be long gone. I believe that corpse camping and spawn killing are the lowest, most cowardly forms of PvP. But, if I happen to see you again up the road.. then you might want to run. Nah, I won't chase you. But, if you're in my way, then yes, you're dead.
Fighting for your life, and that thrill of not knowing when you might die or get ambushed is what it is all about
It brings a challenge to the game. It is the spice of MMO life.
Do I enjoy killing people who are a lower level than me? Nah.
I just see it as more of a... friendly reminder that yes, this is a PvP zone. You need to be alert at all times.
Please enjoy the rest of the game, and I look forward to meeting you again, once you've leveled up a bit.
My name is Dirk.
and i'm a PvPer.
So you go around killing lowbies that are in your line of sight and say: "i'm a PvPer".
Exactly this ganker guy here. He may be a douche or w/e but because of him we have an entire episode of south park which was entertaining. Gankers like him have a purpose. They create tension which in turn creates action. Just look at the episode to see what followed up after he ganked em. Things that many of us experienced too.
You can say they serve a purpose, but to me, the benefits of Gankers do not outweigh the costs.
To the OP, how do you feel about your actions making players quit? And the resulting complaints about low subcription numbers? In many of these games the people you are ganking have, by game design, zero chance of fighting back, do to levels, time in game, lack of resources/gear.
Were they given a chance to survive, they might stay in the game, evenutally become a challenger for you, and keep sending money to your developer. But you make them quit, which means less money for improving your game.
Exactly this ganker guy here. He may be a douche or w/e but because of him we have an entire episode of south park which was entertaining. Gankers like him have a purpose. They create tension which in turn creates action. Just look at the episode to see what followed up after he ganked em. Things that many of us experienced too.
Except that many people dont see the point of grinding for months to finally be able to get revenge. Instead, they quit, and the game dies. Now, in WOW this isnt as prevalent because there is no real death penalty. But take Darkfall or Eve where death has significant consequences, especially for newbs. Ganking and greifing can kill a game.
Ok, so lets say in the game that someone is a "ganker" in, there are guild cities. Now in this game all weapons or at least most of these weapons are craftable, including most of the best weapons. Now in order to build these weapons you have to collect resources. So you are travelling through a zone and see people of an enemy guild gathering resources. These are low level characters. These resources are going to be used to make said guild stronger. As a member of your guild you should kill enemy players gathering resources that will likely be used against you should you not? Now if this is a full loot game you also just increased your guilds resources by taking all the resources they had gathered back to your guild.
How does it not make sense for this person to "gank" the low level players gathering resources to be used against them? Should it matter that in that particular instance it is not a fair fight?
I tried asking that question as well. The problem is that most people are not familair with conquest-style gameplay, and especially not familiar with design that allows new players (or anything they gather/create) to be useful in 'endgame' gameplay. One response went as far as to directly claim that no MMO allows new players to gather or provide anything that would be of use to veteran players.
There isn't a "right" or "wrong" way to play, if you want to use a screwdriver to put nails into wood, have at it, simply don't complain when the guy next to you with the hammer is doing it much better and easier. - Allein "Graphics are often supplied by Engines that (some) MMORPG's are built in" - Spuffyre
Ok, so lets say in the game that someone is a "ganker" in, there are guild cities. Now in this game all weapons or at least most of these weapons are craftable, including most of the best weapons. Now in order to build these weapons you have to collect resources. So you are travelling through a zone and see people of an enemy guild gathering resources. These are low level characters. These resources are going to be used to make said guild stronger. As a member of your guild you should kill enemy players gathering resources that will likely be used against you should you not? Now if this is a full loot game you also just increased your guilds resources by taking all the resources they had gathered back to your guild.
How does it not make sense for this person to "gank" the low level players gathering resources to be used against them? Should it matter that in that particular instance it is not a fair fight?
Do you realise the OP is talking about WoW PvP here and your statement, though having an absolutely valid point, is also absolutely irrelevant, since YOU CANT LOOT PLAYERS in WoW.
Besides when you kill for lootz - you dont gank - you do exactly what you do - kill for lootz .
Also EvE (which I mentioned I am playing) features mechanics preventing corpse camping and perpetual ganking, so yeah, its possible to create/code a game preventing exactly that style of gameplay - ganking. Oh and by the way its really really really hard to kill newbs in EvE (unles they are not paying attention to local chat), since they usually fly frigs and small crap like that, which is very hard to tackle if you're not dumb.
Question to the OP: What game are we talking about here? The one that you are playing? In case im wrong about the OP's game (wow or any other game like wow).
Ok, so lets say in the game that someone is a "ganker" in, there are guild cities. Now in this game all weapons or at least most of these weapons are craftable, including most of the best weapons. Now in order to build these weapons you have to collect resources. So you are travelling through a zone and see people of an enemy guild gathering resources. These are low level characters. These resources are going to be used to make said guild stronger. As a member of your guild you should kill enemy players gathering resources that will likely be used against you should you not? Now if this is a full loot game you also just increased your guilds resources by taking all the resources they had gathered back to your guild.
How does it not make sense for this person to "gank" the low level players gathering resources to be used against them? Should it matter that in that particular instance it is not a fair fight?
Do you realise the OP is talking about WoW PvP here and your statement, though having an absolutely valid point, is also absolutely irrelevant, since YOU CANT LOOT PLAYERS in WoW.
When did he say he was referring to WOW?
Also EvE (which I mentioned I am playing) features mechanics preventing corpse camping and perpetual ganking...
Which are things the OP explicitly said he does not do.
"Now that you're dead, feel free to rez without being harassed. Your body will remain where it was, and i'll be long gone. I believe that corpse camping and spawn killing are the lowest, most cowardly forms of PvP."
There isn't a "right" or "wrong" way to play, if you want to use a screwdriver to put nails into wood, have at it, simply don't complain when the guy next to you with the hammer is doing it much better and easier. - Allein "Graphics are often supplied by Engines that (some) MMORPG's are built in" - Spuffyre
I run into the people that gizzank me. But I still maintain a level of professionalism and help oppooseing factions and such. I've had plenty of occasions where playing whorde or alliance (in WoW) that i've helped kill a quest mob, they will wait for it to respawn and help me...and vis'versa. it's better to Help IMO. course I play healer class' which might say alot...
Ok, so lets say in the game that someone is a "ganker" in, there are guild cities. Now in this game all weapons or at least most of these weapons are craftable, including most of the best weapons. Now in order to build these weapons you have to collect resources. So you are travelling through a zone and see people of an enemy guild gathering resources. These are low level characters. These resources are going to be used to make said guild stronger. As a member of your guild you should kill enemy players gathering resources that will likely be used against you should you not? Now if this is a full loot game you also just increased your guilds resources by taking all the resources they had gathered back to your guild.
How does it not make sense for this person to "gank" the low level players gathering resources to be used against them? Should it matter that in that particular instance it is not a fair fight?
Do you realise the OP is talking about WoW PvP here and your statement, though having an absolutely valid point, is also absolutely irrelevant, since YOU CANT LOOT PLAYERS in WoW.
When did he say he was referring to WOW?
Also EvE (which I mentioned I am playing) features mechanics preventing corpse camping and perpetual ganking...
Which are things the OP explicitly said he does not do.
"Now that you're dead, feel free to rez without being harassed. Your body will remain where it was, and i'll be long gone. I believe that corpse camping and spawn killing are the lowest, most cowardly forms of PvP."
1) He described mechanics, matching those of WoW
2) I didnt say he was doing, some other people in this thread were saying that it is impossible to code a FFA PVP game without corpse camping and constant ganking.
Ok, so lets say in the game that someone is a "ganker" in, there are guild cities. Now in this game all weapons or at least most of these weapons are craftable, including most of the best weapons. Now in order to build these weapons you have to collect resources. So you are travelling through a zone and see people of an enemy guild gathering resources. These are low level characters. These resources are going to be used to make said guild stronger. As a member of your guild you should kill enemy players gathering resources that will likely be used against you should you not? Now if this is a full loot game you also just increased your guilds resources by taking all the resources they had gathered back to your guild.
How does it not make sense for this person to "gank" the low level players gathering resources to be used against them? Should it matter that in that particular instance it is not a fair fight?
Do you realise the OP is talking about WoW PvP here and your statement, though having an absolutely valid point, is also absolutely irrelevant, since YOU CANT LOOT PLAYERS in WoW.
When did he say he was referring to WOW?
Also EvE (which I mentioned I am playing) features mechanics preventing corpse camping and perpetual ganking...
Which are things the OP explicitly said he does not do.
"Now that you're dead, feel free to rez without being harassed. Your body will remain where it was, and i'll be long gone. I believe that corpse camping and spawn killing are the lowest, most cowardly forms of PvP."
1) He described mechanics, matching those of WoW
2) I didnt say he was doing, some other people in this thread were saying that it is impossible to code a FFA PVP game without corpse camping and constant ganking.
3) Read. Think(understand). Post.
Ok, so I gave you the benefit of the doubt and re-read the OP. What he described could easily be applied to almost ANY MMO with open world PvP. I say 'almost' solely because he said 'road' otherwise I'd say it applies to EVE Online and others as well. The OP seems to go out of his way to indicate he means no specific game:
"You just happened to be in my line of sight, and are part of the opposing faction. (unless this is an open pvp world, then.. you were just unlucky.): "
Instead of tossing out cutesy insults, consider that maybe you're reading things into it that aren't there.
There isn't a "right" or "wrong" way to play, if you want to use a screwdriver to put nails into wood, have at it, simply don't complain when the guy next to you with the hammer is doing it much better and easier. - Allein "Graphics are often supplied by Engines that (some) MMORPG's are built in" - Spuffyre
Ok, so lets say in the game that someone is a "ganker" in, there are guild cities. Now in this game all weapons or at least most of these weapons are craftable, including most of the best weapons. Now in order to build these weapons you have to collect resources. So you are travelling through a zone and see people of an enemy guild gathering resources. These are low level characters. These resources are going to be used to make said guild stronger. As a member of your guild you should kill enemy players gathering resources that will likely be used against you should you not? Now if this is a full loot game you also just increased your guilds resources by taking all the resources they had gathered back to your guild.
How does it not make sense for this person to "gank" the low level players gathering resources to be used against them? Should it matter that in that particular instance it is not a fair fight?
Do you realise the OP is talking about WoW PvP here and your statement, though having an absolutely valid point, is also absolutely irrelevant, since YOU CANT LOOT PLAYERS in WoW.
When did he say he was referring to WOW?
Besides when you kill for lootz - you dont gank - you do exactly what you do - kill for lootz .
Also EvE (which I mentioned I am playing) features mechanics preventing corpse camping and perpetual ganking...
Which are things the OP explicitly said he does not do.
"Now that you're dead, feel free to rez without being harassed. Your body will remain where it was, and i'll be long gone. I believe that corpse camping and spawn killing are the lowest, most cowardly forms of PvP."
1) He described mechanics, matching those of WoW
2) I didnt say he was doing, some other people in this thread were saying that it is impossible to code a FFA PVP game without corpse camping and constant ganking.
3) Read. Think(understand). Post.
Regardless of what game the OP plays he did not post this in the WoW forums. To me, in a non game specific forum, that means, regardless of what game he plays, that he was referring to "ganking" in any MMO. Earlier in the thread people have described ganking as a high level killing a low level. Some others have also referred to it as jumping an player regardless of level or skill relationships, but just attacking a player that is not expecting being attacked for whatever reason. Since I feel any equal level vs equal level fighting is not ganking, I went along the lines of the high level attacking the low level definition in use.
Anyway let's discuss the valid point instead of ignoring it because we are talking about WoW.
Cool discussion... I read most of it...A few people nailed it for me. Why gank? BOREDOM....
Let's summarize typical MMO experience: I have this avatar in this virtual world. I'm running around killing these virtual boars that walk the same path, (go from A to B, wait 3 seconds, turn, wait 2 seconds, go back from B to A, etc). I come up to them perform my move sequences: X,Y,auto-attack, etc. Maybe I don't do enough damage, so I switch sequences mid-path. And then I do this over and over.
Eventually I get in groups, and do dungeon-crawls: room A, rogue saps mob X, tank pulls Y, give him 5 seconds to build agro, dps slowly for 10 seconds, then unleash, blah blah. Same boring repetitive actions, except now I get to do it with friends, which makes it more bearable for a while I suppose.
I've played: AC2, WoW, EQ, EQ2, LOTRO, WAR, GW, and some of the free ones... and all of them, with a slight variation here and there are basically the same. (I don't play MMOs anymore, but maxed toons in all these games).
My Point: I played WoW for about 5 months when it first came out, (that's been a while ago, which adds to point I'm about to make). Do I remember sword X or armor Y that I obtained from killing boss Z 10 times till special item dropped? no. Do I remember the sense of achievement I got from getting enhancement X for skill Y that allowed to consistently kill mob Z ? no. What stuck in my head, 6 years after the fact?
1. some 60 ganked me in SS. Pissed me off. I called for friends, then they called for friends, pretty soon SS-TM turns into a 50x50 battle zone, (and then the servers crashed... lol).
2. I remember a gank in BB that evolved into a huge bar-room brawl, (hmm... again the servers crashed).
3. I remember various random 1-vs-1 battles out in the middle of nowhere, close fights, unplanned.
4. I remember running into different bases (alone, small groups, or whole guild) and raising Hell. Then others would come and retaliate. My way of giving back to the game; so they could have the thrill I had in points 1 and 2 above.
What I don't remember... battlegrounds or WAR pvp where you go into an instance over and over and fight it out... I really don't remember that. It's just yet another form of grind imo. Like the thousands of CS and UT instance-fights I've participated in... good even fights, all planned, all fair, all BORING and not-remembered...
So thank you gankers! You are spicing it up. making it different. adding a little life to an otherwise simple, boring, repetitive, brain-dead genre.
Life lets you do black tar heroin; kill people; engage in coitis with your mom, sister, father, and brother (or attempt to); punch babies in the face; and the list goes on .... but that doesn't mean you should.
"Society in every state is a blessing, but government even in its best state is but a necessary evil; in its worst state an intolerable one ..." - Thomas Paine
Part of the problem is level based games, and the idea of progression that players now have. It's a holdover from RPGs, in which you're meant to become a badass wrecking machine, which simply doesn't work in an MMO. Everyone should be on the same playing field, more or less, from the start of the game, and end game should begin from day one. Progression shouldn't be vertical, it should be lateral. You should be able to refine your own playstyle by customising the abilities that you have, not necessarily making them more powerful.
The other problem is that the people getting ganked don't realise that gankers die just as much, if not more so, than those they are targeting. I've ganked my fair share of lowbies in WoW, and I did it because they were there. I saw them, I chased them, and I killed them. It happened to me when I was leveling, and it was honestly no big thing, so I don't see why it should be a problem when I pass the favour on. Then you have the higher level players who respond to ganking, and you're fighting against three guys your own level, which was what you actually wanted in the first place. Sure, you tend to die quite a bit, but the object is that you go down swinging and take one or two of them with you.
Hell, I remember being a mage in WoW, hanging around sorrow hill and having my shit absolutely ruined by the same demonology warlock for nearly an hour. No matter what I did, he'd eat my buffs, resist pretty much everything I threw at him, deathcoil me, and this player was the same level as I was. It was like fighting a level 70 when you're level 60. But, that experience ultimately made me a better player, and I learned how to deal with demo locks (more or less, they were fairly OP back then, even for warriors and rogues). The problem is that players want a single player experience where they can run around and not be interrupted, in the context of a multiplayer game. I'm sorry, but it doesn't work that way. I play multiplayer games to test myself, and to let off steam, and a lot of that involves PVP.
You're invariably going to be sharing your gamespace with people like myself when you play these games, so do the as the Wu Tang Clan says, and "watch your step kid, watch your step kid, watch your step kid, and protect ya neck."
You really think that just because it's PVP that you can just run up and kill somebody anytime for any reason? For me PVP is a chance to challenge others skills in a duel not a GANK. Ganking is a cowardly and lowly way to play any game and causes people to not want to play the game.
In Real Life War it is considered a war crime to do such things and is punishable by death.
You really think that just because it's PVP that you can just run up and kill somebody anytime for any reason? For me PVP is a chance to challenge others skills in a duel not a GANK. Ganking is a cowardly and lowly way to play any game and causes people to not want to play the game.
In Real Life War it is considered a war crime to do such things and is punishable by death.
So death to all you gankers.
not true, secret ops, and even in open wars with ambushes and bomb enemy convoys can be considered ganks and all armys do it, also a sniper just sit there far from the enemy and pick your target one by one is a gank too. so in real life its not considered war crime, war crime is only if you kill a civilian or a soldier who surrender(but in both cases only if a 3rd party see it and report it someway), so please if you want to talk about real life, don't dream about it, the world is not fair, even less in wars
So you're leveling up on your own, or perhaps just sitting idly somewhere, chatting with a friend, when suddenly it happens. Out of nowhere, someone who is much, much higher level than you strolls up to you and kills you with little effort.
Your heart sinks. You stare at the monitor as your jaw opens in disbelief. Perhaps you even get angry. You just got ganked.
Hi, I was that guy. I just killed you.
Now, please, don't take it personally. I don't really know you, nor do I hold a grudge of any sort against you. You just happened to be in my line of sight, and are part of the opposing faction. (unless this is an open pvp world, then.. you were just unlucky.)
No, I didn't stalk you. This wasn't some elaborate plot against you. You just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Its just business.
Now that you're dead, feel free to rez without being harassed. Your body will remain where it was, and i'll be long gone. I believe that corpse camping and spawn killing are the lowest, most cowardly forms of PvP. But, if I happen to see you again up the road.. then you might want to run. Nah, I won't chase you. But, if you're in my way, then yes, you're dead.
Fighting for your life, and that thrill of not knowing when you might die or get ambushed is what it is all about
It brings a challenge to the game. It is the spice of MMO life.
Do I enjoy killing people who are a lower level than me? Nah.
I just see it as more of a... friendly reminder that yes, this is a PvP zone. You need to be alert at all times.
Please enjoy the rest of the game, and I look forward to meeting you again, once you've leveled up a bit.
My name is Dirk.
and i'm a PvPer.
People don't hate being killed once. What people hate are people who use a condescending tone and look down on other players. People who like to rub it in after they ganked you, or people who chain gank you.
The ganking itself doesn't bother me, it's when that 16-year-old sends me a tell explaining to me in broken English how much better he is than me, which makes me rethink if I want to be in the same world as him.
In any normal game people live and let live. It's only when other players go out of their way to gank you, target easy players and gloat when they kill you.
The fact that you mentioned "after you level up", mean you're ganking people who don't form a threat to you, just for the fun of ganking, that bothers me, those people.
You really think that just because it's PVP that you can just run up and kill somebody anytime for any reason? For me PVP is a chance to challenge others skills in a duel not a GANK. Ganking is a cowardly and lowly way to play any game and causes people to not want to play the game.
In Real Life War it is considered a war crime to do such things and is punishable by death.
So death to all you gankers.
In a game where the PvP is designed to be a duel or matched competition, that's a reasonable view. In conquest-based PvP games, that's a sure path to defeat. You've just allowed your enemy to use solo low-level characters to level in your territory, gather your resources, spy on your troops and even invade your ranks.
There isn't a "right" or "wrong" way to play, if you want to use a screwdriver to put nails into wood, have at it, simply don't complain when the guy next to you with the hammer is doing it much better and easier. - Allein "Graphics are often supplied by Engines that (some) MMORPG's are built in" - Spuffyre
You've just allowed your enemy to use solo low-level characters to level in your territory, gather your resources, spy on your troops and even invade your ranks.
That's why any good PVP MMO makes sure that's not possible. If you're playing a PVP MMO where killing a players that doesn't form a threat to you grants you any type of bonus, it just means the game isn't designed very well.
I remember Aion had (and prolly still does) this issue and people could mass kill low characters without any penalty, jerks will be jerks and plenty of griefers chain killed low level players.
Cool discussion... I read most of it...A few people nailed it for me. Why gank? BOREDOM....
Let's summarize typical MMO experience: I have this avatar in this virtual world. I'm running around killing these virtual boars that walk the same path, (go from A to B, wait 3 seconds, turn, wait 2 seconds, go back from B to A, etc). I come up to them perform my move sequences: X,Y,auto-attack, etc. Maybe I don't do enough damage, so I switch sequences mid-path. And then I do this over and over.
Eventually I get in groups, and do dungeon-crawls: room A, rogue saps mob X, tank pulls Y, give him 5 seconds to build agro, dps slowly for 10 seconds, then unleash, blah blah. Same boring repetitive actions, except now I get to do it with friends, which makes it more bearable for a while I suppose.
I've played: AC2, WoW, EQ, EQ2, LOTRO, WAR, GW, and some of the free ones... and all of them, with a slight variation here and there are basically the same. (I don't play MMOs anymore, but maxed toons in all these games).
My Point: I played WoW for about 5 months when it first came out, (that's been a while ago, which adds to point I'm about to make). Do I remember sword X or armor Y that I obtained from killing boss Z 10 times till special item dropped? no. Do I remember the sense of achievement I got from getting enhancement X for skill Y that allowed to consistently kill mob Z ? no. What stuck in my head, 6 years after the fact?
1. some 60 ganked me in SS. Pissed me off. I called for friends, then they called for friends, pretty soon SS-TM turns into a 50x50 battle zone, (and then the servers crashed... lol).
2. I remember a gank in BB that evolved into a huge bar-room brawl, (hmm... again the servers crashed).
3. I remember various random 1-vs-1 battles out in the middle of nowhere, close fights, unplanned.
4. I remember running into different bases (alone, small groups, or whole guild) and raising Hell. Then others would come and retaliate. My way of giving back to the game; so they could have the thrill I had in points 1 and 2 above.
What I don't remember... battlegrounds or WAR pvp where you go into an instance over and over and fight it out... I really don't remember that. It's just yet another form of grind imo. Like the thousands of CS and UT instance-fights I've participated in... good even fights, all planned, all fair, all BORING and not-remembered...
So thank you gankers! You are spicing it up. making it different. adding a little life to an otherwise simple, boring, repetitive, brain-dead genre.
No they don't spice things up ... they fuck things up when it comes to attacking lowbies as the op stated he did!
If you want to spice things up go gank a same lvl ... but I'm sure they're to afraid to do that!
Comments
Compensation?
"Society in every state is a blessing, but government even in its best state is but a necessary evil; in its worst state an intolerable one ..." - Thomas Paine
http://www.flickr.com/photos/afkgamer/261457181/
Ok, so lets say in the game that someone is a "ganker" in, there are guild cities. Now in this game all weapons or at least most of these weapons are craftable, including most of the best weapons. Now in order to build these weapons you have to collect resources. So you are travelling through a zone and see people of an enemy guild gathering resources. These are low level characters. These resources are going to be used to make said guild stronger. As a member of your guild you should kill enemy players gathering resources that will likely be used against you should you not? Now if this is a full loot game you also just increased your guilds resources by taking all the resources they had gathered back to your guild.
How does it not make sense for this person to "gank" the low level players gathering resources to be used against them? Should it matter that in that particular instance it is not a fair fight?
Exactly this ganker guy here. He may be a douche or w/e but because of him we have an entire episode of south park which was entertaining. Gankers like him have a purpose. They create tension which in turn creates action. Just look at the episode to see what followed up after he ganked em. Things that many of us experienced too.
So you go around killing lowbies that are in your line of sight and say: "i'm a PvPer".
"My name is Dirk."
No it isn't ... it's Dick
You can say they serve a purpose, but to me, the benefits of Gankers do not outweigh the costs.
So long, and thanks for all the fish!
To the OP, how do you feel about your actions making players quit? And the resulting complaints about low subcription numbers? In many of these games the people you are ganking have, by game design, zero chance of fighting back, do to levels, time in game, lack of resources/gear.
Were they given a chance to survive, they might stay in the game, evenutally become a challenger for you, and keep sending money to your developer. But you make them quit, which means less money for improving your game.
Except that many people dont see the point of grinding for months to finally be able to get revenge. Instead, they quit, and the game dies. Now, in WOW this isnt as prevalent because there is no real death penalty. But take Darkfall or Eve where death has significant consequences, especially for newbs. Ganking and greifing can kill a game.
Why?
Because the game lets me.
Playing: Nothing
Looking forward to: Nothing
I tried asking that question as well. The problem is that most people are not familair with conquest-style gameplay, and especially not familiar with design that allows new players (or anything they gather/create) to be useful in 'endgame' gameplay. One response went as far as to directly claim that no MMO allows new players to gather or provide anything that would be of use to veteran players.
There isn't a "right" or "wrong" way to play, if you want to use a screwdriver to put nails into wood, have at it, simply don't complain when the guy next to you with the hammer is doing it much better and easier. - Allein
"Graphics are often supplied by Engines that (some) MMORPG's are built in" - Spuffyre
Do you realise the OP is talking about WoW PvP here and your statement, though having an absolutely valid point, is also absolutely irrelevant, since YOU CANT LOOT PLAYERS in WoW.
Besides when you kill for lootz - you dont gank - you do exactly what you do - kill for lootz .
Also EvE (which I mentioned I am playing) features mechanics preventing corpse camping and perpetual ganking, so yeah, its possible to create/code a game preventing exactly that style of gameplay - ganking. Oh and by the way its really really really hard to kill newbs in EvE (unles they are not paying attention to local chat), since they usually fly frigs and small crap like that, which is very hard to tackle if you're not dumb.
Question to the OP: What game are we talking about here? The one that you are playing? In case im wrong about the OP's game (wow or any other game like wow).
There isn't a "right" or "wrong" way to play, if you want to use a screwdriver to put nails into wood, have at it, simply don't complain when the guy next to you with the hammer is doing it much better and easier. - Allein
"Graphics are often supplied by Engines that (some) MMORPG's are built in" - Spuffyre
I run into the people that gizzank me. But I still maintain a level of professionalism and help oppooseing factions and such. I've had plenty of occasions where playing whorde or alliance (in WoW) that i've helped kill a quest mob, they will wait for it to respawn and help me...and vis'versa. it's better to Help IMO. course I play healer class' which might say alot...
1) He described mechanics, matching those of WoW
2) I didnt say he was doing, some other people in this thread were saying that it is impossible to code a FFA PVP game without corpse camping and constant ganking.
3) Read. Think(understand). Post.
Ok, so I gave you the benefit of the doubt and re-read the OP. What he described could easily be applied to almost ANY MMO with open world PvP. I say 'almost' solely because he said 'road' otherwise I'd say it applies to EVE Online and others as well. The OP seems to go out of his way to indicate he means no specific game:
"You just happened to be in my line of sight, and are part of the opposing faction. (unless this is an open pvp world, then.. you were just unlucky.): "
Instead of tossing out cutesy insults, consider that maybe you're reading things into it that aren't there.
There isn't a "right" or "wrong" way to play, if you want to use a screwdriver to put nails into wood, have at it, simply don't complain when the guy next to you with the hammer is doing it much better and easier. - Allein
"Graphics are often supplied by Engines that (some) MMORPG's are built in" - Spuffyre
Regardless of what game the OP plays he did not post this in the WoW forums. To me, in a non game specific forum, that means, regardless of what game he plays, that he was referring to "ganking" in any MMO. Earlier in the thread people have described ganking as a high level killing a low level. Some others have also referred to it as jumping an player regardless of level or skill relationships, but just attacking a player that is not expecting being attacked for whatever reason. Since I feel any equal level vs equal level fighting is not ganking, I went along the lines of the high level attacking the low level definition in use.
Anyway let's discuss the valid point instead of ignoring it because we are talking about WoW.
Cool discussion... I read most of it...A few people nailed it for me. Why gank? BOREDOM....
Let's summarize typical MMO experience: I have this avatar in this virtual world. I'm running around killing these virtual boars that walk the same path, (go from A to B, wait 3 seconds, turn, wait 2 seconds, go back from B to A, etc). I come up to them perform my move sequences: X,Y,auto-attack, etc. Maybe I don't do enough damage, so I switch sequences mid-path. And then I do this over and over.
Eventually I get in groups, and do dungeon-crawls: room A, rogue saps mob X, tank pulls Y, give him 5 seconds to build agro, dps slowly for 10 seconds, then unleash, blah blah. Same boring repetitive actions, except now I get to do it with friends, which makes it more bearable for a while I suppose.
I've played: AC2, WoW, EQ, EQ2, LOTRO, WAR, GW, and some of the free ones... and all of them, with a slight variation here and there are basically the same. (I don't play MMOs anymore, but maxed toons in all these games).
My Point: I played WoW for about 5 months when it first came out, (that's been a while ago, which adds to point I'm about to make). Do I remember sword X or armor Y that I obtained from killing boss Z 10 times till special item dropped? no. Do I remember the sense of achievement I got from getting enhancement X for skill Y that allowed to consistently kill mob Z ? no. What stuck in my head, 6 years after the fact?
1. some 60 ganked me in SS. Pissed me off. I called for friends, then they called for friends, pretty soon SS-TM turns into a 50x50 battle zone, (and then the servers crashed... lol).
2. I remember a gank in BB that evolved into a huge bar-room brawl, (hmm... again the servers crashed).
3. I remember various random 1-vs-1 battles out in the middle of nowhere, close fights, unplanned.
4. I remember running into different bases (alone, small groups, or whole guild) and raising Hell. Then others would come and retaliate. My way of giving back to the game; so they could have the thrill I had in points 1 and 2 above.
What I don't remember... battlegrounds or WAR pvp where you go into an instance over and over and fight it out... I really don't remember that. It's just yet another form of grind imo. Like the thousands of CS and UT instance-fights I've participated in... good even fights, all planned, all fair, all BORING and not-remembered...
So thank you gankers! You are spicing it up. making it different. adding a little life to an otherwise simple, boring, repetitive, brain-dead genre.
Life lets you do black tar heroin; kill people; engage in coitis with your mom, sister, father, and brother (or attempt to); punch babies in the face; and the list goes on .... but that doesn't mean you should.
"Society in every state is a blessing, but government even in its best state is but a necessary evil; in its worst state an intolerable one ..." - Thomas Paine
Part of the problem is level based games, and the idea of progression that players now have. It's a holdover from RPGs, in which you're meant to become a badass wrecking machine, which simply doesn't work in an MMO. Everyone should be on the same playing field, more or less, from the start of the game, and end game should begin from day one. Progression shouldn't be vertical, it should be lateral. You should be able to refine your own playstyle by customising the abilities that you have, not necessarily making them more powerful.
The other problem is that the people getting ganked don't realise that gankers die just as much, if not more so, than those they are targeting. I've ganked my fair share of lowbies in WoW, and I did it because they were there. I saw them, I chased them, and I killed them. It happened to me when I was leveling, and it was honestly no big thing, so I don't see why it should be a problem when I pass the favour on. Then you have the higher level players who respond to ganking, and you're fighting against three guys your own level, which was what you actually wanted in the first place. Sure, you tend to die quite a bit, but the object is that you go down swinging and take one or two of them with you.
Hell, I remember being a mage in WoW, hanging around sorrow hill and having my shit absolutely ruined by the same demonology warlock for nearly an hour. No matter what I did, he'd eat my buffs, resist pretty much everything I threw at him, deathcoil me, and this player was the same level as I was. It was like fighting a level 70 when you're level 60. But, that experience ultimately made me a better player, and I learned how to deal with demo locks (more or less, they were fairly OP back then, even for warriors and rogues). The problem is that players want a single player experience where they can run around and not be interrupted, in the context of a multiplayer game. I'm sorry, but it doesn't work that way. I play multiplayer games to test myself, and to let off steam, and a lot of that involves PVP.
You're invariably going to be sharing your gamespace with people like myself when you play these games, so do the as the Wu Tang Clan says, and "watch your step kid, watch your step kid, watch your step kid, and protect ya neck."
You really think that just because it's PVP that you can just run up and kill somebody anytime for any reason? For me PVP is a chance to challenge others skills in a duel not a GANK. Ganking is a cowardly and lowly way to play any game and causes people to not want to play the game.
In Real Life War it is considered a war crime to do such things and is punishable by death.
So death to all you gankers.
not true, secret ops, and even in open wars with ambushes and bomb enemy convoys can be considered ganks and all armys do it, also a sniper just sit there far from the enemy and pick your target one by one is a gank too. so in real life its not considered war crime, war crime is only if you kill a civilian or a soldier who surrender(but in both cases only if a 3rd party see it and report it someway), so please if you want to talk about real life, don't dream about it, the world is not fair, even less in wars
People don't hate being killed once. What people hate are people who use a condescending tone and look down on other players. People who like to rub it in after they ganked you, or people who chain gank you.
The ganking itself doesn't bother me, it's when that 16-year-old sends me a tell explaining to me in broken English how much better he is than me, which makes me rethink if I want to be in the same world as him.
In any normal game people live and let live. It's only when other players go out of their way to gank you, target easy players and gloat when they kill you.
The fact that you mentioned "after you level up", mean you're ganking people who don't form a threat to you, just for the fun of ganking, that bothers me, those people.
In a game where the PvP is designed to be a duel or matched competition, that's a reasonable view. In conquest-based PvP games, that's a sure path to defeat. You've just allowed your enemy to use solo low-level characters to level in your territory, gather your resources, spy on your troops and even invade your ranks.
There isn't a "right" or "wrong" way to play, if you want to use a screwdriver to put nails into wood, have at it, simply don't complain when the guy next to you with the hammer is doing it much better and easier. - Allein
"Graphics are often supplied by Engines that (some) MMORPG's are built in" - Spuffyre
That's why any good PVP MMO makes sure that's not possible. If you're playing a PVP MMO where killing a players that doesn't form a threat to you grants you any type of bonus, it just means the game isn't designed very well.
I remember Aion had (and prolly still does) this issue and people could mass kill low characters without any penalty, jerks will be jerks and plenty of griefers chain killed low level players.
No they don't spice things up ... they fuck things up when it comes to attacking lowbies as the op stated he did!
If you want to spice things up go gank a same lvl ... but I'm sure they're to afraid to do that!