I think you mistook my meaning of 2% of the RPG players out there, that number is still huge.
Broken down, you have all RPGers, about 10% don?t play on a computer.
About 50% of the computer players do not play MORPGs.
About 10% don?t like fantasy
So all in all that leaves us with 30% of all RPGers as a start.
Then we have the classic Role player, power gamer and PKers, we are focused on the Role players and to a small degree the Powergamers, most games out there are the opposite where most is on Powergaming, this includes D&D and most paper and pencil games.
Also many games have a kill all the monsters around view, I don?t think we will and that lowers the % even more, cause many will need to know who to kill when and how.
So what is Role-Playing in the sense given, cause we all have different opinions. Well, my definition is not the one I will use, cause it is not what is being used. My understanding of Role-playing in the (Planeshift) way of thinking is, that you are more focused on your character from a personal standpoint then a stats stand point, that if I have armor that that is 10% better at defending , or looks 10% better, the RPer will take that one that looks better.
Also the RPer will accept a role and not say I want to be X, and they will enjoy taking that role.
This may seem odd, but if you play paper and pencil RPGs, you know that 90% of the time you play the good guys. And in this game it won?t be very different. In reality the hope of the game ATM is to provide the closest resemblance to paper and pencil gaming (or live RPGs) possible with out all the drawbacks.
My opinion on this is mixed, but that is not the current issue. The issue here is focus, or lack there of.
If you have a eat or be eaten environment, it becomes powergamer centric, better armor better weapons, better spells, kills you and I get your stuff. This we will not have at all.
In a setting where everything is cooperative ?us against the world? you once again become powergamer centric so I can take on more then you can.
The balance for role-playing and fun is centered on total lack of grief, and where quests and game issues (politics and puzzles and such ) are at the center of gaining experience And thus more effective.
Now, I am not particularly of this view, nor is anyone of the devs, but it is a combination of visions.
There is talk that when we are in ?alpha? we will have many rule sets and such and as we near ?beta? we will consolidate and make it what is deemed most desirable to our hopes. But from a political standpoint, wanting Grief play and no real effect on the character (NPC?s not selling to you is not enough, and not being able to go into cities is not enough, and getting killed a couple of times is not enough, because you choose that path, the one you killed did not, unless he/she lost after starting a fight) is has to give hardship in some way.
Again for those of you wanting to PvP there are games out there that provide it, Shadowbane and DOAC to name two, and I am pretty sure there are 2 or 3 more with a good number of players. Games with great thief content?very few, thief 2 was probably the best but still only single player.
The trick is goal and focus of the game, what does one game give that others do not?and price is not a reason, go get a job.
This game will not be all things for all people (no game can be). But this game will touch on one or two ignored areas of gaming.
As for the point of this thread?if you really want good PvP content, or even PK content, figure something out where it does not include grief.
Actually what is needed is something different, but it is up to you all to find it really.
Anyone who is opposed to PKing or PvP or Player thieving, will not be persuaded by what is on this sub-forum, it is hopeful that it is not the opposite.
So, figure out a system that is so enticing that it will convert a non-PKer to want to have this game be PK.
As for making 5 or 6 different types of game play for the game, again, only at one or two realeases will that be plausible, it is not simply a matter of turning this on and that off, a lot of balancing and adding code to make it all happen will be necessary and then to support that many versions is a pain. Or literally all games would have it. But they do not because of the amount of work involved in maintaining it is not cost effective, and this entire project is not cost effective, so that would be worse.