RvR Events ideas thread

[live4treasure]

While there are likely to be a hundred more suggestions offered in this direction, I'd like to approach this from a different perspective. I think it is useful to generalize the overarching opinions of the playerbase in relation to these events, and extract from that a list of "do's" and "don'ts" in terms of popularity with the playerbase.

So first off, a sentiment I've heard expressed constantly is that PVE-based evens in the PVP map are an unwelcome distraction from the fighting. I think that while it can be a nice change of pace, such events should be done *extremely sparingly*, and are generally not particularly popular with the playerbase. In the most recent live events, players generally flocked to the pve bosses spawning in various zones because the live events provided unique, limited time rewards that played on player FOMO or provided extremely powerful consumables such as the coveted Samogon. In those situations, players were attracted by the rewards, not necessarily because the content was in and of itself more interesting than doing PVP. There was an example of an ogre spawning at random points in the map, and by and large when the rewards were not exclusive, the playerbase ignored them *in favor of fighting each other*.

What conclusion can you extract from this? Very simple; that such random events are best served when they offer a spin, a change, a twist or some sort of tactical readjustment WHILE STILL PARTAKING IN PVP. Spawning adds seems like a quick and easy solution, but it will do one or several of the following:
- Feed one side morales, allowing them to then wipe their opposition with advantage.
- Be ignored.
- Be so powerful that it can't be ignored, meaning it will either provide a reward to the faction that is already dominant in the zone, or lead to a random and extremely frustrating wipe if it occurs at an inopportune time and location.

Instead, I propose you focus on PVP events, that cause changes in the environment, or add/remove chokepoints from the map, or buff/debuff the opposition, or (instead of spawning a boss) turn a specific player into a superpowered version of themselves, such as the already suggested champion events.

=======================
Now, for my own suggestion, which would make use of the same assets that such random events would:
Even more so than simple random events occurring on the map, the most interesting way I can think of to utilize something like this, is to add a subsystem of realm resources within a specific zone that a guild which has claimed the keep can utilize to ACTIVELY (rather than randomly) spawn beneficial events for their faction. Doing it in this way adds an element of tactical thinking to it and could increase the depth of coordination between allies on a given evening. What's more, it maintains a human element behind it all, which is just another expression of what we all love - pvp. Additionally, changing the cost of these events based on AoO/Apathy could allow it to serve as a saving grace for the outnumbered and disadvantaged realm in the zone.

While I'm not certain this twist on this event system will be heeded; for the purpose of a holistic suggestion, I will warn that it will provide even more incentive to carry boxes, and time spent carrying boxes is predominantly time spent not pvping. So perhaps something akin to what was suggested above, an automated system where NPCs can carry them when some prerequisite is complete, so that the players can focus on fighting each other to their hearts content would go along swimmingly with such things.

[Martok]

• A powerful Lord NPC spawns, accompanied by several Hero-level guards.

So, Khorne's Goblet of Blood?

[kpihuss]

When the Winged Hussars Arrive

Event Type: PvPvE – Siege Reinforcement Event

Activation Conditions:

• A keep must be under siege, with its outer door damaged to 90% or below.
• The defending realm must have 40% AAO or more.
• The attacking realm must have more than 100 players in the zone.

Concept:
When these conditions are met, a relief force made up of NPCs would spawn at the defending realm's Warcamp and begin moving towards the besieged keep.
The number and strength of these NPCs would scale depending on the current AAO.
The force could include a combination of:

• Normal NPCs
• Champions
• Heroes
• Lords

These NPCs could have different roles:

• Melee fighters
• Ranged fighters
• Healers

The important part is that these NPCs would not simply spawn inside the keep.
They would have to physically travel across the map from the Warcamp to the besieged keep.
This would create a new temporary objective for both realms.

The defenders would have to leave the safety of the keep or Warcamp to escort the reinforcements. At the same time, players from the besieged realm who are currently outside the keep could rally around the relief force and use it as an opportunity to reach the castle together and join the defence.

The attackers, on the other hand, would know that reinforcements are coming and would have to intercept and destroy them before they reach the keep.

If the relief force successfully reaches the keep, the surviving NPCs would become part of its garrison and fight alongside the defenders for the remainder of the siege.

AAO Scaling:
The strength of the relief force should scale with AAO.

For example, at 40% AAO it could consist mainly of normal NPCs and Champions, while at much higher AAO levels Heroes, stronger healers and, in situations with a very large population imbalance, even a Lord leading the column could progressively appear.

These NPCs could also be affected by Keep upgrades if the keep has been claimed by a guild.

The exact numbers and composition would obviously need to be adjusted and balanced.

Event Restrictions:
I would limit this event to one occurrence per siege, or give it a very long cooldown, so that it does not become a constant source of NPC reinforcements and its appearance remains an important moment during the siege.

When the relief force appears, both realms should receive some kind of notification informing them that reinforcements have left the Warcamp and are heading towards the keep.

Purpose:
I think this could create exactly the kind of PvPvE interaction that could make sieges much more dynamic.

Instead of AAO simply providing increasingly powerful passive bonuses, part of that assistance could become something that players have to earn on the battlefield.

The underpopulated realm would receive additional help, but only if it manages to successfully escort that help to the keep.

At the same time, the attacking realm would suddenly have a reason to stop remaining permanently concentrated around the keep and would have to send players out to intercept the reinforcements.

This could generate fights on roads, around Battle Objectives, bridges, chokepoints and other areas of the map, while also giving defenders a real reason to make a sortie from the keep.

Most importantly, this system would not automatically balance the battle.

If the attackers manage to intercept and destroy the relief force, they have successfully maintained their advantage.

If the defenders manage to leave the keep, protect the column and escort it through the zone, they have legitimately earned additional reinforcements for their defence.

The goal would not be to turn an outnumbered situation into a perfectly balanced battle, but to use that population imbalance to generate movement, new objectives and fights in different parts of the map, preventing RvR from becoming nothing more than fighting around the keep door.

If the keep is successfully defended and the doors are repaired, the reinforcement NPCs would disappear. Their mission has been accomplished, and they return to their usual garrisons.

[kpihuss]

Bring Out the Big Guns!

Event Type: PvPvE – Siege Support Event

Activation Conditions:

• A keep must currently be under siege.
• The attacking realm's AAO must have dropped to 20% or less.
• There must be at least 100 players from each realm in the active zone.

Concept:

The idea behind this event would be to prevent an ongoing siege from becoming completely stalled when the attacking realm loses the numerical advantage it had when the siege began.

When the activation conditions are met, a Hero accompanied by a small NPC escort and several special war machines would spawn at the attacking realm's Warcamp.

The Hero and its escort would then physically travel from the Warcamp towards the besieged keep.

The war machines would therefore not simply spawn directly next to the keep.

The attackers would have to protect the column and successfully escort it to the siege, while the defenders could leave the keep and attempt to intercept it and destroy the war machines before they arrive.

War Machines and Support Units:

The column could include several of the following special war machines or support units:

Orcapult / Grudge Thrower (Already exists in the game)

A special siege weapon capable of launching attacking players into the keep, allowing them to directly assault the walls.

A player would use the siege weapon and be launched over the keep's defences and into the castle.

This would create a completely new tactical option during sieges, especially for organised small groups attempting to assault the walls, kill defenders or create pressure inside the keep.

Steam Tank with War Altar / Chaos Shrine

Something similar already exists inside keeps for defenders: the Divine Favor Altar.

The mechanic would be similar, but it would not require players to activate it, and the resulting buff would be considerably weaker.

This support unit would provide a buff to attacking players within 100 feet.

It would initially position itself near the outer door. Once the outer door falls, it would advance towards the inner door.

Players within its range would receive:

+10% to all attributes, excluding Wounds and Resistances.

The purpose would be to create a point around which attackers could organise their lines and pushes against the keep.

The visual representation could vary depending on the realm.

For example, Order could use a Steam Tank accompanied by a War Altar, similar to those already found in Warcamps, while Destruction could use a Chaos Shrine.

Artillery Battery

An artillery battery consisting of two ST cannons operated by NPCs.

The cannons would automatically search for enemy targets within their range and line of sight.

Their targeting priority would be:

1. If enemy oil is within line of sight, the artillery targets it with priority.
2. If there is no valid oil target, each cannon fires at a random enemy player standing on the keep walls.

Their purpose would not be to rapidly kill defenders, but rather to apply pressure to the walls and make it harder for defenders to remain completely static in safe positions throughout the siege.

Mantlets

These could be represented by physical siege equipment, or even by NPCs maintaining some kind of magical protective shield, using effects similar to those already seen in several PvE areas.

Attacking players within 15 feet of a mantlet would receive:

20% reduced damage from all ranged attacks.

This would create small protected areas from which attackers could organise themselves in front of the walls.

The mantlets would also create another tactical decision for defenders: focus their attacks on destroying the mantlets, or continue attacking enemy players directly.

Sisters of Shallya / Priests of Nurgle

A small group of NPC healers accompanying the attacking force.

These NPCs would periodically apply HoTs to 6 random attacking players within 100 feet.

Their purpose would be to provide continuous support to the siege without replacing player healers.

Destructible War Machines:

All war machines and special support units would be destructible by the defenders.

However, they could also be healed or repaired by the attackers, allowing both realms to directly interact with them.

This means that successfully escorting the column to the keep would only be the first part of the event.

Once the war machines are deployed, the attackers would still need to protect them throughout the siege.

The defenders, meanwhile, would gain new priority targets beyond simply attacking the ram or enemy players.

The Hero and its Escort:

The Hero and the NPCs accompanying the war machines would not disappear once the column reaches the besieged keep.

Once they arrive at the siege area, they would remain with the war machines and fight against defenders attempting to destroy them.

Their role would be to act as a small force protecting the artillery and support elements.

They should not be powerful enough to prevent a group of defending players from destroying the war machines, but they should make doing so require an organised attack.

Purpose of the Event:

The goal of this event would not be to automatically give the attacking realm victory.

The attackers would receive additional tools because the population situation that existed when the siege began has changed, but they would still have to:

• Escort them from the Warcamp.
• Prevent the defenders from intercepting the column.
• Keep the war machines alive.
• Defend them throughout the siege.
• Properly use the new tactical possibilities they provide.

At the same time, defenders would have a real incentive to leave the keep and fight outside its walls.

They could attempt to intercept the column during its journey, organise small groups to destroy the artillery, attack the mantlets or eliminate the support NPCs.

In this way, a significant population shift during an ongoing siege would not necessarily cause the attack to simply become stalled. And will give a morale boost to attackers to encourage end the siege and don't leave it.

Instead, it could create a second phase of the siege, introducing new tools, new objectives and fighting in different parts of the map.

Some of these mechanics already partially exist within the game, while others would require new development.

This would also mean that the system could be progressively expanded in the future with additional war machines and siege support mechanics.