Why Syndesia? (or, as things stand now, would you even play on Syndesia, or pick one of the other planets as a less Toxic alternative for your playstyle?)


  • Content Creator

    Fractured is a brilliant idea for a game that caters to all different MMORPG playstyles on a single server in a single game.

    The game has been intentionally separated into 3 Races/planets with each supposed to represent the 3 major playstyles out there:

    Tartarus, the Demon Planet is for those who believe the whole world is a PvP zone. For those who want to live on the constant edge of wondering if a Mob will get you, or a fellow player.

    Arboreus, the Beastmen Planet, is a PvE wonderland where there is no real PvP in sight. The only real worry an Arborean might concern themselves with, other than the monster mobs themselves, is a Raid from one of the other Planets.

    and then there's Syndesia, the Human planet. Syndesia is meant to be the middle ground between the two extremes of playstyles. PvX we'll call it. Sometimes you want to participate in PvP action, sometimes you want to focus in on your skilling, gathering, or just taking down mobs. This middle ground needs to hold an equal appeal for all types of players, as this will also obviously be the meeting place where all playstyles collide.

    The question becomes: As the state of the game stands right now (realizing we're still in Alpha and much can change) would anyone out there really want to join in and make their home in Syndesia, or would the current level of Toxicity make it more appealing to just swing to your more extreme leaning and either play it safe on Arboreas, or Go hell bent in Tartarus?

    What would you like to see changed to make Syndesia more appealing as a middleground. The planet is obviously the best place to bring about the kind of play that will allow these two divergent playstyles to interact on the same world. How can we make it better, for YOU?


  • TF#1 - WHISPERER

    I normaly would go Human all the way but during this alpha and if not changes are done (I hope there is changes as we still alpha) I would forgo my normal PvX playstyle and go completely PvE on Beastmen as I am part of those that find joy in PvP only if it is structured. I simply dont have the time to have my progress destroyed by those who think 5vs1 is a valid PvP point as the current climate of the game suggests.

    As the quote says "I am to old for this shit"


  • TF#12 - PEOPLE'S HERALD

    @GamerSeuss said

    and then there's Syndesia, the Human planet. Syndesia is meant to be the middle ground between the two extremes of playstyles. PvX we'll call it. Sometimes you want to participate in PvP action, sometimes you want to focus in on your skilling, gathering, or just taking down mobs. This middle ground needs to hold an equal appeal for all types of players, as this will also obviously be the meeting place where all playstyles collide.

    What would you like to see changed to make Syndesia more appealing as a middleground. The planet is obviously the best place to bring about the kind of play that will allow these two divergent playstyles to interact on the same world. How can we make it better, for YOU?

    I so appreciate @GamerSeuss's constructive framing here that I just wanted to point it out and say, WELL DONE.

    I see lots of flaming, griping, and arguments about what's wrong or good about things as they're shaping up, but I see far fewer constructive suggestions, so it's important to me to highlight it when that occurs. In this case, it's a constructively framed invitation to constructive suggestions. Even rarer, imo.

    I see the devs striving to create a 'lawful' but free PvP planet, and I see a lot of arguments about what amount of punishment is fair for those who break the 'laws'. I don't personally have a dog in that fight, since I'm doing my best to avoid having to kill or be killed as I travel in search of knowledge and gold.

    I haven't seen many 'militia' tags, so I don't know whether folks are doing that at all this test, but that was a good way for folks looking for a fight to know who else was. Keeping some form of that system on Syndesia seems like a good idea to me.

    I also hope that, eventually, there will be an 'arena' where quasi-even match-ups can occur. I'm not sure how those would be determined - someone more experienced than I am at mmorpg sandbox games may have suggestions?


  • TF#1 - WHISPERER

    Interesting thread. Personally, I'm still committed to Syndesia and it's where Meridian intends to set up shop.

    I'm not too discouraged by what's gone on in Discord and in global chat. You've gotta budget for some manner of obnoxious toxicity since it's become so inherent to gamer culture; I generally tune it out and the surplus can and should be dealt with by @Specter and the moderators.

    Spitballing what I'd like to see on Syndesia as I sip my Bang:

    • Complex city management. Unlike many other sandbox MMOs that promise territory control, managing a city should be demanding and effortful. You should be able to lose cities/regions to external threats or internal decay and no city should be able to run on autopilot. This would discourage a lot of guilds from trying to gobble up towns with impunity if managing the territory requires not only substantial material resources but hands-on administration as well. Too many games are about conquering; Fractured should concern itself at least as much with governing.

    • Friendly fire and collision mechanics. Personally, too often battles and wars are absolute bedlam; simply a matter of the bigger group spamming AOEs with impunity against the smaller group until they win or, by some miracle, lose. I think it would be more interesting and demand more strategy if collision mechanics and friendly fire were considerations for any fighting force. Terrain would matter more, zergs would have to be warier of bottlenecks, smaller groups would have to take care not to be surrounded, and every party would have to be much more thoughtful about what abilities they use and when, lest they thin their own ranks.

    • Scattered inns/taverns/small towns/homesteads. While regions and their capital cities should be the player powerhouses, Syndesia should be pockmarked with various isolated land parcels. Places that could be claimed by solo players or small groups and transformed into inns, taverns, homesteads, or even small towns. Going to a hearth at a tavern could let you respec or heal from poisons/diseases and perhaps toggle respawn points. Homesteads could afford more to solo players or small groups than the more common single home, but also not nearly as much as a city. These land parcels would have to be claimed or purchased and built and maintained like any other building. Taxes could feed into the nearest city.

    • No fast travel. Ditch the harbors and any other means of fast travel. It undermines logistics considerations and the challenge of long-distance travel. Gamers always seek the path of least resistance and, so far, harbors have not proven to be prohibitively or reasonably expensive. Even supposing it remains a "one way ticket" so to speak, it's a tremendous advantage: people can skip to one side of the continent to the nearest harbor of their resource or siege target or whatever, build the siege weapons and wagons from local resources, and then only have to concern themselves with the march back. It also eliminates the need for...

    • Niche professions like traveling merchants or merchant guilds. Fractured has more potential than to simply devolve into an unimaginative Albion clone. Design a system that incentivizes people to adopt niche roles. Gently discourage all but committed administrators and rulers from taking cities upon themselves by creating rewarding roles for solo players, small groups, and other guilds. If distance matters and disparate resources are not easily secured by any single group, traveling merchants might take it on themselves to fill the void with a lucrative outcome.

    • No alts or allow one character per planet. This is more of a general game design I'd like to see; but the content lost by players having the opportunity to casually create alts can't be easily calculated; the ripple effect is enormous. Again, gamers are often prone to min-maxing and other forms of the path of least resistance. Moreover, they tend to be quite anti-social or selectively social. Why barter with a skilled crafter in another town or in another guild or in the same town or same guild when you don't know them... when you can just create an alt to serve as your own personal crafter instead?

    • A viable path for a life of crime... if you can manage the risk. Unlike some, I'd like a Syndesia that has to deal with a criminal element. Highwaymen, bandits, raiders, all manner of scum and villainy from so-inclined solo players, small groups, and guilds. I think this is an intriguing form of content for both victim and perpetrator. The sole threat to cities and individuals should not be from other cities and empires. But Syndesia is not Tartaros and the distinction should be that criminals assume a very real risk by adopting that lifestyle. I support a robust bounty system that is prohibitively expensive to Syndesia's criminals... should they get caught. I don't support a system that auto-zaps criminals into jail upon committing crimes; I don't support an invisible wall that prevents criminals from ganking their prey. I think players should have to think twice before venturing out into the wilds, alone, to harvest resources for an hour. But I also think the perpetrators should think twice before engaging in their deviant behavior. If they get caught, the consequences should be quite punitive and should keep the criminal element viable but meaningfully constrained so that it doesn't become a plague that kills Syndesia's population or drives them off.


  • Content Creator

    @Alexian said in Why Syndesia? (or, as things stand now, would you even play on Syndesia, or pick one of the other planets as a less Toxic alternative for your playstyle?):

    No alts/one character per planet.

    This one would be a hard sell.
    First, many players want to try out different builds, and stay on the planet they are familiar with, at least at first.
    Secondly, some families share an account, and thus a single account should be able to have more than 1 character, 3 is a good number
    Third, some of the Founder Levels actually offer additional account character slots, that's already done, so it shouldn't be ret-con'd now, and selling additional character slots is a good way for the game to make money without pay to win.


  • TF#1 - WHISPERER

    @GamerSeuss To clarify, I mean that either there should be no alts or that the alts should be reduced to 1 per planet. A lot of people would be upset because they want the power to create alts, but I think the benefit of alts is vastly outweighed by the detriment they pose.


  • Content Creator

    @Alexian Except that really, limiting alts only really makes people get multiple accounts instead. As a free to play game, multiple accounts is usually just a matter of having multiple email addresses. Now, only 1 character for the VIP server, that might work, or 1 per planet


  • TF#1 - WHISPERER

    @GamerSeuss To clarify again, I support Fractured being buy to play or having a monthly sub. You'll never be able to completely eliminate folks from creating multiple accounts, but you can make it costly and inconvenient.

    Anything to reduce the number of alts would be great. 👍


  • TF#12 - PEOPLE'S HERALD

    @Alexian said in Why Syndesia? (or, as things stand now, would you even play on Syndesia, or pick one of the other planets as a less Toxic alternative for your playstyle?):

    • A viable path for a life of crime... if you can manage the risk. Unlike some, I'd like a Syndesia that has to deal with a criminal element. Highwaymen, bandits, raiders, all manner of scum and villainy from so-inclined solo players, small groups, and guilds. I think this is an intriguing form of content for both victim and perpetrator. The sole threat to cities and individuals should not be from other cities and empires. But Syndesia is not Tartaros and the distinction should be that criminals assume a very real risk by adopting that lifestyle. I support a robust bounty system that is prohibitively expensive to Syndesia's criminals... should they get caught. I don't support a system that auto-zaps criminals into jail upon committing crimes; I don't support an invisible wall that prevents criminals from ganking their prey. I think players should have to think twice before venturing out into the wilds, alone, to harvest resources for an hour. But I also think the perpetrators should think twice before engaging in their deviant behavior. If they get caught, the consequences should be quite punitive and should keep the criminal element viable but meaningfully constrained so that it doesn't become a plague that kills Syndesia's population or drives them off.

    I would definately agree with this. I myself, have avoided PvP almost entirely, because I have been very strategic with where I go to farm. But, I also feel that criminals no longer get treated as criminals when they get killed. If someone is to murder a family irl and get caught... they aren't put in jail for a week and then forgotten about. Their bad karma persists and they are kept watch over, in case it happens again... IF they are even let out of jail to begin with.


  • TF#12 - PEOPLE'S HERALD

    For me it comes down to 2 words:

    Consensual PvP


  • TF#12 - PEOPLE'S HERALD

    @Yitra said in Why Syndesia? (or, as things stand now, would you even play on Syndesia, or pick one of the other planets as a less Toxic alternative for your playstyle?):

    (...)Consensual PvP

    That's a bit tricky. You could argue that by choosing Syndesia, you actually already opted in for PvP, since otherwise you'd have selected Arboreus. What you could specify is situational and regional PvP, such as Militia, sieges and other specific 'opt-in' activities.
    In which case you wouldn't need a jail system at all and you wouldn't have any 'open world PvP elements' to Syndesia.

    The problem at hand is less trivial than what it seems. I wholeheartedly agree that we need a definition of what kind of players DS intends to choose Syndesia.
    As for 'ganking', there's more than meets the eye as well. You can design PvP in a way that with preparation and map knowledge you can evade and escape an attack. But that means there's negative consequences to running out entirely outfitted for PvP, as well as running out with a possible attack in mind. Some would already dislike that, but that could be mitigated by directing that audience to Arboreus. There's another important point still, namely 'skill gap', gankers would target inexperienced (in the aspect of PvP, not the game) players, which is the main issue that's being dealt with by MOBAs and Elo ranking systems.

    All that said, I still think DS should clarify on the target audience for Syndesia they have in mind.


  • Moderator

    I will roll on Syndesia. The current situation is about what most of us expected from an open world pvp system.
    You are safe most of the time, and are in danger only when going into particularly dangerous hotspots.

    Creates a lot of interaction between players and makes managing cities and economies much more engaging.

    Agree that the punishment for reds should be harsh. Even if some of us would prefer different punishment systems, we all agree that they still need to be... punishing.



  • If I end up playing at release I will most likely roll Beastman. I prefer to engage PvP on my own terms.
    I don't dislike open world PvP but its really not like it used to be. If I die to PvP in the open world its mostly to the zerg, and that feels disheartening every time. If I get caught out 1v1 or 1v2, then bring it I will die in glorious battle like a Viking and try to take you with me. Full loot pvp is not a deal breaker to me and should not be to anyone willing to play 'this' game.

    I will agree though as it currently stands I feel that Syndesia has some work to be done.


  • Wiki Editor

    As for most what @Alexian said i am agreeing.
    Lets add some of my own thoughts:

    Complex city management.

    The wish, that Fractured needs to reinvent the wheel is surely a good wish.
    But Dynamight can pick up from many games from the past, can pick up the best that the past games had.
    About complex city management i would wish some deep features that helps to be able to manage. For now, we almost have nothing, except to have the power to place blueprints and to decide which account we accept and which not.
    I was already make suggestions about some of the management needs, like more informations about accounts and their related ingame names, a detailed permission system, visible relation to a town and area controls. Also the really urgent need of an town chat and/or at least a blackboard, since not all towns will be one guild only. I just hope we will get many possibles really to be able to be real governors.

    Friendly fire and collision mechanics.

    We had back in the days of the first Alphas a collision system and i wish it so badly back.
    I saw once the PVP in Warhammer Online, where the collision system created real and very cool PVP strategies.
    Beside the possibilities in PVP and even PVE, it really drives me mad, if i always see player running through others or if structures aren't solid.
    I know, realism in games means nothing, but in the case of this game, i think it would improve so much.

    Scattered inns/taverns/small towns/homesteads.

    While your suggestions are quite interesting, i see a problem with the actual path of towns, the scattered settlements was removed for a reason.
    But what i can imagine is to have some outpost kind places. Like you said, the possibility of a tavern - somewhere an restaurant at the edge of the universe.
    I still need to find a way to spread Shrooffee-Bars all over the continents. 😉

    No fast travel.

    Here i am going not completly with you. I think the harbors are a good idea to have.
    Someone who is rich enough to spend that money, should be able to use Ships.
    But i would add a real ship that is transporting us. And it will take time, less time than to run, but still time you have to spend. For quality of life, it should be able to go afk while on a ship, because you payed for.
    Also we will need to have harbors for traveling between continents.
    So my suggestion, just skip that direct travel in a second.

    Niche professions like traveling merchants or merchant guilds.

    I like that actually.
    I want to be the most skilled flower picker of the universe! 😍

    No alts or allow one character per planet.

    As much i can understand your concerns in this point, but i am really against this restriction.
    From a view of a Roleplayer in MMOs, i want to be able to play many roles.
    One character per planet would make the extra character slots of the supporter packages obsolet.
    Also it would not solve any problem, because player who really want to do the things you mentioned, would just make second, third or tenth account.

    A viable path for a life of crime... if you can manage the risk. Unlike some, I'd like a Syndesia that has to deal with a criminal element. Highwaymen, bandits, raiders, all manner of scum and villainy from so-inclined solo players, small groups, and guilds. I think this is an intriguing form of content for both victim and perpetrator. The sole threat to cities and individuals should not be from other cities and empires. But Syndesia is not Tartaros and the distinction should be that criminals assume a very real risk by adopting that lifestyle. I support a robust bounty system that is prohibitively expensive to Syndesia's criminals... should they get caught. I don't support a system that auto-zaps criminals into jail upon committing crimes; I don't support an invisible wall that prevents criminals from ganking their prey. I think players should have to think twice before venturing out into the wilds, alone, to harvest resources for an hour. But I also think the perpetrators should think twice before engaging in their deviant behavior. If they get caught, the consequences should be quite punitive and should keep the criminal element viable but meaningfully constrained so that it doesn't become a plague that kills Syndesia's population or drives them off.

    At this part i am going with you.
    But it just will work, if we have a strong possibility to face gankers. That will be the task for this and all upcoming Alphas, to figure out the best way.
    I also think, the punishment should be harsh, if they can get catched.
    I am almost on such mechanics, that gives them a long time punishment, so that performing a crime and getting caught is a really hard way to deal with.
    Like if you get caught for stealing stuff, you will get your hands broken, so that you can't hold a weapon for a good while. If you murder someone, you go to jail and if you get released or bailed out, you have a kind of debuff, that makes you for a while more vulnerable than others.
    Performing crimes and getting caught should hurt heavily, so that you have to think twice, if you really want to run around after you performed several criminal actions.
    I also think, that a criminal flag should not be self picked up, you should get flagged as a criminal, when you perform a crime for a defined time.


  • TF#12 - PEOPLE'S HERALD

    @Logain said in Why Syndesia? (or, as things stand now, would you even play on Syndesia, or pick one of the other planets as a less Toxic alternative for your playstyle?):

    @Yitra said in Why Syndesia? (or, as things stand now, would you even play on Syndesia, or pick one of the other planets as a less Toxic alternative for your playstyle?):

    (...)Consensual PvP

    That's a bit tricky.

    Let me clarify: If I want to be able to hurt other players, I have to toggle PvP mode. And in that mode I can only hurt other players if they have toggled that same mode. It has done many time in games before Fractured and worked fine in general.

    Ofcourse there will always be ways of griefing, like pulling a train of mobs towards another player. But for the majority. people on Syndesia can still choose if they are in the right state of mind to PvP or not at that specific moment (i.e. having a rough day at work: just spent some time on exploring/crafting or feeling bloodthisty: roam around looking for like minded players).

    Other activities like Sieges, Militia, Bounty hunter etc should automaticly switch that mode on ofcourse. Stealing stuff from other players, Sould still flag you automaticaly for PvP so that other people could punish you for your crimes.

    That would feel more like the right place of Syndesia: middle ground where both PvP and PvE should be possible, without having to look over your shoulder all the time.


  • TF#12 - PEOPLE'S HERALD

    "Why Syndesia?"

    Because this: Syndesia is designed for those looking for a balance between PvE and PvP, strict rules to prevent senseless griefing, and a competitive environment ruled by opposing guilds and alliances. (Wiki)

    "Why not Syndesia?" (and actually, "Why not Fractured", Im not a demon PvPer and Im not a beastmen PvEr)

    Because we have nothing of the above, not the balance (very pro-PvP planet, supported by PvP-centric devs, almost acting like theres meant to be no PvP planet), there are no strict rules to prevents anything (and to make it worse, those rules are being made looser to cater to PvP), there is not competetive environment between guilds and alliances, its all "everyone vs ganking PvPers".

    Overall, devs seem to be confused about what they even want on this planet. First they move from many "guild based" cities to big "multi guild+solo" cities to support the solo/small guild playstyle and im all for it. Next thing they do is unrestricted open world criminal PvP that is by essence anti-solo and even anti-group/small guild, after hearing how bad it is for anyone who isnt a criminal, make changes that are in favor of the criminals. Solution to the cries of the non-criminal players? "Just group up with 10ppl to protect yourself" (<= this doesnt even help, there are 10+ PK hordes running around). Do you see the irony here, "support solo play" and this?

    The idea of Syndesia was amazing, let all play, have systems to prevent the worst, whats there not to love right? I was excited for the game. Except the most predictable thing happened, once you introduce it to practice and combine with hardcore PvP, it all breaks. How Syndesian PvP is now, is broken to its core, trying to tweak a flawed system wont solve anything, but take valuable devtime with no solution. Go back to the drawing board. Please.


  • TF#12 - PEOPLE'S HERALD

    There is alot of info in this thread to sift through but I will add that I was planning to play human because I like the idea of mixed playstyles, plus I just prefer human play. However, I expected it to be more zoned than flagging. If you are flagged it is always pvp. I don't want to constantly be running from red hordes because that is what it will be. I fully expect the beast race to be the largest by far of all races and their planet will be overcrowded. If that ends up being the case you will have another UO Trammel/Felucia system where Felucia is dead and Trammel is so overpopulated as to not be fun. Pvp players are the minority by far in every mmo I have ever played yet seem to always have a loud presence in the forums. All mmos almost always have to work tirelessly trying to balance pve and pvp gameplay.

    As for the main question, absolutely no will I ever travel to the pvp world because I absolutely despise dealing with the players whose sole focus is to kill other players. Whatever part of the game is required of me to go there will just be a loss for me.


  • TF#1 - WHISPERER

    I know there are issues with PVP at present, and people will always go extreme. Some ideas, just random ones for Syndesia (hybrid planet):

    1. If you are evil flag the city. You shouldn’t be an evil guild or citizen in a good town. The whole town should be evil, and others can come after you.
    2. When you hit a certain negative Karma point, the map should flag you like a legendary boss. So PVE players can hunt you down. Flag stays until Good players kill you.
    3. Need higher penalty for when you are caught. There are PVP gangs at high end combat hotspots, which if they kill good PVE players can get 1000’s in gold, armor and weapons an hour. Gold bounties are cheap. Take Knowledge Points away.
    4. Higher upkeep for evil towns or parcels of land for evil players ( the background would be that evil players have to bribe officials to ignore that they are evil?).
    5. Evil players can’t have global chest

    These are some brain dump ideas, sure there is more.


  • TF#1 - WHISPERER

    More ideas:
    Make becoming a sherif a high knowledge point minimum and they get a talent branch for it. Only good players (sheriffs) can access it.
    The sheriff talents would give LARGE bonuses vs evil players.
    +25% damage and a full ring would give +100% damage vs evil players, plus other bonuses.

    Make evils players actually scared of sherrifs that make it very difficult to defeat them.
    Only 1 sherif per city, pay upkeep to be one.


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