Team vs Team PvP is going live soon. We are calling the PVP system “Battle Arenas”. Thought you would like the inside scoop. So I invited Rabblefroth and Blaze (AQ3D Programmers) to give us the details.
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Artix: Thank you for joining us to talk about PvP guys!
Rabblefroth: This has been in the works for a long time and we are super excited... and maybe a little bit nervous to launch it.
Blaze: As someone who primarily plays PvP games, I am super excited and really proud of the work that we have done. If you like PvP too, I think you're really going to like it.
Rabbleforth: We have been playing A LOT by ourselves on our offtime... and that is a good sign. Really want to thank everyone who has been hopping on the PTR to help.
Blaze: This is the first PvP mode in a MMO that I really, really liked.
Artix: Why do you feel that way about the upcoming PvP system?
Blaze: We did a lot of stuff to make the class combat feel really good. We did a lot of balancing on the combos and combat. We added the PvP action system to make fights more engaging.
Artix: What is the PvP Action system?
Rabbleforth: The official name is PvP Spells. We have been using different terms for a long time. So we are still adjusting to that, lol.
Blaze: There are two extra cross-skills you can get. But they are just for PvP.
Rabbleforth: We have Dash, Block, Mark Target, Swiftcast, Recover, and an instant Refresh Mana. These are to address issues that come up in PvP, or just to let people do cool plays. We have a lot more we have not gotten to.
Blaze: Something else I really like about PvP is that my micro really matters, and so does my movement around the map.
Artix: Can you tell us about the first PvP Mode?
Blaze: Yes. It is going to be the first team, 5 on 5, all out brawl with other players that you can do. It's gonna be hype.
Artix: Can you go into detail on the 5 vs 5 combat?
Blaze: Basically, you can party up with 4 of your friends and hop into a match against 5 other players.
Artix: What if am I lone wolf?
Blaze: We have queueing!
Rabblefroth: Instead of just taking you into the map, it waits until there is a full group. And when both groups are ready, it will start the match.
Artix: How do you win the match?
Rabbleforth: This mode is called "Control." In the match there are 3 zones to control and you gain points over time for controlling them. You also get points for killing members of the other team. The first group to 750 points is the winner.
Blaze: Don't forget about the Bounty Zone. A Bounty Zone is a special 4th zone that spawns periodically. If you capture it, it gives you a HUGE boost to your score.
Artix: Sounds fun. PvP can get pretty heated. To keep PvP fun, how did you guys go about handling griefing, trolling, harassment?
Rabblefroth: This has been a major thing we wanted to stay aware of. We limit chat during the matches so that people can focus during the matches.
Blaze: We also boost the rewards for winning... which incentivizes everyone to try.
Rabbleforth: We have post-launch plans to keep positivity and good sportsmanship. We want everyone to be able to jump in, have a good time, and not have to worry about a lot of the things that happen on the rest of the internet.
Artix: How many maps will there be at launch? Will we be making more?
Rabbleforth: We REALLY wanted to get ONE working really well. But we want to make more maps and PvP modes in the future.
Blaze: We have a spooky map that our designers cooked up, and I think everyone is going to really like it.
Artix: How about cheating? What changes did you make to the server and game client to prevent.... >_> trouble.
Rabbleforth: We added server-side collision detection.
Blaze: We also improved our tools for detecting speed hackers.
Artix: That sounds good... but how do you balance Classes, Stats, and Power?
Rabblefroth: We want everyone to be able to jump in and enjoy PvP. So you can use all of your classes and switch at any time just like in the normal game. We added the ability to slightly tweak classes just for PvP without affecting PvE. So, for example, melee classes have a little more health and move faster in PvP. We did not want to change the way classes play. So you will find the skills are the same.
Blaze: We want you to win because of your skill, not your stats. So when you join a PvP match all of the stats are normalized. We based a lot of this on the results of the survey and from feedback on the PTR.
Artix: What are the rewards for PvP?
Blaze: Dage, Winnie, and Thyton have cooked up some really cool sets. You can get them using the "Marks of Glory" that you get from playing PvP.
Rabblefroth: You also get Class Glory for each class that you played during a match. This shows how much of each class you played. Because you can switch classes at any time in AdventureQuest 3D.
Artix: Is there a PvP rank or level?
Rabbleforth: As you gain Class Glory, each class will go up in Glory Level. You will also have a total Glory Level.
Blaze: So, basically it is like Class Ranks for PvP.
Artix: I really feel I need to note this. I am sitting in Discord talking with these guys, doing my best to write down everything they are saying into a Google doc. Blaze is so freaking excited. I have no words to express the passion in his voice while he is answering these questions.
Blaze: I have so much excitement, I feel like I could fill a whole stadium.
Artix: What do you have planned for AFTER next week's PvP launch?
Blaze: Leaderboards!
Rabblefroth: New battle modes.
Artix: Thank you guys. Anything to add before I let you get back to building PvP? XD
Rabbleforth: If anyone can join us for last minute testing tonight (Friday night), we could really use your help getting everything solid before launch.
Artix: On the PTR server right?
Rabbleforth: Yup!
Find out how to access the PTR (Public Testing Server) on your computer or android device on this page and join us.
PVP IS COMING NEXT WEEK!
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