I'm in line with Vareal.
I guess I'm one of the few people that is a 100% advocate for PVP being a viable method of dueling. I agree with a lot of the statements above, that the situation and the people involved, as well as their 'skill-level' in PVP are all variables. I also feel that when we start delving into the matter of "It's not fair to use PVP as a method of decision for anything, because some people take the time to get better gear and to practice PVP, and some people are just naturally better" things begin to get a little skewed. If, for instance, PVP was a generally accepted method of dueling and conflict, people would naturally practice and gather the required gear. Oftentimes, it's been my experience that individual skill outclasses gear and class-based advantages, and even level advantages. Skill can be built over time with practice, even by people who think that they 'suck at PVP' and it isn't as one-sided and dictated just by gear and class, etc. as people label it to be. If we're to be so open-minded and mature as to be able to RP out our duels with text, then that same open-mindedness and maturity should apply to PVP. If you never RP a class, don't use it in your PVP. If you lose a duel despite all odds, this is just a surprising victory-- those things happen. Accept them and move on accordingly. Don't assume that because you've 'defeated' someone that they're fainted or dead, and similarly, don't get right up after you've been defeated and start hacking away again with a "HA HA HA I HAD POTIONS, BRAH!". Just like with text-based combat, there are pros and cons, true Roleplayers and trolls who are just antagonizing people for the sake of doing it.
For me, at least with PVP, I have a chance, our levels are where we have gotten them physically (It doesn't sit well with me to roleplay an unbeatable warrior of grandeur who loves to get in fights when I'm level 10 then complain that my physical level isn't my 'real' level....), all of the issues of level difference are simply what they are, and widely accepting PVP as a mode for RP duels usually (but not always) reduces the amount of roleplayers whose characters love to step up to someone but refuse to back up antagonizing words with actions. This happens, in text, and PVP, and both ways, it's really annoying. When someone's character runs their mouth off, insulting everyone around them, then they either use 'Well, I don't resort to PVP' or 'Well, I'm too skilled for you to even touch' as their reasoning for eluding any negative repercussions for their actions. Also, it seems that few people never consider the alternative options for PVP fights, such as running away...
Either way, I don't feel that a PVP duel detracts from Roleplay. In fact, RP almost always seem to be derailed when things devolve into text-based fights, even when done by the most expert roleplayers with the best intentions. People on the sidelines inevitably will try to get involved, and likely be ignored. People instinctively resort to self-preservation and almost no one can subconsciously agree on what a 'expert' level entails. People who normally roleplay as open novices, still manage somehow to elude veterans, and will continue to do so. And, along with everything else, it takes time. If it happens with a group of other people and those people aren't involved in the fight itself, they're stuck sitting there watching you pound out paragraph after paragraph, move after move, and if they try to get involved and -aren't- ignored, things can suddenly become uncomfortably imbalanced.
Altogether, I think maturity and understanding is required for all forms of RP, including duels, in any facet, but I think that PVP is quicker, effective, and a legitimate reflection of how much effort you put into your character to portray how much skill he or she has based on your aspirations.
PVP MAY be an available mechanic of the game, and if so, the people who choose to work hard at it, train hard at it, and invest time in building their character in that sense shouldn't have to be concerned about suffering the stigma of others feeling that it's unfair because they want to dedicate all their time to social roleplay and not take their in-game accomplishments into account. I'm not saying people that only want to resort to text for everything involved in their roleplay are wrong, I'm just saying PVP if it's an option, is an available and viable method of dealing with issues, that can be taught, learned, and excelled at with only a small amount of extraneous time and effort.
** I should also include, no matter what form of fighting you use, I'm not saying you should instigate it to show off your cool new RP tricks or your gear, or whatever. And Class-based advantages/disadvantages can be easily handled one of two ways--
If your character is skilled with his or her fighting craft, he or she probably knows what his or her disadvantages and advantages are. In that sense, looking at a person's clothing and weapons (assuming they have any potential indicator of their class on them) would give them a good idea of what they're up against. If they don't think they can handle it, they should do what any person in that situation does and close their mouths and save themselves the chance of losing, if -surviving- is more important than -honor- or whatever they intended to fight over.
The second is, if you know another class has advantages against you, practice against friends or other individuals who are skilled at that class and try to work out a strategy. This is what a fighter in real life does when they know they have a weakness-- they learn to get around it or compensate for it with something else. What's more, you're allowed multiple classes (which presents a new breed of potential issues) but if you go the route of PVPing only what you RP, you have access to at least the skills of two (maybe three?) classes at one time which reduces some of the potential for class advantage in PVP, I would think.
*** And, I forgot to mention, I think it would be a cool flavor-injector for linkshell v linkshell, company v company things, but, understandably, not many people want to put in effort to get their whole headquarters and reputation built up as a group only to have it knocked out because someone else roflstomped them in PVP. That affects a lot more people than just a 1 v 1 situation.
I guess I'm one of the few people that is a 100% advocate for PVP being a viable method of dueling. I agree with a lot of the statements above, that the situation and the people involved, as well as their 'skill-level' in PVP are all variables. I also feel that when we start delving into the matter of "It's not fair to use PVP as a method of decision for anything, because some people take the time to get better gear and to practice PVP, and some people are just naturally better" things begin to get a little skewed. If, for instance, PVP was a generally accepted method of dueling and conflict, people would naturally practice and gather the required gear. Oftentimes, it's been my experience that individual skill outclasses gear and class-based advantages, and even level advantages. Skill can be built over time with practice, even by people who think that they 'suck at PVP' and it isn't as one-sided and dictated just by gear and class, etc. as people label it to be. If we're to be so open-minded and mature as to be able to RP out our duels with text, then that same open-mindedness and maturity should apply to PVP. If you never RP a class, don't use it in your PVP. If you lose a duel despite all odds, this is just a surprising victory-- those things happen. Accept them and move on accordingly. Don't assume that because you've 'defeated' someone that they're fainted or dead, and similarly, don't get right up after you've been defeated and start hacking away again with a "HA HA HA I HAD POTIONS, BRAH!". Just like with text-based combat, there are pros and cons, true Roleplayers and trolls who are just antagonizing people for the sake of doing it.
For me, at least with PVP, I have a chance, our levels are where we have gotten them physically (It doesn't sit well with me to roleplay an unbeatable warrior of grandeur who loves to get in fights when I'm level 10 then complain that my physical level isn't my 'real' level....), all of the issues of level difference are simply what they are, and widely accepting PVP as a mode for RP duels usually (but not always) reduces the amount of roleplayers whose characters love to step up to someone but refuse to back up antagonizing words with actions. This happens, in text, and PVP, and both ways, it's really annoying. When someone's character runs their mouth off, insulting everyone around them, then they either use 'Well, I don't resort to PVP' or 'Well, I'm too skilled for you to even touch' as their reasoning for eluding any negative repercussions for their actions. Also, it seems that few people never consider the alternative options for PVP fights, such as running away...
Either way, I don't feel that a PVP duel detracts from Roleplay. In fact, RP almost always seem to be derailed when things devolve into text-based fights, even when done by the most expert roleplayers with the best intentions. People on the sidelines inevitably will try to get involved, and likely be ignored. People instinctively resort to self-preservation and almost no one can subconsciously agree on what a 'expert' level entails. People who normally roleplay as open novices, still manage somehow to elude veterans, and will continue to do so. And, along with everything else, it takes time. If it happens with a group of other people and those people aren't involved in the fight itself, they're stuck sitting there watching you pound out paragraph after paragraph, move after move, and if they try to get involved and -aren't- ignored, things can suddenly become uncomfortably imbalanced.
Altogether, I think maturity and understanding is required for all forms of RP, including duels, in any facet, but I think that PVP is quicker, effective, and a legitimate reflection of how much effort you put into your character to portray how much skill he or she has based on your aspirations.
PVP MAY be an available mechanic of the game, and if so, the people who choose to work hard at it, train hard at it, and invest time in building their character in that sense shouldn't have to be concerned about suffering the stigma of others feeling that it's unfair because they want to dedicate all their time to social roleplay and not take their in-game accomplishments into account. I'm not saying people that only want to resort to text for everything involved in their roleplay are wrong, I'm just saying PVP if it's an option, is an available and viable method of dealing with issues, that can be taught, learned, and excelled at with only a small amount of extraneous time and effort.
** I should also include, no matter what form of fighting you use, I'm not saying you should instigate it to show off your cool new RP tricks or your gear, or whatever. And Class-based advantages/disadvantages can be easily handled one of two ways--
If your character is skilled with his or her fighting craft, he or she probably knows what his or her disadvantages and advantages are. In that sense, looking at a person's clothing and weapons (assuming they have any potential indicator of their class on them) would give them a good idea of what they're up against. If they don't think they can handle it, they should do what any person in that situation does and close their mouths and save themselves the chance of losing, if -surviving- is more important than -honor- or whatever they intended to fight over.
The second is, if you know another class has advantages against you, practice against friends or other individuals who are skilled at that class and try to work out a strategy. This is what a fighter in real life does when they know they have a weakness-- they learn to get around it or compensate for it with something else. What's more, you're allowed multiple classes (which presents a new breed of potential issues) but if you go the route of PVPing only what you RP, you have access to at least the skills of two (maybe three?) classes at one time which reduces some of the potential for class advantage in PVP, I would think.
*** And, I forgot to mention, I think it would be a cool flavor-injector for linkshell v linkshell, company v company things, but, understandably, not many people want to put in effort to get their whole headquarters and reputation built up as a group only to have it knocked out because someone else roflstomped them in PVP. That affects a lot more people than just a 1 v 1 situation.
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