So many sandbox MMOs claim to have cracked the problem of griefing with an open PvP system — but could Wild West Online actually do it?
In a new post on Facebook this week, the devs outlined how WWO’s reputation system will work as a safeguard against griefers getting too rambunctious in a free-for-all PvP situation. All players accrue positive or negative reputation based on their actions, with those sinking deep into negative territory becoming bandits. Bandits can be identified and hunted by sheriffs and deputies, and the worst of the worst will have a “most wanted” status and a bounty slapped on them for anyone to claim.
There’s more to it than just that, but the team hopes that this structure will curtail the worst behavior in players: “When we started designing these systems we had two mutually exclusive goals: make a game with relatively unrestricted PVP while still making sure the game doesn’t turn into COD deathmatch where all players shoot first and ask questions later. We feel that we have solved that by giving players a choice about how they will live in the world that carries actual in-game consequences. ”
