Wasteland Diaries: Office Park PvP

The new Sector in Fallen Earth known as Deadfall is a fairly large area considering it is not a sector, but a part of Sector 3. For a large area it has an insignificant percentage of its land mass devoted to PvP. At first, this might sound like a bad thing. But it helps keep the PvP action localized to a more compact area. There are actually two PvP zones in Deadfall and both are small and minimize the hide and seek. Some of you might refer to this as "search and destroy", but to me it's hide and seek. Of the two PvP zones, only Office Park sees much action. There is a good reason for this and it all boils down to faction reputation.

The Office Park PvP zone holds a unique resource: GlobalTech Circuitry. It can be harvested from GlobalTech Relic nodes which are only found at Office Park. It is also small, yet cluttered, with accessible rooftops. There are plenty of tactical options and cover and the fights sometimes wind up on the rooftops or inside the buildings. The first time I saw this zone on the Public Test Server, I knew it would be a hot-spot for PvP but I never would have imagined to what extent. This tiny zone sees more action than any other for a simple reason. Keep reading below to find out why.

Anyone in the upper tiers of their main faction knows how horrible it can be to have to improve their faction standing when there are only three methods. And all three methods can be tedious. The first method is repeatable missions. This works, but until the 1.4 patch they were unavailable to anyone over level 45. The second is killing enemy faction mobs. You would have to kill, literally, tens of thousands of NPCs to max your faction rep in this manner. The third way is PvP, but that's a hit or miss method and usually you will find yourself grinding for faction after a fight to offset faction rep that you lost depending on who you fight.

The faction-specific gear is currently better than anything that we can craft. At the moment, it is the second best gear available, just behind the PvP Death Toll gear. The developers have stated that the more advanced craftable gear will continue to be the best, once it's released. But at the moment, the easiest high-end gear to obtain is the faction gear. The PvP stuff will take much longer to acquire considering its cost and the speed at which Death Toll trickles in. But with access to Office Park, faction reputation can be earned very quickly. And that is why Office Park has been occupied by an armed force.

Five of the largest or most prominent clans in Fallen Earth have set their sights on the Office Park. They are not all interested in it for the same reasons though. The five clans are arranged into two sides. Former enemies Exile and Wolves of War are on one side while Saints, Suspicious Cheese and SSA (which is the Suspicious Saint Alliance) on the other. I had a chance to speak with the leaders of Exile, Wolves of War and Saints concerning this situation. Here is what Corban Dallas, the leader of Exile had to say:

Exile

Massively: Tell me a little about your clan.

Corban Dallas: Exile was Formed from former Fist Of the Empire (a PvP orientated clan) members. Exile is a PvP and PvE clan, we encourage our members to be active in Ventrilo and contribute to the clan by helping in game in ways that suit their play-style. But mostly, we are a group of PvPers with some master crafters mixed in. We started out as a single game clan, but have grown into a multi-game clan community. We have players in several games now: APB beta, Fallen Earthand EVE Online.

What are your goals concerning the Office Park PvP zone?

Our goal in Office Park is simple: control the area, and provide protection for those who need passage, for a nominal fee of course.

You have been accused of extortion. Any thoughts on that?

I think "extortion" is a strong word. We provide "protection" for those who need faction, and understand the mechanics of exchange in the wasteland. This also is a good thing for these customers, it saves them time and money, those cloner visits are expensive on the wallet. Ask anyone who has visited, and I'm sure they will compliment our courteous and attentive staff. Everyone that has visited us has been satisfied with their return on their protection expenses.

Why have two former enemies called a cease-fire to occupy the zone?

We have a common enemy. It was our goal to prohibit the occupation of Office Park by these common enemies. Our cease-fire is for Office Park only, and we share that interest at this time.

Is there anything else you would like to say?

I would like to say that Wolves of War and Exile will be hosting a large event in Sector 1, the last weekend of the month. Starting on Friday May 28th, we will be fighting a Clan War in Sector 1 in Zanesville. Followed by Midway on Saturday the 29th, and Embry Crossroads on Sunday the 30th. All wars will start at approximately 6 pm EST. I would like to encourage everyone who is in S1 to watch the spectacle! See what level 50 PvP has to offer!

Wolves of War

Massively: Tell me a little about your clan.

ZerogravitySE (Hawtsauce) the leader of Wolves of War: Wolves of War is an adult clan which focuses on not only PvP but all the elements of any game we take part in. We are a multi-gaming community and are always actively recruiting. Our roll in Fallen Earth has been to be one of the most active larger clans on the server, that accepts all factions now (we once aimed at being Vista centered).

What are your goals concerning the Office Park PvP zone?

To capture and hold the resources and prevent our opposition from using this resource to better themselves.

You have been accused of extortion. Any thoughts on that?

The clan we currently are working with to hold the spot is charging those who enter the zone a fee. This fee is 20 blue chips for an hour, last time I checked. The mission which you hand in the resources give 3.5 blue per 10. You can gather a good amount in an hour, and more than likely will walk away with about 300 or more, just to give an average. That's about one red chip which is 100 blue. So in the end you make out anyway. You can call it "protection" money. Wolves of War has no involvement in this and we take none of the money. Allies or friends of ours can come in protected and loot for free if we give it the okay.

Why have two former enemies called a cease-fire to occupy the zone?

We, at one time, rolled with a former alliance that turned their backs to us. We had done nothing wrong other than step back from PvP for a month or two, because there had been no objectives other than bragging rights. Our clan was at war with larger clans than us, and our resources were running out. So we felt it was best to step back and enjoy spectating for once. We still actively helped all sides, but in a very minor way. It wasn't until recently that we had a knife shoved in our back that we felt it was time to look for others who could keep their word, and honor what they say.

Do any of the more outspoken members of your clan have anything to add?

No, LOL.

Saints

Massively: Tell me a little about your clan.

Uben Qui, leader of the Saints: Saints are a Traveler-only outfit. Heavily invested into the PvP scene. If there are Travelers, we usually know them. If they are TRUE travelers, we are with them. It is all about The Code.

What is the SSA?

The SSA is a CHOTA/Traveler alliance. Based mostly around RP and PvP. The name comes from the two clans who found themselves together after the Wolves of War declared war on them. Suspicious Cheese and the Saints... Suspicious Saint Alliance. Now though, it is growing to include new members, new clans and is embroiled in new things. We will have to see how it pans out... what it becomes. We are so small as of yet and too centralized in a few places. It is really a skeleton and not much more.

What are your goals concerning the Office Park PvP zone?

It is great for Death Toll and logistics. The Omni Alliance hang out there daily, so we know where to find them. The boys can not get enough. It is a good field to take and lose blood in. The faction part... well it is not cutting it so far. Few follow the faction as we do and for all we kill for Death Toll, we have to grind back, especially when we win.

Is there anything else you would like to say?

"New Flagstaff University football rules!"

~~~

I also received an official statement concerning the Office Park zone from the leadership of SSA which I am posting unabridged in its entirety:

We like the fact that PvP is available anytime we want it. 24/7 there are always WeXile to kill. The area is contained enough that you don't have to spend too much time searching for the fight, although the zone could stand to be 2-3 times bigger and have the mobs removed. We would like to see more zones similar to this in the game. As far as control of the area, we have no interest in holding any area on a permanent basis, even towns we have fortified to our factions are not camped by us 24/7. As one of the leaders of the SSA I personally don't care for all of the forum drama/BS that is going on and neither do its members. I feel it is becoming harmful to the game and has gone much to far OTT.

Uzbeki Myani
Suspicious Cheese
SSA

Everyone has been clamoring for some sandbox end game content and this is a great start. The player dynamic is the only way to achieve constantly new content. CCP got something right with EVE Online by giving the players the power to change their world for better or for worse. I have never had more fun in an MMO or an FPS to be honest, and this is due more to the other players than it is to the developers. The devs have given us tools and the players have built a purpose out of it. I'll continue to keep myself as involved in this situation as it continues to unravel. Because, frankly, I'm having a blast.