The Forum

[quote="MY_UNICORN"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHSpdfLCjEU Before anyone dismisses this post as another complaint thread, I want to make something clear: this is not a personal attack on Finito. Running a game for years is not easy, and there have been occasions where he has been fair to both me and other players on our side. This post is about the direction of the game and the consequences of recent decisions, not about attacking an individual. With that said, I believe the latest update is a serious mistake. For those who may not follow the politics of the server, PvP has effectively been divided into two major alliances for a long time: DarkLegacy/Outlawz vs Vikings/Koreanz The reality is that one side has consistently had the larger numbers. That fact alone should be the starting point for any discussion about balance. Any update that strengthens the effectiveness of numbers naturally benefits the larger alliance more than the smaller one. The justification for many of these changes is usually "balance" or "improving PvP." On paper that sounds reasonable. In practice, however, the updates appear to do the opposite. The recent changes are being presented as a way to reduce hit-and-run PvP and improve combat. Yet when you watch the video attached, it becomes obvious that the changes do not solve the underlying issue. What they do achieve is making it easier for larger groups to lock down smaller groups. This has been a recurring theme for years. Take Feather Delay as an example. When that mechanic was introduced, it was sold as a positive change. In reality, it heavily favoured larger groups. A solo player or outnumbered group relies on mobility and positioning to survive. When you reduce their ability to disengage, you are not creating balance—you are increasing the effectiveness of numerical superiority. A fight that is 3 vs 5 is already difficult. A fight that is 3 vs 5 where the group of five can more easily chain stones, control movement, and prevent escapes becomes even more one-sided. The larger alliance gains more opportunities to secure kills while the smaller alliance loses options. The result is predictable: fewer people want to play on the smaller side, which makes the population imbalance even worse. This is the fundamental problem with the latest update. The server's issue has never been that numbers are too weak. The server's issue is that numbers are already the strongest advantage in the game. Every update that further rewards numerical superiority pushes the server closer to becoming a numbers simulator rather than a skill-based PvP game. What is particularly frustrating is that Soma has already gone through years of evolution. Previous balance changes were introduced for a reason. Some were imperfect, but many were designed specifically to address problems that players had already experienced and discussed extensively. Removing or reversing those changes feels less like progress and more like turning the clock back twenty years. The argument that these updates are needed for balance becomes difficult to accept when the practical outcome is always the same: The larger side benefits. The smaller side struggles more. More players quit or stop participating. The population imbalance grows. PvP becomes less competitive. That cycle has repeated itself enough times that it is no longer coincidence. Again, none of this is intended as a personal attack on Finito. I don't believe he is deliberately trying to damage the game. I do, however, believe he is making decisions that are disconnected from the reality of how PvP actually plays out on the server. Good intentions do not automatically produce good results. A Game Master should be looking at outcomes, not just intentions. If an update repeatedly benefits the dominant alliance and repeatedly harms the smaller alliance, then it should be questioned regardless of the reasoning behind it. At this point, I honestly find myself hoping that players on our side do not return. Not because I want the server to fail, but because eventually there will be nobody left to blame except the decisions themselves. When one side has nobody left to fight, perhaps then it will become obvious that strengthening numbers was never the answer. The best PvP games are built around creating competitive fights. The latest update does the opposite. It rewards the side that already has the advantage and makes the gap even wider. That isn't balance. It's imbalance disguised as balance Another factor that is often ignored when discussing server balance is time zones. The smaller alliance is not only outnumbered overall, but its players are spread across multiple regions and time zones. While one group may have the same total number of active players over a 24-hour period, those players are rarely online at the same time. This naturally divides their strength across the day. The larger alliance, on the other hand, tends to have a higher concentration of players online together. That means they are far more capable of fielding organised groups during peak PvP hours. This distinction is important because balance should not be measured purely by total characters or total accounts. What matters is how many players can realistically fight together at any given moment. When updates increasingly reward numerical superiority, the effect is amplified for a side that is already fragmented across different time zones. A group that is outnumbered and spread thin loses even more of its ability to compete, while the larger side gains even more value from having multiple players online at the same time. In other words, these changes don't just favour the alliance with more players; they favour the alliance whose players are concentrated into a single fighting force. That widens the gap even further and makes competitive PvP harder to sustain.[/quote]

[quote="DARE"]man tries to do a suprise kill on people farming peacefully, fails, dies and then cries on forum. then uses chatgpt to write his post for him .. gg[/quote]

[quote="CODEX"]Short Story Guy attacks someone at hunting spot with more than one person hunting at said spot. Gets ass handed by said people hunting x2 Guy crys on forums, The End.[/quote]

[quote="MY_UNICORN"][quote="CODEX"]Short Story Guy attacks someone at hunting spot with more than one person hunting at said spot. Gets ass handed by said people hunting x2 Guy crys on forums, The End.[/quote] Interesting that you've focused on one clip instead of the actual point being made. The discussion isn't about whether I died. Everyone dies in PvP. The discussion is about whether updates that increasingly reward numerical superiority are healthy for the server long term. If your strongest counterargument is "you got killed", then you're not really addressing anything I've said.[/quote]

[quote="SQUEEZIE"]As far as I know pvp hasn't really changed with the update. So I don't want to comment on this as I'm inexperienced with pvp as it is in it's current state. As we're all aware there's still some changes coming that were in the 'comming soon' bit.I also don't see how the current patch as it launched has changed much at all in this regard going from the patch notes. As for the video, I'm not sure why a lvl 129 should be able to pk in a top lvl area where a lot are probably 140+ by now. Seems like things were exactly right as they were? Superior numbers will always win. And they should always win. Sure a skilled pvper can cause a mess when outnumbered, but he should never be able to flat out win. I'm not sure what the point of this thread is. I do know the solution seems to be a higher stable usercount. This would bring more 'sides' to the table making it less of a one sides vs the other. This can now be achieved through frequent updates. Thanks to the patch and the new mechanics it doesn't takes ages to make and balance new mobs and their gains. It's refreshing to actually see a written out post with some points rather than accusations. [/quote]

[quote="CODEX"][quote="MY_UNICORN"][quote="CODEX"]Short Story Guy attacks someone at hunting spot with more than one person hunting at said spot. Gets ass handed by said people hunting x2 Guy crys on forums, The End.[/quote] Interesting that you've focused on one clip instead of the actual point being made. The discussion isn't about whether I died. Everyone dies in PvP. The discussion is about whether updates that increasingly reward numerical superiority are healthy for the server long term. If your strongest counterargument is "you got killed", then you're not really addressing anything I've said.[/quote] lol, that is the point, your just angry the fact people will gang up on PK'ers now. [/quote]

[quote="OPENTHEDOOR"]You know the problem, I know the problem, everyone knows the problem. But there isn’t a fix for the problem. It’s a game with a low player base, so if a guild of 20/25 people leave that is “felt” by everyone. Unfortunately the only way to “fix” pvp. And by “fixing” pvp is just get numbers to actually pvp with is to do something that in reality is unfair on people who have stayed playing for the last 2/3 years and made awesome gear. But if people really want to bring players back there are two answers to doing it 1) wipe Or 2) bring out new gear/quests/upgrades/weps that make the old weps/arm/accessories redundant The reality as for a lot of people been gone a while if the gear difference doesn’t turn you away immediately your first trip to the anvil will. [/quote]

[quote="XAVIER"]ngl i aint reading all that but i did read the word Vikings.. There is no vikings.. they all quit/or just pve only and any that have returned dont care for pvp/pk.. especially on hsoma.. So the only fight DL/Outlawz have is Koreans.. and from what ive heard is your not getting any of that on HSOMA.. Be like me and just enjoy PVE on hsoma :) I spoke to MANY of the old vikings crew and told them all about the update an the changes.. Once they realised they wouldnt be abe to hunt/grind/get gear at all in the new system, due to no protection with immunity etc... they decided agaisnt returning as spending months and months to try compete with people who have been here years building god characters/god tier items it wasnt something any of them could be bothered doing.. So they wont be returning anytime soon... The ones that have are happy to just PVE in there hour or so a day they get to play the game for nostalgia reasons. I want to remind people.. When Vikings hunted DL back years and years ago.. You all had immunity.. you all had 2 pk only system then 1 hour immunity you then had immunity pots.. You wasnt denied to be able to grind/hunt.. As we couldnt stop you.. The new system prevents ANYONE competing with you now as you can grief them out of the zones.. Which is what is happening.. Daily.. So goodluck getting any old returning players to come back whilst the system is in that state.[/quote]

[quote="VXV"]Lol grown ass men can't understand what hes saying: there is no room for outplay with the way the pvp mechanics (feathers) have been numbed down. Solution: revert all pvp changes made . Also well said xavier, I read that "tong and co used to grief neutrals endlessly" which would have been impossible given the immunity system lmfaooo. All they love to do is spew shit. [/quote]

[quote="DAWDAWAW"]This guy don't even understand the update Imagine trying to pk on char literally 20 levels lower and complaining, he has no idea what stats people are on right now and still crying. Says servers ruined and yet still logs in to speak stupid shit and do stupid stuff and to die pretty much sums you up. If you killed dare you wouldn't be making this post right now the irony, maybe if you learnt how to aoe and aim properly instead of aiming like a storm trooper. Massive skill issue If your gonna use feathers as a dumb excuse he could have warped and not died and wrote his concerns 🤷‍♂️ And not wrote his whole life story in sympathy paragraphs[/quote]

[quote="XAVIER"][quote="VXV"] Also well said xavier, I read that "tong and co used to grief neutrals endlessly" which would have been impossible given the immunity system lmfaooo. All they love to do is spew shit. [/quote] Exactly.. THey say that Vikings ruined the server etc.. However Dan porposly defended and helped DL so thats why he added all this immunity in because of what we was doing.. But now its the other way round.. They dont want immunity.. They dont want the old system.. even though they all advocated for it for years... Theres nothing else to say on the matter.. The patch is great and amazing the new stat system is great being able ot hunt anywere all that stuff.. THe only down side is the pvp/griefing.. Like ive said before if your a returning player and are known.. Dont return because you will not have a good time unless immunity is added.. I also asked Finito if he would even think of changing anything to do with immunity or adding it back: This is directly what was said: [15:38]Bluenet: we need some form of immunity from pk soon finito.. its impossible to hunt.. returning players cant even join a pve guild to chill and hunt [20:02]Finito: no you don't [20:03]Finito: and its not going to happen pvp is part of the game Hearing that.. Meant i had to deal with it get on with it.. But for me all i did was warn everyone of my friends who watned ot return.. Deal with it or dont play. SImple. [/quote]

[quote="CODEX"][quote="DAWDAWAW"]This guy don't even understand the update Imagine trying to pk on char literally 20 levels lower and complaining, he has no idea what stats people are on right now and still crying. Says servers ruined and yet still logs in to speak stupid shit and do stupid stuff and to die pretty much sums you up. If you killed dare you wouldn't be making this post right now the irony, maybe if you learnt how to aoe and aim properly instead of aiming like a storm trooper. Massive skill issue If your gonna use feathers as a dumb excuse he could have warped and not died and wrote his concerns 🤷‍♂️ And not wrote his whole life story in sympathy paragraphs[/quote] That would be using logic, something Unicorn has never had. [/quote]

[quote="MAYFLOWER"]sounds very much like you have alienated most of the server and have no friends to fight your battles with[/quote]

[quote="CODEX"][quote="MAYFLOWER"]sounds very much like you have alienated most of the server and have no friends to fight your battles with[/quote] Also the fact a lvl 129 expected to kill lvl 145’s 😂 [/quote]

[quote="ORA"]aheemmmm(pretend cough),.. (Whisper) IRRELEVANT MOFO[/quote]