Considering that AD shows as "campaign locked"- but it's due to inactive EP players taking up slots in Cyrodiil that actual AD players could use. I'd say that's exploiting the game.

So people playing having a choice is exploiting the game? I think you're being very over-dramatic about the whole thing if that's what you think. Most people don't care, myself included, about the score or winning a campaign. We play to have fights and fun.

Yeah, I can see that most of you who don't care have EP characters.

Savos_Saren wrote: »

Yeah, I can see that most of you who don't care have EP characters.

I apologies for having a mind of my own and being able to have an opinion. As long as it's not hurting anyone or breaking the TOS, let others play the way they like to.

Agreed 100% with the comments that we play to "fight" (it is pvp after all) and have "fun" (it is a game).

There are many players who do not care about who wins what campaign and just look for fights wherever they can find it. Not a thing wrong with that.

You should be allowed to play the game you paid for however you like, absolutely. It is your money and your time.

However, some players do actually care and unfortunately, for those who do care about playing the map, finding "good", fair, and balanced fights, and faction loyalty; (this being their idea of fun in this game), it is becoming increasingly more difficult.

When players who mainly prefer to play another faction, log into your current faction and for example, turn siege around, deliver your faction's scroll to their preferred faction, and make degrading remarks about your faction in your zone chat, it sometimes takes away those aspects of "fun" for the player who is looking for a feeling of dedication to one faction. Not to mention diminishes the morale of some. (Which is honestly, a fairly good "tactic" by these opposing players).

Some players purchased this game and subscribed on the premise that the player vs player was a three faction war.
Yes, they may have had friends they wanted to play with and may have created characters on the same alliance to do so.
But, they settled to one side and took pride (win or lose) in playing for that side. With the introduction of being able to play on any faction during the course of one campaign, we saw the lines of those three factions become a little less clear.

I know plenty of players who play all three sides and take pride when they play for each one and work hard for whichever faction they are playing at the moment. When they come to my faction, I greatly appreciate their support.

However, some find it "fun" and amusing to log into a faction just to throw out ridicule and try and get people arguing among each other. (Although, I think even people who are "dedicated" to one faction still do this either way. So, not sure it's a result so much of faction "hopping".)

With the state of pvp, finding that "good" and healthy competition we all say we want, doesn't always seem like it's being facilitated. When one can simply switch to a winning side (not everyone does this of course, but some do), it can sway the outcome of a campaign. And for those who still care about the score, well, their idea of fun has been diminished. On the other hand, I know of players who have deliberately switched to a "losing" side to help that faction. So, it seems it works both ways.

There are a few guilds out there (on all factions I believe) that still attempt to at least keep faction loyalty in their own guilds, even if they cannot or would not try to tell people how to play. They only expect that those wanting to play in their guilds be loyal to that faction for as long as they are all playing on the same campaign.
Maybe this is one way for those still searching for that dedication to find some semblance of fun in the game.

One guild lead I know chose this route, I believe, in many ways based off of past members' wishes (from an older guild) who did not wish to fight against each other. Rumors were spread and people didn't know who to trust. I don't think he personally cares if people play for another faction, he would just prefer not to fight a guild member. Some players just don't enjoy or find it fun to have guild chat filled with verbal sparring and blame. I don't think that holds true for all guilds, but I do believe it did in this particular case from what I've been told.

At any rate, no one should try and tell you how to play (unless it's ZOS since it is their game). And it seems they have spoken.

For the few remaining players who find faction loyalty and healthy competition fun, maybe they just need to change their idea of what fun is? And if anyone is wondering if there is a tone of sarcasm here... yes, yes there is.

Personally, I have friends on all factions who truly fight for whatever faction they're on at that moment.

I've been killed by them and have killed them. I'd prefer if we were always on the same side, but it hasn't ruined our friendships, if anything it quite possibly has made them more solid.

But, I also wouldn't mind seeing a return to more people caring about the map and perhaps a campaign where a player must make a choice. Like a tour of duty for one campaign, not every campaign thereafter, just once per campaign.
You sign up for one campaign and that is your choice. You fight for that side no matter what.

But, it's ok if that's just me... I've gotten somewhat used to and almost comfortable with the constant insults and faction "bashing" in my zone chat (which yes, I know I can ignore and do at times) and the siege flipping, and scroll trolling... etc etc etc.

I think this is mainly what the OP is referring to. Those few players who use the system that's in place to promote an imbalance and create an unhealthy, slightly poor sportsmanship type of playing field. The "good" fights and healthy competition are more difficult to find. The "enemy" is now a part of your faction, and you cannot do anything about it. Maybe if you could kill players on your own faction... or vote to have them kicked out... even in real life wars, those even thought to be spies weren’t very well received (ie. Mata Hari) but, that is for another discussion.

Every player's idea of fun is a bit different. It doesn't make one right over another, just different.

And if you've managed to stay awake and read this in its entirety... I'm sorry.. but, thank you for giving me your time to read it

Believe me, EP is tired of having DC Fengrush fanboiz and AD runaways from their generic zerg guilds swap over too. Nothing we can do about it.

The Whois function of an add on gives a useful insight into player alts. It amazes me the number of zone posts from people with 7 alts of one faction and 1 for the faction they are abusing in zone.


Or the player sitting on a horse during a fight with a rival faction guild tabard showing. There are many ways to abuse the ability to faction swap and nothing will stop them.


It used to annoy me, now I just ignore them.

This is the direction ZOS wanted to point the ship. They are catering to the PvE player that doesn’t have the all races all alliances option to get vigor and caltrops with their PvE friends. One Tamriel was never about PvPbut had a wide impact on the dynamic. All main PvP players realize ZOS coddles their “cash cow crown store PvE players”. Honestly we should just have a campaign called “vigor grind” for PvE players instead of faction locked campaigns. We need to have a PvP server that the main PvP players can be free from the pve baddies that just don’t get the dynamic of Social Cyrodiil.