The Dev Shack #03 – Reworked PvP Protection

Dino Storm’s end game—capturing and holding item-producing buildings—relies on PvP (player versus player) combat a lot. Thus, PvP combat is allowed and encouraged for all zones outside of the «safe haven» Dinoville. At the same time, we wanted to give players the possibility to remove themselves from PvP when they want to. Especially when you are new to Dino Storm, undisturbed questing can help a lot with getting better into the game. The idea of offering a PvP-free gaming experience then led to the intro-duction of PvP Protection.

As it is implemented now, PvP Protection renders players completely immune to PvP combat—but it also gives them control over when they want to remove that protection to resume PvP. To put it another way: We have accidentally made PvP Protection a powerful tool IN PvP. For instance, PvP-protected players can run up to any Spawn Camp or Claim undisturbed and then choose to attack the building. Another weak point is the time pressure that is put on players who want to stay protected, as PvP Protection only lasts for three hours.

There is a simple solution to the problem outlined above: It must not be possible to alter PvP Protection while the player using it is in a PvP context. What this means for our upcoming update is that PvP Protection can only be turned off and on in Dinoville, and also that it will not expire by itself any more.

You simply decide whether you want to invest a bit of your Fame to have PvP Protection or not, and it will never wear off. And when you try to attack a building or another player while you are protected, the game will tell you to visit the Guardian Outpost in Dinoville—it is the only place where you can remove protection.