There is a difference between a PvP game in which everything the players have is overpowered, and a PvE game in which everything the players have is overpowered.
I think the general solution is for PW to say "no, you can't do that" a lot more, and to essentially nerf advancement to suit his needs. In some games, characters can advance rapidly, becoming hardly recognizable befoer long. In others, Characters are not dramatically different, even at endgame. both types can be challenging and fun, but it is harder for a game that allows rapid powerdul leveling to remain challenging without becoming ridiculous. And the seting here is different than ER - we have a single city to battle, not the entire universe and more to play in.
All quite true, I was just taking PW's question at face value. A more relevant answer might have been "Basically everything in Perplexicon was overpowered, don't ever give people such freedom", but that's boring.
I think it is much easier to take lessons from ER. Firstly, don't let people have powerful abilities that they can use with 100% reliability--no amps, or +4 abilities in general. Secondly, make sure they are always vulnerable to damage--no battlesuits. Thirdly, don't let people have creativity to make their own things--no tinker.
Now, people must always accept risk when they get into a fight. They risk being hurt, and they risk not being able to kill their foes. The removal of those two risks is what made combat in ER so cheap.
We're not doing that. this is the one, absolute best universe we have found for humanity to live in. We are faced with a Galactic empire that doesn't want humanity to develop higher level brain functions. We are refugees, they are at home in a galaxy they control. we are trying to not start a war which will inevitably wipe out anything we send into their territory. And we are Not About to Drop Eldritch Nightmares Into The Universes We Are Trying To ColonizeTm
...You're right in that we really shouldn't attack yet, but for the sake of argument I must point out that a war wouldn't be unwinnable. Consider our technologies:
- Hexsand: Extremely light armor that is nigh-immune to energy weapons, and which reflects no light, rendering any spaceship armored with it practically invisible.
- Force Infusers: Reactionless thrusters, basically. They can be kept entirely internal, they can be charged to an arbitrary extent, they can be charged from pure electricity with extreme efficiency, and they're practically weightless.
- Extra-Universal Engines: Instantaneous teleportation cheaply attached to all ships, which can teleport them in and out of danger with impunity
- Pocket Dimensions: We can open and close portals to pocket dimensions, as long as the portals are within visual range, with exceptional accuracy. In other words, you can open a portal right next to an enemy ship, and open a second portal right in front of your gun, and BAM! FTL bullets. Make the intermediate pocket dimension long, and carefully manage when you open portals, and it becomes impossible for your enemy to shoot through them.
Carefully used, these technologies should make it nigh impossible for us to lose a space battle, regardless of how severely we're outnumbered. At worst, we simply wouldn't have enough bullets to kill all our foes. Pocket dimensions are the strongest tech, but even if they don't work the other three techs are so OP it barely matters.
...Also, if pocket dimensions
do work, I think I just solved the problem of EUE transfers being highly inaccurate. O.O
I agree with the other two's caution. Not only is this universe relatively harmless, it supports Origin tech. Humanity could rebound to full power VERY quickly in this universe. Best to avoid messing up our beginning foothold in this universe by pissing off a significant enemy before we even have a planet
I am very relieved that you aren't too upset. I don't like outright restricting other players from doing things, but I felt it was necessary to do in this case.