Hi Nice_Boat,
I don't post on forums much - prefer to read and lurk and get what information I need on my own, without stirring things up too much. Your post asking for input is one of the most earnest and honest I've read, though, so I'll pop out of the shadows for this one.
I've been a long-time FOnline player, mostly on the old 2238 server, a bit of other small servers, and most recently here on Reloaded. Each time, it was purely for PvE experience. It's not really because I'm a non-competitive player (I do enjoy other online games which are designed around competition); it's mainly because the way I enjoy FOnline is by playing as part of a group of friends just trying to survive the wastes. It's easier and more immersing to do this in PvE than it is in PvP.
Yes, the wasteland is harsh. But that's why I play with a small group of trusted friends. More people means more complications, and while I'm sure Town Control is a great experience for those predisposed to it, I perceive it to take too much control away from me. I'm already worried enough as it is about random encounters on the world map and wandering in to another player or vice versa.
My understanding of it also includes the idea that min-maxing is necessary to be successful in PvP. I simply don't have the time, the desire, nor the math skills to tweak a character to statistical perfection. Gearing up is another thing entirely; it's acceptable that I'll lose my equipment and inventory upon death, that's why we should make use of the banks and tents/bases. But to walk into a battle carrying your best gear while being aware that your chances of survival are slim to none? That just seems like a lot of stress.
I guess, in short, I feel like PvP goes against what I expect out of my FOnline experience. Having a job and family, I don't get a lot of time to play games. FOnline scratches that itch of wanting to play a Fallout-like game with a group of like-minded friends, and we get the most fun out of it when cruising around in the relatively relaxed PvE mode.
Now, what would make me more open to PvP/Town Control? Here are a couple ideas.
First is to follow the Guild Wars route of offering an entirely separate PvP character creation option. I don't have to work my way up to max level, I can tweak my character exactly the way I want, and I get to jump into PvP right away without worrying about messing up. It's a consequence-free way to offer the full PvP experience of competing via player skill, tactics, reflexes, and other non-mechanical traits. After all, that's the core of PvP, right? You're fully satisfied - even if you lose - when you know you and your enemy were fighting on equal terms, and that if you mess up, it was because of a mistake you had full control over. Not because of some stupid thing like your gun jamming in the middle of the fight, or your opponent's armor having +1 more AC than yours.
Second is if we suffered no gear loss for dying in PvP. This is much more controversial and I don't think the idea would fly with many (or any) of the current PvP players, but if I'm not into hardcore PvP anyway, I don't want my unoptimized, undergeared, underleveled character losing everything he has when he's sure to die when I participate in PvP. The barrier to entry is quite high in that regard, and it feels like - even if I tried making a dedicated PvP character - I'll just be bullied around.
Hope this helps!
PS. As I was typing this out, I realized I hadn't mentioned at all the fact that my friends and I live in Southeast Asia. Our pings measured between 300-500ms in 2238, we haven't measured how bad it gets with Reloaded but for sure there's going to be noticeable delay. That, coupled with time zone differences, make it less than ideal to play PvP even if we wanted to.