The PvP servers are fine. There is not anything wrong with them.
I think you should leave OWPvP exactly as it currently is.
I don't kill lowbies
I run around solo
the difference being, when you make all these rules you're simply preventing people from playing the way they'd like to play... this system allows people to kill WHOEVER they want... not "we encourage you to kill in x style pvp".
for instance, with aions AP system - you didn't get AP from killing players much lower level than you... sounds like a good system right?
wrong. high level players killed low level players on a regular basis(suprised!) it also allowed twinks to gear out and gain AP for killing players much higher level than them, but without the risk of actually losing alot of AP when they died to the high level... so there you have it. this "ruleset" that was supposed to "fix" lowbie ganking - didn't do anything at all. as it stands - atleast tera actually has a PUNISHMENT for killing lowbies.
lets look at the other end of the spectrum... what did the AP system that told you not to kill low levels do for on-level PvP? it told you to zerg. why? because AP loss was huge, and it's too easy to lose 3-4 kills worth of AP just from 1 death. solution: bring alot of friends so you almost never die. so now players of higher rank are FORCED to run around with friends, or they will just lose AP all day. why? because everyone else is PvPing the effective way(zerging) and if you run around solo(my prefered style of OWPvP) then you'll just get zerged down everytime and lose all of the kills you racked up in 2 seconds.
basically, if you want OWPvP to be fair - go to PvE servers. I personally exhibit some E-honor, running around solo - and I'll usually help them finish off their mob so they know what's about to happen - then attack. and more often than not - I'm attacking players that are travelling on roads(not engaged with mobs at all). when I see two people 1v1'ing I don't interfere, and if I see 2+ reds ganking a solo player - I'll jump in... so assuming that only people who gank lowbies/zerg are all for these rulesets is just plain stupid.
I love it because when I solo PvP with some sort of sportsmanship - it's not because the game tells me to, so people know that's my style of PvP. when someone zergs me down it's not because "sorry, blame the AP system/dailies". and when someone kills a lowbie - it's because they like killing lowbies. there is no system telling them how they should play - so when they choose that method - you know more about them.
Yeap...well said anthrax...
Keep this in mind, Ganking is a part of PvP servers. This is one of the few games not tailored to the whiney kids who can't cope with open world PvP. Go try Dransik or Conquer online. That is pure open world PvP. Even in towns noobs aren't safe. The outlaws can kill city guards and city npcs as well as players if they are strong enough. If you really want to be handed a free pass for playing an easy to level game roll PvE or go back to WoW. I'm so tired of the same game over and over, this is the first Open PvP MMO I have played in years and I will live on it for years as long as they keep it as is.
Do you really think it's too hard to level? Then you have never played true PvP. If anything add town guards and nowhere is a safe zone, for anyone.... Have a criminal town that will sell to outlaws and make it impossible for outlaws to use good npcs.
Make it so that people drop a random item when they die, if they don't get to their items to pick them up in time the killer can take the item. (Dransik and Conquer do this and it keeps those games alive.)
If you don't want to be ganked, go to a different channel or roll on a non PvP server. Better yet, get skilled. Learn to dodge or how to kill people higher than yourself. My 14 warrior killed a 20 sorc and lived. I was also ganked ruthlessly by lvl 38's from lvl 11-the end of CBT. I never whined about it, just laughed at them. My main was infamous.
If you want a bou8nty board, set up a forum for it, let players offer money up from their character to the board and payment received upon completion and proof given.