170) To what extent will character skill factor into PvP vs player skill. In many games new players, rightly or wrongly, are turned off joining an existing server due to the perception that their character will be too far behind. This will be true even if the skill up time is fast as you intend. In terms of damage done, chance to hit and damage sustained will a highly skilled character be 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 500% better than a freshly minted character. Hopefully player skill clearly trumps character skill.
That's true in our game we will aim for player skill to be above character skill. For instance, there will be NO chance to hit formulas or anything like that - if you managed to land a blow, then you managed to deal a damage. It's really hard to answer precisely on your question, but let's assume, that player skill will be 3 times more important, then character skill. And if under player skill we mean no only pure reflex/aiming in combat, but also good understanding of game mechanics, good personal/country economy management, good social/diplomacy skills, then such ratio can be even 10:1
170b) Are PvP skills primarily weapon proficiency type skills. If so, how much of an effect would no skill in say long sword have versus nearly 90 skill ?
Most combat skills are weapon proficiency skills, that add some effects to certain attack directions or body part hits, but there also will be armor proficiency, formation control skill, first aid and few other useful skills in combat. Answering your question, main effect of weapon proficiency skill level will be effective quality of weapon, that you wield. So a highly skilled player with Q=1 longsword and a newbie with Q=10 longsword will have equal DPS, except that newbie won't lay some additional effects with his blows.
But, highly skilled player will be able to wield Q=90 longsword, that will have roughly 50% more DPS (it's far from final balance, since our combat math model is not fully finished yet - not our priority ATM), but that will be very expensive sword and not many high skilled players will be able to afford to loose them in PvP.
171) Will there be any game mechanics to discourage zerging. In a server of 5000 players will there be anything to discourage a 1000 man zerg kingdom ? For example slower skill gain, heal time, disease etc as a function of population density.
Short answer: no. Because:
1. You can never make a 100% successful zerg detection algorithm. Even if you will penalty highly populated countries/alliances nothing prevents them from disbanding that alliance in minor countries, but still be allied "de facto" and help each other financially or with manpower.
2. I don't see a reason for that. In UO, SB, DF i've been always on the other side of zerg, i've never liked it and such. But i've seen many times, that if some entity become a server wide zerg other players react on that and make everything to destroy it and in all cases that is successful. And those server wide wars bring alot of drama and fun too
It's just next tier of free PvP. On first tier you can be ganked, which means that you fail to avoid and/or counter gank, so you have 2 options: quit playing or learn and improve. On second tier your group/guild can be zerged, which means that you fail to avoid and/or counter zerg, so you have 2 options: quit playing or learn and improve.
3. Big population will lead to a bigger territory claim, that means it will be harder to defend and it will be more vulnerable to raids. And packing alot of people in one castle will make them less effective in most of crafts.
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. At the same time it would give locksmiths an actual presence.