none of my friends play fonline anymore, because of yes, PK. after a while you get bored of losing all your stuff (which you had gained by spending your time travelling through the map to reach the hq mines, mining, crafting) to a killer burst from nowhere while you are in an encounter in the wastes. after a point it becomes repeatative. among the 7 player gang, i am the only one who still keeps playing. and there are times that i dont touch it for days.
my char is a crafter, although it is lvl 21 and has 198 hp, i get killed every 4 of 5 times i go to a hq mine (if i am lucky). going there with an armor and weapons means nothing but taking more to lose. what is the point of having a crafter char, if YOU HAVE TO HAVE A PVP ALT to mine? it is impossible to play this game without alts. an alt for crafting, an alt for mining, an alt for pvp, an alt for trade, at least two alts for buying a base... an alt for everything.
i know this is "faction mode", but then why not "faction wars" but "kill 'em all"? factions can declare wars to each other and if the other faction accepts this, these faction members can shoot one another at sight even in guarded towns where carrying a weapon in active hand isn't forbidden. but non-faction members and members of factions which isn't in an active war can't kill other players (except for thieves and TC) and can not be killed or looted just for tah lulz... so, those who want pvp can pvp till they drop dead, and those (like me) who want to hunt critters and mutties can hunt safely. i strongly believe this would encourage new players to play the game, reduce the need for alts, and form a better player relations. when i encounter a player in the wasteland, it would be nice if he/she asked me "would you like to trade some hides for ammo" or "i need first aid, can you heal me" instead of instarun or instashoot.
as it is now, unlimited pvp and full loot don't go together. devs have to limit one or another. i know "weastland is hursh" but i believe you have noticed that it is getting emptier day by day.