I always felt 1.8 PvP was done really dirty.
-It was put on the 1.9 server, which meant 1.8 players had to reinstall all their mods for a version they'd only be using for one game mode on one server. If they wanted to play something else it would mean restarting their client. Any 1.9 players who stumbled past it would be put off immediately by the wide skill gap and their habits towards 1.9 gameplay. How was this gamemode ever meant to grow in players???
-It never had an OP version, which was always the most popular game due to longer survivability and the option of long killstreaks
-1.8 PvP made many achievements totally impossible due to its low time-to-kill and its limited-use kits such as Archer or Wizard)
-1.8 PvP also never received any non-map updates. Every update FFA ever got was strictly for the OP 1.9 mode. This killed the Archer kit permanently, since you could not regenerate arrows without buying them or ending your killstreak. The Wizard kit was also never nerfed, meaning shoppers couldn't play this mode without being poisoned for forty seconds of constant damage
-The Tank kit meta was never changed: The game had the exact. same. non-potion, identical gear, sword-only, high-defence, low-DPS meta throughout its entire life. Kills would take ages and health regeneration per kill was never added, making cleans with the Ninja or Tank kits the safest way to build up a killstreak. Even the best of the best couldn't survive for too long, because their sword would break! I ask again, how was this gamemode ever meant to grow in players???
If 1.8 FFA ever comes back, here's what I would want to see:
-Put it on the 1.8 server. It your intended audience is 1.8 players, why would you ever put it on the 1.9 server? You're doing a major disservice to your actual player-base, to the benefit of people who do not care about 1.8
-Add health regeneration on kill. People should not feel punished for winning a fight
-Add OP FFA. PvP isn't going to be fun if it feels like you're hitting people with a pool noodle or inflatable hammer. By giving each kit a big defence buff, you'd also be making long killstreaks viable, which is one of the few objectives to be found in FFA
-Nerf the tank kit. In pre-update FFA, the Tank kit seriously over-centralised the gameplay. In post-update FFA, every kit sees a good amount of usage
-Nerf the Wizard kit's poison potions. You should not feel punished for spending hard-earned points on better gear
-Introduce arrow regeneration on kill for the Archer kit, and potion regeneration over time for the Wizard (capped at default quantities). Pre-update, the best way to use these kits was to hard-rush weaker targets for three minutes and then kill yourself to restock after only getting two kills