Also it's more difficult to monitor these individuals if they are not on-site. There has already been at more then one design issue that has been helped by intelligent forum input. There will be servers in North America, Europe, and Asia. Seriously, we are creating a game for everyone and griefers are a reality we have to live with. Again we're trying to consider all aspects of play style.
Some people enjoy soloing while others enjoy grouping.
Companions were very important to design base of the solo player. In essence Companions even the odds for these lonely adventures. In the MMOG industry some developers are saying it's possible in a limited fashion, while others say its totally impossible to have deformable terrain. The question is how long the deformations last and how many clients have to update the mini changes. A bullet-hole needs only last 2 minutes so everyone involved in the fight can see it then fade when they move on.