If it was optional then the three or four good Antags that play regularly wouldn't have anyone to fight. With rewards still not scaling after all this time to reward players for taking part in missions with them I imagine almost everyone would turn the invasions off if given the choice.
Are you kidding me? I get people in groups wishing they had an antag all the time, they say it makes the game interesting for them. There's more than enough players who like to fight antagonists. Add improved rewards to those who do and you'll have plenty of people for antags to fight. The difference is that they would be willing and enjoy it. As opposed to now where many people aren't willing and don't enjoy it.
Sorry to resurrect the horse Boss, but you kind of guided my hand with that response. And for the record, I am still in support for optional PvP where you get IMPROVED rewards for opting in. And also for the record, I still hate getting invaded by antagonists. The only difference now is I just deal with it, I don't enjoy it, I just deal with it. If I win I feel like I just avoided getting cheated out of my rewards, not that I had a blast or a fun time. If I lose I feel like I was cheated out of my time and progress and get very angry. But I put up with it none the less.
Don't get me wrong. I don't mind running in groups with people who like fighting antagonists (I'll let them have all the fun of doing that while I work on objectives if I can), there's nothing wrong with them for liking it. People enjoying PvP was never the problem, the problem was the lack of player options. Also, it's kind of odd now if you get invaded by a guild mate. Hasn't happened yet, but I feel it defeats the purpose of camaraderie in a guild if your allies can ruin your BP, XP boost, gold rewards. I think it would harbor resentment for some, especially those who are already unhappy with getting invaded or getting their time and progress ruined. It would make for an awkward situation in chat. I certainly would feel like a "GG" would be forced and disingenuous and so would do the diplomatic thing and not say anything at all.