Thieving and crimes, plans for the future?

[Yolan]

Judging from what has been said before, I don't think J&L have that specific a plan layed out such that they can tell you what the game will be like 'when it is done'. Lots of ideas, sure.

I'm guessing we will see lockpick tools for getting through gates. Lock picking would probably take some time, and be dependent on skill/type of gate. Picks would probably break if you 'fail' a pick, and if they cost a wrought iron per set, that would discourage low level alt-pickers if the skill level required is high enough.

I think we will also see something along the lines of a disguise ability, brought in along with/after identification is changed/updated.

Hmmm.. Myself, if it can be balanced in some way, I would like to see the possibility of hiding ones hearthfire legitimately in some fashion. To my mind, a real thief, who uses his main character to steal with, must at a minimum consider layered brick walls. Even that would probably be pointless if somebody like raephire came knocking. Sure, we will probably get stone walls in the future. But this whole up the anti thing can go on indefinitely. At a certain point, it gets a bit 'un-thiefy' if you know what I mean.

Maybe, if a thief could create a hidden hearthfire somehow, such as inside a tree, or a log, using a certain skill, but it degrades within a relatively short period of time. Then, you would need to go out and put in a new one. These hearthfires could be resistant to being located via ranging. Maybe, discoverable within a short distance, but otherwise not?

I'm not sure what can be done here, but some kind of alternative will be needed in the long run. Ideally, something that favours the player who is prepared to shift around, actually risking their lives online to hide here and there over a course of days.

[poltifar]

Hiding hearthfires and disguise and such would be great and all, but would never be used in the current system. Its much easier to just use a disposable alt than to risk highly skilled characters.

As such, we need item tracking. Not sure-fire tracking, mind you, but tracking that can be stopped with similar methods as hiding hearthfires and stuff. Also, maybe a time-delay before a stolen item can be dropped from the thieve's inventory, so that alts can't directly go to their 'master' and give loot to him, or stash it. That way, low-skilled alts would only result in the stolen items being taken back quickly, while skilled characters could hide to save both themsleves and stolen loot until the drop-timer is complete.

Also, I'm not sure about lockpicking gates. That gives just yet another way to go through walls. I'd say only the ability to lockpick stuff that cant be gotten through any other ways, like maybe locked containers/houses eventually.

[Krantarin]

I believe his point was that, atm, because thieves are garenteed to leave scents when commiting crimes on property [and unless they have insanely high stealth, someone will no doubt be able to be hired to find the scents], that thieves have little way of not being caught by a prepared individual. If that individual has say, a brick wall, then the thief has to risk a character that has A LOT of time put into it, when they are basically garenteed to get caught, and killed, losing that.

As for more tools, the entire point of being a thief is that you can steal, but that you are risking your life to do so... So i believe anti-thief measures will simply be things like making people more invested in their character before theiving with any chance of success.. ie.. Maybe having to have more skills/lp to have any chance of successfully stealing something from a prepared person.

I understand that thieves are part of the game, but till now, it seems that you dont actually have to risk a strong character to get in (unless its brick walls), because of all the newly added STR foods and the easiness to get enough LP for the thieving skills. That way, no one can actually track down the stolen goods, which isnt fair either. And not everyone can make/afford brick walls.

if you steal anything of value that is a guaranteed character death. It is as simple as that.

That's absolutely not the case--a well adjusted, fair player would boost his stealth to something around fifty, and then steal from a few places lightly as opposed to clearing out one place. Keep the thefts hidden, and your main is safe.

I don't mean to give thieves ideas, but if they're complaining about how it's instant death for a main, they're wrong. It's not extremely common to have a extremely powerful ranger in a village. Boost your stealth and try again with your main.

Edit: @Politifar, I'm definitely a proponent of item tracking.

[theTrav]

if you steal anything of value that is a guaranteed character death. It is as simple as that.

That's absolutely not the case--a well adjusted, fair player would boost his stealth to something around fifty, and then steal from a few places lightly as opposed to clearing out one place. Keep the thefts hidden, and your main is safe.

Seconded. There's retards like JTG running around complaining that they always get caught, but it's obviously going to happen when you break down a wall, run around to EVERY container, steel EVERYTHING you can fit in your inventory and then dump the rest.

If you grabbed maybe 2-4 steel bars and left everything else there'd be a good chance people wouldn't even know you were there, let alone spend the time required to make multiple attempts at tracking you.

[kobnach]

As for more tools, the entire point of being a thief is that you can steal, but that you are risking your life to do so...

The bigger problem here is that thieves use alts because otherwise their mains would be *guaranteed* to die. Once you fix that and make it a risk, not a guarantee, we won't see this problem.

Why should they accept any chance of death, when they can continue (ab)using alts to be completely safe?

[kobnach]

That's absolutely not the case--a well adjusted, fair player would boost his stealth to something around fifty, and then steal from a few places lightly as opposed to clearing out one place. Keep the thefts hidden, and your main is safe.

Hmm, I'm not sure there's any such critter. I mean, some thieves are worse than others, but they all have at least one of the following traits:
- would rather harm others than gain some other way
- would rather take the lazy route, even if it harms others