Game Development: Crime & Punishment

[loftar]

It seems to me that rangers will require high pay or they will not be willing to track a thief or someone who attacks other players. From what I read on the forum if you don't have bear meat or wrought iron or coins you don't have anything much that anyone else will want. That kind of stuff takes a lot of playing time. New players, or players who don't choose to work on metal are going to be at a disadvantage. New players may find it impossible to get started if rogue thieves pilfer wagons and seed or put a drying rack in front of someone's front door and take low level items like that.

There are a few other things coming which will probably fix many of those things, though. To begin with, shared claims and villages will enable village sheriffs and other forms of organized justice to exist. Players who really want to play solo can probably just build their camps far enough from civilization and not have to worry too much about even getting found (especially so once the map starts expanding). We'll also add such things as fences and locks to be enable people to keep bad guys out. Also, we planned to do this now, but forgot it: fix so that one cannot build on another's claim. There are probably more things in the implementation queue as well, but I'm forgetting them now.

There may be a few other things which need rebalancing as well; we'll have to see. It's hard to balance a game in a vacuum.

[Trafalgar]

You know, it seems that all I have to do to find more footprints is repeatedly walk past a crime scene... Each time I walk past this house more footprints from when L4 tested trespassing are there. :P

[niltrias]

Argh! my biggest problem with this update is that it came just a few HOURS after some bastige stole all my metal from my camp. Come back, whoever you are. Ill make more for you. Then Im coming for you!

Other than that, I think this is a BIG step in the right direction. I agree with workerdrone on some points, especially the "cycle of retribution" but I like this much more than the previous system.

Another nice thing about the tresspassing...if i find that someone tresspassed on my land but didnt take anything, im not going to track him down or likely even DO anything about it. If they didnt mess with my stuff, why do I care who is walking through?
Of course, some people WILL care. And I like that possibility as well.

Anyway, since I cant use this system to get my stuff back, heres an offer to everyone...if you find out about someone bragging about ripping off 215 wc and some metal bars and a lotof sausages, let me know. I can give half as a reward, and we can find out how the battery crime works!

[Trafalgar]

Does harvesting crops inside a claim count as stealing?

[Milaha]

Upon thinking over the system more there is only one thing I really dislike, I wish that when you summoned someone from offline the AI would fight for them. This game really has the "might makes right" feel like some people said (as any true pvp game should), and I think simply being able to gank someone who can not even try to fight back is a pretty big gap in that philosophy.

[Blaze]

[quote="Milaha"]Upon thinking over the system more there is only one thing I really dislike, I wish that when you summoned someone from offline the AI would fight for them. This game really has the "might makes right" feel like some people said (as any true pvp game should), and I think simply being able to gank someone who can not even try to fight back is a pretty big gap in that philosophy.[/quote]

Pathfinding...

[Lightning4]

Yeah, which is why I think you should not be able to permakill someone in that manner unless you summon them with a murder clue. You can obviously still take care of a thief or other aggressive person if you wish, but you have to do so when they are able to fight back as well. You can rough them up so they log on with some missing HHP and none of their SHP, and take back what was stolen, but they won't be dead. Maybe they'll learn their lesson, maybe they'll risk stealing something again and getting attacked on the spot.
And of course, they wouldn't be able to reciprocate with killing your character unless you already finished them off. Then they'd have to locate the murder clue to even consider taking you on.

[Yolan]

I think this is an important step in the right direction.

Workerdrone, etc. relax. Writing in all caps is basically you 'shouting' at the devs. I don't think they appreciate that. I don't appreciate that. Like all of us, you play here for free, getting enjoyment out of something they are working damn hard on. Yes, how they change the game impacts your experience, but as people say again and again, this is alpha. And moreover, its free. If you have a problem, by all means voice it, but shouting about it just plain rude. Maybe you should take a step back and consider the fact that this entire world is going to be wiped within a few months, and for all we know it might be necessary to wipe player files at some point also. You never know. Nothing is written in stone.

[Talvara]

I'm very impressed about the speed this game seems to be going forward development wise, Keep up the great work (and set up a donation button ;)).

I think the punishment for theft should be harsh, otherwise it wont really stop all the crime. Right now however villages with more people will have to wait for more features such as multi person claims and the village system. since right now... we have no way of shielding communal goods from people without invoking 'thefts' within the village itself (which would mean we'd end up with way tomany clues to handle them all)

I think its good that offline characters will be rendered hopeless, else the really strong would just have the option of stealing and who knows what without fearing retribution since an attempt to omit justice on them would end in death of the vigilanty anyway.

Also I doubt many people will track tresspassers, but its a good to have the option non the less, (I havent had a peek in game but) will it be possible to have a sort of checkboxe system somewhere to toggle which kinds of clues you want to be looking for? for example... I dont want to be flooded with tresspassing clues when I dont give a damn about them. (they might accidentaly cover up more imporatant clues)

something else that comes to mind would be the ability to stick notes to crimes you do, It would allow for witty chalanges or state the reason incase it was an action out of ''justice" or simply to try amd sew disaray.

and on a final tought, Perhaps full tradition characters would still get a penalty on their skills and stats when they are murdered because of their thieving ways.


Great work guys,

[Potjeh]

I like where this is heading, but I too am unsure about summoning helpless characters. I think they should fight back, even if pathfinding isn't implemented. Just put a bow in your character's hands before logging out, and they can't hit you without you hitting them back.