Concept for new looting skill: Salvaging (An alternative to full loot-PVP)

Discussion in 'PvP Gameplay' started by Legenis, Mar 28, 2013.

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  1. Legenis

    Legenis Avatar

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    So I know the idea to 'full loot' in PVP is a love/hate idea that many people sway hard to both sides of the argument. I came up with an interesting concept for a skill that can only be worked up by either killing NPCs or players, and it is called Salvaging. Now I know what you are thinking, this could be a tool that only works for Reds aka Murderers, but hear me out. We know that people love to PVP or Role Play for the side of both good and evil, so this would be a great resource ability for treasure hunter but also for bounty hunters and murderers!

    Note: When I mention NPCs, I am referring to more quest/town NPCs both good and evil, not normal mobs.

    So here is a rough draft for the concept of how the ability can work, please keep in mind the numbers can change to balance the ability:

    Skill level (based off a 100 skill max):

    0-9: Drops 1 random inventory item, 0 equipped items, 5% of the player?s or NPC's current currency (gold) holdings.

    10-19: Drops 1 random inventory item, 1 random equipped item, 10% of the player?s or NPC's current currency (gold) holdings.

    20-29: Drops 1-2 random inventory item, 1-2 random equipped item, 20% of the player?s or NPC's current currency (gold) holdings.

    30-39: Drops 1-3 random inventory item, 1-3 random equipped item, 30% of the player?s or NPC's current currency (gold) holdings.

    40-50: Drops 2-4 random inventory item, 2-4 random equipped item, 40% of the player?s or NPC's current currency (gold) holdings.

    51-60: Drops 2-5 random inventory item, 2-5 random equipped item, 50% of the player?s or NPC's current currency (gold) holdings.

    And the skills continue to scale in this order to 100.

    Lore: Any person can kill when pushed to the limits of humanity, but only ones who are skilled in the art of war have learned how to slay their opponent without damaging their reward.

    Why add Salvaging?

    This ability will insert a risk and fear of realism into the game that most will find hardcore, but it allows a balanced approach to people who may not dabble in the art of murder for good or evil.

    Glitches that players can us against this skill that the developers will have to overcome:

    -Carrying a lot of light weight worthless objects in your inventory so counter the randomness of the inventory roll.

    -Removing your gear before you die to add if into one roll pool.



    I advise people who read this post to consider that this is a far from finished model of a possible ability, and consider whys to improve the ability to balance the game.

    Thank you.
     
  2. motiv

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    What would be interesting is a trainable skill to counter this, thus given an element of insurance for those that want it at the expense of a skill tree.

    So if you want to loot, you have to lose a skill to have salvaging but if you want to be safe from looting, you train a skill up.
     
  3. Legenis

    Legenis Avatar

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    That could be an interesting idea. Working up either skill would high affect a players potential output of combat. A Yin-Yang system to pvp.
     
  4. motiv

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    It would obviously still allow PvP, it would still allow people to PK, but it would allow people to be safe from losing their gear to PKs who just wanted to kill, as they would have no salvage ability.

    The PKs that wanted to loot, well, they wouldn't be quite as fearsome and infact say a class such as a bounty hunter, who didn't have the anti-looting skill, would have more damage output...
     
  5. Abydos

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    good ideal sir
     
  6. RiminiVant

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    Not a bad idea, but...
    1. Griefing
    I can still see in my mind that ubiquitous time I was in that dungeon just about to take down that giant beast I'de been tearing at for 10 minutes and with just enough health to survive the encounter when suddenly SrGankdYerShz runs by and puts me under with one good whack ... and kept going without even stopping to loot my non-leet belongings. The beast looted my corpse instead.

    2. Lore
    The subsequent distinction of "mobs" from other npc (not intended to be killed?) detracts further from the Lore behind the world e.g. humanoid "mobs" don't require a special skill to pick the bones of but other npc humanoids do ... based on the idea that they are not intended to be killed?
    Given that we have a rough idea of there being 8 kingdoms in the SotA world, why not focus more on how PvP can play out through "officially" competing groups?
     
  7. motiv

    motiv Avatar

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    The problem with official competing groups (factions), is it feels limited.

    The problem with that PK who killed you, was he didn't care about your loot. that's probably because he never feared dying in game. Once you solve that problem, then PKs fear meeting non pks, who generally are in bigger packs.
     
  8. RiminiVant

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    I understand that it can feel limiting. I generally feel too much empathy to PK outside of a reciprocated RP context (let alone grief people) so I'm going to tend towards ways to compensate for not having open PvP rather than pushing to get it put in.

    That said it's not clear to me why, with the filters that are currently planned, it wouldn't be easy to filter out PKs for those that don't want to play with them. I don't think there's a whole lot of ground to be made for the pro-open PvP argument at this stage. There's too much we don't know and so much more we'll be let it on soon.
     
  9. motiv

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    Strangely once you filter out the PKs, you limit the entire game. UO went from an amazing experience to something less than, all with trammel coming in.

    PKs add that one element that AI never adds. Fear. In fact PKs add a lot more to the game than just that. They create discussion, communities, danger, excitement and many other points of interest, that games without them never have.

    The problem has to be create a balance, where pks running across a lone miner would actually be decremental for the PK to just kill you.
    Do that, and you have a good game on your hand on all levels (that's if PvP is any good...)
     
  10. antalicus

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    So essentially the explanation is that it is a skill that allows you to kill a player without destroying the gear before you take it, like a precision strike? I would think this would side more with a highly skilled player getting killed by a lowly skilled rather than the other way around. How would you get around that?

    <blockquote>PKs add that one element that AI never adds. Fear. In fact PKs add a lot more to the game than just that. They create discussion, communities, danger, excitement and many other points of interest, that games without them never have.</blockquote>

    Yes it not so much the PKing that made the game so much more enjoyable, it was the elements it would incite. I have always felt without that fear and hate for PKs you never really communicate or need the community in the same way as you did in UO. Its just one more reason to gather a party together. I think I joined or created everyone of my guilds in UO after teaming up with someone in a fight against PKs.
     
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