[PROPOSAL] Bandit Functionality?Positive PvPing

I?m a fan of PvP but not much of a fan of PKing. I have noticed in many instances on other MMO games PKing is usually not someone Role Playing something like a serial killer; but rather someone simply being malicious and seeing an opportunity to cause grief rather than an opportunity to Role Play. I hope this function would help encourage Role Playing.

Ambush Function

The ?Ambush? function would help players be a part of the game environment and encourage positive PvP Role Play. While on the travel map the player can click the Ambush skill and set up camp on a tile. If someone finds themselves in the unfortunate position of not detecting the Ambush with their ?Traveler Awareness? skill and walks on the tile, they will be pulled into the tile to be confronted by the Bandit Players.

The bandits will select a few items as options to demand something they 'notice' on the play with their ?Inspection? skill. If the player denies handing one of the items over, the bandits can then attack the player if they choose. But they must do this deciding whether the person is worth killing for the item as the consequences are being hunted by the Rangers(or some other roaming NPC type).

Execution

Ambush - When successfully executed the Ambush function pulls the Ambushing team into the hex tile. While in the tile they can hunt, craft items, set camp as they wait for their victims. Maybe if they stay too long they start attracting more-and-more waves of sinister creatures curious about the new residents.

Walking on a tile that is Ambushed pulls you into the instance with the Ambushing players. Once in, the bandits make their demands. Complying with their demands puts you back into the travel map. Not complying puts your fate in their hands, or fight your way out. Pray they will spare you anyway if you deny them or use strength, wit, or cunning and sneaking to get out.

Traveler Awareness - Players have a Traveler Awareness skill that when at higher skill, gives them greater chance of seeing the ambush on the Traveler map. Ambushers have greater chance of not being detected the thicker their cover and the higher their Ambush skill. Ambushing on a road is more likely to get detected, grass lands, a little less, edge of forest even less, in the forest less still and so on. This adds a bit of strategy, you may want to set the ambush on the inside curve of a road where travelers are more likely to cut through the forest.

Overview

I thought of this while thinking of ?how can we make players more a part of the content than other games?? I hope functions like this would help bring the RP aspect BACK into MMORPGs of today. Hope you enjoyed and I was able to spur inspiration.

 

Ya, I don't think you need a PK here. You're just going to have some set of hexs and people will be flagged in some way to a faction/quest. e.g. smuggle goods vs stop the smugglers. If you're on the "stop" side, you may get paired with other bandits to attack the caravan. You can run a nearly identical scenario with PvE bandits, if you'd like

 

I think I would like it better if it only worked as a single player. You join a couple of npc bandits and the victim(s) NEVER know the difference. When I land on an ambush I ask myself, "Is this real or not".

Make the quest show up randomly along roads or even make the quest a reward for defeating NPC bandits.

If this is a skill then people will abuse it and ambushes will litter every mile of road in the game.

I think this would be fun if used sparingly.

 

@PrimeRib

@Acrylic 300

Tied to a quest is a good way to control potential abuse. But Im a fane of free world RP games where if you want to be a bandit, fine. BUT and this is a big BUT... I always say, Just as there a consequences in the real world, there should be consequences in a fantasy world.

In other words, MOST game do not have consequences for bad behavior. If after ambushing someone you now must flee because of heavy NPC activity(example: Rangers are now on the look out for you). The more you Ambush, the more notorious you become and less able to go to that area of the map with out heavy resistance.

So I have to ask, Do I understand your fear of abuse?

I simply feel like a free world RPG with consequences that will stay with you is more desirable to me and many others. Its a middle ground of happiness for me. One extreme you cant RP being a bandit at all, the other extreme you can and the game mechanics quickly forget(or dont even track) that you are not a 'good' person. This is typically where your fears of abuse are coming from.

I think letting people do what they want with PvP, but with game mechanics consequences that stay with your character, is a great and refreshing way to get PvP in SotA with out the malicious griefing we all fear. It would help make this game a "game changer" in the industry and hopefully make future games better for it.

 

Yep, it could be balanced a number of ways.

Was Robbin Hood a criminal worthy of this punishment?

If humans are killing gargoyle children and I polymorph into a gargoyle and kill these humans am I a criminal?

I'd like to see mechanics that blur the lines a little more.

Either way it's a good idea if its balanced.

 

@Sir Tim
No idea that you mean by abuse. There's nothing to abuse here. If you kill someone, the game knows you did it.

To whatever person/faction/whatever it was who gave you the quest, you successfully stopped the goods from being smuggled, you are a hero.

To the group that was trying to smuggle the goods, you are a thief and a murderer. Perhaps your rep automatically ticks down.

 

@PrimeRib

That was in response to an earlier reply. They were concerned about controlling abuse, and I was mentioning their idea was a good way to do it and included an additional proposal to it.

 

I think PrimeRib is talking about its use strictly in contraband quests, you are talking about using it anytime as a skill, and I am talking about it being its own independent quest that occurs sometimes.


Correct me if I am not understanding it.

 

I like the idea of traveler awareness as an effective measure to help even the playing field against being ambushed by PKs. Additionally I think guildmates should have some ability to quickly join their brethren, something like a reverse recall/gate when they are in trouble. This encourages people to join and be active in their guilds, plus comradery. Who doesn't love a friend who jumps into a fight by their side?

 

@Acrylic 300

I see, I have mis-understood him if he was talking about for quests only(I thought he meant it could also be included as a quest item in addition).

Personally, Im a fan of player run environments when the game has the right checks and balances in place. I would be in favor of players being able to ambush at any time, so long as there are checks and balances like a "traveler awareness"(to help them avoid it), persistent 'karma' for PKers(not sure what else to call it), where roaming rangers hunt bad-do'ers who PK.

It sounds like people are amicable to the idea providing the balances we are all talking about are in place in one form or another.

@Illesac

When you said that I started thinking about the "party" feature Portalarium dev team has talked about and that would be a great way to execute that.

Something like:
1) Party up
2) Party member is pulled into the Ambush Instance
3) if you are within a few tiles of your party member you get a notification to "Come To Their Aid" or "Push On With The Mission"
4) if your come to their aid you are pulled into to the corner of the instance to sneak/charge your way up and save your party member.

That could be extremely cool!! I like it.

 

The idea of calling in friends is really growing on me!

If you didn't have any friends around maybe hook up with nearby NPCs.

This could actually solve a number of problems. Why not just buy reinforcements and keep them on retainer fee? Have a call reinforcements command.

One of my concerns with the ambush in the first place was that single players might be caught in a gank situation more often than not.

 

@Acrylic 300

Your concern about ganking is a reality but the ideas you just gave, launching off my idea of pulling party members into the instance are AWESOME.

It would be amazing to be able to "Call for Help" and the Rangers (theoretical idea we spoke about) would come to help!

Or the reinforcements idea you had. Maybe there could be some kind of "Warriors for Virtue League" that you can keep on retainer as you say. When you call for help the Rangers and the WVL that are in 'ear shot' come. So many spin offs of it. It would make being the 'Ambusher' more exciting and challenging. The more groups you hire for protection the more come.

 

It could almost become a collection card like game. Maybe even employ low level monsters then that could lead to different types of ambushes. Will there be gear to choose from? Will some troops be better in swamps?

I think it could be as simple or complicate as the devs want and still be a good idea.

Maybe start out simple then if it's good make it better over the 5 episodes. I think it would have staying power and maybe even contribute to making the game one of a kind.

Owning and trading and selling them would be highly unethical but who am I to judge?

 

If there's a "come to their aid" feature, it would be cool to have a hunting horn that the player would use and sound to gather party members.

 

I really hope the devs are paying attention here to try to keep some of the hardcore elements (PK although I know Chris you said no PKs ) in the game while giving the advantage to the side of the people being ambushed.