Guards and Bounties; What's the plan?

ShedsHisTail

So, I'm super pumped about the upcoming Justice System but I had a few questions regarding implementation. Most notably, how "becoming a guard" and collecting bounties will work.

First, I understand that being flagged for PvP will only occur if your Bounty reaches a certain level, correct? So if you accidentally swipe a tomato you won't get ganked by the guy next to you? You actually need to become a career thief and swipe a whole tomato cart and kill the vendor for it to flag you.

I've seen a few folks ask about, and Paul Sage mention that players can "act as guards" and dole out justice. Is this intended to be a formal process? Like do you have to go to the town hall and register yourself as a guard? Or are you "acting as a guard" anytime you strike down a player who has a high enough bounty to be flagged for PvP?

And speaking of bounties; I'm assuming that if you do kill another player who has a bounty on their head you will b able to collect said bounty? Either by looting a quest item or something that you have to turn in, or just a straight gold reward on their corpse. yes? I mean, that is what a "bounty" is after all.

That said, if there is a more formal process to becoming a guard; can we expect additional skill lines akin to the Fighters or Mages Guild, where becoming a guard affords certain benefits if you put skill points into it. Like, say, combat buffs when inside a city-space, or the ability to call for reinforcements in the form of NPC guards, that sort of thing?

If you are planning a skill line; might I also humbly suggest a Bounty Hunter skill line. A set of skills which will help you track and locate players with bounties on their heads out in the field. Maybe make their general proximity show up on the world map... or quest markers on your compass when they're nearby. Maybe a guild hall where it lists players with bounties on their heads and how much, approximate level, etc. so you can take on a formal contract for maybe an extra reward if you find your target. That sort of thing. 'Cause, man, being a professional bounty hunter... what a way to make some extra coin, right?

Ultimately, I'm really pumped about the Justice System and super stoked about working on the law-abiding side of it.

BBSooner

Im hoping it operates a lot like the TES thieves guild does, altered for the sake of an MMO.

- I'd like for the PvP to be restricted between guards and thieves only.
- Guards either need to be flagged as a guard or only guards can initiate the encounter - so people who don't wish to participate can go along their way.
- A guard had to be within a certain radius before a thief gets flagged for attack.
- thieves guilds are placed in every major city with underground versions of the generic city amenities (storage, crafting, etc).
- Guards who enter the thieves guild are attacked by NPCs.
- Guards loot an 'ear' or some other proof from the body to turn in for said bounty.
- Time restriction limiting how many times you can only collect bounties from the same person to prevent farming.

Those are really just my personal desires off the top of my head.

ShedsHisTail

BBSooner wrote: »

- Time restriction limiting how many times you can only collect bounties from the same person to prevent farming.

I'd like to think that being killed by another player and having your Bounty claimed would clear that bounty. That is, becoming flagged for PvP by accumulating crimes would be a temporary matter, not permanent, and that having that bounty collected would un-flag you.

BBSooner

ShedsHisTail wrote: »

BBSooner wrote: »

- Time restriction limiting how many times you can only collect bounties from the same person to prevent farming.

I'd like to think that being killed by another player and having your Bounty claimed would clear that bounty. That is, becoming flagged for PvP by accumulating crimes would be a temporary matter, not permanent, and that having that bounty collected would un-flag you.

I was just imagining a duo running through a small npc area, one starts looting some stalls, gets killed for bounty, respawns, loots more stalls, killed for bounty, loots more stalls, killed for bounty, kills some npcs, killed for bounty, moves to next town, etc.

Hopefully the mechanics don't allow for this situation.

Lord_Draevan

I'm probably going to commit crimes just to get the guards to shout "Stop right there criminal scum!" at me



Ah, Oblivion...

ShedsHisTail

I'm a little disappointed no Ordinators have said, "Let's not make this official, Outlander." to me yet.

Such an intimidating line of dialogue.

Wizzo91

Not too much information has been presented at QuakeCon. Mostly speculations we could give you.