NPC Highwaymen in PvE areas

Asardes

In context of the IC promotion I saw a lot of people complaining that they get ganked and robbed of their hard earned Tel Var stones. IMO this only adds to the realism of the game. War zones are mostly lawless in real life too with bands of brigands and deserters about. If we look back at the crime rates in medieval times - which most MMOs try to model - it was several dozen times higher than developed countries today, with lots of bandits ambushing and killing people in the woods and other remote areas. For added game realism and a bit of a challenge I think they should add ganking elite NPCs that randomly attack you from stealth in PvE areas that are far from settlements. If they win they take half the gold you are carrying. If you win you have guaranteed set piece from the respective area, much like world bosses and dolmens. What do you think?

Twilix01

It's a bad idea

I don't see how this is a good idea, in a PvP zone you go in there knowing that at any moment a player can sneak up on you and gank you, PvE zones aren't meant to have this. We already have guards that take your gold to pay for a bounty, which is a fair system for the most part since you take a risk of being caught doing something that'll give you a bounty and get rewarded if you do it right, just as entering imperial city is a risk to gain tel var stones if you make it out with them.

There shouldn't be a risk attached to just traveling outside of towns, though, all this will do is punish players that like to actually explore instead of just port from wayshrine to wayshrine.

Khenarthi

It's a good idea

I like it - I never carry much gold anyway, and a guaranteed set piece is very enticing indeed.

What difficulty level do you suggest though? Even ambushing Nightblade Xivkyn in IC are easy to beat (I sometimes forget to pay attention to my surroundings, mobs have ambushed me before... not to the point of killing me but enough to give me a fright).

Asardes

It's a good idea

It's not "penalizing", it's just an added risk/reward mechanic just like the tel var stones, but one witch is way less demanding.

In IC the road to home base is actually very long and risky itself, or very costly if you use a certain item. This is not comparable to the open world where shrines are close to each other and you can sprint to the closest one with the horse in less than one minute, port to a city with a bank and deposit your earnings there once you get a few thousand gold in your pouch. As opposed to that every IC district is a closed area with just 3 exits, two gates and a sewer entrance; the sewers are a very large public dungeon with a lot of ambush spots and patrolling bosses that can easily one-shot you. There is also no reason to keep a lot of gold on you, as opposed to Tel Vars where you get a multiplier for earnings further earnings based on the stones you have.

I'm not saying such a mechanic should not be implemented: for example the probability of spawning a highwayman, or a stronger highwayman that can drop better loot can be dynamically linked to your gold and the quality of the gear you are wearing. Real life highwaymen will go after rich targets after all, like the player with purple or gold armor and a lot of gold, and not the one in green gear with a few hundred gold. In fact, this sort of mechanic can make things even more interesting. The highwaymen random encounter is not even new or lore breaking. There were in fact such NPCs in Oblivion that asked for a certain amount of gold and they became hostile if you didn't give in to their demands.

bebynnag

It's a bad idea

is this poll a clever rouse to increase sales of bankers?

kill NPC loot 6 gold, pull out banker, deposit money, rinse repeat!

susmitds

It's a good idea

This is a great idea. Would give me an excuse to put all my money in the bank.

Asardes

It's a good idea

Khenarthi wrote: »

I like it - I never carry much gold anyway, and a guaranteed set piece is very enticing indeed.

What difficulty level do you suggest though? Even ambushing Nightblade Xivkyn in IC are easy to beat (I sometimes forget to pay attention to my surroundings, mobs have ambushed me before... not to the point of killing me but enough to give me a fright).

As I said, there should be "elite" mobs leveled to the area. This is a very fluid concept though. There could be a few sub-levels of enemy strength, based on player gear and gold held. After all, the strongest highwaymen don't go after small gains. Maybe something like this:

Encounter 1: If player is "poor" - has only 1000 gold and green gear - a basic elite mob with 100% chance to drop a blue item from the zone sets.
Encounter 2: If player is "well off" - has between 1000 and 10000 gold and blue gear - two elite mobs with 50/50% chance to drop a blue or purple item from the zone sets
Encounter 3: If player is "rich" - has between 10000 and 100,000 gold and purple gear - three elite mobs with 90/10% chance to drop purple/gold gear from the zone sets
Encounter 4: If player is "very rich" - has over 100,000 and gold gear - a group boss mob type with 100% chance to drop gold gear from the zone sets.

Of course, there could be intermediate probabilities between the said levels, like having 80,000 gold has a higher probability of generating Encounter 4 and a smaller one of generating Encounter 3.

Probability of being attacked would also dynamically decrease for grouped player. Highwaymen tend to go after solitary targets.
50% decrease for two players
75% decrease for three players
90% decrease for four or more players

So there would actually be an incentive for strong players to walk alone with gold gear and lots of gold coins.

Tavore1138

It's a bad idea

Not quite the worst idea I have read here but good effort.

Given the problems people have had with banked stuff going missing (I guess that is also offering realism in a twisted way) this would just add another pointless frustration.

Abeille

It's a good idea

I would like to see more "random" encounters, although I think losing half your gold is too much and could be too punishing to new players that didn't get the habit of putting it in the bank yet. Maybe a fixed amount of gold instead?

lolo_01b16_ESO

It's a bad idea

No need for npcs. Just add justice system part 2 and allow players to become highwaymen

Khenarthi

It's a good idea

I like this... and I usually play solo so I'd have these spawn on me often enough

Asardes

It's a good idea

There are supposedly "random" encounters even now, but they are very poorly implemented. For example the highwaymen NPCs who are in the process or robbing a merchant, the ones holding a hostage, and the daedra that fall out of the sky always spawn at the same fixed locations. The drops and experience from those are very meager. The game should be made more dynamic to make the zones more dynamic. Once you have explored them they are basically dead. Of course adding the loot to the world bosses in the dolmens is a move in the right direction, but has little dynamism built in: the location is always the same and the timer is also fixed at 10 minutes. So they are farmable. Which encourages a certain type of repetitive, boring and even annoying behavior by some players: "Bruh, it's my boss, shove!111!!1!1"

Asardes

It's a good idea

Well, if you want to turn players into highwaymen, even for a limited time, there is an even simpler implementation. Just enable PvP+ (meaning you can also attack players from own alliance) for a few days a year in the whole One Tamriel, with the same rules as above:
- if you kill you take half the money
- if you get killed you lose half

Acsvf

It's a bad idea

Half of your gold is ridiculous. I regularly carry around 300k gold, and it's quite necessary that I do so for being an efficient trader. I could probably easily kill them, but I also have a significant issue with lag and disconnection and that's what worries me most. So no, I do not find myself supporting this idea. I'd be more inclined to agree if the gold loss was, as another user has stated, a fixed amount.

Asardes

It's a good idea

Well, I agree that it could be a fixed amount, but one that's based on the type of encounter instead of half for any encounter. For example

Encounter 1: max (50, total_gold)
Encounter 2: max (500, total_gold)
Encounter 3: max (5000, total_gold)
Encounter 4: max (50000, total_gold)

Khenarthi

It's a good idea

lolo_01b16_ESO wrote: »

No need for npcs. Just add justice system part 2 and allow players to become highwaymen

This I do not like. I am ok with fighting a mindless boss with more HP than brains, but if I want to open myself to ganking from another player there's Cyro and IC, this is not what this thread was about...

Fighting players and NPCs is very different., requires using different strategies but also having equipped from the get go the right gear and skills. If I am in PVE-land I like to relax and use pve gear/rotation without having to think too much. It's how I unwind from a tough day at work. There's a place for everything, yes?

Twilix01

It's a bad idea

Khenarthi wrote: »

lolo_01b16_ESO wrote: »

No need for npcs. Just add justice system part 2 and allow players to become highwaymen

This I do not like. I am ok with fighting a mindless boss with more HP than brains, but if I want to open myself to ganking from another player there's Cyro and IC, this is not what this thread was about...

Fighting players and NPCs is very different., requires using different strategies but also having equipped from the get go the right gear and skills. If I am in PVE-land I like to relax and use pve gear/rotation without having to think too much. It's how I unwind from a tough day at work. There's a place for everything, yes?

Because a random encounter that can cost you half your gold if you screw up is so relaxing right? What happens if you're AFK and this highwayman spawns and kills you?

Khenarthi

It's a good idea

Twilix01 wrote: »

Khenarthi wrote: »

lolo_01b16_ESO wrote: »

No need for npcs. Just add justice system part 2 and allow players to become highwaymen

This I do not like. I am ok with fighting a mindless boss with more HP than brains, but if I want to open myself to ganking from another player there's Cyro and IC, this is not what this thread was about...

Fighting players and NPCs is very different., requires using different strategies but also having equipped from the get go the right gear and skills. If I am in PVE-land I like to relax and use pve gear/rotation without having to think too much. It's how I unwind from a tough day at work. There's a place for everything, yes?

Because a random encounter that can cost you half your gold if you screw up is so relaxing right? What happens if you're AFK and this highwayman spawns and kills you?

Then I lose gold to the "ether", but not to a predatorial other person. I can live with that easily. But when I need to go afk I log off to character selection anyway.

Edziu

not bad ide but

Asardes wrote: »

If they win they take half the gold you are carrying. If you win you have guaranteed set piece from the respective area, much like world bosses and dolmens

I will lost half of the gold from my inventory.....you are mad? are some traders buyers here with hundreds of thousands in inventory while looking in all ALL guild traders from zone's for good occasions and then what? we can easily die while looking in store, or just going to this without any food buff + this will be "elite ganger" so not very good player will die almost always and reward then......
set piece from respective area, what if I dont need any set piece from "this" area?

when die you can lost tons of gold, when you win you will get from not bad, good set piece to shiet for decontruct

Daemons_Bane

It's a bad idea

Why is it that people always want to interfere with other people's calm and carefree PvE?? Go jump people in Cyrodill, give them half your gold if/when they kill you

KenaPKK

It's a bad idea

Nah but the carebear tears would be amusing.

Open world PvP would be fun af though, and accomplish the exact same goal.

Asardes

It's a good idea

I actually want Tamriel to be both beautiful and brutal, just like the reality it tries to model.

Browiseth

It's a bad idea

Is this another unfun sounding suggestion, and the only reasoning for implementing it is quote unquote, realism and immersion?

yea, no thanks. Fun first, reality later.

Nestor

It's a bad idea

The moment a game mechanic has an NPC take stuff from me when I die is the moment I uninstall the game.

I get it when I lose stolen Items when accosted by a Guard and I can't get away, but that only makes sense. But, if I am walking along and an NPC ganks me and takes any of my stuff? No Way.

Samuel_Bantien

Stand and deliver!

zuto40

It's a good idea

Edziu wrote: »

not bad ide but

Asardes wrote: »

If they win they take half the gold you are carrying. If you win you have guaranteed set piece from the respective area, much like world bosses and dolmens

I will lost half of the gold from my inventory.....you are mad? are some traders buyers here with hundreds of thousands in inventory while looking in all ALL guild traders from zone's for good occasions and then what? we can easily die while looking in store, or just going to this without any food buff + this will be "elite ganger" so not very good player will die almost always and reward then......
set piece from respective area, what if I dont need any set piece from "this" area?

when die you can lost tons of gold, when you win you will get from not bad, good set piece to shiet for decontruct

if you can solo the street bosses in IC i doubt zeni can make a hard highwayman, and use your damn brain no you obviously wouldnt die while looking in a store, thats not far in the wilderness now is it? and bad decisions deserve to be penalized, if im a bad player and i go out with 300k gold, thats a stupid decision isnt it

RAGUNAnoOne

Good for high levels and well geared people but this will not be good for lower levels especially new players. I don't mind a gold sink and more dynamic encounters but this sounds like it will create too much rage for newer players who have no access to the gear to defend themselves.

Daemons_Bane

It's a bad idea

zuto40 wrote: »

Edziu wrote: »

not bad ide but

Asardes wrote: »

If they win they take half the gold you are carrying. If you win you have guaranteed set piece from the respective area, much like world bosses and dolmens

I will lost half of the gold from my inventory.....you are mad? are some traders buyers here with hundreds of thousands in inventory while looking in all ALL guild traders from zone's for good occasions and then what? we can easily die while looking in store, or just going to this without any food buff + this will be "elite ganger" so not very good player will die almost always and reward then......
set piece from respective area, what if I dont need any set piece from "this" area?

when die you can lost tons of gold, when you win you will get from not bad, good set piece to shiet for decontruct

if you can solo the street bosses in IC i doubt zeni can make a hard highwayman, and use your damn brain no you obviously wouldnt die while looking in a store, thats not far in the wilderness now is it? and bad decisions deserve to be penalized, if im a bad player and i go out with 300k gold, thats a stupid decision isnt it

Let's say this person RP's a rich merchant.. This merchant decides to buy whatever it is that he needs.. For that he needs to bring said 300K gold.. Now in this timeline, we have to actually carry it to the seller.. Then it's suddenly not a stupid decision to be walking around with 300K gold

Asardes

It's a good idea

As I said, low level players who have bad gear and no money will be attacked less often and by weaker NPCs. I also said they will attack far from settlements, so town guards can't interfere.

Wing

I didn't vote I just wanted to say this reminded me of the khajiit highwaymen from Oblivion

"Your money, or your life!"

RAGUNAnoOne

Asardes wrote: »

As I said, low level players who have bad gear and no money will be attacked less often and by weaker NPCs. I also said they will attack far from settlements, so town guards can't interfere.

This isn't skyrim this is an MMO it it next to impossible to get a specific enemy to ONLY spawn for one player. if it spawns near a high level character chances are a low level may be in or closer to the location where it spawns and take the brunt of a NPC designed for cp 500 players so the first part is not feasible.