Murder of NPCS alone in the middle of nowhere still get a bounty??

Reavyne · May 2015

I love the justice system love using it on my NB, but one thing that has been [snip] me to tears
is when i find a NPC out in the world all by himself with absolutely no one around to "witness the crime"
i stab him a bunch, kill him and boom bounty on my head, WHO THE HELL SAW ME DO THAT?.

Further more not only who saw me do that but how do the guards of a town in a completely different zone know
about a murder i committed when no one saw me commit it in the first place lol.

Surely this along with the lag and FPS drops can't be that hard to fix in 2015 a year on from beta common.

[Moderator Note: Edited per our rules on Cursing & Profanity]

gurluasb16_ESO · May 2015

I wish it was like Skyrim where you got the bounty but if you killed all witnesses you lost it again.

Reavyne · May 2015

gurluasb16_ESO wrote: »

I wish it was like Skyrim where you got the bounty but if you killed all witnesses you lost it again.

Yea haha See that makes sense how the hell can people tell on you if there all dead?
and its not like they have the tech to trace finger prints or anything which makes the fact that they can know
who did it even if no one saw it happen even more stupid lol

Sharee · May 2015

They all got mindspeech. That's how you were reported in the firstplace (by your victim because you did not kill him in 1 shot) and also how the information spread to all the guards of tamriel

The good news is that they also all have very bad memory, and will forget about the crime in about 20 minutes

Reavyne · May 2015

Sharee wrote: »

They all got mindspeech. That's how you were reported in the firstplace (by your victim because you did not kill him in 1 shot) and also how the information spread to all the guards of tamriel

The good news is that they also all have very bad memory, and will forget about the crime in about 20 minutes

Bahahaha yea welcome to the world of ESO XD where you cant get away with anything but give it a few
and people will give less of a dam by the minute lol

KhajitFurTrader · May 2015

Reavyne wrote: »

WHO THE HELL SAW ME DO THAT?

SQUIRREL!

On a more serious note, I remember it being always this way in the ES games as well. For a medieval society, the law enforcement always had astoundingly fast and reliable communication channels. Maybe it's the Divines, maybe it's Sithis, who acts through his proxy, the Dark Brotherhood. Who else would immediately KNOW when you've just murdered an innocent in their sleep?

Anyway, there's no such thing like the perfect crime on the plane of Mundus. Which is a good thing, because I don't want to play in a world where homicidal maniacs can roam free and unhindered. Where there is crime, there has to be punishment.

Reavyne · May 2015

KhajitFurTrader wrote: »

Reavyne wrote: »

WHO THE HELL SAW ME DO THAT?

SQUIRREL!

On a more serious note, I remember it being always this way in the ES games as well. For a medieval society, the law enforcement always had astoundingly fast and reliable communication channels. Maybe it's the Divines, maybe it's Sithis, who acts through his proxy, the Dark Brotherhood. Who else would immediately KNOW when you've just murdered an innocent in their sleep?

Anyway, there's no such thing like the perfect crime on the plane of Mundus. Which is a good thing, because I don't want to play in a world where homicidal maniacs can roam free and unhindered. Where there is crime, there has to be punishment.

Hahaha i agree with crime needs a punishment...but killing some guy in the middle of nowhere with no one around should be aloud if one chooses to lol

tengri · May 2015

Wasn't there a bug in Skyrim where a chicken would witness and report your crime?
Been a while, no sure if I remember that one correctly.
Maybe it's the same thing...

Anyway, that torch bug behind the small brushes over there looks very suspicious to me...

Reavyne · May 2015

tengri wrote: »

Wasn't there a bug in Skyrim where a chicken would witness and report your crime?
Been a while, no sure if I remember that one correctly.
Maybe it's the same thing...

Anyway, that torch bug behind the small brushes over there looks very suspicious to me...

At this point i wouldnt be surprised if i got dobbed in by a blade of grass XD

titanofdoom · May 2015

I think this is incredibly absurd myself. If you kill someone in game in the middle of nowhere, how would they have time to subliminly 'mind speak' to a guard?

Especially if hit from behind and one shotted!

This needs to be addressed.

It has no credence whatsoever, and is exceptionally silly.

Sharee · May 2015

titanofdoom wrote: »

I think this is incredibly absurd myself. If you kill someone in game in the middle of nowhere, how would they have time to subliminly 'mind speak' to a guard?

Especially if hit from behind and one shotted!

I believe when you manage to oneshot the target, and there are no other witnesses, you do not get a bounty.

sheggorathb16_ESO · May 2015

Reavyne · May 2015

sheggorathb16_ESO wrote: »

there is also one in the wall duh

Fruitmass · May 2015

Sharee wrote: »

titanofdoom wrote: »

I think this is incredibly absurd myself. If you kill someone in game in the middle of nowhere, how would they have time to subliminly 'mind speak' to a guard?

Especially if hit from behind and one shotted!

I believe when you manage to oneshot the target, and there are no other witnesses, you do not get a bounty.

It's touch and go sometimes. I one shotted an npc out in the middle of nowhere with a bow and ended up getting a bounty. Strangely enough I kill the same guy later up close and personal with daggers and no bounty. Weird >_>.

Tandor · May 2015

Just because you didn't see any witnesses, it doesn't mean there weren't any there. Whether through stealth, or other nefarious means, you may have been seen without realising it.

Either that, or ZOS have granted the guards exclusive access to the data logs!

stefan.gustavsonb16_ESO · May 2015

The victim is always there to witness their own murder, and they don't actually die, they respawn at the same spot. Sure, they act as if they don't remember anything of the crimes you committed against them in their previous life, but they know. Everyone knows. You are never safe. But stop murdering innocent people, and you should be fine.

Moonshadow66 · May 2015

It's like that "hidden - detected - hidden - detected - hidden - detected - hidden -detected" I often get when absolutely nothing and no one is around. Sometimes getting "caught" while this happens.
This shouldn't be like this, I guess.

MornaBaine · May 2015

It's one of those really annoying and sloppy things that I can't believe they didn't think through a little better. Of course it bugs ME when I'll be killing some "non-innocent" dude and his friends are standing a few feet away, apparently watching the whole damn thing...and they don't move a muscle. Because "aggro distance."

AH93 · May 2015

I do find it a bit absurd as well, blasted skeevers! They're in co-hoots with the guards of Tamriel!

Reavyne · May 2015

AH93 wrote: »

I do find it a bit absurd as well, blasted skeevers! They're in co-hoots with the guards of Tamriel!

Yep all animals and grass are witnesses to our crimes spread the word!

Drazhar14 · May 2015

NPCs can witness their own murders somehow. You need to kill them in one hit to get away with it. Extremely stupid mechanic if you ask me.

BUT, since this is an Elder Scrolls game, NPCs have the ability to instantly write long notes right before they die and leave them as clues for other adventures, so that may be how you are getting a bounty.

drschplatt · May 2015

I like how I can attack someone, throw fire across a room, and call down a meteor on their head, but if the room is big enough, no one sitting at the bar gives a crap.

maryriv · May 2015

So... you deserved it?

Mercutio · May 2015

Akatosh sees all.

TheShadowScout · May 2015

Stendarr, god of justice and mercy, sees all your wrongdoings, criminal skum!

(also what you do under your blanket when camping for the night on your adventures, but that's another matter)

And then... the dirty aedra rats you out to every guard on the continent who ever prayed to him even a little!

...

Yeah, its sometimes annoying... pickpocked a lone fisherman, fail, get in a fight, kill them, and somehow the guard knows. Murder a old lady in her tiny home to have free access to that lockbox you spotted behind the bed, take two strikes instead of one, and... somehow the guard knows.

Of course, it can be avoided in many cases by just not murdering people. But... it would still be nicer if your being witnessed actually relied on witnesses, instead of the spirit of the slain fingering you from beyond the grave or something like that...

MCMancub · May 2015

The developers have stated that this is the intended behavior, at least for now. NPCs automatically report their own crimes, so if you didn't one shot it then you received a bounty. They said this was to prevent people from just killing a single NPC over and over. This is still possible, but it reduces the size of those capable to only those who can one shot the NPC. They said they may change it in the future, but there are no plans on the table right now.

TL;DR: The mechanic is the way that it is because this is an MMO.

Memtndude · May 2015

I would rather the bounty last longer, but be individual by city/zone also. I would also like someone to actually have to tell on you, instead of some instant NPC tattle telling that never actually takes place.

Rynier · May 2015

I have seen several talking trees in this game. Some of them are with the police. And they use their subterranean root communications network to relay your name and face to the whole of Tamriel .

eventide03b14a_ESO · May 2015

The devs think it's too easy otherwise. Personally I think it's just lazy coding. They didn't want to spend the time making it faction specific or put in place the ability to get rid of bounties if you kills witnesses. It's also annoying that if you get caught in someones house you either have to kill them or let them kill you as you can't use doors in combat and of course invincible guards.

Victus · May 2015

If you don't one-shot them, I guess it can be assumed they yell out while being attacked? It would be pretty cool if they did that in game however.

"Help! Help! I'm being attacked by.... Captain Buttnugget?"

KhajitFurTrader · May 2015

Memtndude wrote: »

I would rather the bounty last longer, but be individual by city/zone also. I would also like someone to actually have to tell on you, instead of some instant NPC tattle telling that never actually takes place.

I'd love that, too, because it'd add flavor to the world ("No, I can't go back to Wayrest ever, because of the Noodle Incident back then"). It would also be cool to have certain outlaw towns in far away places (not just dens in regular cities), where everyone is welcome no matter how high their bounty is (but is there honor among thieves?).

But I also understand why it's just not possible yet with current game mechanics. Besides, there would almost certainly have to be some sort of personal "heat map" or clue as to your "hotness" in certain places on game maps and Wayshrine maps -- lest the forums erupt in posts like "So I accidentally ported into Wayrest and was greeted immediately by a bunch of guards with Spätzlehobel in their hands and speculating looks...", "How am I supposed to keep track of my numerous bounties in seven different Tamriel kingdoms?", or even "After the thieves guild kicked me out for my disgraceful behavior, the only place left that would have me now is Coldharbour!".