MegaCorp
06-12-03, 00:47
Here are some LE/PKing ideas, for whatever they are worth:
Idea #1) Clans must declare themselves to be PvP oriented or non-PvP oriented, and there is game code to support that choice. PvP clans can hack and hold Ops; non-PvP clans can not. LE users can join non-PvP clans, but can not join PvP clans. This mechanism provides the "community experience" that many gamers seek but which they could not previously have if they used an LE. An example of this new type of clan would be one made up of tradeskillers who have no interest in PvP or Op wars.
Idea #2) There is rampant "griefing" because people are bored or are simply bad by nature and enjoy causing trouble for others. Given the post-apocalyptic backstory for the game, this is not necessarilly "wrong". What is missing, though, is retribution / punishment. In real life such killers, if/when caught, would be killed outright, sentenced to death, or imprisoned for a long time to get them out of circulation. What can be done in Neocron?
Since death is only temporary in Neocron, let us have the "effective results" of imprisonment, rather than actual confinement:
o A soul light penalty is gained when you kill another player character that is more than nnn levels lower than your own, regardless of your faction or the faction of the victim; this does not apply in war zones. All other existing methods of getting a soul light penalty still apply as well.
o When a character has soul light less than -xxx they are visibly labeled as an "Outlaw"; if the soul light becomes more positive than -xxx then the label is removed.
o If an "Outlaw" character is killed ANYWHERE by another player character (even in a war zone), that character dies and becomes visibly relabeled as an "Outcast". There is no soul light penalty for killing an Outlaw.
o Being an Outcast has the following effects: the character is removed from whatever clan they were in, the character is prevented from [re]joining a clan until the Outcast label is removed, and the character is unable to harm other players or be harmed by other players (as per wearing an LE) until the Outcast label is removed. Note that the character CAN continue to hunt to improve soul light, etc.
o The Outcast label is removed when a week of real time (not game time) elapses. Alternatively, it could be removed when soul light becomes sufficiently positive; or the time interval could be some number of days, such as 3 or 5.
What does this accomplish? It allows a modest amount of PKing without major penalty ... but if soul light reaches -xxx then the major penalty occurs. So griefers can indulge themselves a little bit but not excessively and it allows roleplaying "bad guys" to do bad things in the game but not excessively. It makes Outlaws (hardcore griefers) more readilly identifyable and puts them at risk. It allows hero types to hunt down an Outlaw and clobber that PKer without themselves risking becoming outlaws due to loss of soul light. It provides a means of rendering a problem player/character harmless for an extended period of time, and provides a satisfying accomplishment for people who go to the trouble to be heroes: its payback time - KABLAM!!!
A concerted effort by one or more clans could potentially do periodic sweeps of cities and hunting areas, wiping out Outlaws, to keep those places "safe" for extended periods of time. CityTerms could have a new section that lists known Outlaws with missions that offer cash rewards as bounties. Perhaps there is also an XP gain for the hero based on the level of the defeated PKer.
You want to be a badass crazed killer? You still can be, but no longer without penalty and to the total frustration of others.
Edit: the implementation should be such that people who kill enemy faction members would not be affected by this at all unless it was griefing oriented, i.e. very high levels killing very low levels (relatively speaking). The idea is not to constrain honest faction fighting, but rather to penalize griefers who become totally abussive to the community as a whole.
Idea #3) Rework the types of zones that can be found in the game to be something like this:
o war zones - as they are now
o danger zones - what we have a lot of now which is hunting areas where unrestricted PKing can occur, for example all of Pepper Park / Aggie Cellars / level 4+ basements, most of the outside lands
o protected hunting zones - these are new, and PKing is not permitted, these would be noob-friendly areas such as all level 1 thru 3 sewers.
o safe zones - no fighting of any kind is permitted, such as the existing Plaza and Viarosso areas
Comments? Suggestions for changes or alternatives?
Spook
Idea #1) Clans must declare themselves to be PvP oriented or non-PvP oriented, and there is game code to support that choice. PvP clans can hack and hold Ops; non-PvP clans can not. LE users can join non-PvP clans, but can not join PvP clans. This mechanism provides the "community experience" that many gamers seek but which they could not previously have if they used an LE. An example of this new type of clan would be one made up of tradeskillers who have no interest in PvP or Op wars.
Idea #2) There is rampant "griefing" because people are bored or are simply bad by nature and enjoy causing trouble for others. Given the post-apocalyptic backstory for the game, this is not necessarilly "wrong". What is missing, though, is retribution / punishment. In real life such killers, if/when caught, would be killed outright, sentenced to death, or imprisoned for a long time to get them out of circulation. What can be done in Neocron?
Since death is only temporary in Neocron, let us have the "effective results" of imprisonment, rather than actual confinement:
o A soul light penalty is gained when you kill another player character that is more than nnn levels lower than your own, regardless of your faction or the faction of the victim; this does not apply in war zones. All other existing methods of getting a soul light penalty still apply as well.
o When a character has soul light less than -xxx they are visibly labeled as an "Outlaw"; if the soul light becomes more positive than -xxx then the label is removed.
o If an "Outlaw" character is killed ANYWHERE by another player character (even in a war zone), that character dies and becomes visibly relabeled as an "Outcast". There is no soul light penalty for killing an Outlaw.
o Being an Outcast has the following effects: the character is removed from whatever clan they were in, the character is prevented from [re]joining a clan until the Outcast label is removed, and the character is unable to harm other players or be harmed by other players (as per wearing an LE) until the Outcast label is removed. Note that the character CAN continue to hunt to improve soul light, etc.
o The Outcast label is removed when a week of real time (not game time) elapses. Alternatively, it could be removed when soul light becomes sufficiently positive; or the time interval could be some number of days, such as 3 or 5.
What does this accomplish? It allows a modest amount of PKing without major penalty ... but if soul light reaches -xxx then the major penalty occurs. So griefers can indulge themselves a little bit but not excessively and it allows roleplaying "bad guys" to do bad things in the game but not excessively. It makes Outlaws (hardcore griefers) more readilly identifyable and puts them at risk. It allows hero types to hunt down an Outlaw and clobber that PKer without themselves risking becoming outlaws due to loss of soul light. It provides a means of rendering a problem player/character harmless for an extended period of time, and provides a satisfying accomplishment for people who go to the trouble to be heroes: its payback time - KABLAM!!!
A concerted effort by one or more clans could potentially do periodic sweeps of cities and hunting areas, wiping out Outlaws, to keep those places "safe" for extended periods of time. CityTerms could have a new section that lists known Outlaws with missions that offer cash rewards as bounties. Perhaps there is also an XP gain for the hero based on the level of the defeated PKer.
You want to be a badass crazed killer? You still can be, but no longer without penalty and to the total frustration of others.
Edit: the implementation should be such that people who kill enemy faction members would not be affected by this at all unless it was griefing oriented, i.e. very high levels killing very low levels (relatively speaking). The idea is not to constrain honest faction fighting, but rather to penalize griefers who become totally abussive to the community as a whole.
Idea #3) Rework the types of zones that can be found in the game to be something like this:
o war zones - as they are now
o danger zones - what we have a lot of now which is hunting areas where unrestricted PKing can occur, for example all of Pepper Park / Aggie Cellars / level 4+ basements, most of the outside lands
o protected hunting zones - these are new, and PKing is not permitted, these would be noob-friendly areas such as all level 1 thru 3 sewers.
o safe zones - no fighting of any kind is permitted, such as the existing Plaza and Viarosso areas
Comments? Suggestions for changes or alternatives?
Spook