INFAMY - CRIME AND PUNISHMENT "Think about what you're doing, will you regret this?" The old thread was very messy and the title didn't express what I was really going for. Basically the point I was trying to make is that a wanted/infamy system should be implemented to actually make you think of the consequences about killing defenseless/innocent npc's. Cool dudes who contributed: Sherbniz Sideways Untrustedlife Cogratchet Discuss and talk about it! I'm very intrigued to hear about what you guys have to say! I will add all suggestions to the OP! Suggestions made by cool guys:
I actually thought the opposite, I thought my old thread would attract less people and this thread would attract more.
Honestly, I'm not a fan. Starbound makes it pretty clear that you're a good guy, or at the very least a lighter shade of grey than the people you're escaping from. Hylotls are pretty much selfless saints from their start prompt (albeit a little holier than thou perhaps?). Not only that, but you're already being hunted across the stars for most of the species; if the wide-reaching evil governments can't catch you, I don't think joe cop can. You're already a fugitive (again, just in many cases). I like that stealing from NPCs doesn't carry consequences, it helps you go "Ooh, a town!" and makes them more exciting because of the knowledge that you can do stuff in them that helps you with the rest of the game, not just talk to NPCs and see the culture (although that is good too). Also no stealing would kind of cause problems for picking up lore books, and also the little issue of there being no way to get cultural objects without taking them... Looking at skyrim for a moment, that's a game where they went way too far with crime and punishment. They put in so much for if the player decides to be a total jerk and wreck things that there's a very noticeable gap for things to do if you want to be law-abiding. Personally, I think that not killing people should be a thing you decide to do.. I mean, you already get attacked by guards if you cause too much trouble, and I think everyone's had the experience where a damned AI civilian or guard gets in the way of a sniper bullet meant for a psychotic bird trying to attack, and then had to kill the entire settlement just because they can't understand what a freaking accident is. I'd actually prefer it if the NPCs were just invincible, or unkillable by you unless you make it clear you're wanting to attack by holding your weapon out for ages or something.
oh really, where do they say that? Last time I played I 'acquired' my own spaceship through my actions that caused the 'unintentional' deaths of my fellow crew and I can kill anyone or anything that crosses me, even the unarmed. I don't think that there is anyone holding my hand and assuring me that I am 'the good guy'. It's a dog-eat-dog universe, baby. Better be the BIG dog - or at least the faster dog.
Nowhere does it say the player is good nor evil, that's for us to decide. But I want to have consequences when it come to being evil/bad to make you rethink your actions. If you're evil in this current state, it's pretty profitable with little risk. It's way too easy.
If anything, the devs are ENCOURAGING and REWARDING murderous bandits - not good guys. Still can't get myself to partake though, regardless of how much of a lucrative venture it is. Although, I don't mind volunteering a town to distract a certain flying saucer and hey, if there's stuff on the ground afterwards it'd be wasteful of me not to pick it up - and being wasteful is just criminal
Don't worry, they know they are mere cannon fodder for the penguin army. But, back to the point. I think it would be fun to be hunted, I live for the thrill of the chase.
I think the system described above is basically the way the game is now other than you have to hide in some hole for awhile or be gak'd by some arbitrary enforcement squad. essentially you're suggesting the the ill-gotten booty be paid for with time in a hole on the lamb. It is balancing in the sense that now you have to 'pay' for these 'goods' but, what FUN does it add to the game? hiding in a hole running from the law doesn't sound like fun - to me.
That is true, but I'm just throwing out some ideas here. I haven't FULLY thought this out, that's why I'm asking people for suggestions on what they think.
I agree with you that the way the systems are now are very unbalanced, it's basically an all you can loot buffet - which IMO, isn't much fun either. The most uninspired solution has already been suggested; making villagers unkillable and towns unlootable - but, then what's the point in having villages at all? traders? well, walking through a town to simply browse the many merchant's wares is rather inconvenient and pretty boring / time-consuming - if that were the only purpose of villages, I'd say that trading with a planets merchants would simply be done more effectively through some Ui interface on one of your ships consoles (I.E. abstraction). So, I wouldn't consider that a viable option either. It's apparent why the systems in place are so, as the dev team have clearly wrestled with this issue and lost as well. my only thought would be: kill a villager and the entire town's populace becomes hostile and attacks you, kill them and you spawn some form of 'elite guard', kill them and you get some super-powered town boss, kill them and get some decent loot scaled to the level of the boss. I think that the villagers should be as tough as a player the planet's level is appropriate for and the normal guards to be 20-40% tougher. The 'elite guard' should be something that only a group of equal level would be able to handle and the town boss even more so. If you kill a villager the rest of the towns on that planets should declare hostilities towards you, beyond that I'm not really sure. if attacking a villager caused you to be hostile with off world towns you would need a means to purge your infamy otherwise all that hostility would accrue and perpetuate to the point where you couldn't leave your ship.
Really, This game is a sandbox action/exploration rpg, i should be able to do whatever the heck I want to do.If I want to be evil, then by god I will be. You shall not prevent this.
Seems a little overboard. But it is much better then the other suggestion. I think it should only get to Z"Entire planet is hostile" if you kill a large amount of people. Otherwise the guards come after you/ you have repercussions (bounty hunters/assassins tracking you down/(If you are certain races) your home planet finding out where you are and sending kill teams )
elaborate on how that would be implemented in game and what FUN it adds? right now I am imagining all these bounty hunters/ assassins/ goon squads to be implemented by using the normal trash mobs as place holders. so, in place of some common fare you now have trash mobs with guns and maybe armor popping up whence ye wander. So, you dispatch them/ hide in a hole/ get gak'd and the initial loot is still yours. if there is something more you'd like to add to this, the community would certainly benefit from hearing it otherwise I really don't see what FUN that suggestion contributes to the game.
I think it'd be cool if there were "space police" but if they do add it, it needs to be so that if you kill someone and someone seens the Space Police aren't omnipotent entities that automagically know. If someone SURVIVES the onslaught and manages to radio for help, maybe; but if I mass-murder everyone in a town and no one is left to tell the tale, then I don't really see how the space police would know... you know? For example: The guards in TES scrolls game are a prime example of the kind of Omnipotent Police entities. You kill a citizen, NO ONE SAW YOU, "STOP RIGHT THERE, CRIMINAL SCUM!"
annnnd once again I ask, how would this be implemented and what FUN does it add to Starbound? tired references to games that are irrelevant to the discussion do not help anyone. If you have nothing positive to contribute then take it to the steam community.
Whoa buddy. No reason to a be a JERK. I was giving an example or how I do NOT want it to be like. That's useful in my opinion. Hasn't your mother ever told you if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything? If YOU have nothing positive to contribute then take it to the steam community. As for your legitimate questions/concerns, the way I would imagine it implemented is if a citizen goes into "guards" mode (where they run from you and, if any guards are nearby, the guards aggro you), then if that citizen lives long enough to go back into regular mode (where they are friendly and will talk to you again) then that would be long enough for them to contact the "space police". In otherwords, if you kill them before that, then the space police are not contacted. And the fun this would add to the game is obviously a matter of preference. Personally I think it would be FUN to play the psychopathic space killer -- always on the run from the law and such. But, again, that's just my personal preference that I'd play with ONE of my characters. For the vast majority of players and character this wouldn't really be a feature they'd use so much as it'd be a reason NOT to just kill NPCs for their free pixels.
so you basically kill villagers and loot accordingly, how is this different form the current game mechanics? space police? who are they and what do they do?
