Smuggling

[trollson]

This topic came up in conversations this weekend. Searching, I see a similar topic on Illegal goods from two years ago, which has a different take.

 

Smuggling and Contraband

 

On a map, or area in a map (such as a city or town), certain items may be deemed illegal. There is however an NPC in the area's underworld who will reward (buy or trade) for these items. Alternatively, the area is a source of the illegal goods.

 

Characters carrying the item are made PK'able, but not visibly (ie., not with a glowing red name).

 

Care should be taken to avoid bottlenecks (ie, the entrance to the NPC's lair).

 

Expoits?

• Not too concerned with people using it as a means to become PK'able. There are plenty of places they can go to do this, so long as the smuggling area does not contain anything advantageous (such as storage).
  
• Danger of newbies accidentally clicking 'fight' on a passerby and being toasted. So avoid this in regions where newbies are likely to be present in numbers.
  
• Fighters clicking 'fight' on every passerby until they find a smuggler? This is a problem; there needs to be some restriction on doing this; it should constitute harrassment -- they are in effect demanding to search everyone who passes by.
  

I think only the last one is a weakness which would need to be solved.

[ttlanhil]

Not too concerned with people using it as a means to become PK'able. There are plenty of places they can go to do this, so long as the smuggling area does not contain anything advantageous (such as storage).

as an added decentive (also works on other factors) if you die you lose the item... and you had to buy the item for a significant amount of cash (the payoff is worth it, however)... perhaps also risk the item being damaged in combat

Fighters clicking 'fight' on every passerby until they find a smuggler? This is a problem; there needs to be some restriction on doing this; it should constitute harrassment -- they are in effect demanding to search everyone who passes by.

how about there's a chance there's a complaint put in if they search too many non-smugglers (random factor, not a set number), for which there can be penalties... insta-confiscation of battle gear, monetary fine, set PKable (with red tag... what happens with the rest of the blockaders? ), etc

[Roja]

Just as a note, me and entropy have talked about doing a sort of smuggling, further on down the road.

You're welcome to give out ideas still however

[Draym]

I think that characters carrying the items being PKable would be easily abused by players that want to train their a/d by pvping on safe maps. If a bully comes by all they have is to drop the item and wait til s/he walks away, or wait for the item to poof or leave it behind since a single one of these items wouldn't be such a deal.

[trollson]

... If a bully comes by all they have is to drop the item and wait til s/he walks away ...

 

Good point. Suggestions to prevent this from happening? What about multiple states of PK'ness?

1. Hidden PK status: Characters carrying illegal goods in a smuggling area have hidden PK status; no red name tag. If the character drops the illegal item they revert to non-PKable (normal) status.
   
2. Temporary PK status: When someone with a hidden PK status is attacked, they are uncovered, and gain the red name tag and a temporary PK status. Dropping the item now doesn't help. This status remains until they leave the smuggling area, by being on an outdoors map outside the smuggling area.
   
3. Suspended PK status: Entering an indoors map from the smuggling area, which is not itself a smuggling area, suspends the temporary PK status. Returning to the smuggling area (indoors or outside) reverts the character to the temporary PK status. This is necessary to allow the NPC dealer's lair to be safe; the character is hiding out in a building or sewer, and makes a dash for the dealer or safety.
   

Characters' hunting smugglers would risk becoming 'temporary PK'able' if the harassed innocent passersby too often (random chance per innocent harassed).

 

Of course, if we ever get town guards (spawned creatures/mobile NPCs), then they would be free to attack any red-named villan as well

Edited May 31, 2006 by trollson

[Kalach]

... If a bully comes by all they have is to drop the item and wait til s/he walks away ...

 

Good point. Suggestions to prevent this from happening? What about multiple states of PK'ness?

1. Hidden PK status: Characters carrying illegal goods in a smuggling area have hidden PK status; no red name tag. If the character drops the illegal item they revert to non-PKable (normal) status.
   
2. Temporary PK status: When someone with a hidden PK status is attacked, they are uncovered, and gain the red name tag and a temporary PK status. Dropping the item now doesn't help. This status remains until they leave the smuggling area, by being on an outdoors map outside the smuggling area.
   
3. Suspended PK status: Entering an indoors map from the smuggling area, which is not itself a smuggling area, suspends the temporary PK status. Returning to the smuggling area (indoors or outside) reverts the character to the temporary PK status. This is necessary to allow the NPC dealer's lair to be safe; the character is hiding out in a building or sewer, and makes a dash for the dealer or safety.
   

Characters' hunting smugglers would risk becoming 'temporary PK'able' if the harassed innocent passersby too often (random chance per innocent harassed).

 

Of course, if we ever get town guards (spawned creatures/mobile NPCs), then they would be free to attack any red-named villan as well

 

 

I think this is a great idea. I want to thrown in a slightly different mix from what you've got, just to keep ideas flowing:

 

Smuggling still consists of areas that have banned items, and areas that are the source of the item. (Area being loosely termed as a region that can be boundable within the game mechanics) Areas that have banned certain items have "town guard" NPCs, that are really vehicles for the behind the scenes mechanic which based on a certain forumla may or may not detect that you are carrying a contraband item. (Pick your skill for stealth, add in random factor, and a difficulty level assigned to each banned items, and weight with number of items carried).

 

The System then works on the following basis:

 

First Infraction: Warning

Second Infraction: Fine payable to the town guard in GC. Until it is paid, no NPC within the town will deal with you.

Third Infraction: PKable within the the bounded area that marks that "Region." Red Tagged.

 

I'm sure there are loads of weaknesses to this idea, but maybe there's a few nuggets of good idea in here.