NPC Generated PVP(Bandit)

What distinguishes a bandit vs a PKer in the game besides the names appearing on tops of their heads and of course obvious dialogue would be different if any had?
I.e. they could generate random convicts in the game that kill players so the PVP election is off, but you get killed by a computer generated player killer so to speak..
Even that bandit could be created to gain fame, experience and take loot ...
I am neutral on PVP, but a point worth noting above....
Just as certain hexes will be more rewarding in PVP areas...so could the computer generated PKers..
There could also be Good/Bad Generated NPCs so if they wanted to Mark them as a PKer it could lso be done.

 

A PK is someone who exploits a poorly designed karma system.

So I guess you could have a companion who follows you around annoying you and doing nothing useful. If you get into a precarious position, he'll kill you. If you attack him unprovoked, you get a pile of bad karma.

That seems rather silly though.

 

Hanging out in FireLotus Tavern, have an NPC randomly hit people with a chair or bottle to start bar fights. (Maybe blame it on someone else and sneak away)

The sole purpose is to get you to fight and get tossed into the stocks for a few hours. The NPC will get to play it's style while you get 2 hours of hard time for defending yourself.

 

The major differences that I can see are these:

1. The NPC bandit is a consistent and reliable threat that ensures that risk vs. reward is met.
2. The PC bandit might be off on date night with his wife and not be around to present risk.
3. The NPC bandit can be scaled to represent an appropriate threat for a player to face.
4. The PC bandit might be way under or over powered vs. another player and thus unbalance the game (which causes frustration and rage-quitting).
5. The NPC bandit might be part of a larger plot and be scripted to engross the player in the experience of the game.
6. The PC bandit will most likely kill you and take your stuff without a word, since speaking will reveal him and possibly get him killed instead.

See how that works? Players are not a reliable or scalable source of challenge for other players. They vary too wildly in power level and skill to be truly viable challenges. It's interesting to fight another player once in a while, but unless you are role playing it with your friends the random encounter is usually just a boring, formulaic fight between min/maxed builds.

 

Players do not have to vary wildly in power and skill level with appropriate game mechanics. For example, at certain points in the game, say quest 1 or so, you have a crossroads. One path you read a sign that says "danger ahead, these trails are lawless and full of bandits" or you get some other quest/lore based indication that if you take that path you CAN but not for 100% certain be attacked by other players. And at this point in the game, there is a level limitation for the players, like levels 1-5. Take the other path and you will get some lore/quest based information that human beings are your only allies on this path, so stay close, keep together. Even the most crooked of humans will remain civil on this path due to the dangerous ghouls and zombies that lie ahead. So the path would be all pretty much trammel and for levels 1-5, with spawn of the appropriate level of challenge. Both paths would lead to the same result.

 

NPC bandits are generally programmed so that they present a balanced threat to the player, don't ruthlessly murder resource gatherers like miners or lumberjacks going about their business, and don't pursue players to the ends of the earth, giving up after the players are shooed out of the area. Ideally, an NPC bandit would also be programmed to be less than a dumb monster, and ask for a bribe, but that isn't always the case. Still, they fit a role better than the average PKer, who tends not to be interested in role-playing.

 

I remember orcs and orcish mages being a major hazard while out mining in trammel. Ive been slayed quite a few times by them along with my pack mule =(. It really depends on how much challenge that the devs want for the players(which is ideally based on player input somewhat) as to how tough a pursuing spawn or NPC bandit will be.

 

Personally I think it's the role-playing part that is the thing that will differ them the most. A NPC program with certain phrases and in a certain way to act, both in a role-playing fashion. A PK on the other hand are far from certain he will phrase and/or act in a role-playing manner.

 

So theres pk npcs but not open pvp lol... woooow I really am gonna beg my guild just to have me stop following this game.. we are not pkers but love an open free world.. this game started cool.. but so many people are just ruining it.. y r people so agianst free open world n pvp.. like seriously u barly ever see a pk n it adds so muchto the game... uos successor my butt .. they said that to get us uo players excited n we gave them money n people are mad.

 

NPC PK The Dream of ******** LOL



On the other hand, i invite you to be patient we will be fixed shortly.

 

You seem to be vastly misinformed about the nature of this game.

Non-consensual PvP was pretty much out from day 1. Also, it is more a spiritual successor to the Ultima series of single-player crpg games than a UO2.

Read through the Kickstarter info about the game, and you will see surprisingly little about UO or PvP.

It was never going to be the way you want it to be, so no one is ruining it for you.

Sorry.

There is a fantasy MMO coming out real soon that is completely open world pvp, though. It's called Pathfinder Online. It might suit you more, if that is what you are looking for.

Or, you could wait to see what the devs come up with in terms of a PvP system. I hear we are going to get a glimpse sometime next week.

I hope this helps.


Edited for auto correct stupidity.

 

If you're describing something like this:

Spoiler

Sure, all for it.

 

They were kind of easy to avoid, and escape. They weren't out looking for gatherers to hunt down, they were just kind of there in some places, and sometimes you crossed paths with them. Not really comparable to PKers as a hazard.

I would personally like more complicated monsters, too, that had motives, and so on, and weren't just aggros, but that's another topic entirely.

 

Mobs are not PK's. Never met a mob that equalled a player, if you don't give the mob a stupid amount of hit point or attack power.

Not even close.

 

Players were so scared of PKs in UO. I can't count on two hands how many times I saw new players run into town trying to gather a group to kill PK's only to find out it was NPC Bandits. One person could easily wipe out 5 or 6 or them, unless they panic.

 

LoL, funny selfmade defenition of PK, a though it was as simple as player who kills another players...

 

I define that as a PvPer.

 

A killer are a just that a killer or a murderer and by saying that so are a PK part of the group PvP but there is more types of players in that group.

Soldiers, that fight war between guilds are also a part the PvP group but they are not killer is that aspect. Duels are also part of the PvP group but not killers.

 

You go red if you commit murder. It was supposed to be a deterrent, keeping people from doing it. But the punishment was tuned to low, the rewards were tuned too high, so people made a career out of it. I'm not faulting them.

 

Based on Starr's interview, I don't think there will be a criminal system, so there may be no reds.