My view on Pick Pocket - from one who is not familiar with previous versions

I have not been involved in pick pocket until 2 days ago, so maybe I am lucky not to realize how much a "nerf" pick pocket got, in regards to cool-down/single card.

So my perspective is from blissful ignorance of past iterations of the skill.

The very first time I picked someone's pocket was 2 days ago with a skill level of 1. Guess what I got? An artifact (Ring of Cat or something), but I gave it back. Honestly, I was shooting the breeze with a flagged player, whom decided not to kill me outright. So I announced I was going to pick pocket him as level 1. Next thing you knew.....I was eating his blade once he discovered I looted his artifact. HaHa right?

But here is just one issue I see with Pick Pocket (Yes, there are a ton more I'm sure), but the one issue I see is what I want to bring up. So I was lucky enough to get a Ring of Cat's Grace? If I was lucky enough for the Ransom Timer to expire and he didn't discover its theft, I would have a decent artifact. However; if he did check in time, all he would have had to pay to get it back was like 12 gold pieces. There is the issue! Something that sells for thousands in the player economy, is only worth 12 gold? (not exact price, but yes, it is very low).

Something needs to be done about the value of artifacts, cabalist gear, obsidian purchases, whatever you can think of.....so that time and effort is rewarded. I don't fully expect to be able to run off with someone's elite gear (which would be really nice!), but getting a ransom of 12 gold pieces for an item that sells for tens of thousands of gold is a slap in the face to us honest hard working thieves! There is a reason why we gave up laboring in the fields growing pumpkins and carrots.

Perhaps they need to database all items in game based upon tier levels, then when something ends up in a Ransom, the items are valued by the tier level they belong to. So perhaps that Ring of Cat's Grace now has a ransom value of 1000 gold or higher?

I have also looted some paper recently from an alternate account during some training. Perhaps using an item database based on tier levels could flag certain items as non-pickpocket items. They obviously have it in place already with Add-on and Pledge Items. So just flag paper and non-crafted/unnamed weapons as non-pickpocket. I'm a thief right? I'm not grabbing on to paper sir! Money is cold hard gold, not soft paper! I can tell the difference from a finely crafted blade vs a corroded rusted blade.

Pick Pocket Items should be:
crafted weapons
crafted gear
higher tier level special item drops
reagents
resources

In regards to resources and reagents, perhaps there should be a minimum amount. If player doesn't have minimum amount, then it rolls against one of the other items that are in a player's bag. If a player doesn't carry anything unequipped, then perhaps a straight pickpocket of his gold (a daily maximum penalty perhaps).

Just some ideas folks!

 

Nice ideas, from a non-thief here, but I like the direction you indicate.

Ransom value different from resell value because the Oracle cares not about upsetting the economy. Hey, she warned you to keep her protection, am I right? Simple tiered database that only affects items held in the price of the Oracle. Same for loot after a kill.

Arghh, but then you steal from your alt and "generate" gold. Crap.

 

You can't generate gold from your alt....the gold would come directly from what is already on the alt. No gold is added to the economy whatsoever.

 

thank you for posting this.

great ideas.

I've had them myself in these forums never really got buy-in from players, let alone devs. I guess most people are victims of pickpocket rather than thiefs, so are naturally disinterested or against it being useful.

my pickpocket question (which wasn't about buffing it just fixing part of it) for the telethon, didn't even get read

 

Yep. It is only a higher value to get it back to the original owner but still worth very little if you are allowed to keep it. I had little time to fully think it out before.

 

I'm not much of a pvp guy, but when I am in such a zone.....I am quickly discovering that people who run around killing other players are pretty much afraid of getting pick pocketed...... Especially from a guy they can't see! I'm really just an annoyance though......taking a few worthless items except for reagants and such. Maybe they will change that soon.

 

Glad to hear some developments are creeping in for Subterfuge. I need to work on that tree some more now...

Id be wary of approaching this from a whitelist angle. It could lessen player creativity and adaptability to PVP in the future. You never know how an object or combination of objects and their properties wind up twarting/assisting a theft. Plus this also lets the game engine decide items' values for us - its directly telling me a certain piece of paper has no value. Maybe paper will become reusable/recycleable, or maybe I want it as deco?

I think players should be allowed to defend themselves through item spam. I think the counter to this should be customizeable inventory tab - a preset tab where you set the scope of items listed (equipment+consumables, filter by keyword, etc).

 

Then I have a tip for you!!

1. craft a backpack for 3 leather
2. buy 300 arrows for a few gp
3. acquire 300 gem fragments for a few gp
4. drag each arrow and each fragment into an individual stack in that bag

Congratulations, you have a 4lb item that prevents you from being pickpocketed or pvp looted. The items contained are conveniently already filtered from your tabs. I also use my non-exceptional rings (0.1 lb ea) and cloth hats (0.3 lb ea) as weight allows.

 

Oh yes I know, sorry I wasnt clear - I was imagining the Pickpocket having a list of a player's inventory. The pickpocket could then view with a tab that has their own object filters.

I keep PVP go-bags in my kitchen ;-) (arrows and add-on store gear)

 

ahh, sorry misunderstood. yeah that would be awesome. I'd take that any day. I guess I was just aiming low because I don't think they'll be that nice to pick pockets.

 

To each his own, but I'm more of a "show me the money" kind of guy. I want the ransom to be worthwhile. It does take some "hunting" in stealth mode, to sneak up on you undetected and further time to rifle through your pockets...... for paper? Are you going to pay a ransom of 100 or more gold for it? I'm not looking to get rich off of one guy, but they definitely need to think about reward a bit more. So as not to bloat the economy, that reward needs to come from your pockets sir. I don't know what the best way is, but I'm sure they can do better than what they have. I'd be happy if I could just loot gold from your pocket. Make it 50gp a pinch, with a daily maximum from a player set at 500gp or something. If they don't carry any gold on them or lootable items....then I get nothing!

 

It will be interesting to see what values of anything special they take the value from. It can't be more than buying a new one, of whatever it is... and if fact, "it's a used whatever it is" which is just another devaluing detail ...

I've suggested this before and I'll say it again... but this time with a bit more of what we do have around here, "cabalists"..... "Cabalist Bank Robberies!"


~Time Lord~

 

@Candor Atlantica I agree, but I think they need an interface where you choose, cuz randomly getting something has the problems described in the OP, and defaulting to the best thing is simply too easy. Plus, the game engine is likely to never establish a convention where it usually choses what you also would have chosen.

I think the thief should get a list of the target's inventory - completeness based on skill level - and select items from list to steal. Presort it by value, add the custom tab feature I mentioned, and it should be simple to consciously nab a choice item.

I also agree - grab % gold up to a certain value should be a feature for thieves. I also think gold should have weight like in UO, so that would play in more with the following - but there should be a reasonable cap on how much weight in gold a thief can steal at once, so its not like you just nab 1mm from someone's pocket. Though if gold had weight, you wouldnt have 1mm in your pocket, so I digres... in any event, some protection so a thief cant steal an unreasonable amount in one single attempt. After that, thief gets % of available gold based on skill level.

The only downside to needing to bank your gold is the fact that banks are all local in this game. If players all start needing to bank their gold to pvp, it could become a deterrent to engaging, or force it to a certain region. Some enhancements to the banking system need to support this - player credit? Checks / bank orders?

 

I think they should add a pouch of the daring explorer where depending on the value of items a player puts into the pouch it increases the amount of exp buff they get. Upon death or pick pocket these items or the gold equivalent is handed over to the thief or pker along with the general ransom for items. So a second tier type of pvping where players can risk more for a greater reward of exp. And of course an extra courage bonus for giving them back.