Pick pocketing

[Moogie]

I apologise if this has already been mentioned here, I didn\'t read all of the posts (more like skimmed down the page before I forgot the idea I\'m about to tell you).

I would say that, if PC pickpocketing is to be allowed, a relatively easy to gain enchantment may be placed on your valuables which binds them to their owners, preventing those enchanted items from being stolen.

I actually borrowed this idea from a MUD I used to play called Realms of Kaos. In RoK, when you die, there\'s a very high chance that you\'ll drop items from your inventory onto the space you were occupying.

However, by \'soulbinding\' your equipment, you could be safe from those nasty PKers and monsters alike in the knowledge that your hard-earned \'Hammer of Incredibly Leet Skull Smashing\' won\'t be left behind.

[zinder]

Well, if you fear grief, you can introduce an insurance.  This is something like Mogura suggested, but only for pickpocketing.

In short: Quest Items are no drops. For normal items, you pay a fee, and when someone steals the item, you go to the insurance company and get money.

Another way is an official thief guild, where you pay a fee and the thief gets gold when he successfull pickpockets you.

[Hayden]

I think pick poketing is wonderful, and adds realisim, and if you kill the pick poket, you DO get their stuff... so it has it\'s advantages.

[Xalthar]

Well depending on how Pking is done, I think it would add some realism to the game, but also some frustration if you weren\'t able to get the stuff that was snatched from you back...

[Zhimoda]

i believe you cant have pick pocketing without pk so i think it should be based on the pk system, i mean if your going to have things stolen you should at least have the ability to retaliate against them so that your able to save your items

[Drilixer]

Another thing with pickpocketing... dont warn the player who has been pickpocketed if the pickpocket attempt succeeds... not many people are willing to roleplay after they loose their \'big godly axe of smashing thingies\'.  And after playing a thief type character in several games that DO warn when you succesfully both avoid their notice and steal the item it makes stealing all round frustrating.  Such a system breeds grief pickpocketing since you know they will find out anyways.

[Drilixer]

PS... dont get excited about frustrating thief players... if the character is going to be in the game it must be a balanced character or else the game isnt as good as it could have been.

[shangralah]

pickpocketing only on npcs  because it will cause lots of anger and rage if done to other people       i.e   lets say you are only a few days new and only have a little bit of money and you were pickpocketed and not too long after that you got some money back and got pickpocketed again you wouldnt be happy ..... i know i wouldnt be.

[Abemore]

I think it should be very dangerous for a thief to pickpocket a player character.  I\'m talking high risk, low reward.  

Only a small percentage of a players money can be stolen (no items, unless very insignificant--like apples).  A player character will almost certainly grab the arm of a thief and demand his money is returned to him.  Humiliating the thief, and possibly beating her to within an inch of her life (but not killing).  A badly beaten thief is then in no condition to steal from anyone until she is healed.

On the other hand, stealing from NPC\'s has a much more attractive risk/reward ratio.  And this is where most thieves will spend their time.

The only safe time to pick a PC\'s pocket is when he or she is away from keyboard (not paying attention).  I imagine it like this:  when a PC\'s pocket is being picked, an icon will appear on their screen to alert them.  Clicking the icon before it disappears will allow them to catch the arm of the thief.  The more skilled the thief, the less time the icon appears on the victims screen.  And a stealthed thief may create a less obvious semi-transparent icon.

This, of course, should be developed and tweaked further... maybe when a thief is caught they get a thieving reputation?

[shangralah]

lol you sound very tormented

[Abemore]

maybe, but what a fresh idea I\'ve had, and it involves no PKing.

[shangralah]

At first i didnt want pickpocketing but now i think it is a good idea and very realistic but of course make limitations on it.

[Drilixer]

high risk low reward/... bah humbug that is ridiculous - don\'t make the thief character a novelty so that you can list the numbers of characters in the game and amaze new players - if a thief class is to be implented it has to be a viable character and some way to steal from player characters is a MUST for a mmorpg

[Auran]

Pick pocketing , in my humble opinion should be there, with the limitation that a very very high roll be required to steal better items. Also the PC should have the opportunity to nab the theif if and only if the roll fails(which it\'ll mostly do unless you\'r stealing apples or summin\'). That way there\'ll be a lot of small petty theives and only the ones with perseverance and luck will get to a high enough level to be able to snitch cool items.

[Aigon]

Originally posted by Faramir
well just to say : I know it is supported by many users but thieves and so on...reaaly could spoil the pleasure : imagine you found a magical item somewhere and then \" you have been stolen xxx\"...

I mean u spend so much time building a good player, you don\'t want to see your work being destroyed by a thief ;

And avoiding thievery would on the other side encourage commercial exchanges, people selling rare items and so on !!! really better than stealing isn\'t it ?
And also more \"community friendly\" no?

Really this won\'t be a gameplay loss to avoid thievery, as long as you developp alternative ways of exchange just as the ability to run a shop who knows and so on .........

I agrree i dont think pickpocketing other players should be allowed.  Pking npcs an monsters wud b okay but only if they cudnt pk characters.  and planeshift is supposed to be about like social things an stuff an i think if u allowed to pk other people it would jus annoy lots of people and u wud get jerks who repeatedly steal off people etc