Why can't I get robbed in Fallout? :P

[Nomanslander]

So you're playing an RPG or an open world game like Fallout or Assassin Creed (anyone). You've been playing for a good sum of hours and have amassed a good chunk of fortune, enough to practically buy a nation and rule over it like a king with a castle made of solid gold. You've pretty much bought every item you can with that loot, and upgraded every weapon, yet game designers don't seem to ever try implementing a system where they can try putting your fortune at risk.

I mean, with a game like Fallout, I know that the game designer at least tried to implement a system to have some sense of realism of how it would feel like being some vagabond trying to survive the wastes. But in a realistic scenario, for anyone that had that much amount of loot stashed in their pockets, others would noticed and would go to extreme lengths to take it away from you (realistically, no one could ever carry that much, but we're talking about game design friendly realism).

The point I'm trying to get at is, would you.. would YOU play a game that placed you at risk of getting robbed, or there was some game element that placed you at risk of regressing your character?

Now, I know exactly why game designer wouldn't ever want to do this. Almost all games are about progression, about turning you into even more of a badass and better off then when you started. But to me the point of games is also about playing with risks, and I don't see a reason why some games can't try implementing this. Personally I'd find the game to have a lot more depth and complexity if it did.

Now there has been games that do this. The best example I can really think of was Ultima Online, and how players could completely rob you blind of all your possessions and items you had collected and made. But that game turned out to demonstrate all the reason why such a system shouldn't be implemented considering how harsh you were penalized for losing.

But - in Fallout - let's say I have 1000 caps, and some Raiders ambush me and take away 400 caps, a two out of seven weapons, and my boots. Would that really take away more than I'm willing to risk?

 

[Zhukov]

Funny thing, in the original Fallout games there were actually children who could pickpocket you.

The programming was rather shaky though. It often didn't work or caused your inventory to bug out. (People tend to forget how close to being broken those games were.)

In some European versions of the game the children were removed to prevent the player from killing kids. However, they didn't actually remove the children, just their sprites. THe result was that sometimes the player would get their stuff stolen by invisible children.

 

[tippy2k2]

Well you probably don't get robbed cause you're armed to the freaking teeth.

Now maybe my memory is failing but I swear that in Fallout 3 and New Vegas, people DID try to rob you. Unfortunately for them, they attempt this while I'm awake and usually end up with a slow-mo-head-exploding death...

As to your specific question about if I'd accept that; if the game gave me the tools to stop it (locking my "house" door, shooting people who do the ambush, etc.), I'd be cool with it. If it just had your stuff get stolen and there's shit you can do about it, I would not be very happy with that.

 

[Exius Xavarus]

As tippy2k2 said, I'd accept the game gave me the tools/opportunity to stop it. I would not be happy with the game stealing my shit for the sake of stealing it. That's a bad mechanic and any dev that implements it should feel bad.

 

[SajuukKhar]

People dont rob you in Fallout for the same reason they dont in Elder Scrolls.

When Bethesda was testing the radiant AI system for Oblivion, NPCs COULD rob you, both you, and your house.

The problem is, that in play-testing this, people found that the game felt more broken then anything in having NPCs just randomly come out of nowhere, and rob you of something important. Imaging getting some ultimate weapon, only to open your inventory, or your house storage, one day, and find someone stole it, never to be seen again, because you had no idea who did it.

It just simply wasn't fun, which is why Bethesda removed that from the radiant AI system.

Which is why no one robs you in Fallout 3/New Vegas, and the Elder scrolls.

 

[sanquin]

People dont rob you in Fallout for the same reason they dont in Elder Scrolls.

When Bethesda was testing the radiant AI system for Oblivion, NPCs COULD rob you, both you, and your house.

The problem is, that in play-testing this, people found that the game felt more broken then anything in having NPCs just randomly come out of nowhere, and rob you of something important. Imaging getting some ultimate weapon, only to open your inventory, or your house storage, one day, and find someone stole it, never to be seen again, because you had no idea who did it.

It just simply wasn't fun, which is why Bethesda removed that from the radiant AI system.

Which is why no one robs you in Fallout 3/New Vegas, and the Elder scrolls.

Couldn't they go with a system then, that makes npc's only be able to steal from you and not your house? And with a warning message if you 'notice' someone stealing from you? I mean, if you try to steal from npc's they can catch you quite easily at first. All it would require is for the npc's to not be able to get pick pocketing above a certain level.

 

[Nomanslander]

People dont rob you in Fallout for the same reason they dont in Elder Scrolls.

When Bethesda was testing the radiant AI system for Oblivion, NPCs COULD rob you, both you, and your house.

The problem is, that in play-testing this, people found that the game felt more broken then anything in having NPCs just randomly come out of nowhere, and rob you of something important. Imaging getting some ultimate weapon, only to open your inventory, or your house storage, one day, and find someone stole it, never to be seen again, because you had no idea who did it.

It just simply wasn't fun, which is why Bethesda removed that from the radiant AI system.

Which is why no one robs you in Fallout 3/New Vegas, and the Elder scrolls.

There's a difference between getting robbed, and having the chance to stop it or reclaim your loot.

And getting robbed, and losing those items forever.

I'm not suggesting the game just completely delete those items from the games memory. But if you did want to reclaim your items, you'd probably have to put up a fight, or have to do some hunting down to find them.

 

[SajuukKhar]

There's a difference between getting robbed, and having the chance to stop it or reclaim your loot.

And getting robbed, and losing those items forever.

I'm not suggesting the game just completely delete those items from the games memory. But if you did want to reclaim your items, you'd probably have to put up a fight, or have to do some hunting down to find them.

How would you know who stole it?

Its not like you where there when they robbed your house, and its not like if someone sucessfully robbed your person you would know who it was.

 

[Nomanslander]

There's a difference between getting robbed, and having the chance to stop it or reclaim your loot.

And getting robbed, and losing those items forever.

I'm not suggesting the game just completely delete those items from the games memory. But if you did want to reclaim your items, you'd probably have to put up a fight, or have to do some hunting down to find them.

How would you know who stole it?

Its not like you where there when they robbed your house, and its not like if someone sucessfully robbed your person you would know who it was.

Well, it's still a game. What can happen and what can be done is all about what the developer allows and implements.

You're house gets robbed, and questioning one of the kids in Megaton, one of them tells you the description of a man he saw enter your house. Or since we're in Megaton, you decide to check out the local Raiders that are hiding out in that High School, and lo and behold. You find it's there.

I'm not saying it's going to be easy. But as long as an item is still in the game world. If you look hard enough, and if there are clues leading the to the perpetrator. I think it can work, and I'd definitely like to play that.

 

[SajuukKhar]

Well, it's still a game. What can happen and what can be done is all about what the developer allows and implements.

You're house gets robbed, and questioning one of the kids in Megaton, one of them tells you the description of a man he saw enter your house. Or since we're in Megaton, you decide to check out the local Raiders that are hiding out in that High School, and lo and behold. You find it's there.

I'm not saying it's going to be easy. But as long as an item is still in the game world. If you look hard enough, and if there are clues leading the to the perpetrator. I think it can work, and I'd definitely like to play that.

That would be crazy impossible to program. Needing descriptions of like every single person in the town? to voice acting needed for that would be so much.

Also, the raiders shouldn't be able to get in the town.

To get the entire system to work would require far more voice acting then it's worth, not to mention the radiant AI system, when unleashed, is a monster no one want to deal with.

 

[Lazy]

That would be crazy impossible to program. Needing descriptions of like every single person in the town? to voice acting needed for that would be so much.

You don't need them to actually describe them out loud. Just have the character say "Here, I'll give you his description" and then maybe add a note to the pip-boy with a picture of the thief's face or something along those lines.

 

[SajuukKhar]

You don't need them to actually describe them out loud. Just have the character say "Here, I'll give you his description" and then maybe add a note to the pip-boy with a picture of the thief's face or something along those lines.

True, I had forgot about that.

 

[xefaros]

As far considering fallout's 3 and NV item system even if you get robbed of those unique guns you just could replace them with the slightly less effective model easily.But considering enchantment uniqueness on an Elder scrolls i guess some1 could chase thieves over equipment.And with leveled mobs/equipment the entire process would end up being worthless.It would be like going after a bandit group for a green gun in borderlands .Skyrim had a robbing system but wasnt the sneaky way(pay to cross a bridge or random encounter).The only way i can see a sneaky robbing system is being part of a one time quest-line and not a radiant or random way cuz that would end up being far too annoying.

Imagine the quest log of a random robbery system

1)You got robbed
2)you recovered your equipment
3)you got robbed
4)you got robbed
5)you are being robbed
6)You recovered your equipment(x3)

 

[Rack]

The best time I ever had in Fallout was when my character was so poor actually finding a random chest with 3 grenades in it felt like the most significant event in the game. So on some level any mechanic that brings you towards that ideal would be good. It also has to be done with finesse though and counterpointed with ways to make money that are somewhat less than heroic. Something where the kind of decisions The Walking Dead presented come about as the result of interacting systems.

 

[Nomanslander]

The best time I ever had in Fallout was when my character was so poor actually finding a random chest with 3 grenades in it felt like the most significant event in the game. So on some level any mechanic that brings you towards that ideal would be good.

I can't agree more. Can't tell you how many times I started a new character because I got tired of playing my overpower old one. Some times, going so far as to handicap myself by refusing to upgrade too much my weapons, stats, abilities, and gear. Fact is, the game isn't very well balanced, no matter how enjoyable the game can be (at least for me). The whole "why can't I get robbed" stems from this.

 

[Slayer_2]

There is actually a random encounter in FO3 where a random guy tries to rob you. I don't think he ever actually does it though, he either backs down or fights you.

 

[Rawne1980]

If it was done well then I wouldn't mind.

As Tippy said, being able to "lock" houses and stop yourself from being mugged. That way, if you forgot to lock your door you could be burgled or if you failed to stop a mugging you lost "x" amount of coins.

The problem is, I can't name one developer that has excellent coding.

Even great games have bugs and I certainly can't imagine Bathesda making it work well without it glitching out and your entire house being picked up and nicked.

 

[Bad Jim]

I certainly can't imagine Bathesda making it work well without it glitching out and your entire house being picked up and nicked.

It would certainly lend a new meaning to the term 'shoplifting'

 

[CpT_x_Killsteal]

snip

They do try and rob you. They just usually kill you first.

 

[The Sanctifier]

I think that even if you did get a chance to hunt down a thief that robs your house, it could still get pretty annoying after a while. Though if they included it in special types of quests it might not be so bad.

Of course they could always go with a tower defense minigame for protecting your house from thieves, they seem to be all the craze atm