Would you like this system?

[Enoch]

Just spit balling here, but while I was meandering about in the game the other day I was trying to think of ways R* could make the world a bit more dynamic without having to create a bunch of new roles with cinematics and various other pieces of content. 
 

First, there would need to be a banking system (I’ll tell you why in a moment). Different banks would offer various deals on storing your cash (gold is safe on your person). For instance you could have a bank that has several branches that you could access your cash at various locations but would have higher account fees. Or you could place your cash in a bank with a single branch that has a low fee. You would have to visit that town where your bank is located to access your money. Every time you got some cash from a mission or other activities, you would place as much as you want into the bank to keep it protected from this next system...

This is where the Justice System would come into play. It could be tied to your honor or it could be its own thing. Not sure yet, but basically it would identify you as an outlaw or a law-abiding citizen. Let’s face it, griefing is still a problem. But sometimes it could be honest outlawing, so let’s tie a system to it. If you decide to be a dishonorable player, there should be a greater risk to living that lifestyle. Having charges pressed against you should come with steeper penalties. And once those charges are pressed against you, a bounty should automatically activate. If you keep racking up charges without being caught, that money counts towards your bounty. Another monetary penalty should be added if you start killing NPC’s in town. I hate looking on as bored players come in and shoot up a town with only NPC lawmen coming after them. Let me take a crack at them without having charges pressed against me.

Another thing outlaws can do is steal money off of downed players. This is why there needs to be a banking system to protect most of your cash. If the outlaw eventually gets such a bad rep in a given area, it’ll trigger a Dead or Alive status in that territory like it does in SP. This will activate roaming marshals in that territory like it does in SP as well. Once a Posse or single outlaw can evade capture or being killed by the time they get DOA status in all states, they get a reward (not sure what, but there needs to be a reason to outlaw besides being an asshole). 
 

Law-abiding citizens are free to take down outlaws any way they see fit. Before a DOA designation is given though, capturing outlaws alive and bringing them to the nearest sheriff’s office reaps the biggest rewards, just like the BH role. Even if an outlaw is picking on another player, randomly or while the third party is trying to do a mission, a law-abiding can step in to save the day. But if said law-abiding steps one foot out of line, they are given outlaw status until they can clear their name (either paying a steep fine or doing good deeds for a set amount of time).

And lastly, outlaws can rob banks. If no players are in town, they only get a small sum. But if there are players in town, the outlaws get a chance to take 10-20% out of each players account. Even other outlaws (banks don’t care who they do business with). 
 

If a law-abiding citizen is in town, he or she gets a notification that the bank is being robbed and they can go after the thieves (other outlaws who are in town and have money in that bank don’t get these notifications - they just have to follow the noise of gunfire.)

What do you think? Could it work?

Edited April 23, 2020 by Enoch

[Enoch]

Side note: If some salty outlaw tries to switch servers or log out when they’re roped and brought in, it will do them no good. The law-abiding citizen will still get the credit while not having to deal with a fighting player and the outlaw will still get penalized the next time they log in. 

[Kean_1]

Personally?  While some may relish the thought of more open PvP conflict in Free Roam, I'll wager there will be a significant amount of folks who don't.  

Adding more activities in the game world is one thing but forcing conflict on players like this is another.  .....and even with the protections in place, griefers will find ways to grief.  They will also use this as an "open season" of sorts on all players.  .....especially those who run solo, with smaller groups and/or have disadvantages as lower level players.  I could also envision more reasons for them to spawn camp near mission exits, butcher shops, Dr's offices, Sheriff offices, etc.  .....anywhere folks are getting paid and they can ambush.

Sorry.....  I don't mean to be a Debbie Downer but I just don't see this as a way that will help mitigate griefing and in fact, it would make it worse IMO.  

However, I do like the idea of bank robberies and other activities that can scratch that itch for those wanting to play the bad guy or even the good guy.  I also think bounties need to carry more weight for those that indiscriminately kill or shoot at other players unprovoked.   I also think "good" players should be able to play a bigger role in hunting those people as well.  ....more incentives.   

The robbery angle should also be lucrative for outlaws with bigger risks paying higher rewards.  I wouldn't doubt that they are already looking into activities like these though as "heists".  Train robberies, store robberies, petty theft, bank robberies, stage robberies, gold transports, etc.  To me, that is where outlaws will come into their own and perhaps even those seeking to be lawmen. 

If it pays to be bad, this may be the diversion some griefers need.  ....or more importantly, what the rest of us need.  

 

[Enoch]

To help mitigate ambushing solo players, law-abiding citizens can call for help. A small posse of NPC gunmen show up and all “good” players on the map get a notification that another player needs help.

Thing is, there’s no reason  to do PVP in free roam besides being an asshole (in most cases). So either you find ways to prohibit it entirely, or you develop a system that feeds back into the Wild West setting. 

And outlaws could be visible on the map just like hostile players are currently displayed.

[Kean_1]

18 minutes ago, Enoch said:

To help mitigate ambushing solo players, law-abiding citizens can call for help. A small posse of NPC gunmen show up and all “good” players on the map get a notification that another player needs help.

Thing is, there’s no reason  to do PVP in free roam besides being an asshole (in most cases). So either you find ways to prohibit it entirely, or you develop a system that feeds back into the Wild West setting. 

And outlaws could be visible on the map just like hostile players are currently displayed.

....but calling for help isn't going to stop ambushing.  

I dunno...  I just don't see this plan fitting into R*'s vision for RDO.  It would be a step back in my honest opinion.  I wouldn't want it personally, but as I said earlier, I do like the idea of more activities like bank robberies, etc. 

IMO, the way to mitigate griefing is by removing opportunities, not adding them.  You also add activities that can attract those players.   What the game needs is more content to allow outlaws to be outlaws.   .....heists, robberies of stores, banks, trains, etc.  .....the stuff I mentioned earlier.

That's my take on it at least.

[Enoch]

24 minutes ago, Kean_1 said:

....but calling for help isn't going to stop ambushing.  

I dunno...  I just don't see this plan fitting into R*'s vision for RDO.  It would be a step back in my honest opinion.  I wouldn't want it personally, but as I said earlier, I do like the idea of more activities like bank robberies, etc. 

IMO, the way to mitigate griefing is by removing opportunities, not adding them.  You also add activities that can attract those players.   What the game needs is more content to allow outlaws to be outlaws.   .....heists, robberies of stores, banks, trains, etc.  .....the stuff I mentioned earlier.

That's my take on it at least.

Imagine: You’re in a doctors office and you get done selling your wares. You’re still safe. On your mini map you see a bunch of red dots. You know an ambush is coming. You call for help. The calvary comes in and helps you fight off the outlaws. Or you’re on the trail and a few red dots come into view. You call for help.

Granted, R* would need to change the spawn when you bring in a NPC bounty to inside the sheriff’s office. 
 

And maybe the Justice System is only activated after a certain level, like 50. It could basically be “end game” content. Anybody below that level would be immune.

[SimonTemplar]

On 4/23/2020 at 7:36 PM, Enoch said:

Imagine: You’re in a doctors office and you get done selling your wares. You’re still safe. On your mini map you see a bunch of red dots. You know an ambush is coming. You call for help. The calvary comes in and helps you fight off the outlaws. Or you’re on the trail and a few red dots come into view. You call for help.

Granted, R* would need to change the spawn when you bring in a NPC bounty to inside the sheriff’s office. 
 

And maybe the Justice System is only activated after a certain level, like 50. It could basically be “end game” content. Anybody below that level would be immune.

Personally I like this stuff a lot, like where you're going with it.  In particular, I don't like that if I arrive in a town and see players randomly murdering people I actually get in trouble if I defend the locals.  And yes, pressing charges needs to have some impact as at the moment people ignore it as it literally doesn't matter.  But yes, I really like your longer opening post and your last one and would absolutely love to see some progress towards this sort of gameplay.

[HuDawg]

On 4/23/2020 at 10:43 AM, Enoch said:

What do you think? Could it work?

Sure it could work.  Hell, most of what you said sounds like fun.

 

But auto aim in this game ruins everything....        So anything PVP related, as long as auto aim still infects Red Dead Online, there's np point adding it.

[Madrigalian]

There's enough PvP in this game to choke a horse.  (see what I did there?)  No comments on the state of PvP play of course.  Could be good, bad, ugly, indifferent.  It doesn't matter.  There's plenty of it. 

What I want is for R* to figure out ways to encourage more grouping, more cooperative play in Free Roam and beyond.  Like for instance, make forming a posse easier, faster, more "on the fly".   Maybe have the O'Driscles (sp?) occasionally descend onto Valentine to rob the main street and only the combined efforts of Outlaws across the land have a chance of driving them back out.  

To the OP's original point, not everything has to be done with brand new cinematic created for it.   But finding ways to get folks in Free Roam to "interact" with one another positively as part of the world dynamic should be a priority. IMO. 

[Enoch]

2 hours ago, Madrigalian said:

There's enough PvP in this game to choke a horse.  (see what I did there?)  No comments on the state of PvP play of course.  Could be good, bad, ugly, indifferent.  It doesn't matter.  There's plenty of it. 

What I want is for R* to figure out ways to encourage more grouping, more cooperative play in Free Roam and beyond.  Like for instance, make forming a posse easier, faster, more "on the fly".   Maybe have the O'Driscles (sp?) occasionally descend onto Valentine to rob the main street and only the combined efforts of Outlaws across the land have a chance of driving them back out.  

To the OP's original point, not everything has to be done with brand new cinematic created for it.   But finding ways to get folks in Free Roam to "interact" with one another positively as part of the world dynamic should be a priority. IMO. 

I concur. But it’s derivative PVP at best. I want to see a mode where two teams compete to control a NPC guarded train. Whoever controls the train longest wins. The Robber Barron event barely counts. It’s been much more of a solos chaotic mess. 
 

They could also do a cattle drive that has one team vying to deliver them while the other team tries to steal them. Boxing matches, duels, free aim shooting competitions. Heck, they could do hunting competitions that aren’t just a bunch of players circling an area while animals spawn in the middle of the arena. The modes they have now are very arcadey. And the tonics and different ammunition types ruin it for me.