Planned Feature Modify Appearance of Random Assassins

[Pieter Boelen]

These guys may show up at ANY time during the game, including right after the start:

Doesn't make much sense to me, especially considering the dialog there. Why would someone put a price on your head? Nobody even knows you yet!
So I'd consider linking this appearance to something that actually makes sense.

Simplest would be something fame-related. But if anyone here has any other thoughts on it, I'd welcome those too!
If it could be linked to certain quests, it might be even more interesting.

 

[Levis]

Never seen those before. Are the exclusive to the assasin storyline?
You have a 'betray' Check on sea somewhere right?
Maybe link it to this. Once you betrayed someone a Attribute for the character is set so assassins could start showing up. We could also add a serverety to it so it knows how Long to stay.
It would look for example like this:
Pchar
-betrayed
--NPChar1.enddate = date
-- NPChar2.enddate = date

In the daily update we can check if the date is reached. if so the Attribute is removed.
For the check if an assassin is generated you just Need to CheckAttributeNum(pchar.betrayed)
if this is larger then 0 a assassin should be generated.
We could then add this to some of the sidequests etc. For example have a function like:
SetBetrayer(ref NPChar, int Severity)

The higher the severity the higher the enddate.

 

[Pieter Boelen]

Never seen those before. Are the exclusive to the assasin storyline?

Nope, then can occur in any story at any time, though they're admittedly rare.

You have a 'betray' Check on sea somewhere right?

At the moment that is just a temporary attribute that should be applied to the player for not even a second in total.
Only reason for it is because it is normally applied to the NPC you attacked, but UpdateRMRelation takes the player and not the NPC as input, so I had to move the attribute.

Maybe link it to this. Once you betrayed someone a Attribute for the character is set so assassins could start showing up.

That got me thinking.... simplest to do and probably a logical one as well is to link it to ServedNation = PIRATE.
Tweak the dialog a bit and we're all set.

 

[Levis]

That got me thinking.... simplest to do and probably a logical one as well is to link it to ServedNation = PIRATE.
Tweak the dialog a bit and we're all set.

Well I can also imagine pirates sending assassins you high naval officers etc. So maybe check the served Nation is pirate or else if the rank is higher then a certain Level (both Navel and letter of marque) it will also Trigger.

 

[Pieter Boelen]

Well I can also imagine pirates sending assassins you high naval officers etc. So maybe check the served Nation is pirate or else if the rank is higher then a certain Level (both Navel and letter of marque) it will also Trigger.

With different dialogs for both cases. Makes sense to me!

And then perhaps increase the chance a bit as it is definitely not right that you NEVER saw these guys before.

 

[Grey Roger]

Rather than rank, perhaps tie it to your relations with Pirates. They don't care if you're an Admiral and have earned the rank by sinking lots of Spanish ships, but they do care if you've been making a nuisance of yourself to them.

On the other hand, if you've been sinking lots of Spanish ships, they might send assassins after you. There's a certain vice-admiral living in the "Spanish Main" period with a record of doing such things. Likewise, if you've been annoying the French, someone may want a word with you on behalf of Cardinal Richelieu. Other nations probably have people to do their dirty work as well. So if you have very bad relations with any nation, you should expect a visit...

Relation -60 is just the standard war relation, you get that just for serving a nation who is at war with someone else, so that shouldn't trigger assassins. But if your relations have dropped to -100 with someone, they may take notice.

 

[Pieter Boelen]

That could work, @Grey Roger. As soon as your relations drop below 100 with any nation, there would be a chance of such assassins.
Ideally that chance should increase the further your relation drops. And of course the assissins should then mention what nation sent them too, just for fun.

I'll consider this a "Planned Feature" for Beta 5 then. Would be nice to make some better use of this one instead of having it apparently 100% random.

 

[pedrwyth]

I did look through the WIKI walkthroughs of sidequests and found a couple where you seemingly left another party aggrieved but with no real way of challenging you - so there might be some quest cases that could justifiably initiate an assassin too - can't find what I did with the note I made for now, but a being planned feature gives me time to look again.

Ransomed characters, while grateful to be alive, may also bear you malice for the damage to their career/status in society from being captured at all, could be another source of commissioning such attacks - it was a world where you made enemies easily and often nice to your face but with a dagger for your back, quite modern really - just today it's less likely to be an actual dagger!

 

[Levis]

I did look through the WIKI walkthroughs of sidequests and found a couple where you seemingly left another party aggrieved but with no real way of challenging you - so there might be some quest cases that could justifiably initiate an assassin too - can't find what I did with the note I made for now, but a being planned feature gives me time to look again.

Ransomed characters, while grateful to be alive, may also bear you malice for the damage to their career/status in society from being captured at all, could be another source of commissioning such attacks - it was a world where you made enemies easily and often nice to your face but with a dagger for your back, quite modern really - just today it's less likely to be an actual dagger!

it would be nice if some choices you made during the game could haunt you later on .

 

[Grey Roger]

If there are so many reasons why someone can hire an assassin to come after you, that implies it's easy to hire an assassin, which then raises the question - why can't you do the same?

Does having yet more random assassins really benefit the overall fun of the game anyway?

One side quest which could spawn possible trouble is "Patric and the Idols". Most of the conspirators are dead or arrested but Teodoro Fernandez is still unaccounted for...

 

[Pieter Boelen]

Rather than going overboard with creating extra work for ourselves, my main point is: These guys are already in the game; we might as well have their appareance make sense.
Right now they show up 100% at random, including right at the beginning of the game. Why would anyone have set a price on the head of a character who just appeared in the Caribbean?

 

[Talisman]

Rather than going overboard with creating extra work for ourselves, my main point is: These guys are already in the game; we might as well have their appareance make sense.
Right now they show up 100% at random, including right at the beginning of the game. Why would anyone have set a price on the head of a character who just appeared in the Caribbean?

How about the amount of time that has passed since the start date on the player's game. ?

Say 6 months or 1 year


Then it would be consistent for all players - if you attach it to Level or Fame, with all the possible variations that the player can choose or make up themselves they ( the assassins ) could still appear appear at the very start of some player's games. ( but then some players might want or like that )

 

[Pieter Boelen]

Indeed too many variables would probably make it seem quite random which defeats the whole purpose.
Something simple and effective should do the trick.

Still have to look at the code to find how these guys are even generated.

 

[Levis]

Just curious. Maybe we could add the "black spot" or "ace of spades" lore in this.
Black Spot (Treasure Island) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Pieter Boelen]

Just curious. Maybe we could add the "black spot" or "ace of spades" lore in this.
Black Spot (Treasure Island) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Interesting thought! You'd get that purely from double-crossing someone piratey though, right?

 

[Grey Roger]

And it should only be given to pirates. I'd suggest adding the Black Spot as a feature if you join the Brotherhood and then betray them, but leave the random assassins as they are now so that other character types still get to enjoy their company.