Player Features and Ideas Discussion

This could be a thing, as the only present alternative is Chribba.


But how would you know the guy accepting the contracting isn't an alt, or somebody who will just split your ISK with the mark?

And, as Sybill pointed out, you're free to place a bounty using any of the plethora of player services that let you do that (i.e. Hire Mercs).




Your suggestion would do no such thing.

If you want to specifically guarantee someone's death, hire mercs.

Not even going to lie, accepting a contract on myself would be hilarious.

That's one of the *good* things about EVE, that there are no certainties handed to you by the mechanics. The only way to get "justice" for sure and certain is to do it yourself, and if you're too weak to accomplish that, well tough ****.

^ This pretty much sums it up, along with trying to come up with some form of solution



Kaarous Aldurald

I didn't even think of your point of view. I'm impressed with your discussion skills!



Sibyyl

One of the issues with this "discussion" is that no improvement I propose will be free of EVERY possible drawback that ALREADY exist. You don't know that a merc corp will honor the contract either.



RubyPorto

Thanks for the regurgitation post.



Azda Ja

actually I've answered it multiple times. Take your choice of answers. Because it's currently an aspect that CCP CHOSE to implement that is honestly very lack luster, because it can be EASILY abused right now, because it has no impact on the game, because it would add to the depth of the game, or any of the other myriad of choices. If you want something else worked on, go make a thread. They'll let you. I promise. Just say "Hey, can I make a thread." And they'll go yeah.


Edit* it can't be easily abused right now. I'm still thinking of the system beforehand. (where you could just get podded by an alt)

How?

You've said this several times, but you've never actually said what or how, just kept repeating it like it's true.

You're right, that is the biggest problem I can see for it. The only thing that pops into my head is to model it after the mercenary profession, but with individual targets and an in-game implementation. By offering an open bounty on a player, not immediately payed out but rather an offer to pay out, set in escrow; then the player offering the bounty can approve whichever bounty hunters apply to be eligible for the final payout on any kills. I'm not sure about all of the details, but regardless I'd like to see CCP pursue the matter a bit further, if only to brainstorm for more possible ideas.

The question isn't weather bounties should be fixed, in principle, yes they should since as you rightly pointed out they are kind of meh. The question is why focus on the bounties before the tutorials, or quality of life changes, or any other thing.

Also, don't patronize me, I'm being serious when I ask you why focus on bounties before other things. I've only been back just shy of 2 months, but I can think of many things that warrant more focus than bounties. I'm asking you if fixing bounties NOW would benefit the game more than other projects.

Feel free to use whatever you'd like, I don't mind. Just trying to throw out some new ideas.

Based on what ziggy and DM are saying.. a contract system made with similar motivations for creating the mechanic of courier contracts in EVE.


Maybe something like below. With items in [brackets] being parameters of the contract.

Pick one or more [Targets]. Multiple [Targets] would require an expiration between kills (so all would have to be killed within a certain time window).

Pick [Systems].. a whitelist of systems that the target can be killed in. Also could be regions.

Pick [Minimum destroyed ISK] for the kill

Pick [Ships] that the target can be killed in (can also be ship classes)

Contract can be accepted multiple times (so that a single party can't block a contract by accepting it and sitting on it). Supplemental payouts (2nd successful instant, etc.) could be specified.




But I'm with Azda. There are more pressing things in the game to fix.

I don't pretend to have a solution to bounties, but I've often thought it would be good if there were a better system.

The current system doesn't provide much in the way of content for play and on that basis alone, I think it's worth looking at alternatives.

Aside from tweeks to the current system, the only thing I can think of that wouldn't be easily abused would be along the lines of Sibyyl's idea, combined with a form of the wardec mechanism.

Currently wardecs occur at Corp level, which is totally appropriate for a War. However, I don't see why it shouldn't be possible for individuals to pay Concord to declare a "vendetta" against another player and then be able to contract that vendetta out to a 3rd party.

The player would pay Concord, both the administration fee to establish the vendetta (eg. 50 million ISK) + a bounty amount. In return the player would receive a 30 day right, similar to a killright, but attached to the bounty.

The player would then be able to assign that right to someone else to carry out their vendetta. If the kill is achieved, the contracted killer/bounty hunter receives the full bounty payment from Concord, just as mission rewards are received now.

Some advantages:

- bounties/vendettas against low sec status characters would be meaningful as the bounty hunter has a known payout amount
- the player wanting another player killed has total control over who they assign that vendetta too. If they are stupid, they'll give it to an alt. The onus is on the contracting player to do their due diligence
- bounty hunting would be a meaningful profession

Some disadvantages:

- benefits rich players, with the ISK to place a vendetta on many individuals
- would allow something effectively the same as a killright against people you don't otherwise have a killright for
- could easily result in reprisal vendetta (I place one on you -> you place one back on me, tit for tat stuff)
- perma vendettas could be established against players, making it difficult for them to play

Abusable:

- not that I can immediately see. The fee to establish the right means that it will always cost more than the bounty is worth alone

I don't have any clue if that is a reasonable system or not (I'm no game designer by a long shot), but I'm not against seeing changes in the bounty system. The last of the disadvantages I listed with just some quick thought makes me think the system is not reasonable (but then again, players need to manage their own level of risk, so that is just part of that too).

e: I see that in many respects, what I've proposed is more similar to some of the discussion already. Scipio Post Please Ignore (SPPI - I should make a Corp).