LE Pickpocketing Overhaul: A mini-game like Lockpicking!

[securitywyrm]

THE PROBLEM

 

Pickpocketing is currently a poorly implemented skill, existing separately from 'stealth' and requring the specific activity of pickpocketing to level up. As a result any player wishing to be a pickpocket has two choices to improve the skill.

1. The 'cheating' method of quicksaving, attempting to pickpocket, reloading every time you get caught.

2. Pay a trainer to level up the skill, paying more to level it up than you'll reasonably get back from using it.

These are the only two options because pickpocketing gives you a percentage chance to successfully pickpocket an item, so an item with a 75% success chance means a 25% chance you'll be loading a savegame. This is tedious and relies on random chance instead of player skill. Lockpicking is a skill that would be just as boring if it was a flat percentage chance to pick a lock or your pick breaks. Instead we have a mini-game where player skill comes into play and you have a chance (albeit a slim one) to successfully pick even a master lock as a beginner.

 

THE SOLUTION

 

Implement a mini-game for pickpocketing! The core of the game consists of the item you wish to pickpocket on the left of the screen and the 'goal' on the right of the screen. Between the start and ending area are a series of red and blue dots. A blue dot causes you to drop the item and start over, a red dot means you get caught. The player maneuvers the object through the dots to successfully pickpocket it.

* If the target is moving around when pickpocketed the dots will move slightly. If the target is sitting or sleeping they will be stationary.

* The difficulty of stealing the item is represented in the size of the item that you have to maneuver through the dots. Gold and small items would be tiny, while pickpocketing a sword or shield would be a very large object.

* Pickpocketing perks affect the minigame, with the following examples

** Smaller dots

** Dots move less on moving targets

** Change the ratio of blue to red dots (More blue is better)

** Ability to hit one or more blue dots without dropping.

** Reduced size penalty for difficult to pickpocket items

 

IMPLEMENTATION

 

This is where it gets tricky, as I have no clue how to implement something like this. If the above isn't possible, how about popping up the lockpicking mini-game, with the difficulty of the 'lock' depending on the difficulty of the object to steal. Break your pick = get caught.

[ogridum]

Can you post a concept image of your idea?

[grimgagorim]

nice idea :) I think it could be hard to implement, but would be cool.

 

@ogridum

 

i think he meant it like on this (quick and very dirty) paint.net xD

http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/818/pickpocket.png/

 

yellow: Gold you want to steal

blue: good path out of the pockets

red: bad, you touched his clothes/body, he noticed it

black box: you reached your pockets :D

[DeadxPixels]

nice idea :) I think it could be hard to implement, but would be cool.

 

@ogridum

 

i think he meant it like on this (quick and very dirty) paint.net xD

http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/818/pickpocket.png/

 

yellow: Gold you want to steal

blue: good path out of the pockets

red: bad, you touched his clothes/body, he noticed it

black box: you reached your pockets :D

 

LOL +10 for that picture :D

 

but this would work I think, larger items would be harder to squeeze through the path, leveling would increase the size of the path, it would take a steady hand instead of chance to collect.

[Bereskarn]

I like this suggestion very much. Random-chance gameplay was more Morrowind's thing; Having something that is based on random chance in a mostly skill-based RPG feels out of place.

[cppcooper]

I have no idea how viable or possible it is but I am all for any attempt at a mini-game for pickpocketing stuff.

[radaphyte]

 

Check out 7:20 on this video.

 

A minigame like that, if possible, could nicely represent Pickpocketing, with the value/weight of the item making the game harder, or more difficult. I like it because it'd nicely represent the precision and skill of actually pickpocketing someone, by having to keep the cursur (which moves about a lot) within a set of decreasing circles for the time limit. Higher skill would slow down the cursor movement, and make you have to hold it in position for less.

[securitywyrm]

 

Check out 7:20 on this video.

 

A minigame like that, if possible, could nicely represent Pickpocketing, with the value/weight of the item making the game harder, or more difficult. I like it because it'd nicely represent the precision and skill of actually pickpocketing someone, by having to keep the cursur (which moves about a lot) within a set of decreasing circles for the time limit. Higher skill would slow down the cursor movement, and make you have to hold it in position for less.

 

The perks could affect the mini-game, reducing the size of larger objects, slowing down the dangerous areas. The harder something would normally be to pickpocket, the more difficult the course.

[abborre]

I really, REALLY agree that pickopecket needs a minigame, because for a game to be fun, it has to feel fair, it has to challenge you. And pickpocket based on chance is not a challenge, it's just gambeling. And also consider how the game punishes theivery failiures worse than it punishes DYING in combat. if I die in combat, I get to respawn as if nothing had happened and my character gets to boast about how many dangers he has faced and survived, eventhoguh in actuallity, he did "die" a few times. With theivery, getting caught has greater consequences than DYING, becuase you're forced to live with the consequences of being caught. So why would I want this consequnce to be dependant on pure chance? How am I supposed to feel that I deserve my failiures? How am I supposed to accept the consequnces of pure dumb missfortune?

Though I really don't think it would be possible to impliment a brand new mini game into the game, technically speaking, at least it wouldn't be realistic. What I could imagine trying out would be an implimentation of the lockpick minigame for pickpocketing, you get one "pick" and if you get through, you get the thing, and if it breaks, you're caught. It would at least be better than a chance game, provided it was propperly balanced.

[nightinglae850]

I dont think the engine supports inplementing something like this.