Loot without Fences. Shops without shops? - by Ziemanskye
Ziemanskye on 19/6/2005 at 12:52
I realise I may be a rare voice of dissent about this, but I don't like the shops and fences in TDS. Is there any way to automatically convert loot to cash, and to then debit cash when things are frobbed?
My idea is sort of like the respawning water crystal at the start of the Inn training mission, except that each pickup costs (x) money - so I can have a shop the player can wander around in (and maybe rob - find a way to blackjack the owner and *yoink*, but things don't respawn if you do that).
New Horizon on 19/6/2005 at 13:24
Quote Posted by Ziemanskye
I realise I may be a rare voice of dissent about this, but I don't like the shops and fences in TDS. Is there any way to automatically convert loot to cash, and to then debit cash when things are frobbed?
My idea is sort of like the respawning water crystal at the start of the Inn training mission, except that each pickup costs (x) money - so I can have a shop the player can wander around in (and maybe rob - find a way to blackjack the owner and *yoink*, but things don't respawn if you do that).
You actually read my mind. :) When I heard there were going to be shops in TDS, I thought they were going to be like that but alas you were locked in place. I haven't really tried but I can't see why something couldn't be setup with triggerscripts within a shop.
greenhalomagica on 20/6/2005 at 05:18
Good ideas, and I'm glad someone else bourght this up.
I actually liked the idea of using the fences, but the huge houses they had were kind of odd. I was also dissapointed when I heard one fence say "Hey Garrett, how's the THIEVING going?"- it just wasn't discreet like a fence would be.
How about a sinister district that the watch won't go into knowing nothing is worth protecting. None of this red hand business, either. Dark alleys, broke lights boarded up houses with lofty entrances that might house a fence or a fellow thief, random each time you play. Fences that hide in alleys and move around to keep from gathering attention to one spot. Bandits and smugglers that will stab you, maybe get more agitated based on how much you have on you. Make pawning loot just as hard as obtaining it.
MrWynd on 20/6/2005 at 06:18
that's an awesome idea, but I'm worried at how hard it would be to program moving fences into the game.
Komag on 20/6/2005 at 06:32
Well, that whole dark scene of fences is cool and all, but methinks you might be mistaken as to what a fence is. They run good legit businesses, and deal in stolen goods just "behind the scenes" or "under the counter". They will ship them off to other merchants in far away cities to "launder" the loot. They have both legit and illegit contacts and shipping deals.
Garrett is theiving good quality stuff, so an upscale fence is more in order. The dark alley sneaky bastard type fence you're describing sounds more like a full time traffiker (and a scummy one at that) rather than an actual fence.
greenhalomagica on 20/6/2005 at 07:51
I disagree with your definition of the world fence, but yes, laundering items is something they would probably need to do. A fence deals mostly with "hot " items, and would need to be very private and selective about who they buy and sell to in order to keep thier business from getting them into trouble. Garrett would need someone as secretive as himself in order to sell say, Lord Bafford's scepter. If anyone who knew what it was saw it just lying there in a shop, they could get the shopkeeper in trouble. This could lead to the shopkeeper giving up Garrett to get out of trouble himself. I would think that the more valuable the item, the less known the fence would need to be.
Pawn shops often run legitimate businesses, and sell illegal things on the side, if thats what you were thinking of.
scumble on 20/6/2005 at 08:52
Check the dictionary. A fence is just a "receiver of stolen goods". Anyone can be a fence - they just have to be able to get rid of the items discreetly.
Komag on 20/6/2005 at 09:16
I stand corrected. In that case, there could be the kind of fences I'm talking about, and also a more seedy dark variety.
scumble on 20/6/2005 at 09:27
Well, the concept of having a free-roaming city section was incredibly under-used. It's quite likely that Garrett might have to find people to get information within the city for example, as well as fencing goods. Rather than just being an incidental thing on the way to various missions, it could have had far more significance, so that missions feel part of the city. The game would not have lost much if the levels had just run in a sequence like T1 and TMA.
Given load zones, missions can be like mini games with objectives extending over an entire district. Character interaction would have been good - I'm not sure if this can be implemented with the tools available though. I don't think anyone has investigated the possibility yet. I suppose the old Garrett-character conversations are still possible? I don't think any happened outside cutscenes.
belboz on 23/6/2005 at 12:51
What I didn't like was the fact the fences rounded the loot up to the nearest 5, when in fact they would be trying to rip you off so they could off load it for a profit, it just does not look realistic with money at 5's when in medieval times you would be looking at 1/2 and 1/4 coinage. What happened to the copper coinage of 1/4, 1/2, 1, 2, 3.
