You rogues stay out of my pockets, or I'll bind your bones to my service! Hmm... Maybe I have to be certain you don't venture into my pockets in the first place... ... Your bones are mine to command, you would-be-thief!
Your pockets are a wonderland...
This city promises death for the meek, glory for the bold, danger for all, and riches for Jade! Elven Trickster Rogue: Two-bladed elf, tons of stabby stabby and that sort of thing...
| R. A. Salvatore | My Minions | Forgotten Realms Wiki | Elven Translator |
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zebularMember, Neverwinter Moderator, NW M9 PlaytestPosts: 15,270Community Moderator
edited November 2012
I think your pockets and bags now have holes in them, Vangald... I know a good tailor in Neverwinter!
Hah! We clerics of Moonmaiden have nothing to fear. We don't need coins as we can get them whenever we want by offering our "fortune telling" (hah! see, we have bluff skill higher than rogues in at least one job) or offering prayers to the dead(wouldn't be hard to "make" a few people dead).
So we have nothing valuable you can steal! We are invincible. Now to pick up my Moonhand and....
....
....
.... "Hey! Where is my mace? ..."
"Its not funny I tell you!"
Hah! We clerics of Moonmaiden have nothing to fear. We don't need coins as we can get them whenever we want by offering our "fortune telling" (hah! see, we have bluff skill higher than rogues in at least one job) or offering prayers to the dead(wouldn't be hard to "make" a few people dead).
So we have nothing valuable you can steal! We are invincible. Now to pick up my Moonhand and....
....
....
.... "Hey! Where is my mace? ..."
"Its not funny I tell you!"
I know when playing pen and paper at the table, a Rogue's ability to steal is most pronounced when out questing... even someone you'd trust your life with, you can't let near the loot.
So maybe if a Rogue personally collects a loot bag he has two or three seconds where only he can see the loot before anyone else, and he can pilfer an item or two before anyone else sees it. Bags anyone else open, he has no power over. Basically, if you're foolish enough to let the rogue get the bag, you're asking for trouble.
has there been any official word on if this will be a feature yet, or is it all just wishful thinking at this point? I personally would love it if this did make it into the game.
0
iamtruthseekerMember, Moonstars, Neverwinter Beta UsersPosts: 0Arc User
has there been any official word on if this will be a feature yet, or is it all just wishful thinking at this point? I personally would love it if this did make it into the game.
Wishful thinking. The only way to interact with other player is to hit the F key like you would with any object shown in the demos.
ofc the rogue need to have the ability to steal open locks an disarm traps/make traps otherwise is it not a rogue an they fail D&D rule set thats one of the most importen thing aboudt the rogue an you can make skills an stuff an why not use this as skills to make money to if you are lvl 20 you have high chance to get away with stealing you roll like 1-20 +ability is simple an it need to be in the game otherwise ware is D&D in the game if not you have the skills ???
ofc the rogue need to have the ability to steal open locks an disarm traps/make traps otherwise is it not a rogue an they fail D&D rule set thats one of the most importen thing aboudt the rogue an you can make skills an stuff an why not use this as skills to make money to if you are lvl 20 you have high chance to get away with stealing you roll like 1-20 +ability is simple an it need to be in the game otherwise ware is D&D in the game if not you have the skills ???
Jimmy, I'm going to give you the benefit of a doubt and say English isn't you're native tongue. As to it not being D&D, just because you can't have ONE skill doesn't mean it's a completely different game. It's still D&D. Besides, how often do you really steal from your fellow players WITHOUT them noticing you? I would think since they KNOW you're a thief, they would know whether or not you'd rob them, and act accordingly. Now as to NPC's, yea I'd be okay with that. Say you need an item, or some shop keepers got something you'd like to steal, you should get a chance to rob them. Or in the case that you need an item from an NPC from a quest, you should be allowed to try and steal it. Even if you only get a chance, or so many chances based on your skill, it would make the game a little more interesting. Although you can't rob a shop keeper of anything REALLY valuable.
Which brings to question whether or not shop keepers will have anything worth robbing? Or will this be like other MMO's where only specific vendors have anything worthwhile, while the others just have basic buying ability to drop your <font color="orange">HAMSTER</font> at and they only sell basic rations. Not that I expect to find the best gear at a vendor, but I've found some pretty great gear from shops after coming back from adventures, so I hope it's not all grey level <font color="orange">HAMSTER</font>.
Jimmy, I'm going to give you the benefit of a doubt and say English isn't you're native tongue. As to it not being D&D, just because you can't have ONE skill doesn't mean it's a completely different game. It's still D&D. Besides, how often do you really steal from your fellow players WITHOUT them noticing you? I would think since they KNOW you're a thief, they would know whether or not you'd rob them, and act accordingly. Now as to NPC's, yea I'd be okay with that. Say you need an item, or some shop keepers got something you'd like to steal, you should get a chance to rob them. Or in the case that you need an item from an NPC from a quest, you should be allowed to try and steal it. Even if you only get a chance, or so many chances based on your skill, it would make the game a little more interesting. Although you can't rob a shop keeper of anything REALLY valuable.
Which brings to question whether or not shop keepers will have anything worth robbing? Or will this be like other MMO's where only specific vendors have anything worthwhile, while the others just have basic buying ability to drop your <font color="orange">HAMSTER</font> at and they only sell basic rations. Not that I expect to find the best gear at a vendor, but I've found some pretty great gear from shops after coming back from adventures, so I hope it's not all grey level <font color="orange">HAMSTER</font>.
That is why I would really like to see player ran shops as an option. I have brought this up in so many threads I am sure that is becoming sickening to some folks to see.
That is why I would really like to see player ran shops as an option. I have brought this up in so many threads I am sure that is becoming sickening to some folks to see.
Not at all sir! This sounds like an excellent idea! Although I'm afraid their idea of personal shops is you allowing other people to see your inventory and tell you what they'd like to buy. I really like the idea of personal shops, even if it were just stalls that you could show your items in, that would be a REALLY cool idea.
Well what I would like to see is for people to compete as traveling salesmen to try and gather enough funds to rent actual store front properties in game. You get to keep your store in that building for a month guaranteed but others can beat you out of the spot by doing better sales. On top of that it would be cool if you would then get a spreadsheet to see how different items are doing and compare them to how they have done in the passed. Especially if you did price changes.
Then on top of that you could do quests that give you a steady supply of items from different npc sources. So if you are the correct level you can do a quest for a coal miner. You can then earn the miners coal as a supply chain. Then sell the coal in your shop as a crafting supply.
To expand on that even further if you can't obtain a store front you can setup a mobile merchant wagon or small table to sell your wares.
Then you could also do a bit of hiring NPC's and maybe set them up to do trade routes. Basically telling them "I want you to walk around this area and sell these types of goods". This way you can figure out people generally need health potions around here or arrows are popular around here. Then you can make it so that those NPC's can be attacked by players or monsters. So then you can add the ability to add NPC guards that you have to level up almost tamagatchi like to protect your vendors. People can get underhanded and hire theives to rob their competitors vendors or rough them up and scare them away. Soooo much potential here.
Well what I would like to see is for people to compete as traveling salesmen to try and gather enough funds to rent actual store front properties in game. You get to keep your store in that building for a month guaranteed but others can beat you out of the spot by doing better sales. On top of that it would be cool if you would then get a spreadsheet to see how different items are doing and compare them to how they have done in the passed. Especially if you did price changes.
Then on top of that you could do quests that give you a steady supply of items from different npc sources. So if you are the correct level you can do a quest for a coal miner. You can then earn the miners coal as a supply chain. Then sell the coal in your shop as a crafting supply.
To expand on that even further if you can't obtain a store front you can setup a mobile merchant wagon or small table to sell your wares.
Then you could also do a bit of hiring NPC's and maybe set them up to do trade routes. Basically telling them "I want you to walk around this area and sell these types of goods". This way you can figure out people generally need health potions around here or arrows are popular around here. Then you can make it so that those NPC's can be attacked by players or monsters. So then you can add the ability to add NPC guards that you have to level up almost tamagatchi like to protect your vendors. People can get underhanded and hire theives to rob their competitors vendors or rough them up and scare them away. Soooo much potential here.
This is a FANTASTIC idea Van. I mean, holy <font color="orange">HAMSTER</font> I love it. To tie pickpocketing into this, maybe you could try to steal from those travelling NPC's (seeing as how they won't have the bulk of valuable goods) and get some free pots or maybe get your money back you spent. X-D And at the same time, you can't steal from the original vendor(or owner) of said merchant company. I could see something like this being implemented, but then again there would be a LOT of travelling merchants too, which would be a bit silly for most players. Except for me, because I'd go from one to the other robbing them. If they did this, it'd be a year or so down the road, when the core games been debugged and turned into a solid game. I think you should make the merchant thing into it's own thread Van, I just can't get over that idea.
If stealing is perhaps implemented into a vocation job and or profession I could see it happening. Otherwise why be a rogue/thief if you cant steal?
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schirmerkMember, Neverwinter Beta Users, Neverwinter Guardian UsersPosts: 24Arc User
edited November 2012
What about a passive pick pockets where there are bonus drops/finds when you have a thief in the group during adventures? That way there is no real imbalance but groups will want thieves in them.
If stealing is perhaps implemented into a vocation job and or profession I could see it happening. Otherwise why be a rogue/thief if you cant steal?
You can't steal from friendly targets or pcs. Stealing could ba a combat mechanic like any other, where it is possible to debuff targets by removing pots or scrolls from inventory. It also looks like an excellent way to introduce class specific questlines in foundry missions. The thief might become, as i see it, an assassin or spy. Thieves played an important role in court intrigues and also in wars, no ?
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
0
popsook69Member, Neverwinter Beta Users, Neverwinter Hero UsersPosts: 0Arc User
What about a passive pick pockets where there are bonus drops/finds when you have a thief in the group during adventures? That way there is no real imbalance but groups will want thieves in them.
I would have it that you can make bonus treasure chest room which can only be unlocked with a key that is pick pocketed from an NPC so if you bring a thief instead of getting one chest on a mission you get a second one behind a locked door or a special key item to unlock a secret room. Now to ensure it's not mandatory to have the thief along during these mission you could make the rarity of good items from this bonus treasure be worse than the main chest or make the items from it a little less meaningful. There is some wiggle room to balance the mechanic out.
P.S. For those wanting to steal from PCs....The mechanic of stealing in my opinion, although would be nice to have more options would not be fun for players if you could steal there stuff. It won't matter how you window dress the mechanic, if you allow PCs to be stolen from, players will find a way to abuse it, PCs will be grieved and the game will become "un-fun" for those of us not playing thieves.
Keep in mind that his game is for many people, many classes and not just for thieves so you have to consider the impact it has from all angles, including the worse possible scenarios of abuse because I guarantee you that as cool sounding a mechanic as it might be, if there is wiggle room for abuse, you can be sure many people will gravitate to it. There is no... "oh it might happen" or "only a few people would play that way".... No... I guarantee it will happen and by many players... I have experience in building systems which deals in fraud and abuse. So I am not a fan of allow PCs to be stolen from because I don't want my experience ruined just because of one classes skill.
I disagree. I will however agree that finding the correct counter play for other players would be challenging. But finding it, in my opinion, is part of the fun.
0
popsook69Member, Neverwinter Beta Users, Neverwinter Hero UsersPosts: 0Arc User
I disagree. I will however agree that finding the correct counter play for other players would be challenging. But finding it, in my opinion, is part of the fun.
What do you do with people who log in yet do not wish to take part in the daily play/counter play regarding pickpockets? What choice would those player have if they just wanted to login and experience other content but not have to deal with a barrage of pick pocketers?
You will eventually learn, as have all players who initially joined the game without a notion of what it is about. Learn that it is a cooperative game. The gane is not for you if you refuse to take notice of that simple fact. I have seen many players like you and they all turned inside out or left the game forever.
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
0
popsook69Member, Neverwinter Beta Users, Neverwinter Hero UsersPosts: 0Arc User
You will eventually learn, as have all players who initially joined the game without a notion of what it is about. Learn that it is a cooperative game. The gane is not for you if you refuse to take notice of that simple fact. I have seen many players like you and they all turned inside out or left the game forever.
Indeed but I'd think a majority of people including developers would think most RPGs are built around choice. The freedom to choose your character, the choice how to advance your character, what quests you do, what areas you explore, etc. Implementing a mechanic where thieves can run around pick pocketing you effectively removes your choice to participate in this mechanic with the exception of the choice of whether to play or not. This is of course my opinion and the developers will decide what direction they want to take the game. I just want to submit my feedback on why I don't want pickpocketing PCs and sit back and hope both other people feel the same as well as hope that developers feel that this is in line with their vision for the game of Neverwinter. If so, great, if not, then that is fine too, we will just have to wait and see what happens.
P.S. Incidentally, last I checked NW is also primarily PvE, now allowing one PC to effect another PC to me is PvP so, with being the case, I'm more than cool if they implemented pickpocketing players only in situations or areas where PvP was enabled. Then that puts choice back into my hands.
A pickpocketing mechanic doesn't devalue cooperation in the long run. In fact it, in numerous ways, would add greater value to it. I get sick of that glass cage theme park idea that so many folks have about this type of experience. Nothing stops you from cooperating with people. BUT that doesn't mean that every PC needs to be on your side. In fact player vs player conflict embodies the very same idea of the Foundry. Players literally wind up developing their own motivations for interaction much in the same way the develop virtual playgrounds to romp in.
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popsook69Member, Neverwinter Beta Users, Neverwinter Hero UsersPosts: 0Arc User
A pickpocketing mechanic doesn't devalue cooperation in the long run. In fact it, in numerous ways, would add greater value to it.
....
by player cooperation, I have to assume you mean players cooperating to catch a thief who stole your stuff? If so, sounds like a positive spin but it's just a theory, the application in reality doesn't always work so cleanly. Just an example... but the thief could simply log out or linkdead... poof he's gone... everyone goes back to doing what they did before and you're left holding your d*%k in your hand, lost item or gold and unrecoverable.
And I am not against a pickpocket mechanic in the least. I am however against a pickpocket mechanic which has negatively impacting effects on other players. I.E. stolen item from inventory, stolen gold etc.
P.S. I'll also add and use the same argument that was thrown into my face by the previous poster.. If the game is PvE and know what you are getting into... if you want a game where the entire world has a PvP rule-set then it's possible that NW won't be your type of game. It's definitely a fair argument.
P.S. I'll also add and use the same argument that was thrown into my face by the previous poster.. If the game is PvE and know what you are getting into... if you want a game where the entire world has a PvP rule-set then it's possible that NW won't be your type of game. It's definitely a fair argument.
Thing is this is a game design that has gone from a group play to an MMO. The dynamics of that shift alone changes alot. The whole point of an MMO is further player interaction. I think that is also something that, if we are going to keep on with this "this game I haven't played yet but is based on a roughly on a game I have so therefore it couldn't possibly meet any of your suggestions" kick, then the fact that it is an MMO folks need to stop think solely in the terms of trying to play this JUST as a single player or small group co-op. And one can't then "NW won't be your type of game".
There will always be those group dungeon delves. But the open world should be more then a scenery and a medieval version of Playstations Home.
Also as far as a player going offline I would say a fair way of handling that would be making an NPC clone of the thief that spawn when he tries to log out. Have it generate within a certain distance. Then allow the players to hunt down said NPC the same way they would the PC thief to regain those valuables. After those items are reclaimed then and there are no more hot items to be reclaimed the NPC disappears. Make items be hot/temp bound after they are stolen so that they can't be immediately ditched. Also allow people to help collect other people get their items back from the thief. When doing this to help another player maybe you gain a bit of coin from the city.
The thief NPC should run and try not to get caught.
There are always things to be experimented with when it comes to interesting game mechanics.
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popsook69Member, Neverwinter Beta Users, Neverwinter Hero UsersPosts: 0Arc User
edited November 2012
Your arguments seem to suggest that I am against a co-operative experience which is not the case. You and I simply disagree that in the grand scheme of the game that a thief mechanic where thieves can steal from PCs can work without being abused or making the game a "steal-fest" in a PvE environment which will force any victim of the theft to either recruit people to hunt down the thief or live with the loss.
There are many other mechanics that can be employed which involves all classes and all players that can help promote co-operative gameplay in an MMO environment even with pickpocketing PCs not in the game and that includes implementing them in open world areas. when you think about it a little it is somewhat ironic that you are also using a co-operative gameplay argument in the attempt to promote a primarily solo game mechanic, but I digress as I am not looking to attack your views/opinions.
Also, everything you mentioned as a mechanic for hunting and tracking down stolen stuff can be implemented without the need to take from actual PCs, you could just as easily have event alerts where the city guards announce they are looking for so-and-so who's been charged with theft (caught stealing from an NPC when pickpocket fails) effectively promoting co-operation. If the hunting party is successful they get a reward.
Come to think of it, that wouldn't be a bad idea for a random city event from time to time.
Yor victim was not built for pvp, and it never even saw you. They are not going to go running off on a chase. You just refuse to see how different players are psychologically. Cooperating means, to put it up on the board, that you sacrifice your very survivability for a group effort, which is purposed to be better in terms of combat performance.
Your whole idea works toward a more sandbox type mmo, with multiple generic options (mimigames ?) and costumizabilty. My opinion is that we will see mmos working toward that in a few years, after establishing the base game. Don't be disappointed when NW comes out and its a bearhug.
I can remember one time when I was pretty much a noob about players being able to steal from your pack in UO. Here I was just going through the gate to head into Trinsic and suddenly the trade window pops up and in it are some of my GM made xbows and of course I knew they were mine because they had my players name stamped on them
The thief had stolen them from me and now he was returning them. He proceeded to show me how to set up mt pack with bags inside of it and each bag had a trap set on them so that if anyone tried this again I would be alerted to their actions. Hell of a nice dude and saved me a lot of grief as once before that I had lost two swords of Vanquishing to a thief using pickpocket...
Comments
Your pockets are a wonderland...
This city promises death for the meek, glory for the bold, danger for all, and riches for Jade!
Elven Trickster Rogue: Two-bladed elf, tons of stabby stabby and that sort of thing...
| R. A. Salvatore | My Minions | Forgotten Realms Wiki | Elven Translator |
[ Support Center • Rules & Policies and Guidelines • ARC ToS • Guild Recruitment Guidelines | FR DM Since 1993 ]
So we have nothing valuable you can steal! We are invincible. Now to pick up my Moonhand and....
....
....
....
"Hey! Where is my mace? ..."
"Its not funny I tell you!"
*pulls it out of his outhouse*
Sorry I thought it was a plunger.
So maybe if a Rogue personally collects a loot bag he has two or three seconds where only he can see the loot before anyone else, and he can pilfer an item or two before anyone else sees it. Bags anyone else open, he has no power over. Basically, if you're foolish enough to let the rogue get the bag, you're asking for trouble.
Wishful thinking. The only way to interact with other player is to hit the F key like you would with any object shown in the demos.
Jimmy, I'm going to give you the benefit of a doubt and say English isn't you're native tongue.
Which brings to question whether or not shop keepers will have anything worth robbing? Or will this be like other MMO's where only specific vendors have anything worthwhile, while the others just have basic buying ability to drop your <font color="orange">HAMSTER</font> at and they only sell basic rations. Not that I expect to find the best gear at a vendor, but I've found some pretty great gear from shops after coming back from adventures, so I hope it's not all grey level <font color="orange">HAMSTER</font>.
That is why I would really like to see player ran shops as an option. I have brought this up in so many threads I am sure that is becoming sickening to some folks to see.
Not at all sir! This sounds like an excellent idea! Although I'm afraid their idea of personal shops is you allowing other people to see your inventory and tell you what they'd like to buy. I really like the idea of personal shops, even if it were just stalls that you could show your items in, that would be a REALLY cool idea.
Then on top of that you could do quests that give you a steady supply of items from different npc sources. So if you are the correct level you can do a quest for a coal miner. You can then earn the miners coal as a supply chain. Then sell the coal in your shop as a crafting supply.
To expand on that even further if you can't obtain a store front you can setup a mobile merchant wagon or small table to sell your wares.
Then you could also do a bit of hiring NPC's and maybe set them up to do trade routes. Basically telling them "I want you to walk around this area and sell these types of goods". This way you can figure out people generally need health potions around here or arrows are popular around here. Then you can make it so that those NPC's can be attacked by players or monsters. So then you can add the ability to add NPC guards that you have to level up almost tamagatchi like to protect your vendors. People can get underhanded and hire theives to rob their competitors vendors or rough them up and scare them away. Soooo much potential here.
This is a FANTASTIC idea Van. I mean, holy <font color="orange">HAMSTER</font> I love it. To tie pickpocketing into this, maybe you could try to steal from those travelling NPC's (seeing as how they won't have the bulk of valuable goods) and get some free pots or maybe get your money back you spent. X-D And at the same time, you can't steal from the original vendor(or owner) of said merchant company. I could see something like this being implemented, but then again there would be a LOT of travelling merchants too, which would be a bit silly for most players. Except for me, because I'd go from one to the other robbing them.
You can't steal from friendly targets or pcs. Stealing could ba a combat mechanic like any other, where it is possible to debuff targets by removing pots or scrolls from inventory. It also looks like an excellent way to introduce class specific questlines in foundry missions. The thief might become, as i see it, an assassin or spy. Thieves played an important role in court intrigues and also in wars, no ?
I would have it that you can make bonus treasure chest room which can only be unlocked with a key that is pick pocketed from an NPC so if you bring a thief instead of getting one chest on a mission you get a second one behind a locked door or a special key item to unlock a secret room. Now to ensure it's not mandatory to have the thief along during these mission you could make the rarity of good items from this bonus treasure be worse than the main chest or make the items from it a little less meaningful. There is some wiggle room to balance the mechanic out.
P.S. For those wanting to steal from PCs....The mechanic of stealing in my opinion, although would be nice to have more options would not be fun for players if you could steal there stuff. It won't matter how you window dress the mechanic, if you allow PCs to be stolen from, players will find a way to abuse it, PCs will be grieved and the game will become "un-fun" for those of us not playing thieves.
Keep in mind that his game is for many people, many classes and not just for thieves so you have to consider the impact it has from all angles, including the worse possible scenarios of abuse because I guarantee you that as cool sounding a mechanic as it might be, if there is wiggle room for abuse, you can be sure many people will gravitate to it. There is no... "oh it might happen" or "only a few people would play that way".... No... I guarantee it will happen and by many players... I have experience in building systems which deals in fraud and abuse. So I am not a fan of allow PCs to be stolen from because I don't want my experience ruined just because of one classes skill.
What do you do with people who log in yet do not wish to take part in the daily play/counter play regarding pickpockets? What choice would those player have if they just wanted to login and experience other content but not have to deal with a barrage of pick pocketers?
Indeed but I'd think a majority of people including developers would think most RPGs are built around choice. The freedom to choose your character, the choice how to advance your character, what quests you do, what areas you explore, etc. Implementing a mechanic where thieves can run around pick pocketing you effectively removes your choice to participate in this mechanic with the exception of the choice of whether to play or not. This is of course my opinion and the developers will decide what direction they want to take the game. I just want to submit my feedback on why I don't want pickpocketing PCs and sit back and hope both other people feel the same as well as hope that developers feel that this is in line with their vision for the game of Neverwinter. If so, great, if not, then that is fine too, we will just have to wait and see what happens.
P.S. Incidentally, last I checked NW is also primarily PvE, now allowing one PC to effect another PC to me is PvP so, with being the case, I'm more than cool if they implemented pickpocketing players only in situations or areas where PvP was enabled. Then that puts choice back into my hands.
And I am not against a pickpocket mechanic in the least. I am however against a pickpocket mechanic which has negatively impacting effects on other players. I.E. stolen item from inventory, stolen gold etc.
P.S. I'll also add and use the same argument that was thrown into my face by the previous poster.. If the game is PvE and know what you are getting into... if you want a game where the entire world has a PvP rule-set then it's possible that NW won't be your type of game. It's definitely a fair argument.
Thing is this is a game design that has gone from a group play to an MMO. The dynamics of that shift alone changes alot. The whole point of an MMO is further player interaction. I think that is also something that, if we are going to keep on with this "this game I haven't played yet but is based on a roughly on a game I have so therefore it couldn't possibly meet any of your suggestions" kick, then the fact that it is an MMO folks need to stop think solely in the terms of trying to play this JUST as a single player or small group co-op. And one can't then "NW won't be your type of game".
There will always be those group dungeon delves. But the open world should be more then a scenery and a medieval version of Playstations Home.
Also as far as a player going offline I would say a fair way of handling that would be making an NPC clone of the thief that spawn when he tries to log out. Have it generate within a certain distance. Then allow the players to hunt down said NPC the same way they would the PC thief to regain those valuables. After those items are reclaimed then and there are no more hot items to be reclaimed the NPC disappears. Make items be hot/temp bound after they are stolen so that they can't be immediately ditched. Also allow people to help collect other people get their items back from the thief. When doing this to help another player maybe you gain a bit of coin from the city.
The thief NPC should run and try not to get caught.
There are always things to be experimented with when it comes to interesting game mechanics.
There are many other mechanics that can be employed which involves all classes and all players that can help promote co-operative gameplay in an MMO environment even with pickpocketing PCs not in the game and that includes implementing them in open world areas. when you think about it a little it is somewhat ironic that you are also using a co-operative gameplay argument in the attempt to promote a primarily solo game mechanic, but I digress as I am not looking to attack your views/opinions.
Also, everything you mentioned as a mechanic for hunting and tracking down stolen stuff can be implemented without the need to take from actual PCs, you could just as easily have event alerts where the city guards announce they are looking for so-and-so who's been charged with theft (caught stealing from an NPC when pickpocket fails) effectively promoting co-operation. If the hunting party is successful they get a reward.
Come to think of it, that wouldn't be a bad idea for a random city event from time to time.
Your whole idea works toward a more sandbox type mmo, with multiple generic options (mimigames ?) and costumizabilty. My opinion is that we will see mmos working toward that in a few years, after establishing the base game. Don't be disappointed when NW comes out and its a bearhug.
The thief had stolen them from me and now he was returning them. He proceeded to show me how to set up mt pack with bags inside of it and each bag had a trap set on them so that if anyone tried this again I would be alerted to their actions. Hell of a nice dude and saved me a lot of grief as once before that I had lost two swords of Vanquishing to a thief using pickpocket...