I'd wager that for baron level characters and higher, their script will keep them in their keep or stronghold or house with plenty of guards. As for gentry and adventurers I'm not certain.

My guess is NPC guards will be as strong as you suggested. I also think that this is part of the challenge presented to players in the game. And I'd imagine these challenges will draw more players to the better protected cities.

It will likely fall on the barons on how these issues are addressed in the country. Maybe kingdoms, dutchies, etc will be allotted a generous number of guard type NPCs.

This is an interesting question tho. Especially for those adventurers who travel and sleep on the road.

The reason your question didn't come up in the last Q&A is probably because it didn't relate to Pre-Alpha experiences; the entire point of the Q&A.

As to the topic of conversation in this thread, just like PCs, NPCs will have skill sets they can improve upon. Rather than have a static Level 1 guard, or a Level 3 guard to deal with, you will be encountering a NPC that, based on their programming, will be training, patrolling, and defending daily. While some may be of a lower skill than you, others may not be. Yes, in my town part of the taxes collected will be to help pay for town guards and defensive structures.

A high-level player could very well come into a little backwater town and probably kill everyone, but that little town might also have a high-level former knight just looking for some peace and quiet. If a group of bandits does happen to go on a killing spree, that news can spread and soon after you could have a posse on your trail. While NPCs won't be one-hit wonders (I don't think), I don't think they'll be pushovers either.

@op, you are forgetting some core elements to protect your settlement.

1. Caspian confirmed there are pets like dogs which tell you if there is someone suspicious.

2. Destroying anything is as hard as building that same thing. If you have a wall around your settlement, others need sieging weapons to destroy it.

3. Others should not know where your nobles are hiding while offline. Get some secret chambers and escape routes going and a script that can use those routes.

   Replace the a* algorithm with a static route script or in case you want to make a nerdy script, use quadtrees and the d*pathfinding algorithm.

4. make sure to place enough traps in your settlement.

And you're assuming the attackers can run around all day to lure NPCs away (you can't) that NPCs use a basic aggro system based on damage or taunts (they likely won't) have limited ranges they can pursue in (they don't,or may see your retreat and just let you run away) and that the damage you take in one fight won't cripple you in the next if you fight again soon after (it likely will).

Would it be possible for 10 players to wipe out a town? Maybe. But you'd need a lot of prep and an absent minded populace without guards.

Anybody running a city or town should consider that the level of defence a city has is only as good as the number of npc guards and their skill level, and since were talking about AI the skill level will never be high enough so numbers will be even more important, and I say npc guards because it will not be long before people figure out that they can hit late night while most people are asleep for the easy win.

Start by reading about offline player characters (OPCs). Secondly there will potentially be a number of NPCs, so at no stage will things be abandoned. At no point will you have a good indication how quiet it really is at a given time.

Aside from the military types you have other players, including craftspeople, mercenaries etc. In kingdoms like the viking kingdom of Tryggr, even craftspeople will be expected to undergo basic combat training and possess a weapon.

So, aside from the fact a criminal will potentially be vastly outnumbered by superior forces, you have an actual deterrant. From life to life there are 2 core things you'll want to take with you:

A legacy, and skill.

The justice system leaves open the possibility to lose both. It's only fitting when you're potentially commiting acts to worsen the legacy of others.

While suffering prison time your skills actually atrophy. In addition you may be evicted or lose property if your actions warrant it. In that situation, who is the worse off? The victim or the perpetrator once caught? As it should be.

While we don't yet know the extent of OPC scripting I am looking at your question through a different prism. I don't feel that we will have to hire and recruit all the guards you will feed you will need. Remember most if not all nobles will be jumping into a NPC who already has a seat of power for their first life. They will be assuming a King/Duke/Count that already has a organizational structure in place. These structures will include NPC Guards which were already protecting the NPC King for that kingdom. So I see that the structures for protection and enforcement of laws should already be there just the scripting or orders may change. Now you can reduce the pay and thin your numbers or pay NPCs more and increase the numbers. You can also hire specialty players or NPCs for added protections but as for as the basics there should be systems in place.

I understand that PC guards will probably have more active jobs, like escorts etc. but I wonder, will they have automated behavior when offline, so that they can be effective like NPC guards at protecting a town when they are not online?

Posted By Gromp at 11:39 AM - Tue Mar 14 2017

I understand that PC guards will probably have more active jobs, like escorts etc. but I wonder, will they have automated behavior when offline, so that they can be effective like NPC guards at protecting a town when they are not online?

I think the main point of logain's post and the question is how effective will the opc/npc guards be in defending a city or town. And i said they better be really effective cause most invading forces will wait till the middle of the night to hit a town or city when 95% of the opposition will be opc/npc.

OP you seem to be under several mistaken impressions. First, as a noble I don't think I'll get robbed, I know I will. It's my responsibility that I don't get robbed of all my stuff all at once. And hunting down the thief who robbed me... well, that's part of my fun.

Second, OPC scripting and AI in general is not meant to be a substitute for player skill. If it were it would just be a matter of who could write the best C# code (which is .NET btw, javascript is not). But will it come close? Yes, I would think so. It's simple to write a quick A* implementation for a grid-based game but advanced AI using state machines, which is what they're going for judging by the comments about AI having 'motivations and feelings', is another matter entirely.

Third, the network being able to contain this huge amount of AI data streaming might normally be a concern but they're using SpatialOS, a cloud-based implementation that distributes the processes across servers. Their site has more on the details and I think it's in open alpha or beta now.

Fourth, it's 'parkour'. Just kidding, but I'd look up some more on advanced AI in games before waving any red flags just yet. Sure, swarms of PvP players probably will happen. And then the united efforts of a kingdom will come to chase them down and put them down. The PvP in CoE isn't meant to be player vs AI but rather players vs other player's rule of law.

Your whole post is based on a premise where characters IG will not react unless a player is online to do so for them.

It falls apart because OPC and NPC characters both will react to events around them. So 10 bandits coming into a village will eventually be A) seen and B) heard.

Offline Player Characters and NPCs will be able to defend their homes. Players who happen to be on at odd hours (like myself, who has an odd sleep schedule) will also be about.

Ergo, have fun trying to defend yourself. Cheers!

Posted By LorenzW at 2:51 PM - Tue Mar 14 2017

Your whole post is based on a premise where characters IG will not react unless a player is online to do so for them.

It falls apart because OPC and NPC characters both will react to events around them. So 10 bandits coming into a village will eventually be A) seen and B) heard.

Offline Player Characters and NPCs will be able to defend their homes. Players who happen to be on at odd hours (like myself, who has an odd sleep schedule) will also be about.

Ergo, have fun trying to defend yourself. Cheers!

Did you even read his whole post?

His entire point is that OPCs and NPC guards will just get kited/perched down and whittled away until the town has no passive defense left.

It's a legitimate question that has no obvious answer and has occurred to me as well.

NPCS (including the best OPC scripts) will never compare to the ingenuity of a live person in a situation as dynamic and complex as combat.

They have limits in how they can think. We don't.

My only immediate thought is that the piling of wounds, hunger, exhaustion and the compounding of durability loss on gear from trying to cut through hordes of npcs and OPCs may be a high enough barrier to entry that most towns that are somewhat prepared will be too high cost for their gain.

That's just a theory right now though.

Cjmarsh's post briefly touched on the point I would like to make.

If a group attacked my town during the daylight hours and we fought them, they won and they looted - I've probably made a good enemy, one who I can send my soldiers out to fight, and who I will have a healthy PvP relationship with.

If a group of players come in while I have only my NPC guards on duty, steal stuff and destroy things just for the sake of griefing, I will contact every ally I can, tell them what has happened and set about wiping them from the face of Elyria.

PvP'ers I think will find places to enjoy themselves, and will in a lot of ways actually be welcome. Griefers are just going to have the structure of an entire County, Duchy or Kingdom come down on them. Because no leader in an area wants anyone around who is being toxic and playing like a tool.