I believe this is another flaw in the Albion Reputation System

The reputation system that is currently in place on the live server is game-breaking for anyone wanting to PvP from the Royal islands. Presently this system is responsible for an increasing amount of "doomed" players which I expect will only continue to get worse as more players join the game.

 

Example scenario:

 

Player A has not set a home, and merely lives out of the city chest as many players do. Player A has achieved a large enough negative reputation that they are no longer able to enter their base city. Player A is executed (PvE or PvP) or Player A suicides.

 

In this scenario Player A now finds themselves in an Outlands city with no gear, and likely a 2+ hour walk back to wherever they were; if they don't die on the way (highly unlikely). In order for Player A to gain reputation back and be able to enter their base city they must get back to the Royal islands and kill mobs, or gather resources, etc. This is impossible naked, if they can even manage to get back in the first place.

 

Player A now has 2 options as far as I can tell:

 

Someone brings Player A a set of gear. Either all the way to the Outlands, or from their base city if they manage to run back; hopefully Player A has friends, with spare gear, for someone that isn't themselves or likely their build, or has the money to buy it and is willing to do so.

Player A plays a different character, this one has become "doomed".

 

Taken from the "Explaining the Crime and Reputation System":

In order to give players more choice and freedom in their playstyle, we introduce the New World and Reputation system. Guilds and players who prefer to play in big groups can conquer The Outlands, while those who prefer a more casual-style of PvP are better off on the Royal Islands, where they can find like-minded adventurers based on their reputation level. Those who do not like to PvP at all, will have an easier time avoiding dangerous players and finding trusted companions.

 

Casual PvP is being encouraged on the Royal Islands, but I don't believe the system has been thought through thoroughly enough.

 

How is a player who wants to partake in casual PvP able to manage this type of system?

 

Another piece of concerning information, in my opinion, is this (again taken from the "Explaining the Crime and Reputation System"):

 

It is important to note that all attackers get punished equally! If you assist a player in executing an innocent citizen, you will experience the same reputation loss as the one who performed the execution. Assisting does not just mean dishing out damage, but also includes healing and any form of support. Even if your victim is finished off by a wild creature, their death is still on you and you still bear the consequences.

 

Can we have clarity on this? Does it mean if the victim is downed by you, but finished off by a wild creature, that you incur the penalty? Or does it mean that if I'm engaged in PvP combat and the victim attempts to run, but is downed and executed by wild creatures that I also incur the penalty? In theory would it be possible for me to deal 1 damage to a "victim", who then escapes only to die a few moments later to wild creatures while running away and still incur the full penalty?

 

Suggestions for improvement:

 

Chests near city guards, outside of the city itself, with very low storage weight. This would allow people to store up to 3 sets of gear outside of the city, in case a situation such as the one described above occurs.

"Respawn at nearest city" shouldn't move you beyond your present island. If reputation dictates, have them spawn outside the city instead of inside it.

Instead of flagging causing you to immediately go to 0 reputation on the Royal Islands, have it reduce your reputation to 1/10th of what it was. You can now create a buffer, although very small, to allow you to PvP for a while without becoming "doomed"

 

I believe this is another flaw in the system. What that statement means is that if someone is flagged and attacks you, you are free to attack them back without penalty (while unflagged). However, when you are permanently flagged if someone else chooses to be the aggressor your only option now is to run if you don't want to take a negative reputation hit. As it stands currently, I could see people chasing you to the ends of the world to "grief" you so to speak. If you ever wanted to get back into town after becoming permanently flagged it will be very, very difficult.