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Snitch NPC [Turfs Addon Idea for Crims/PD]

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With the recent implementation of the turf system, it has brought many new changes and developments to the criminal side of the server. However, I do feel that perhaps the investigative police side of things could be not only more interesting but, a little more realistic. 

I don't know if anyone reading this has watched The Wire, but the character of Bubbles (the addict) was often quite instrumental to helping the detectives with their work and I would like to see something along those lines implemented in the server as a sequel to the turf NPCs.

I'm aware that police can interact with the NPCs inside the turfs by "extracting information" but frankly, I feel that that is a dead-end as far as investigations goes. On the one hand, criminals accuse PD of camping these spots and on the other hand, PD has almost an over-incentive to find these spots so they gather information regarding an upcoming drop. You don't want cops being around the turfs TOO much but you also don't want to make it TOO easy to import items, because that will inevitably saturate the market, drive down the prices and also, sadly people will be using weapons more in situations where they probably shouldn't.

I was never a fan of the 5% chance to get notified about a shipment, simply because you are relying on RNG to be able to react. You want as much to be driven by the player as possible, on both sides. Criminals should be able to take extra security measures to ensure they get their drop but also, you want to be able to reward the police using their resources to catch criminals.

Neither side should win all the time, that's boring. The thrill is in the cat and mouse game of criminal-cop.

- - - -

Instead of police contacting the NPCs located at a turf, they would use the Snitch NPC. The Snitch in-character is a long-term drug addict who has flexible loyalties to either side.

Snitch Location

  • Various static locations around the ghetto areas of Los Santos, but with enough locations so people can't automatically assume that's where the snitch will be exactly.
  • The location will change pretty regularly to keep people guessing.

Snitch Contact

  • The snitch would be in possession of a burner phone.
  • Depending on the snitch's allegiance at that particular time, the snitch might turn off their phone altogether, provide false information to the un-favoured side or even refuse to tell the unfavoured side where they are.
  • Investigations Bureau would be able to run a trace on the phone if it was on to find the snitch.
  • Criminals and Cops would be able to contact the snitch for their location via text message.

Snitch Interaction

  • Interacting with the snitch would be done in person.
  • When interacting with the snitch, you can either choose to bribe or threaten the snitch.
  • Only official criminal faction members or members of the Investigations Bureau/PD Command+ would be able to interact with the snitch.
  • Criminal Factions would be able to set what rank can interact with the Snitch NPC.
  • The Snitch NPC could be interacted with by PD and each criminal faction every 30 minutes and once a snitch is interacted with, in person, they will move locations.
  • Every criminal faction would have a different relationship with the snitch NPC.
  • The snitch would have an allegiance level, which ranges from being Pro-PD/Anti Your Faction to Anti-PD/Pro Your Faction on a scale of 1-100.
    Example
    Extremely Pro PD(0)                                                                   Neutral(50)                                                   Extremely Pro-Azteca(100)
    | - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |
     
  • The snitch would have a risk level, depending on how many drugs and money they had at them at that time. 
  • The snitch would also have a threat level, which would go up and down depending on their recent interactions. Bribing will lower it, over time it will decrease but threatening them will instantly raise it significantly.
    Example
    Calm (0)                                                           Stressed (50)                                                Terrified(100)
    | - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  - - - - - - - - - - - - |
     
  • The allegiance, risk and threat levels would never be visible to any side, so you would have to stay on top of how your faction treats the Snitch.
    For example, if the Snitch has better allegiance to the Triads than the PD but the PD have better standing with the Snitch than Aztecas, the snitch would be more likely to help PD against Aztecas than against the Triads.
     
  • When bribing, criminals can either use money or drugs to alter the snitch's allegiance in their favour.
    Police would be able to use money but offer slightly more to alter the snitch's allegiance in their favour.
    Bribing the snitch will always positively influence the snitch to your side, but won't alter their state as significantly as threatening them.
    Bribing as a cop will have more chance for desired impact on allegiance than criminals.
    Investigations would have a set government budget for this, as they are a government funded faction.
     
  • When threatening, as a criminal, you will need to have a gun drawn. You can threaten to rob them or threaten to seriously hurt them.
    - Threatening them if they have low risk will scare them but against you. This because they barely anything to lose and they would be more inclined to assist Police.
    - Threatening them if they have high risk will scare them in your favour. This because they have a lot to lose and they would be more inclined to assist your faction.
    The threat level will increase and the amount that allegiance will change will depend on their previous new threat level.
    Threatening the snitch as a criminal will have more chance for desired impact on allegiance than Police.

    If you threaten to seriously hurt them, they will not interact with the PD against your faction for thirty minutes but after that period, their allegiance will be extremely positive towards PD.
     
  • When threatening as a cop, you can threaten to confiscate their items or you can threaten to arrest them.
    - Threatening them with item confiscation if they have low risk will scare them but against you. This because they barely anything to lose and they would be more inclined to assist criminals.
    - Threatening them if they have high risk will scare them in your favour. This because they have a lot to lose and they would be more inclined to assist Police.
    The threat level will increase and the amount that allegiance will change will depend on their previous new threat level.

    If you threaten to arrest them, they will not interact with that specific faction for thirty minutes but after that period, their allegiance will be extremely positive towards that faction.

Snitch Information

  • Essentially the point of having a snitch's allegiance to your faction is that you can have them working for you.
    In LSPD's case, this would be in terms of providing information about drop times and locations. The more loyal the snitch is to the PD, the more accurate the information will be.

    For example, a reasonably loyal snitch might provide information such as "Aztecas have a drop arriving on the south east sometime in the next half an hour" but the snitch being incredibly loyal to the PD would yield something like "Aztecas are expecting a shipment at the Docks in exactly 20 minutes time. "

    In the criminal's case, it would be about being able to keep your illicit activities quiet.
    For example, a reasonably loyal snitch to Aztecas might provide very vague information when questioned by Police like "Aztecas have a drop arriving in the next half an hour" but the snitch being very loyal to the Aztecas would might deny any knowledge of a shipment at all to the police and when contacted by the Aztecas, the snitch would reveal the cops were asking about it.
     
  • Gaining knowledge from the Snitch will increase their threat level and will move positive allegiance towards neutral allegiance. If PD gain positive intel, it'll move towards neutral. If a criminal faction finds out PD were trying to find out about a drop, it'll move towards neutral. Finding out nothing will not impact your side's allegiance with the snitch at all.

- - -

Obviously a lot of reading there, but the idea is that it's built not only on buying information but also on fear and furthers the whole cat/mouse game between PD and criminals but on an individual faction level. If for instance, Triads play it smart and Aztecas don't with the snitch, Aztecas will put their drops in danger.

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+1 I like the total idea but the thing that worries me is, how much money is PD gonna be allocated to spend on the snitch? I like the concept but I feel like this can be easily abused by PD if it was to become a thing.

Edited by MVGGreg
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+1 I like the total idea but the thing that worries me is, how much money is PD gonna be allocated to spend on the snitch? I like the concept but I feel like this can be easily abused by PD if it was to become a thing.

 

+1 - Well thought out suggestion, same concern for me as Greg on how OP PD can be with it, but adding RP to it would be interesting and exciting. 

Any feature's implementation lives and dies by having the right kind of balance. You can take an okay idea and make it good by balancing it right or kill a great idea by unbalancing it.

With this, obviously you have to be mindful of the fact criminals would be putting in their own money to tip the scales in their favour where as Investigations would be spending government money. Something the commissioners do tend to be quite firm on though is how much money is being spent on specific things. You won't likely see it outside of the faction, but although PD has a good sized budget, there is an audit where things have to be accounted for, it's not just a complete blank chequebook.

You don't want the budget to be so meagre that PD can never get any intel out of it, but at the same time you don't want it to be so high that PD can keep pouring money and drowning the idea. In terms of limits, you'd probably set the weekly PD budget for bribes slightly under what you'd expect criminals to spend a week on it.

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