[POLL] On the subject of Stalkers targeting players…

[Neo Emolga]

@EmeraldSky @Noblejanobii @Scytherwolf @SlickSlack @Lychee @Ho-Oh @Suicune’s Fire @Shruikan @Chibi Altaria @Bulbasaur @James-Typhlosion @TylerNinetales

The Final Verdict!

First off, I’d like to thank everyone who chimed in on this, there were a lot of great and reasonable responses and even good alternative ideas. I’d also like to thank everyone for being patient, I’ll definitely return to doing narrative posts very soon, but I wanted to see how things would turn out from this poll first just because it affects a number of things with Lychee being the Night 2’s victim and how the way this resolves would affect that, too.

In a nutshell, we’re going with Option B - Players can still be targets, but no equipment/money losses from dying this way. And I totally think this is fair. Moreover, starting now the submission clock for Day 3 Day Cycle is being adjusted to give everyone three more days to submit actions.

But in terms of the responses…

I totally agree that losing stuff from getting killed this way just didn’t seem right and what Shruikan said definitely says it all. A death from a Night Cycle Stalker kill is something beyond your control, whereas if you took an action to search The Cathedral of Doom in Hellsville, Nebraska and it just so happened there was a trap that did your character in, welllll… you did have some control over that. Usually the nastier places to search will have description clues that will let you know the Tooth Fairy isn’t giving Peaches and Cream parfaits for free over there. Sure, Stalkers does have some good luck and bad luck elements to it, but I think having some control over the outcomes is important. Losing gear and hard-earned goodies through no fault of your own… yeah, nobody likes that.

The other thing I’m changing in light of this is the customized armor and weapons at Tactical Outfitters and The Armament Bunker. The prices on those will be drastically reduced (about 40% off) from their current price due to the fact that if you get killed this way, unfortunately you wouldn’t be able to wear that item, though it would at least still go into the Team Inventory. It wouldn’t be lost, but you wouldn’t be able to use it unless you or someone else becomes that exact species again. HINT: It’s possible in more ways than you think, but don’t go shouting that out too loud!

The idea of fighting back to prevent getting killed this way is an interesting one and I did think it over a bit, but given some behind the scenes things that I can’t really disclose, I can’t really implement that because certain things wouldn’t make sense otherwise.

Overall, I think it has a nice mix of pros and cons.

The Pros

• Makes the setting feel a little more realistic in the sense that the Stalkers are a real threat to everyone, civilians and Emissaries alike, and no one is safe.
• Lets the reincarnation pool have a bit more highlight.
• Having the roll land on a player prevents the possibility of a civilian with helpful perks, store ownership, and other benefits from being targeted instead.
• You’re healed back to full Health, Sanity, and Purity with your stats getting reset for your new form.

The Cons

• Has a bit of an inconvenience factor, such as if you’re no longer the size or type that you were hoping to utilize for a type or size related obstacle
• You get to read how your poor character was butchered during the night!
• The new stats and types might make you need to rethink your investigation plans, battle strategy, and/or item loadout. Also, species-based items will need to be unequipped due to a size change.

So overall, I think this worked out nicely.