Crime and Punishment in Age of Wushu
Age of Wushu’s open PvP world creates a Wild West atmosphere in the game. Players walking the streets can witness killings or be challenged themselves. Snail Games has countered this madness with a few unique options. Though killing players nets large amounts of silver, it comes with Infamy and the ire of the entire server.
Killing players without a legitimate cause (being from rival schools or in defense are notable examples) adds Infamy. The first change a player may see when Infamy increases is to their name color. Your color changes from White to Orange, Orange to Red, and Red to Purple as you progress further into the infamous state. When Infamy reaches “Orange”, other players can place a bounty for the offending player’s arrest. Bounties attract attention to villainous players. Constables, of the NPC or player variety, can track the infamous player down and try to take him or her out. A successful arrest will yield a handsome sum from the original victim. The criminal will be taken to the nearest jail.
Each server can have up to 1000 Constables. Both Wanted and Constable Players will be denoted by a circling graphic on their character. Players that see a blue chain walking up to an orange Sword may want to stay clear of the upcoming skirmish, or prepare to jump in. Constables are held under tight scrutiny, and can be removed from service if their Infamy gets too high. A no nonsense officer is one thing, but vigilantes are unattractive servants of the government.
As for jailed criminals, there are several options. Orange and Red names can wait out the sentence in prison until Infamy reaches zero, pay a hefty bribe to a guard to be released with a clean record, or spend a lesser amount in a game of dice to get out of prison. Players that don’t win the dice game lose a small amount of Infamy each time they play, (restrictions are set on the number of bets a player can make a day). There is even an option to break out of prison. A player, with 5 friends, can arrange to be moved to a different cell. The friends of the player are notified and can fight their way in and rescue their comrade. Small penalties will be attached to a player that gets out of these lower prisons as a temporary “parole” of sorts.
The highest level of Infamy is not so easily forgiven; players with purple names are temporarily held in a special prison before going to death row. The bribe price is steeper and the breakout tasks are harder to get out of this prison. If a player cannot come up with the bribe or escape, they will be scheduled for a public beheading in front of the prison. Other players can come and enjoy the spectacle. Beheading holds extensive stat penalties for players.
So join the guards that protect the cities and schools of Age of Wushu, and earn money for bounties. If that doesn’t seem like your cup of tea, then make chaos reign and earn money through victimizing other players. Just don’t get too carried away and lose your head over it.
