Orc muggers in Tarant and the gray-suited gentleman

You know those annoying orcs always looking to rob you as you pass by the warehouse district in Tarant? Ever noticed them occasionally beating the bejeezus out of that gray-suited gentleman foolishly passing by? I've always found it a nice touch of realism that they would actually attack citizens and not just you. Well, today I was walking through that place as they were again roughing that poor guy up- AND AS MY PARTY APPROACHED THEY LEFT HIM ALONE AND WALKED AWAY casually, whistling a tune and pretending to be all innocent (okay so I am getting descriptive here, but they did walk away, leaving the guy alive -barely- yet out of breath). It's as if I've actually iterrupted a crime in the process, like I've spooked them or something. However, a few seconds after me and my followers went on our way, I've heard the "combat" music playing again, so I went back to the warehouses and found the gray-suited guy dead with the orcs standing over him.

How ingenious is that?

I must say I was VERY pleased by the fact that after so many years of playing I STILL keep discovering new things in this game.

 

That was indeed cool. I didn't think the Arcanun AI could handle things like that.

 

I was going to say that's some cool AI. But it's never happened to me. A guy in a red suit attacks me whenever I'm around instead.

 

Happened to me... Only once, and a long time ago though.

 

In Ashbury, near the houses?

 

Everytime I interrupt the Tarantian orcs, they attack me instead, leaving the poor bloke alone. If they do walk away, its only for a moment until they decide to charge me anyways. Now, if you wait for them to finish him off first, more loot for everyone!

 

Never heppend to me. Most thing I remember about the AI in Arcanum is that Virgil often do strange things and monster usually run into walls... but I quess it could happen.

 

That man is no "gentleman". He's probably getting waxed for having sticky fingers in their (the orcs) neighborhood without having their permission. It's amusing when it happens, seems rare though. That area is quite prone to violence. On occassion the large were-rat that inhabits the warehouse there has been known to brake out and kill guards/pedestrians in the nearby street.

 

Right you are there. You can do the same thing in the Caladon zoo; just destroy the gates and hit one of the creatures inside.

They'll kill whatever stands in their way.
Or, well, they won't, seeing that the Caladonian guard is too tough for most of them.

 

One of the weirder things that happened to me in that neighborhood was when the ringleader of the orc muggers mysteriously appeared inside the rat-filled warehouse and kindly did most of the rat killing I was required to do for the quest. I thanked him by placing a bullet between his eyes, of course.

 

I've never been able to get that to work. Might you instruct me in the ways of mayham?

I've tried braking down the door and then scampering off, but the arachnids just go back to the warehouse to sleep. Then the next time I wonder near they come after me again. They never pay any mind to anyone else.

 

One idea I would submit is to hack up a "lmischeivous Loki" type character, maxing out on stats and magics,and skills and thus assuming the mission of making everyone's lives in Arcanum a living hell.

Under these conditions you could use spells like Stun or magelock to hold the critters in he zoo back long enough to get away......

As far as the orc muggers go...a fun thing would be to load up the passerby citizens with good weapons so as they stand a better chance of taking on said orcs...

 

What's really fun is arming the Orcs held up in that factory...

Full plate male...

Barbarian's heavy blades and Katanas...

Sometimes you strip the guards of their weapons.

Boy do they get the shock of their life.

 

You could get evil and strip all of the Tarantian guards of their equipment. Score one-nill to Throgg and da orcs.

 

I'm familiar with the gentleman in grey. He normally tried to pickpocket me on more than one occasion. Him, and a fellow in a smoking jacket.
Anyway, I've seen him try to pickpocket the other NPC's of Tarant, as well as some of the guards. He was normally killed by the guards, so I'd end up either resurrecting him or reloading a save in which the guards didn't want to kill him. This being said, I can see him trying to pick the pocket of an Orc thug, only to be caught and beaten mercilessly.
The one time they did stop because I had seen them beating on some poor NPC, was in a game I had started and ended up literally punching one of their heads off the first time I was in Tarant; The rest ran away. I guess you can instill fear into their programming.
Another way for this to happen is through playing as a half ogre.