A Developer’s Guide to Fixing the Justice System: Introduction

[WeAreAllMortal]

MO2’s justice system doesn’t prevent crime—it manufactures it.
It’s a spaghetti mess of overlapping mechanics where every tweak breaks something else, a nightmare for both players and developers alike.
​

The Solution: A Modular, Sustainable System​

Right now, justice, reputation, grey status, and PvP rules are hopelessly intertwined. We’re disentangling them by proposing a structured, simplified, and modular overhaul that will finally bring:

Clear and logical rules that players can actually understand.
A justice system that doesn’t punish players for playing the game.
A system developers can tweak without breaking everything else.

Why This is a Multi-Thread Series​

We know how this community works. Most of you are spectators, reading from the sidelines but rarely engaging. The active posters? Mostly resigned die-hards who have either accepted the game’s broken state or griefers who want it to stay that way.

Realistically, this forum—like the game itself—is full of people who haven’t left yet, but probably should have. The real player base isn’t here—it’s the thousands of ex-players who gave up and moved on.

So this isn’t for the handful of regulars still posting. This is for:
The devs, who are probably reading this even if they won’t admit it.
The spectators, who want to see if there’s any hope left for MO2.
The ex-players, who might return if the game ever gets its act together.

And that’s why this guide is being posted as multiple threads, each covering one or more of Seven much needed Fixes.
Not because we expect much discussion (we don’t), but because it makes it easier to absorb without being buried in a 16-page wall of text.

---

The Seven Fixes​

Decouple Justice and Reputation (The Core Structural Fix—Stop Linking Unrelated Systems!)
Stop Forcing Blues to Become Criminals Just to Play the Game (End the Broken “Crime by Default” System!)
Tie Criminal Status to Meaningful Restitution, Not Five-Minute Timers or Rep Grinding (Stop Letting Criminals Cheese Their Way to Redemption!)
Make NPC Guards Dispense Actual Justice Instead of Kneejerk Reactions (Guards Should Work Like Guards—Not Mindless Turrets!)
Use Local Grey to Regulate Consensual PvP—Remove It from Non-Consensual PvP (Let Players Fight Each Other Freely—But Keep It Out of the Justice System!)
(Optional) Introduce Brown Status for Ex-Cons with Outstanding Bounties (Differentiate Between Active and Reformed Criminals!)
Create Temporary PvP Zones Around Relics & Guild Keeps (Enable Large-Scale, Fully Consensual Battles!)

---

Why This Matters for Developers​

Each of these fixes addresses the core contradictions in the current system while making development exponentially easier.

No more:
Endless balancing headaches—where fixing one thing breaks five others, to the point where the devs no longer fix anything.
Unintended side effects—where learning the game means learning to exploit, or avoid, the inconsistent mechanics.
Pointless band-aid fixes—where SV "does something" to appease, but without solving anything.

This isn’t just a better justice system—it’s a simpler one. One that finally makes Mortal Online 2 fair, immersive, and sustainable for both players and developers alike.

 

[Genesis-V2815]

I agree, as a new player to MO2 I can't tell u how close I've come to quiting the game completely simply because I kept getting killed by low IQ griefers.
The worst part being many of them don't do it for resources but instead simply to annoy other players... I've many instances where I'd get spawn killed by the Jungle Camp 10 or 15 times in a row.
While I'm not against PVP, a justice rework and balancing fixes would certainly make the game playable for blues.

 

[Sabella]

...
Decouple Justice and Reputation (The Core Structural Fix—Stop Linking Unrelated Systems!)
Stop Forcing Blues to Become Criminals Just to Play the Game (End the Broken “Crime by Default” System!)
...
Use Local Grey to Regulate Consensual PvP—Remove It from Non-Consensual PvP (Let Players Fight Each Other Freely—But Keep It Out of the Justice System!)
...

A faction could take over responsibility for dealing with the criminals in the city (grey to all faction members).
That would automatically be the strongest faction for that area.

Please keep in mind: hostile factions = hostile rules. The power in the area shifts, the city could become a lawless city.
Because the faction leader(s) decided to keep "law of the street" not enforce any rules at all.

Since there is no functioning faction system in MO2, this option doesn't exist.

 

[WeAreAllMortal]

A faction could take over responsibility for dealing with the criminals in the city (grey to all faction members).
That would automatically be the strongest faction for that area.

Please keep in mind: hostile factions = hostile rules. The power in the area shifts, the city could become a lawless city.
Because the faction leader(s) decided to keep "law of the street" not enforce any rules at all.

Since there is no functioning faction system in MO2, this option doesn't exist.

I think you may have misinterpreted the core argument. The issue with MO2’s justice system isn’t that there aren’t enough player factions controlling towns—it’s that justice is currently arbitrary, exploitable, and easily circumvented. In fact, player-controlled law enforcement was removed from MO2 precisely because it was so easily abused. What we’re proposing isn’t a return to that system, but rather a fully structured, developer-enforced justice system that finally works as intended—one that creates meaningful consequences for crime without punishing normal gameplay, while still allowing outlaws to exist in a fair and functional way.

 

[Sabella]

I think you may have misinterpreted the core argument. The issue with MO2’s justice system isn’t that there aren’t enough player factions controlling towns—it’s that justice is currently arbitrary, exploitable, and easily circumvented. In fact, player-controlled law enforcement was removed from MO2 precisely because it was so easily abused. What we’re proposing isn’t a return to that system, but rather a fully structured, developer-enforced justice system that finally works as intended—one that creates meaningful consequences for crime without punishing normal gameplay, while still allowing outlaws to exist in a fair and functional way.

I didn't say I wanted to keep the old system as it is. What I said was, there's a system that's broken. Like so many others. If the faction system wasn't broken, you could use it to help solve the problem. That is all i said. You and your AI could do a better job understanding me rather than trying to not understand me.

To the topic: SV decided that MO2 is the spiritual successor of UO. SV said to Stat loss that UO has - "No, we do not want that." Without any correction or further modification! Breaking rules with core mechanics, then pretending "systems are not working and need replacement" is pretty silly. Are the players abusing the system here? Absolutely not!

SV should repair the systems instead.