I think I don't need to waste too many words on the fact that the NCPD system is broken. They teleport in on you and try to kill you instantly. It's rather stupid.
So here's how I think it should work:
- Level 1 : Cops will start noticing you and turn hostile if you're near them.
- Level 2 : Aside from turning hostile, there will also be extra police presence on the street, extra patrol cars etc.
- Level 3 : Police starts actively looking for you and sets out a bounty on your head. (Wanted Posters, maybe?)
- Level 4 : MaxTac airdrops in to absolutely try to murder you, and the NCPD locks down your current District.
To go a little more into detail: we'll keep the current four levels of alertness/"Wanted", but rather than the current state where running 100 meters will cancel the whole thing, the Wanted level will no longer go down automatically. This means that once there is any number of badges/stars, they'll stay even if there are no cops around.
Obviously we don't want to be pursued by the police forever without any relief, so we'll add a method of relief. Every district (except the badlands and Pacifica - more on that later) should have a police station, one that you can infiltrate to hack into the database and erase your wanted level. An alternate way to get rid of your wanted level is to place a bribe through the local fixer, just visit them, pay a sum (dependent on Wanted level) and you're once again left alone.
Another important detail is that not all districts are the same. There are, for instance, no cops in Pacifica, so levels 1 and 2 simply wouldn't mean anything there. That is fine, Pacifica is the exception and having that exception is a nice breath of fresh air. The badlands are also different, since there we have Militech presence instead of police, but apart from having army trucks and heavier weaponry, they will basically work the same.
For the first two levels, the police won't actively be looking for you, it's just when you get close to them, so gameplay wise it'll more be a feeling of avoiding any police presence you spot. For level 3, it would be very neat if there is actually a bounty on your head and you'll find other mercs coming after you. This will be very different from the MaxTac level in that they are just individuals, who may be well-armed, but aren't exactly decked out in heavily armored professional gear. Aside from the bounty on your head, police will also be more aggressive and when they spot you, they will start chasing you (until you lose them). For the last level, any District can be locked down like Watson is in the beginning. You can theoretically fight your way out, but there'll be a lot of firepower at every border checkpoint, so getting rid of your Wanted level would be a lot wiser.
And last but not least, after the Konpeki Plaza raid, you should automatically get a Wanted level of 1 or 2 (maybe dependent on difficulty?) since you just attacked the biggest company in Night City and they are mightily pissed.
So here's how I think it should work:
- Level 1 : Cops will start noticing you and turn hostile if you're near them.
- Level 2 : Aside from turning hostile, there will also be extra police presence on the street, extra patrol cars etc.
- Level 3 : Police starts actively looking for you and sets out a bounty on your head. (Wanted Posters, maybe?)
- Level 4 : MaxTac airdrops in to absolutely try to murder you, and the NCPD locks down your current District.
To go a little more into detail: we'll keep the current four levels of alertness/"Wanted", but rather than the current state where running 100 meters will cancel the whole thing, the Wanted level will no longer go down automatically. This means that once there is any number of badges/stars, they'll stay even if there are no cops around.
Obviously we don't want to be pursued by the police forever without any relief, so we'll add a method of relief. Every district (except the badlands and Pacifica - more on that later) should have a police station, one that you can infiltrate to hack into the database and erase your wanted level. An alternate way to get rid of your wanted level is to place a bribe through the local fixer, just visit them, pay a sum (dependent on Wanted level) and you're once again left alone.
Another important detail is that not all districts are the same. There are, for instance, no cops in Pacifica, so levels 1 and 2 simply wouldn't mean anything there. That is fine, Pacifica is the exception and having that exception is a nice breath of fresh air. The badlands are also different, since there we have Militech presence instead of police, but apart from having army trucks and heavier weaponry, they will basically work the same.
For the first two levels, the police won't actively be looking for you, it's just when you get close to them, so gameplay wise it'll more be a feeling of avoiding any police presence you spot. For level 3, it would be very neat if there is actually a bounty on your head and you'll find other mercs coming after you. This will be very different from the MaxTac level in that they are just individuals, who may be well-armed, but aren't exactly decked out in heavily armored professional gear. Aside from the bounty on your head, police will also be more aggressive and when they spot you, they will start chasing you (until you lose them). For the last level, any District can be locked down like Watson is in the beginning. You can theoretically fight your way out, but there'll be a lot of firepower at every border checkpoint, so getting rid of your Wanted level would be a lot wiser.
And last but not least, after the Konpeki Plaza raid, you should automatically get a Wanted level of 1 or 2 (maybe dependent on difficulty?) since you just attacked the biggest company in Night City and they are mightily pissed.