The Big Book of Bounty Hunting -Advanced Bounty Hunter’s Guide/Etiquette

[Cobra]

**Warning: This is an in-depth guide about Bounty Hunting ethics. Please do not complain if you hate to read and allow others to enjoy. Thank You!

For Beginners / Bounty Hunting Basics: http://www.gaming-asylum.com/forums/...rom-old-forums

Forward:

Welcome to the wonderful world of Bounty Hunting! A thankless job that puts your life on the line every waking minute here on Altis / Stratis. If you’re reading this you’ve obviously learned that bounty hunting isn’t easy and can eat up your bank account very quickly if you’re not careful. This guide will help you perfect your craft and shed light on vast world of bounty hunting.

No Bounty Is Worth Bankruptcy

Consider this the golden rule in your bounty hunting career. You shouldn’t be a full time Bounty Hunter, that’s a quick way to becoming dirt poor here. You need a stable line of work, whether it’s legal or not. If you’re committed to bounty hunting it’s ideal to do legal work (fishing, mining, factory work, etc.) to avoid having to re-buying a bounty license if you get sent to jail. If you prefer to do illegal activities just be careful and know you may rack up a bounty and be targeted by other bounty hunters.

Equipment

PO7 (Downing Pistol): The default weapon in taking down criminals, usually requiring about five shots to completely down a person. Usually you can get an instant down through headshots or upper body on naked players.

Sting (Downing SMG): An exclusive downing SMG that requires the Feud talent in order to craft at the Firearms Factory. It costs 10 Iron Ore and 10 Salt to craft and usually requires two bursts (about six bullets) to down a non-armored person.

Vermin (Downing SMG): Another exclusive downing SMG that requires the Feud talent in order to craft or purchase. It costs 7 Iron Ore and 10 Refined Salt to craft and is known for it's high rate of fire in Close Quarters Combat.

TRG 20 (Downing Carbine): This downing carbine requires the Feud talent and is a useful in both mid-range and close quarters combat. It uses the 5.56 Green Tracer rounds, making it ideal to engage criminal targets who may have bullet resistant vests.

MX and MXC (Downing Rifles): These downing rifles require the Master Bounty Hunter talent AND 500 honor points in order to buy at the bounty hunter shop. The 6.5 rubber bullets deliver decent damage both mid-range and close quarters battles. 

Zipties: Essential tool to restrain people that be bought at the Bounty Shop, Excavations, or the Rebel Outpost.

Equipment Management/Strategy:

Keep in mind that most of these tools force you to get up close and personal with your targets (1m-200m). This can make bounty hunting very tricky because it requires stealth, quick reactions, and good aim.

There’s no room for mistakes and if you are new to bounty hunting I WOULD NOT invest in the Sting or Vermin and stick with a downing pistol instead. In the past you use lose your weapon upon death even if revived (rare/fixed bug). Downing pistols teach you better CQC tactics, are cheaper, and allows you to invest in a better lethal main weapon or the TRG 20 if it's in your budget. The Sting and Vermin are decent weapons when you don’t have to worry about fully geared rebels or the APD, it can eat away at your bank account.

 

Skiptracer Basics

The Skiptracer is bounty hunter version of the Rebel Outpost, it an ideal resource for career bounty hunters who plan on completing honor ranks. Here's what the Skiptracer offers:

• Vehicle / Heli Garage
• Purchase Hunter for 100k (Requires Master Bounty Hunter)
• Bounty Hunter Shop
• Prisoner Intake (Master Crusader Talent Tree) -Increase Bounty Reward Payout after 2 minute process.
• Enhanced Interrogation (Apex Predator Talent Tree)  -Be able to take all of a bounty target's gear after 2 minute process.
• Jail assigned bounties just like the Courthouse
• WARNING: Anyone can be freely engaged within the Skiptracer, RDM does not apply within this area. 

 

Cobra’s Unofficial Bounty Hunter’s Creed

((This is merely a Code of Conduct I follow, it is NOT REQUIRED to follow this creed. It is merely a reference to a play-style of respectable Bounty Hunters.))

Bounties Aren’t People, They’re A Valued Resource.

The moment a person gains a bounty they are no longer are a person. Instead they become a target to Bounty Hunters to cash in on. Anyone can be a bounty including Bounty Hunters. A hunter may assist/protect a bounty to be pardoned of their crimes. The bounty must surrender, be restrained, and give consent to the hunter to avoid confusion among other hunters who may try to capture the bounty.

Thou Shall Not Kill A Fellow Hunter.

Plain and simple, the only exception to this is if that Hunter has a bounty and you wish to take that hunter to jail. A hunter that kills his own is lower than any criminal in Altis. Downing a fellow hunter with intentions of killing, escaping, or stealing bounties is just as bad.

Do Not Interfere With Someone’s Bounty.

Even if you have the same bounty as another hunter, don’t interfere if the hunter has already engaged the target. Unless they ask for someone stop the target or if you and the hunter/s have agree to work together. The same concept applies to the APD, leave them alone if they captured your bounty unless you've made arrangements with them. No one likes a hunter that steals bounties.

Capture First, Kill If Necessary.

You need your bounty alive to get the reward; however, sometimes the target is protected by hostiles. Often times you may have decide who to down and who to put into ground in order to capture your bounty. Just be sure to pay off your bounty at the Courthouse under the "Turn Yourself In (Paid)" option or gain a pardon from the APD. The Courthouse option is a much faster than getting pardon 90% of the time.

No Hunter Shall Refuse Aid to Another Hunter.

Many Bounty Hunters work alone while others work in tiny groups. Regardless, if a fellow hunter is requesting aid, then take it upon yourself to help your brethren if possible. You may ask for compensation depending on the severity of the situation.

In Warfare, The Law Falls Silent.*

There is a common misconception that Bounty hunters are bound by the law. This is false, Bounty Hunters do what they can to capture their target. This sometimes involves breaking the law or doing illegal acts in order to capture your target/s. You ARE NOT a servant of the law, that’s the APD, you are Bounty Hunter. A vigilante hired to capture criminals assigned to you. *Note: You ARE bound to Server Rules like everyone else.

Hunters Reap What They Sow

Everything that you do has repercussions. It comes back to you one way or another. This also means that if you help fellow Bounty Hunter, APD, civilians, even criminals you can request compensation or owed favors if you wish. They can refuse/blow you off, in return you can decide whether to help them or show them your own form of Karma. Just remember your actions can have both positive and negative effects.

Types of Bounty Hunters:

Unlike cops, there really is no specific way to play as a bounty hunter. Therefore, every bounty has their style of bounty hunting. Here are some common bounty hunter types, you may find yourself doing various styles at once.

Criminal Bounty Hunters:

Takes one to know one right? These bounty hunters are savvy on how various crimes are committed. At the same time they most likely have primary job doing illegal activities to make their cash. So don’t be surprised if you end getting their bounty for their crimes. These bounty hunters can also have ties to the better established gangs in Altis / Stratis. You can either throw these bounty hunters in jail or help them get pardoned. They can be unpredictable so use your own judgment if you want to trust them. Just keep in mind this can make or break partnerships as I will discuss in depth later.

“Uncle Toms”

For a lack of a better word these bounty hunters often called the lap dogs of the APD because they run around capturing criminals in Altis / Stratis even if they don’t have a bounty for them. They also try to assist APD in any way possible. However, these kind of bounty hunters usually run into a lot of trouble with criminals as well APD. Making it a short career for them or forcing them into hiding to wait for more crime. This is an ok lifestyle if you’re preparing for APD cadet training, but can hurt you in the long run. Good Uncle Toms have good relationships with the police and can sometimes get special treatment.

Suppliers

These shady characters are like any normal hunter except they have the nasty tendency of supplying anyone with bounty weapons (downing guns) so long as they pay their price. While it may seem harmless it can actually cause lots of problems for other bounty hunters. Suppliers allow criminals to down people instead of killing them. Meaning that unless a police officer sees them downing people, the criminals can cause chaos and rack up a smaller bounty compared to them using lethal weapons.

Fishermen

These guys stick to major cities/hot spots where people meet and wait for their targets or for someone to start committing crime. These guys will wait for hours in hiding or in public before acting. There is some danger to this method, but it can also pay really well if a hunter is patient enough to reel in a ‘big fish’ bounty.

Mercenaries

If you can buy them you can have them, these bounty hunters do any odd job so long as the price is right. They don’t mind doing the crime since they have enough funds and connections to get by. These bounty hunters are exceptional kidnappers of both the police and citizens. They can also be hired as extra muscle like guarding the governor of Altis/Stratis or armed convoys.

Lawyers:

Bounty Hunters can act as a lawyer on behalf of their bounties. This is mainly because hunters may have access to their criminal charges or just simply because they are a witness to their crimes. More importantly you protect wanted civilians from being harassed by other Bounty Hunters/Crooked APD personnel who rather throw them in jail instead of giving them a fair trial.

Hearts and Minds

Dealing With Civilians:

As a Bounty Hunter you have a giant icon that screams “Look at me!” I’m referring to the bounty badge that everyone can see. It can be both a blessing and a curse, you can identify fellow hunters yet your potential killers can also pick you out of the crowd. Remember that you are considered a civilian, so try to blend in and keep your badge hidden to avoid any unnecessary confrontations.

Tips to better your Civilian Street Creditability:

• Help them get their crimes pardoned/reduced ticket for petty crimes
• Paying for civilian tickets
• Saving, healing, or reviving civilians
• Offer roadside assistance to stranded civilians
• Good conversation skills (promoting Role Play)
• Helping the poor
• Providing basic help to the new residents of Altis

Dealing With Police:

Police can be your friend or the biggest pain in ass when you’re out hunting. Establishing good relationships with some officers can work wonders. For example, if you “accidently” kill or run over civilians/rebels a quick text to the police can get you an instant pardon if you’re in good standing with them.

Depending on the officer/s will depend on how fast you’ll establish good connections. Here’s some tips to up your Cop Creditability:

• Saving, healing, or reviving cops
• Providing valid intel that lead to cop arrests
• Splitting bounty rewards (if you’re feeling generous)
• Good conversation skills (promoting Role Play)
• Obeying the law when police are around
• Working with police on capturing criminals/rebels (joint operations)

Dealing With Rebels:

The same as police they can be great allies, but you have to draw the line on which gangs/rebels you choose to work with and which ones to hunt. Some rebels don’t mind if you hunt them, just don’t expect them to go down quietly, while others will hunt you for just being a Bounty Hunter. Good relationships with rebels can reduce the chances of them interfering with your hunts. Keep in mind many rebels kill bounty hunters on sight, compliance may prevent you from being killed, so don’t expect to be welcomedlet alone safe.

Here’s some ways to up your Rebel Creditability:

• Saving, healing, or reviving rebels
• Releasing police captured rebels or ones you capture (Known as “Catch-and-Release”)
• Warning rebels of incoming police pursuits
• Paying the toll to enter illegal zones enforced by organized rebels
• Being their designated lawyer to help them get pardoned or reduced tickets
• Kidnapping cops/civilians and giving them to rebels
• Good conversation skills (promoting Role Play)

Personally I try to keep my creditability balanced so I’m often times at a neutral stand point and I find it to be very fun. That’s the real beauty of the bounty hunter life, it can be a very social job (Role Play) lifestyle and gives a different spin on Altis. Not as cliché as being a typical law breaking rebel or government lap police officer.

Solo vs. Teamwork

As I said before, most bounty hunters work alone, making this line of work very difficult to those new to Bounty Hunting. Good bounty hunting work requires teamwork and it’s also five times more fun, here’s why:

Solo Work:

Pros

• Rarely have to split bounty rewards

Cons

• Criminals/Bounties may outnumber with their friends
• No back up if you fail
• Spend A LOT of time tracking
• Police may interrupt your hunt or even steal your bounty
• Lose more money due to equipment expenses

Teamwork

Pros

• Cover wider area = less time chasing
• Back-up in case things go bad
• Pursue bigger bounties who roll in groups
• Reduced cost in personal equipment
• Crowd control / police control
• Less stress = more fun!

Cons

• Splitting the wealth
• Low amount of organized bounty hunters
• Hard to hide depending how big your team is

Hooray for S.T.D.’s!

The ideal number for a simple bounty team is three bounty hunters; you have your Spotter, Trigger and Driver. Otherwise known as S.T.D. teams.

Spotter

• Provides info to team via binoculars, helicopter, or any method that gives him/her clear view of the target area.
• Stays out of sight unless compromised or is moving in to assist with capture.
• Best suited to those who are new to bounty hunting or still developing their aim.
• Usually the designated medic for the team.

Trigger

• The one who initially downs and captures the bounty.
• Trigger MUST address target directly in chat that the target surrender themselves for their crimes.
• Usually armed with both a downing/lethal pistol and the Downing SMGs or TRG.
• CQC Specialist or just an expendable person

Driver

• Provides swift delivery and extraction for team
• Patrols target area and provides proximity intel
• Used to cutoff or chase target that escapes the Trigger
• Proficient in handling both vehicles and helis

Bounty Hunting Controversy

Announcing Yourself

Just like the standard rules you must initiate some sort of role play conversation before downing a bounty. Phone text messages ARE valid forms of role play IF ONLY IF you provide clear orders with reasonable time to respond. An example would be sending a bounty a text saying, "I am here for your bounty, please place your hands over your head or I will down you." Always give a text about 5 - 10 seconds to send before following through with an action. Side Chat IS NOT a valid of role play and you can be labeled for RDM if you down someone by only using side chat.

Silent Killing (Dropping/Drowning People)

This method involves downing a person, zip-tying them, and disposing them via drowning/dropping them. This is NOT AGAINST Asylum game rules, however IT IS AGAINST THE LAW. Aside from the automatic Execution charge, you can be charged with Discharging a Firearm and Kidnapping. You can also be thrown straight to jail if an officer can confirm you abused your Bounty License when you silent kill.

Downing People

You may down people if and only if role-play/conversation has been initiated and they are a potential threat to your life. Valid reasons to down people are:

• Person draws weapon after engaging you in conversation.
• Person verbally threatens to kill you and you have given them prior warning to go away.
• Person fires upon you without warning.
• Target is in an illegal zone.

*Any innocent bystanders who are hit in the crossfire by your downing gun need to either be left alone or brought back up. You can bring them back up by using a Adrenaline Shot. Be sure to clear things up with them and continue about your business. You MAY NOT keep innocent people restrained after downing them; it is considered abuse of your license and possibly RDM if you didn’t address them to move away.

Restraints

When Bounty Hunting, you have the ability to automatically restrain your bounty if you can get close to them. It is a scroll wheel option when you face your target.

• RP DOES NOT have to be initiated for the restraint feature, but is highly encouraged to do so.
• By restraining a bounty you have initiated an action that can result in others engaging you.
• This feature may not appear and you may have to down the target (RP REQUIRED!).

Claiming Your Bounty:

Often times the APD or other bounty hunters may go after the same bounty. Here are some things to keep in mind.

• If you down and restrain the target it is YOUR bounty.
• If APD or another bounty hunter downs and restrains it is THEIR bounty.
• If you down a target and die/get downed the target is ANYONE’S prize regardless if you secure the target.
• Bounty Hunters and APD have the right to kill/down you for trying to steal bounties from custody.

Bounty Boosting

Bounty Boosting is a bannable offense under the pretense of exploiting / duping money. The following is considered Bounty Boosting:

• Arresting your own friends / gang mates with intentions to split or boost each others bank accounts.
• Intentionally spamming crimes (i.e. repeatedly robbing a person) with the intention to raise a high bounty for a someone to turn in for free money

Play it safe by not arresting your own gang mates / close friends when bounty hunting. Any evidence that is linked to you may result in heavy consequences whether your motives were intentional or not.

Illeagal Zones:

Don't be fooled if a criminal tells you you can't be hunting in a illegal zone, it's most likely a desperate attempt for them to gett off the hook.

• YOU MAY camp Illegal Zones if your target is heading that way.
• YOU MAY shoot on sight WITHOUT RP WITHIN THE ILLEGAL ZONE.
• YOU MAY NOT shoot on sight if the target leaves the illegal zone and you haven't already engaged in RP.
• ALWAYS RP if you feel the target is close to leaving the illegal zone (i.e. drug dealer).
• Ilegal Zone Radius here: http://www.gaming-asylum.com/forums/...-and-red-zones

(((There are other phrases that I as well as my bounty hunting friends use, but I’ve revealed enough already. I hope this provides a more Role Play Friendly Guide and Practical Guide for your bounty hunting career. Hope to see you in action, good luck!)))

Edited May 17, 2017 by Cobra

[Cobra]

Updated

[Cobra]

Reserved

[Bersabee]

Woah you put allot of work into that...

[Google™]

Read it all, and a nice guide Well done

[Cobra]

Woah you put allot of work into that...

2 years of bounty hunting in Asylum' date=' so ya, had a lot to share. Just want to give bounty hunters some sort of reference to default to.

[uSER=500"]Cody Verdes[/uSER]: Thanks man glad you liked it.

[Hakeem]

question, can you as a bounty hunter process your gang mates? I remember seeing this in the past, but now I heard it is bannable, is that true?``

[Drunk Devin]

I'm going to kill all of you.

[Cobra]

question' date=' can you as a bounty hunter process your gang mates? I remember seeing this in the past, but now I heard it is bannable, is that true?``[/quote']

DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT process your own gang mates. This is called Bounty Boosting and it is still a bannable offense under the pretense of exploiting / duping money. Thanks for reminding me, this guide is one of my older versions from the forums so I'll add-on to that.

In the past many big gangs had these "designated bounty hunters" who would turn in to split bounty prices or send the money to gang banks. Therefore you can see how this is exploiting, so some of the Admins (refer to Sneaky) made it official to not process gang mates or split money with bounties. Bounty Boosting also applies to those who intentionally spam crimes (i.e. repeatedly robbing a person) with the intention to raise a high bounty for a someone to turn in for free money. Again, it's considered exploiting the game's mechanics and it's painfully obvious when you do it.

Just turn in legit bounties, keep the cash, and don't turn in your friends/gang mates with intentions to boost cash. Any proof of that will lead to some heavy consequences. It's not worth it and I'm very eager to record/screenshot individuals that attempt it.

[Three Legs the Bandit]

Thank you for the guide, its very helpful. I have a question with extra points of note and hope you can clarify the matter.

Question : If a bounty hunter is in a red zone (kill on sight zone) and is witnessing a crime, such as selling drugs to a drug dealer / murder, can the bounty hunter shoot on sight with rubber bullets considering its a legitimate stake out area but also a kill on sight zone.

Concern : My concern is staking out these red zone areas within the rules and starting bounty hunter RP (informing the target they are under arrest / put their hands up) may be pointless because as soon as the bounty hunter is spotted (with or without badge showing) the target can kill on sight / RDM legitimately without engaging in RP.

Can you please clarify this senario as a bounty hunter. Thank you.

[Cobra]

Thank you for the guide' date=' its very helpful. I have a question with extra points of note and hope you can clarify the matter.

Question : If a bounty hunter is in a red zone (kill on sight zone) and is witnessing a crime, such as selling drugs to a drug dealer / murder, can the bounty hunter shoot on sight with rubber bullets considering its a legitimate stake out area but also a kill on sight zone.

Concern : My concern is staking out these red zone areas within the rules and starting bounty hunter RP (informing the target they are under arrest / put their hands up) may be pointless because as soon as the bounty hunter is spotted (with or without badge showing) the target can kill on sight / RDM legitimately without engaging in RP.

Can you please clarify this senario as a bounty hunter. Thank you.[/quote']

You sir deserve a free PO7, I'm glad you brought this up and I'd be happy to clear that up. To answer your question directly, yes you may engage, but RP at drug dealer since the illegal zone is extremely small for that one. Please check out the official page for extact illegal zone radius for each location.

Illeagal Zones:

• YOU MAY camp them out if your target is heading that wya.
  
• YOU MAY shoot on sight WITHOUT RP WITHIN THE ILLEGAL ZONE.
  
• YOU MAY NOT shoot on sight if the target leaves the illegal zone and you haven't already engaged in RP.
  
• ALWAYS RP if you feel the target is close to leaving the illegal zone (i.e. drug dealer).
  
• Ilegal Zone Radius here: http://www.gaming-asylum.com/forums/forum/administration-development/announcements/104-illegal-and-red-zones
  

[Midamaru]

Nice stuff, really respectable guide.

[Midamaru]

By the way for any questions related to bounty hunting in combination with server rules it's best to ask an administrator. Cobra gives valid information but the staff always has the last word on banning. Just be aware of your own actions.

[FeverishCone]

For the Vermins the salt and iron are switched around, and I believe you dont need anything besides the salt and iron to craft it.

[Cobra]

It's been a while folks, but I went ahead and updated to guide with the recent stuff added to bounty hunting. 

[bigjohn561]

Why isn't this pinned? @Zoex @Padrinos

[Padrinos]

Good work Cobra. Pinned

[Silver-Spy]

Answers many of my questions as a bounty hunter and gives me a good idea of what i should aspect dealing with the people of Altis.Good job.

[Dominic HQ]

This is a great guide. Very useful. I'm a Crime Fisherman.

[Slayin]

Good guide dude

[BioHazard]

Nice work