2. Combat is an integral part of the game, removing it would mean the nullifying of the majority of the gameplay. Getting stuff with no real effort on your part is not, and (imho) removing it would greatly improve gameplay as you wouldn't have to watch out for thieves all the time when crafting or bartering. If you can think of a reason it should stay other than "its more realistic" than please feel free to share it with the rest of us.
Getting stuff without effort is possible without stealing too. So we shoudl remove PvP too than. It's rather easy to burst someone in a guarded town and have a friend take the loot. It's even easier in unguarded towns and mines. Not to mention setting traps or doing a distress call when entering someone's encounter.
What is not necessary is the harassment they sometimes dish out, but that goes for any character class.
Exactly. This weekend I got harassed by someone who refused to wait till I finished trading. He used the animation on me to get me to run. Unfortunately for him I was trading with my thief alt, so I was kind enough to return the favor ...
<Insert "its not practical to move at all times" Counter>I agree that this is the main problem. Perhaps a distinct animation and increased cooldown would be the best idea.
Stealing currently has a 30 seconds timer which resets with every item taken from someone's inventory. Having a unique animation only available once every 30 seconds will remove most of the grieving problem there is now.
If people can't grief with the animation, they'll find other ways to grief. Like pushing people out of the trader's range.
i suggest kill animation but limit stealing making it available only from behind.
That's rather ridiculous. It would make the pickpocket perk less interesting and it makes no sense. Why couldn't I steal from the side?
This will result in people having a friend standing behind them, a thief pushing the trading character away and standing behind him to steal. All in all not a change.
As I hardly visit NCR and when I do it's not for trading purposes, I don't understand much of the thieving problem.
I haven't seen any thieves in the Boneyard and hardly see them in SF, the Hub, Junktown or VC. In my experience you're more likely to get shot for loot in SF or VC courtyard than be stolen from those places.
Stealing is part of the game, whether people like it or not. In this game you need to be paranoid and trust no one. Which means being careful everywhere all the time. There's no need to to be careful or not to pay attention when trading.
However that doesn't justify the amount of people (thieves and other players alike) who use the animation to grief.
Change the animation and the amount of grieving will seriously reduce. Removing the animation won't have that effect as it will just mean people will walk up to others and stand next to damn. The target walks a way, the griever follows.