APB Evolved :: All Points Bulletin Game

Groups are divided into squads and gangs, made up of (what else but) cops and robbers, respectively. Each group can hold roughly 40 members, and the goal of PvP combat is to take over as much district turf as possible. Crooks get bigger jobs and better heists when they have more turf at their command. The po-pos get better gear for crime-stopping when they clean up more turf. The system to trigger a battle is fairly simple. Gangs find an area and commit crimes. An all-points bulletin (hence the name of the game) goes out to a squad, and they go straight into the action. The results can vary wildly from chases and shoot-outs to busts, arrests, and escapes. Since the game isn't an RPG, players can't level up, as there are no levels to speak of. However, APB will have its own way of rewarding skilled players. Top players will get unlockables. The more crimes that a squad stops, or the more "duties" that cops pull off -- busting a quota of criminals with a specific car, for example -- the likelier it is that those players will have access to better weapons and faster cars.

To keep a specific group from excessively bullying another group, there seems to be a balancing mechanic at work. If a gang gets busted too much by a particular squad or group of squads, there will come a point at which cops won't get dispatches to break up that gang's crimes. It sounds like a good mechanic to keep certain skilled players from preying on weaker teams simply to open unlockables, while encouraging weaker players to learn the ropes with more ease. There will also be matchmaking that will put equally balanced players head-to-head for action.

This page will continue as soon as more information about the police and gangs release.