The guards/crime system is giving me the Knahaten Flu

[Harassment by Moderation]

This is my first foray into TES: Oblivion, and I gotta ask...

HOW DID YOU ALL DEAL WITH THESE OMNIPRESENT/OMNISCIENT/ALL-KNOWING GUARDS? This is absolute ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥! I can't believe I'm missing Skyrim's system! If I had known merely HAVING a stolen item in my possession would alert every single guard within Cyrodil's border's to my nefarious ways, and that I wouldn't even be able to spend an attosecond within eye shot of a town, inn, or city without some guard instant transmission-ing to my location and sending me to the slammer, I would have dropped that item in the nearest river like it was made of lava!

[K§H]

Simply having a stolen item should cause no attention from the guards, though

[Squidfest]

Level your sneak, my n'wah. It helps.

[Xanikk]

Originally posted by prosthetic soul:

This is my first foray into TES: Oblivion, and I gotta ask...

HOW DID YOU ALL DEAL WITH THESE OMNIPRESENT/OMNISCIENT/ALL-KNOWING GUARDS? This is absolute ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥! I can't believe I'm missing Skyrim's system! If I had known merely HAVING a stolen item in my possession would alert every single guard within Cyrodil's border's to my nefarious ways, and that I wouldn't even be able to spend an attosecond within eye shot of a town, inn, or city without some guard instant transmission-ing to my location and sending me to the slammer, I would have dropped that item in the nearest river like it was made of lava!

You misunderstand how crime works in Oblivion. Read this if you want to educate yourself on it https://en.uesp.net/wiki/Oblivion:Crime
As someone who has played this game for over a decade and a half I can attest to it's accuracy. If you have any specific questions feel free to ask me.

[Shield]

I've been wearing around a stolen steel cuirass for like 3 hours lol

[Xanikk]

Wearing or possessing stolen goods does not alert guards at all. If you are seen by an npc (including animals) with a responsibility that is high enough they will report the crime to the guards at the time it is committed. The key thing here is WHEN it is commited. Nothing after that will ever alert the guards.

[Ryan]

i lock-picked into a shop, no one was inside. I went into the basement of the shop (a different zone) stole some things, went back upstairs into the shop and ..."Stop right there criminal scum!", how did he know?

[Xanikk]

Originally posted by Ryan:

i lock-picked into a shop, no one was inside. I went into the basement of the shop (a different zone) stole some things, went back upstairs into the shop and ..."Stop right there criminal scum!", how did he know?

Lock picking an owned door/container is a crime in itself. You were seen by an npc doing this. If you enter sneak mode there is an indicator that will alert you if you are currently being observed. It looks like an eye. If it is opaque it means you are being observed. If it is faded it means you are not. Wait until it goes transparent before lockpicking a door. You should get into the habit of only stealing, lockpicking or commiting trespass while in sneak mode.

[Ryan]

Originally posted by Xanikk:

Originally posted by Ryan:

i lock-picked into a shop, no one was inside. I went into the basement of the shop (a different zone) stole some things, went back upstairs into the shop and ..."Stop right there criminal scum!", how did he know?

Lock picking an owned door/container is a crime in itself. You were seen by an npc doing this. If you enter sneak mode there is an indicator that will alert you if you are currently being observed. It looks like an eye. If it is opaque it means you are being observed. If it is faded it means you are not. Wait until it goes transparent before lockpicking a door. You should get into the habit of only stealing, lockpicking or commiting trespass while in sneak mode.

Thanks dude but i played the original and skyrim, i know. I lock picked sneaking and unobserved. now answer my question again.

How did he know?

[Pixel Daimyo]

Stop committing crime. Our security system is top notch to keep criminal scum from breaking the laws.

[Xanikk]

Originally posted by Ryan:

Originally posted by Xanikk:

Lock picking an owned door/container is a crime in itself. You were seen by an npc doing this. If you enter sneak mode there is an indicator that will alert you if you are currently being observed. It looks like an eye. If it is opaque it means you are being observed. If it is faded it means you are not. Wait until it goes transparent before lockpicking a door. You should get into the habit of only stealing, lockpicking or commiting trespass while in sneak mode.

Thanks dude but i played the original and skyrim, i know. I lock picked sneaking and unobserved. now answer my question again.

How did he know?

More likely then not you are simply mistaken. It's also possible there was someone inside who saw you steal.

[Harassment by Moderation]

Something seriously doesn't add up here. First thing I remember "Stealing" was one of the random objects in the Priory of the Nine when I started the Pelinal quest line. No one else was in that house at the time. And everything reverted to "not owned" after I came back up from the basement, IIRC (wish I had known that sooner). About 5 or 6 missions into this glorified fetch quest line, every single guard is up in my face and demanding I go to prison. I believe I first encountered a hostile guard the second I entered the Imperial City. It was so bizarre.

[teabisquit]

Originally posted by Xanikk:

As someone who has played this game for over a decade and a half I can attest to it's accuracy. If you have any specific questions feel free to ask me.

So far my journey has been:
1. escape prison
2. continue to weynon priory and met jauffre
3. heading towards Kvatch and stopping in the City on the way there
I have committed no crimes in the game so far (I played Oblivion and Skyrim on 360 and on PC, I know what counts as crimes, I know if something is red, it is a crime to open, take, or otherwise interact with it). Whenever I talk to a guard in the City, they arrest me for being a thief/in possession of stolen goods. If I let them arrest me and get out of the jail or if I pay my fine (1gold) and open the evidence chest, it will be empty and will display "You get all the items that were confiscated by the guards.". I even emptied my entire inventory before opening the chest except for 11 lockpicks and after unlocking and opening the chest, it displays that message and nothing will be in my inventory except for 11 lockpicks.

I cleared a couple camps/dungeons of bad guys here and there so far inbetween the 1,2,3 steps I listed above.l Any ideas?

[Seferoth]

I love the guards in Oblivion, those sissies in Skyrim were an embarrassment.

[Varanus]

Guess you just look suspicious. I've yet to be approached by a guard for stealing anything, and I pretty much looted the entirety of the Imperial City. Including breaking into peoples homes and stores while they were sleeping.
Heck, for my first 5-6 hours, My entire set of armor, and weapon were stolen. I'm still wearing a stolen chest piece. Never once been bothered.