Just a thought: it's already rare to find a creature with max or near-max stats. You've mentioned it's not a uniform distribution, which makes sense. However, if you then also make max stats harder to capture, you have two non-linear (and multiplicative) factors contributing to overall scarcity. This is going to be a bit harder to dial in.
In addition, the combined effect could frustrate players. If it's already rare to find good stats, then missing them is going to feel bad. If anything, I'd make it harder to find max stats but easier to capture. That may not make sense from a lore/world-building perspective, but it does for player enjoyment. You could dial it in to the same expected value even, but players may be happier.
So no penalty (for simplicity) or even a bonus to capturing is the thought.
Good points, thanks for the input!
It's true and as I mentioned in the comments we don't want to be completely evil, it's also a reason why those at max stats will be one of the few that will tell the players they are max stats so they don't zone out and just defeat them while not checking the damage output/intake or giving it any thought.
We may change it in a way where they're just more likely to flee rather than harder to capture, the idea would be for players to be patient and wait for the right moment to use "hard to obtain" ammo that took a long time to farm the materials and may have a cooldown of creation by those with the professions and schematics. So they can increase the odds of catching the right one or what they believe to be the right one when the time comes.
We will definitely have to still test and balance everything but I don't disagree with your point!
On top of what I mentioned, we'd want players to be in their optimal "catching" gear when facing encounters or going on a capture hunt where they have maxed out their available luck and their monster roster exists of both tanky and creatures with moves that help immobilize other creatures to prevent their escape. If they find rare creatures they believe to be strong they're going to be very ready to throw the odds as much as they can their way.
We also have to remember that it can't be too easy to catch these, the game is meant to be a long one where we won't see max-level healers and monsters at max stats since but more of a mix of some great/close to max healing items, few great/close to max creatures and/or some great/close to max creature moves. This will also ensure that when players get lucky enough to get great items or a creature they won't just quickly sell it off but realize that they can use this to do very well in the game and that it's actually exceptionally rare and hopefully utilize it as much as possible before they consider trading it off while we try to balance the earnings players with rare items and good gameplay can earn over time compared to a quick trade.
Good points. I also love the idea of suiting up in your best catching gear. Reminds me of putting on magic find gear in Diablo 2. You could push yourself to see how many raw stats you could give up in exchange for the chance to find better stuff.
Makes even more sense in this game. Capture gear for capturing and then training gear to fight against the toughest opponents for best leveling.
Unless another player catches you in your luck gear when capturing/finding mats and challenges you to a duel you may not be able to refuse. ;)