Coin operated mechanical dispensers [Duplicate]

[Songthrush]

In another thread, Sociologist has raised a lot of consciousness for the currently hopeless status of coinage and the idea of currency in general in Cantr.

This idea is a suggested solution for the problem of convertibility (currency=>goods and items) in the non-realtime context of Cantr.

We'd like to propose a new machine, a coin operated mechanical dispenser. This rugged contraption would consist of a big wooden casing, housing a set of generic locked drawers with coin slots arranged above them.

A person using the dispenser sees a menu similar to what is currently implemented for barrels and silos. They see the contents of the drawers, and are told that this drawer requires, say, 10 coins. When the set number of coins is dropped into the slot above the drawer, it mechanically unlocks and the person gets its contents (or they fall on the ground as with barrels/silos).

There is a master key for the machine, which its owner holds. This key allows him to add resources or items to a drawer, take items out, or take out the coins the dispenser holds. The master lock could be breakable using a crowbar using the same system as other locks.

Variations: Iron coin operated dispenser, Silver coin operated dispenser, Gold coin operated dispenser. In the Sociologist thread we are arguing that really only an Iron coin operated dispenser would be truly useful.

The machine, being full of gears and levers, should require a considerable amount of time,tools, and some iron to build. The suggested max capacity per drawer is 10,000g and ten or so drawers per machine.

The great advantage of building such machines is that using coins all of a sudden becomes universally convenient. Characters can instantly get an item or resource they want from an available dispenser, without waiting for other players to wake up. In larger towns the dispensers would surely become extremely popular. Because no fixed prices of any kind are set by the machine itself, its owners themselves determine the number of coins that opens a particular drawer. This creates interesting price variances from place to place, enabling a new kind of trader: the coin-carrying type who knows where to go to get things cheaper.

The downside is that some feel that such a machine would constitute "automation", which is unwanted in the game. Let's discuss if it would, to what extent would this be bad for gameplay, and if it would, may an exception be considered as an emergency solution to save coins from their present pathetic uselessness.

[Talapus]

Rejected as a duplicate suggestion. See:

http://www.cantr.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=8371