Combination Locks

[Spazz]

I agree, forgetting your code is like dropping a key, deal with it IC.

This sounds like a very well developed and deserving idea in my opinion. Perhaps you should have specialized locksmithing tools that are visible to everyone to have to change the combo to a lock, and have somebody beginning to change the combo an action announced on both sides of the door, just so that way some yahoo can't get the combo, then betray right away.

[Talapus]

The problem is that if a person dies, the key can be stolen by a thief. Because of it, towns have their keepers who hold keys to important buildings.

However, it becomes very uneffective if a keeper falls asleep - no one can use resources from the storehouse. The whole society is paralized.

Ok there is a nice solution! Let's make more keepers! More keepers means more keys, which means more opportunites for theft if something bad happens to one of kepeers. Vicious circle closes.

There is a fundamental flaw with that line of reasoning. People will keep the combo written in a note, no matter what you tell them to do. When they die, people will be able to learn the combo without picking up the note (and therefore without alerting anyone else). With keys at least, you can kill the thief and get the key back, but with combination locks you much change the code in order to return things back to their former state (and also teach everyone the new code). If anything, it will just amplify the problem you have outlined.

[Rusalka]

I am aware of that of course. There is a solution - give every char a non-physical notebook which represents their memory. Like what wishlist or something. This notebook will vanish if a char dies.

People keep such notebooks on their PC's anyway. Would be much more comfortable to have it hardwired with a char.

[Razorlance]

Or they could just Boomer the code, i.e. append the code to the buildings name, which is only visible to them. I think many people do this anyway, and it act's much the same way as a characters memory.

[Surly]

I agree with Razorlance

I actually quite like this idea.

[Rusalka]

Yeah. Great idea. Problem solved.

[Joshuamonkey]

Very good idea! I agree

A combination lock would also likely be a little harder to make. It'd be used for important buildings such as town storages.

And if they had both types of locks on the door, it'd be very good for security.

About the beep..well, we already have radios, but I wouldn't really want to have to make a bunch of wires to make a combination lock. Instead, you could see something such as a character struggling with the lock, or failing.

2000: You see man in his twenties use a combination lock and fail.

[Surly]

And if they had both types of locks on the door, it'd be very good for security.

I would actually encourage this to be an accepted part of it. I don't like the idea that a very dedicated player could try every combination on my lock whilst I sleep, unless they have my key as well... It finally gives something of a security measure against that thieves who purely wake up first when a leader dies...

[Razorlance]

Well it was Boomhauser's idea for key's originally, but it seems like the logical solution. As for the combination locks themselves, the ideas above which I like are:

The idea of a key needed to change the lock.

An option of different sizes, probably in the range of 3 to 9 digits sounds good to me, with more resources needed as they get bigger. Then it gives you the choice of a quick and easy lock or a real monster of a lock.

One attempt per day would prevent them being broken too easily, and a visible attempt seen by all in the same location, i.e. outside, room etc.

Slightly off topic, but how about padlocks? in fact I'll start a separate thread.

[Crosshair]

Two or three copper wires wouldn't hurt. Rubber or steel for the buttons... steel housing, steel turny knob thing... Does anyone work anywhere where there's a codelock set out like this?:

1 6 You've got to press C first for the keypad to be reset.
2 7 Otherwise the code does not work.
3 8
4 9
5 0
X Z
Y C

[Matix]

It is impossible to put a guard in front of a door in Cantr. There are no guards. Ok fine, that is why we have keys for everything. The problem is that if a person dies, the key can be stolen by a thief. Because of it, towns have their keepers who hold keys to important buildings.

However, it becomes very uneffective if a keeper falls asleep - no one can use resources from the storehouse. The whole society is paralized.

Ok there is a nice solution! Let's make more keepers! More keepers means more keys, which means more opportunites for theft if something bad happens to one of kepeers. Vicious circle closes.

Like in real. But as you can see in real combination locks aren't very populared and useable...

I like this idea, but i think it won't be very useful.