Theft

[Thomcat]

While my characters are mining coal, I've been thinking...

What is the best way to deal with items on the ground? I'm not suggesting that the programming be changed, but I'm curious what makes the most sense?

If something is on the ground in a building, is it by default guarded? Should there be three states of items (held, guarded, open) ? Should I be able to "stand over" an item or pile of items outside a building? Finally, does it make sense to allow somebody to steal a random percentage of items from a pile (the quick grab and run) ?

(I tend to think items in a building should be, by default, guarded, if someone is there. It's pretty easy to "block the door" as it were.)

Apologies in advance if this has been covered elsewhere, but my searches didn't find any significant hits.

--Thomcat

[Agar]

There's no rule against stealing. For not suggesting the programming be changed, you seem to have a number of suggestions on how to change the programming.

Things on the ground are handled pretty much the same way they are in real life. If there's someone who cares around to see, they can do something about the thief. If gaurding it was someone's job, they probabally give chase. If everyone is dead and/or sleeping ... The loot is there for the taking.

Carpe bling bling, baby!

[kroner]

i don't think he's asking how it is, he's asking if it should be changed so that items on the ground can not be stolen, or completely stolen if they are being "gaurded".

personlly, i think it works well enough the way it is. not a perfect system, but i can't think of anyway to change it that wouldn't make it overly complicated and nonsensical in some way.

[LoM]

I don't see the sense if items being "guarded"

It is how it is in real life: people see if an item is taken and they tell you to put it down. if you dont they kill you (ok that's not how it is in real life).

If there are people an item is guarded...
what is missing is the pssibility of stealing things unseen.

[Thomcat]

Yeah, put more succinctly,

With a limitation of 200 minutes per day, there's no way I can guard things except to pick them up. So I have to work in shifts with other people to truly guard things.

(Then again, the chase seems to break into time slots of a Cantr hour each. So arguably I could log in 24 times a day and catch any thieves...)

Another way to deal with guarding might be to allow you to "carry" it but not move when you are "carrying" more than your movement limit.

[Okay, so in real life, I'm a programmer. It's how I approach things.]

Thanks for the answers, friends!

[nitefyre]

Thomcat, if you have the time, I highly suggest you apply for the Programming Department to help out cantr, if you have those capabilities.

The idea of guarding items, as stated, can be compensated by the picking up/lock up/hunt down theif plans, so I have to agree, it's not a necessary change, right now. I would rather to be able to board vehicles on the road, or talk to chars on vehicles, atm, or better yet: clean up tiredness and rottage.

[Surly]

A programmer? Don't make any sudden movements... he might run away...

Easy now. Just let the Cantr bug do its own wonderful work. Then maybe he can sort out this annoying tiredness issue.

[kroner]

Another way to deal with guarding might be to allow you to "carry" it but not move when you are "carrying" more than your movement limit.

I guess that could work. But having a limited carrying capacity is part of the reason people build buildings with locks. You wouldn't want that sort of storage ability to be free...
Although maybe it would make sense to have a larger but still limited capacity if you stayed put. Idunno.

[SekoETC]

This topic reminds me of the game Nethack. There you can drop things in the square you're standing in and protect them that way - it's a useful tactic defending against leprachauns that can steal money from you by hitting you. But what I noticed is that the programmers had also realized that, and in some cases the leprachaun can still snatch some from between your legs.

Applying a guarding option would be a sort of automation which everyone seems to be against. Besides it might require a grid system. And how do you stand over a pile if you're working on a project that requires moving? It would be nice thought if you could organize things around the room, divide them into piles and such, espicially when you're storing things belonging to several people and wouldn't want to bother keeping a list of every gram.

[Agar]

*Starts engraving Elbereth into a rock*

[El_Skwidd]

what is missing is the pssibility of stealing things unseen.

one of my chars... now deceased by way of a wild boar ... was going to start a theives' guild out in some deserted city. then this character realized that it seems to be impossible to take something without anyone seeing it... unless of course there's nobody around. with so many righteous people in all the cities it would be really hard to pull off.

yea, so being a good theif SHOULD be hard. but should it be THAT hard? i know it might be complicated and annoying to some characters, but the ability to pickpocket things might make for more houses, storages, etc. etc.

as for the guarding items... it MIGHT work. it would be complicated. and if it is implemented, i think that if you're guarding a pile of something you should only be able to guard that pile of something and not work on another project. but i'm overall against it.

after posting this, i want Cedric Spora back...

[The Industriallist]

Theft isn't as hard as you think. You just have to recognize that cantr theft doesn't work on the same principles as RL burglary. There's no 'sneak in at night', no 'blend with the crowd'...your thieves need to come up with techniqus that fit the world they live in.

[Agar]

Techniques:

Check to see what food is around, but don't pick it up yet...

Check the vehicles, largest ones first, to see if they're unlocked.

If yes, grab food and leave in the biggest one possible.

Otherwise, go to next town.



If you have a vehicle now, ransack the next town QUICKLY, then leave quickly, but don't forget the vehicle. (I did that once )

Spend your time inbetween towns thinking of good catchphrases. "Land Pirate"

If someone is awake, eg ("What do you think you're doing going in and out of our buildings?"), RUN. Maybe come back later.

[The Industriallist]

Techniques:

Check to see what food is around, but don't pick it up yet...

Check the vehicles, largest ones first, to see if they're unlocked.

If yes, grab food and leave in the biggest one possible.

Otherwise, go to next town.

Note: unless you intend to screw up, first make sure the vehicles are empty...I forgot that once...got away with it anyway, somehow.

Though I don't think much of that approach, really.

[Spider Bites]

Murder is easier if you ask me. As long as you are in a house with a lot of rooms. Which reminds me of a certain assasinated governor Anyways I just killed the dude and left. Nobody asked any questions till I was a town away and the governor was still in that one room of his mansion. It's fun. ONLY DO THIS IF YOU HAVE A VEHICLE.