Unlocked locks

[Anthony Roberts]

So, we've all been there. Steal something, take over something, whatever. It has a lock, but it's UNLOCKED and the key is no where to be found.

What to do?

Nothing at the moment.

But how about if we could break that lock with (said tool) just like if it were locked? You know, add a button and viola... break the lock while unlocked.

Or even, a less violent method, study the lock and if you have a file and enough iron, you make a key for that lock. Good for infiltration, perhaps, and for taking over property.

It would of course follow the same rules as breaking the lock, you know, a notification sent to everyone around showing that they see someone breaking the lock.

Simple. This really should be something implemented. At least the ability to break off that unlocked lock.

[TatteredShoeLace]

I love it! Make it now!

[Crosshair]

Yeah, good idea, but if the lock does not change then the person with the old key could come back. so how about "dismantle and rebuild" type thing. take the lock apart, and rebuild it with a different interior, but you had to find the component resources again, otherwise it would be a crime frenzy in cantr.

[Cookie]

Technichly the same as braking the lock and building a new one. (In fact forget technichly. Make that literaly.)

As for the creating a key thing it would take quites some time to do that sort of thing and a lot of skill. Both these things could be taken into acount by making it to need a really long project.

[Crosshair]

I'm just a concerned dude.... i dont want no mofo going into my unlocked-for-a-second-whilst-i-get-my-washing-off-the-line building and changing the lock...

[Anthony Roberts]

Getting a key to an existing lock would have to be very hard.

Why?

You're not removing the lock from the door. Or... air... if it's a boat... yeah...

So you gotta stick your eye up to it, and study the gears or... something...

I don't know. Cantr physics are wack as it is. So, it's possible, whatever the explaination. But it would be much harder, yes.

Breaking the lock and replacing it, surely much easier.

[Crosshair]

Well... think how you would break a lock in real life. if it was a padlock, maybe a hard object would work, and maybe then you could change the script so instead of a project, you could attack it with the object. or you could just make the object useless to locks by adding a lockpick, which would work the same as a project, but would be more realistic.

[Agar]

I'm ALL for breaking unlocked locks. I've wanted that since the very first time I sto ... aquired something that was unlocked.

As for making keys for existing locks, I'm all for that too. Moreso, even. But you should try to keep a balance, so like it's been said, make it a long long project. The tool to break locks uses a good bit of steel, so that's hard to come by. If you have some iron and a few of the right tools, you should be able to make your own key to a lock exists. Toolwise, I'd say a screwdriver to poke around and examine the lock, and a file to cut the new key. Give the new key odds on if it works or not, and if it doesn't the iron and the key it was made into dissapear, rather than trying to add some useless key database. If the key works, you now have a master you can cut copies off of.

Can we also get a "Jimmy" lock project? Take a screwdriver and try to change an open lock to a closed one, and vice versa? Have it take a long time, and have reaaaaaaaaaally low odds on succeding. A thief might be able to lock persuers out, but have a hard time letting himself out, and starve to death in his own prison.

It's impossible to do this with modern brass pin and tumbler locks, but older iron keyed locks could be jimmied with enough time and effort.

[The Industriallist]

Curiosity...how does jimmying a lock differ from picking, which is very much possible with modern locks? (Some are nearly impossible, but...)

[Agar]

Jimmying a lock involves jamming some sort of small prybar, like a screwdriver, into the opening for the key, and torquing the lock untill the mechanism is forced into the position you desire.

Picking a lock would involve trying to be a bit more gentle and subtle, having thin, strong, specalised manipulators to operate the locking mechanism from the exteritor while causing no damage and leaving few, if any, traces.

[Solfius]

picking/jimmying would be a nice addition to the game. Perhaps picking wouldn't announce that you are trying to open the lock? As Agar said it is much subtler a process

[Agar]

Yes and no. If actual lockpicking were introduced, to be effective it would need several things.

First off, if you fail at lockpicking with lockpicks, it SHOULD make some noise.

Secondly, there should just be a chance of making noise anyway while working, regardless of whether you're going to succeed.

Third, picking locks needs time, so there's a chance someone can spot you doing it my looking at your characters page, much like how some groups police the gathering of hematite or limestone.

Fourth, lockpicks are not big, so they won't be obvious if you're carrying them. For that reason, they should require steel, and a good bit of it, to make the whole set of lockpicking tools you'll need, even though you might need only 3 or 4 on a particular lock. Further, you should need a shed full of tools to make them. File, hammer, flattner, anvil, pliers, peen hammer, your typical batch of high end tools.

And again, they shouldn't be automatic, just have some odds to succeed.

But, even with all that work and more, they'd be damn worth it, just to have the odds on possibly sneaking in a building with no one the wiser.

[madprofit]

In real life when you need to copy a key and only have a lock it works something like this: A locksmith will take a blank key made from a soft metal and place it in the lock. By turning it back and forth it is possible to mark the blank with the position of the tumblers. He then uses those makers to carve a copy of the key in to the blank. This key is usually to soft to work for long but can be used to make regular copy from.

[The Industriallist]

IRL lockpicks are very small, and you only need 1 pick and a 'wrench' for practically any simple lock. But for cantr purposes they should probably be costly in metal and very slow to make (actually, they're pretty slow to make IRL)

The only thing I'm not sure I agree with is the idea that failure or bad luck makes 'noise', by which I presume you mean an event. Lock-picking isn't a very easy process to conceal, but the only way you'll get much sound, or anything particularly attention-getting, out of it is if you start cursing at the lock for being so hard to open.

And for game purposes I think policing the activities should be enough. Maybe it could follow a mechanic akin to resting, where the project isn't publicised on the activities list, can't be helped with, and disipates when abandoned?

[Nick]

Maybe it could follow a mechanic akin to resting, where the project isn't publicised on the activities list, can't be helped with, and disipates when abandoned?

I don't think resting projects are private. And they don't disappear when abandoned if the person is dragged off.