In-game mail for offline communication

[Wirt]

So, I've been thinking - what if you've met a guy in the game and started doing things together, but don't want to share your personal details like e-mail, but still want to stay in touch - preferably, using in-game tools, because I like my games self-sufficient. There's two ideas that I'll post over two threads, like I'm supposed to. The other thread is here.

A lot of MMOGs use an automatic mail system. I'm not suggesting one of those. No, that's no fun at all. I want a fully player-driven system. This one does add a couple new mechanics and items. I'll try to explain in order.

Scrolls: this is simple: use beeswax on a piece of parchment to seal it. To read it now, you have to break the seal - a broken seal is fairly obvious and of course it can't be repaired.
Seal customisation: you can customise the seal a bit for a minute before it solidifies completely. The simple way is just adding a 30-symbol "message" (Probably involving "to:" and "from:"). If you have access to metal, however, you can make a personal seal (In the shape of a ring). Let's say it displays a unique number in addition to the text. These can be copied, much like keys and, in theory, eventually, forged.
Postboxes: these pieces of construction introduce a new mechanic: they come with a key, but you can drop scrolls and pieces of parchment into them without it. To retreive, or even look at the contents, of course you need the key. You're supposed to set these just outside your claim, than tie them to your hearthling (Using a dream, I guess?) so anyone but you opening it leaves a trespassing scent.

Yes. I know it's inefficient, easy to intercept, and overall exploitable. Maybe I just want to play postman. But wouldn't it be cool to intercept an important courier?

[Melgui]

I like self-sufficient games and I support stuff like this, but I think most of gamers will ignore this communication feature and related. I suggested a similar thing in the sign board thread before but nobody seems to take in consideration, the thread went totally offtopic because of discussions about global warming.

Sorry for my broken english. I'm trying (google) my best.

[Wirt]

This sign board thread? I think everyone accepted it. If not, there's another global warming thread? Gimme!

Oh, and your English is quite passable.

[Melgui]

Yes, this is the thread, I wrote this:

I support the sing board idea. Biggers boards where people can stick (and take) a limited number of written parchments or maps would be nice too. I like the idea of playing the game without external tools, like snapshot mapping or irc, using only game features. Consider adding new skills if all of this "ingame communication stuff" were added to the game.

Wirt wrote:
Before you ask, yes, I know how to sink runestones.


Please, can you tell me? I don't know how to do this.

As you can see, the following post are about volcanos and global warming But I'm going offtopic too... Tell me, what do you think about those "bulletin boards"?

[Wirt]

I like it and fully support the idea of a "self-contained" game, as you might've guessed. Can't really add anything to your suggestion.

[Jeebus]

Why not carrier pigeons? One could build a perch or a messenger roost (Some might suggest requiring maintaining feed for a roost) where one could take said scroll and attack it a small bird (doesn't necessarily have to be a pigeon, I guess) and have them schlep it out there to your target.

Of course, one could point to the concept that carrier pigeons could be intercepted, as in real life, but then I'll point them to a crossroad or a dream catcher and tell them to eat it. Games with realism are okay, but once they hit a certain point, the realism starts to get tedious.

[DatOneGuy]

Mail sounds cool, so do pigeons, but I see no reason why either have to be exclusive to the other.

Were carrier pigeons around in that time? Were they used? To what extent? In Northern Europe?

In any case, the general idea of getting messages to people is long overdue, leaving them a PM on the forum just isn't the same, you got russians who don't use the forums, people who are scared of forums who don't use the forums, people who use like 5 different accounts for the forums, all of that crap, then if you try and workit out via IM you got people using Skype, ICQ, MSN, AIM, YIM!, Jabber... it's like "JESUS CALM THE FUCK DOWN" I don't have time to keep trackof everyone and where to contact them, this would solve this problem for me, big time.

[Enrymion]

How about simply being able to craft a message by using some items like beautiful dream and a string and then send it through a heathfire(by right-clicking it) or kinlist(with some button in there) that'll be shown when target logs in at his hearthfire or checks it.

This way hearthfire could work as a mailbox giving others a chance to read or steal your mail without needing new buildings.

Throw a string into the wind and dream of your friend and maybe he'll hear you when the winds find him.

[Wirt]

How about simply being able to craft a message by using some items like beautiful dream and a string and then send it through a heathfire(by right-clicking it) or kinlist(with some button in there) that'll be shown when target logs in at his hearthfire or checks it.

This way hearthfire could work as a mailbox giving others a chance to read or steal your mail without needing new buildings.

Throw a string into the wind and dream of your friend and maybe he'll hear you when the winds find him.

I like this as well, but as I said - I like the idea of a player-driven mail system (And I want to play postman, dommot!). Now, if sending a message via hearth fire cost, say, a numen point per 20 symbols, I'd like that.

[Enrymion]

By player-driven do you mean that some player would have to actually deliver the message, if not then what? (I assumed the goal was to send long-distance offline messages in-game, which I can't imagine working well if we need some random guy to play the postmanl)
I think the cost of messages shouldn't be very noticeable(but still be there!) since online communication doesn't have one and other forms of communication exist. Naturally there should be some limits in the amount of messages receivable like only 1 unread message in a day per sender or 2-5 messages without cooldown.

Also seals and containers you need a key to take from would be great but I don't think seals would see much use until we get some more uses for paper like "contracts" and "in-game knowledge" that can't be sent out-of-game. But still it would be nice to see and could work well with the village seals for coins.