Mailboxes

[fenrirfenix]

Since the current chat system sucks and it's hard to talk to someone in game if you never see them, it'd be nice to be able to put the parchment item to use in a way that you have some kind of certainty that the message will get to who you intended, rather than being stolen and dropped somewhere else. Maybe as an upgrade for the corner post adjacent to a gate one could put in a mail slot. One side allows only input of items while the opposite allows their removal.

So that way you can write letters to your neighbors or stuff their mailbox full of intestines and dead rabbits; depending on your relations with them.

Also deliveries of items that need to get to someone without them having to be there to accept it.

[sabinati]

that's not a bad idea. the only thing is that there would have to be some way to disregard the claim when placing something in the mail slot.

[gisewindblade]

I like this idea

[Jackard]

does no one else fill baskets outside their claim with parchment?

[Amagineer]

Right, but the issue with the basket full of parchment is that someone could go by and steal a letter intended for you, or read your mail. They could even steal your identity if they were to replace written on parchment with blank sheets and then respond to the letters (Messing around with trades perhaps?) this way, mail is nicerish.

[kobnach]

does no one else fill baskets outside their claim with parchment?

I distinctly remember finding the parchment left at a shrine to the developers full of random obscenities. It would be nice to have a mailbox system less vulnerable to denial of service attacks from griefers (using up the parchment, destroying messages, leaving bogus communications).

As for leaving messages - well, the last time I wanted a message read, I lugged over a rock and left a runestone. I figured that was a lot more noticeable than parchment. Thank heavens for cellars.

[fenrirfenix]

Also wax seals. Another use for wax so you can tell if your mail has been opened already, and maybe the option for unique sealing stamps so you can verify who sealed and sent the message. Stamps that can be stolen and abused for false messages and whatnot.

I've used runestones in the past, but they can be replaced or taken anywhere, made by anybody and have any name signed to them. They're also very hard to use if conveying private messages. Leaving plans to attack a rival village out on someone's front lawn for all to see is just bad form.

Wouldn't hurt for some kind of basic paper made out of wood or a papyrus analogue made out of flax or hemp with ash-based ink.

[Axehilt]

Maybe turn it into more of a village-specific feature?
1. Post Offices are where mail happens. It's a log cabin-sized building with a mailbox out front.
2. Post Offices may only be placed by chieftains for their village - all the village members get mail there.
3. Post Offices have a Mail Radius (max dist mail can be sent). Radius is increased by investing horses, feed, and paper into the building.
4. These upkeep items decay at a rate based on the Mail Radius (higher radius results in more decay.)

So you can get basic mail service by having someone add stuff to the post office now and then, but you can "overcharge" it and get really amazing mail service (perhaps the ability to ship items!) if you have a villager able/willing to really devote time to keeping things running.

The key points of the design being that as you continually invest into a building it builds up the effectiveness of that building, but at the same time you incur greater decay.

The more village-wide effects/buildings designed like this, the more players are going to want to band together to ensure they can keep all their creature comforts running at peak values. "I'm glad our chieftain recruited that new guy. He's now our dedicated Postmaster, and keeps the thing at a higher Mail Radius than we've ever had; we can even send 2x2 items through the mail once a day now!"

[CG62]

A potential alternative to implementing an entire new system of buildings and zones and the like would be a simple seal that was unique to a single character (possibly not even a visible seal, just a footnote in a special color of some sort stating that the message was verifiable to be from [CHARACTER NAME]). It'd give a use for wax, and make a somewhat secure way of sending letters to people (perhaps a forgery skill to forge someone's signature/seal).

Although there would still be a need for mailboxes to ensure mail couldn't be stolen.

[Seizure]

Maybe turn it into more of a village-specific feature?
1. Post Offices are where mail happens. It's a log cabin-sized building with a mailbox out front.
2. Post Offices may only be placed by chieftains for their village - all the village members get mail there.
3. Post Offices have a Mail Radius (max dist mail can be sent). Radius is increased by investing horses, feed, and paper into the building.
4. These upkeep items decay at a rate based on the Mail Radius (higher radius results in more decay.)

My only gripe is with 3 & 4. Why not instead have a fixed mail radius (or even have it based on village size or something, not items). If this mail radius of village overlaps village with a Post Office of their own, you are also able to send mail to everyone within their radius(etc. etc.). I do not like the idea of sending items of any size bigger than 1 x 1... Unless you have to make packages to hold these items (not baskets, a specialized item for just mail) before they can be sent.

This would accomplish several things. It would keep villages within reasonable distances of each other, which would promote trading. The mail could be used between villages to make trade agreements and organize them, instead of just being able to send items on their way without needing to do any footwork.

Maybe have claims able to recieve mail, if they are in a villages Mail Radius. If they wish to send mail though, they have to hoof it to the nearest town.