Mailboxes

In a world where towns are instances, people are not online 24/7, and houses are "open" to strangers, it would be nice if we could leave notes for people...

- Nice decorations, I love what you've done with the place!
- Why do you have 50 thrones of bones in your front yard? Is this the New Britannia equivalent of putting your car on blocks?
- Interesting collection of books! Would you like to meet sometime to discuss?

 

Yes. We'll be able to lock our houses in the real game, you saw the (not working) permissions dialogs already.

 

In a slightly different vien someone will surely post something not quite as pleasant and very derogatory about your mother or sister or possibly your mother being a dog. I think you get the idea.

 

Of course they will, but that's all part of being on the internet. There's already an option to block people.

 

I think you missed my point.

 

So...what?
??

 

I think it would be great to have a guest ledger that people can write in and leave you a message. Of course, you could also set write permissions, like everyone, friends, kindred, etc.

 

There was a good discussion about mail boxes (and postal services) last year.

 

"It's ~Time~ for Some Old Post Time Travel"

Bowen Bloodgood, Indeed there was!

(another shameless plug for older posts )

Other older threads about the Mail with open poll and other ideas and opinions;
https://www.shroudoftheavatar.com/forum/index.php?threads/we-need-mailboxes.5893/#post-95646
https://www.shroudoftheavatar.com/forum/index.php?threads/new-britannia-postal-services.2953/
There's some unique ideas here, there and yonder
It all just makes for great stimulating thoughts into what we could call anything "New for our New Britannia"
Kudos Bowen Bloodgood...


After all, what are Time Lords good for anyway?
~Time Lord~

 

"Ever Evolving Systems for Fun and a Temporary System Need for Mail Now"
The thing I would like to point out with any mail systems that I've read in all these posts past and present, is the need for us all to see that our New Britannia is and will always be an ever evolving systems of the ways we want to see our gaming world grow. "New Britannia will always be changing" and that's a fact because of the way it is being developed. I would not be surprised to see that many of the ideas for mailing (or doing or having anything) be eventually implemented just because they are ways that are fun for "somebody" and were afforded to us by our great programing friends at Portalarium.

All the above reasoning is why I say that we need to "start slow and simple" as it is with everything else because of our building proses.

We have a need for a mailing system as soon as we have permanent residences and not before that time, unless that system is "very cheap to implement" as well as being known that it's "temporary".
I have no doubt that a mailing system that is "fun to use" between friends is coming some day, but in the mean time, if it's cheap, if it's now needed, then lets have one. currently I don't see the super need for one, but just as some have stated above, maybe it's a good way to meet up with those around us for the coordinating of décor and for it's social value.

Keep it simple, keep it cheap and keep it temporary...
~Time Lord~

 

This is my concerns for having a mailbox, I have copied a previous post of mine from one of the older threads. This is only my opinion and it was hashed through with many responses in that thread haha. but here it is.

 

"The USA's First Postmaster"


L.M. Avorin Swiftslay Said;

This is my concerns for having a mailbox, I have copied a previous post of mine from one of the older threads. This is only my opinion and it was hashed through with many responses in that thread haha. but here it is.
L.M. Avorin Swiftslay said: ↑

I am not sure about mail just for a few reasons. One is spam. The other is I believe it might hinder vender sales hurting vender profit. If i could sit and craft near a mailbox, and send items C.O.D. and not need a vender it is no good. People could sit in irc, make the sale, go to the mailbox, hit send, no interaction at all. I can picture WOW in my head with everyone afk around the mailbox lol​

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
~TL~
I totally agree and would add an objection to any new Britannia Parcel Post because it is a product of the industrial age. Parcel Post is less than 100 years old within the USA Postal system.
We don't even have a Kite for our first Postmaster to be able to fly yet
~Time Lord~

 

Well, what Baron Drocis Fondorlatos suggested is not strictly a mail system, but a way for people to leave messages at other's homes. A mailbox, without an automatic mail system. That would be useful for player communication.

In fact, I'd suggest to implement the boxes, but never an automatic mail system. Think about it: Players could act as mailmen! If the mailboxes allow for items, players could be couriers... It could actually be a very simple system (just a mailbox and the ability to put things in it) which could provide emergent gameplays.

Spam and inappropiate content is always a risk, but there is the option to block players for the first, and the second would be a TOS violation, so it could be reported (and no, sending your enemy a dead carcass with a note which says "You'll pay for what you did, you vile scoundrel" is never inappropiate content )

 

With this clarification, I could get behind this idea! It would indeed create an in game player service! Just a plain mailbox I wonder if we could get a hybrid recipe from carpentry/alchemy to make paper parchments to write on and deliver these letters!

 

Or perhaps chalkboards/writing slates decoration where people could leave a message that the public could view (and with guest permissions) and leave a reply message. This chalkboard could make use of the dialog (chat) system (so you talk to the chalkboard to write and it speaks to you what is written on it).

Similar to a town crier repeating what has been said to them.

 

Charge in game gold for using any mailbox and it should help keep the SPAM down.

 

Well, whatever format this form of asynchronous communication takes, it is an absolute necessity for player-town owners.

Consider: One of the tenants in your town only plays in SPO mode, and so you will *never* actually see them in-game. How do you communicate with that player ?

There *must* be some means to leave that player a message and get their attention.

 

That sounds great for the home owners but not the other 95% of players without one.

You need a mailbox in the town centre's that you can pick up your mail and either a message you have mail or the mailbox becomes highlighted for you if you have mail.

 

I think they'll eventually add mailbox services at your bank, or another dedicated building for postal services. Everyone will eventually have one but afaik they haven't committed to creating mailboxes for anyone yet.