from Ask the Staff - about lockpicks

[Bestatte]

To the guy asking about lockpicks: There are only certain people with the skill to use lockpicks - it is those people who will also recognize instantly whether or not something can be used to pick a lock.

First, EXAMINE the item in question. Some things are more obvious than others.

Second, "assess -v" will indicate what something can be used for, in many cases. If your character has the skill to do certain things, assess -v will usually include a line to that end.

Third, when all else fails, try using the object in question. If you get an echo saying "You need to be holding a lockpick" - and you are holding the object in question, then chances are - it isn't a lockpick.

As for the actual item you described, I have no idea. But those are the ways you would find out.

[Tamarin]

I really wish there was a note on the boards somewhere, as a warning for people to NOT ASK where ANYTHING is in game.  That's the whole point of the game.

[Bestatte]

Err I hope that wasn't directed at me..I wasn't telling him where to find lockpicks, what to use them on, whether it's illegal ICly, or which items are lockpicks. I was explaining to him how he could find out in the game, so he wouldn't feel any need to ask outside the game.

Sometimes people coming from other games simply don't know that there are certain commands, and don't even know to look for those commands. If you don't know what a command is called, you can't exactly look it up, can you? Like - assess. It is -not- intuitive, and unless you've memorized the entire website it's not an easy thing to find if you don't know that it exists and want to know now - instead of "some time in the next hour."

[Tamarin]

No no no, that wasn't directed at you at all.  I thought your answer was very good.  It just bothers me that people seem to not make much of an effort in game to find these things out.  Very much a hack and slash attitude that I despise.

[Anonymous]

I wouldn't say I despise it, because someone coming on the board to ask where something is doesn't affect me and my PC.

But what they are doing is robbing themselves of a chance and reason to roleplay.  And that's a bummer.

[Carnage]

I wouldn't say I despise it, because someone coming on the board to ask where something is doesn't affect me and my PC.

But what they are doing is robbing themselves of a chance and reason to roleplay.  And that's a bummer.

We'll see if you're singing the same tune when a newbie finds out what the best sword to use is and PKs you in a couple of hits with it.

[Bestatte]

ASKING questions like that is nothing worth despising, Carnage. Anyone should feel free to ask questions on the GDB. That's what it's for, and a lot of new players would have no idea that they are asking something inappropriate. I edited the post in my thread about mutants for this exact reason - because I was discussing something that was IC info, that I had no idea was IC info. I know I had read it on the website months ago and had no reason to believe it had been deleted from the docs.

It's only when people start giving the IC info out that causes trouble. But asking is not trouble. It's being new, or in my case, not having any reason to believe that something I had read months ago in a public part of the website was IC info that wasn't supposed to be discussed.

[Agent_137]

have you seen the list of helpfiles?

Do you expect a new player to read that whole thing before he plays?

Christ, it should be read eventually, all files, but there's at least a moth grace period.

[Anonymous]

We'll see if you're singing the same tune when a newbie finds out what the best sword to use is and PKs you in a couple of hits with it.

I'm not referring to abuseable info or stuff that would be against the rules to learn outside of the game.  But the little stuff people don't always take the time to find out about in game.  Like how to get a merchant's token.

[Sakra]

Just a quick note, one of those items with 'pick' in the short desc is not a lockpick. If you read it's -main- description, it says it's a tool for making arrows.

[John]

I still don't know where to find those damn elusive lock-picks  :shock:  :x

[jstorrie]

Use your noggin', John.  I'm sure you can think of plenty of seedy places where you might be able to buy something illegal.

[Vettrock]

Neither do I and I've been playing for 3-4 years.  But then I've never played a burgler either.

I have a pretty good idea what area to look in, but in the time I was looking around that area with one of my characters, I never found it.

[Anonymous]

Lockpicks are a very valuable tool that absolutely should not be found easily nor cheaply. A pick allows you to get through a person's sense of security and violate their privacy. The people whom the lockpicks are meant to harm are paying hundreds of cids a month for what you are trying to break into; I've personally have been able to find lockpicks within the game, and believe them to be far underpriced for what they are able to do. John: If you are truely unable to find what you are looking for, I would suggest you linger about a tavern in an unreputable part of town and wait to find someone you can speak to.