Atys Postal Service badly in need of reorganization

[ark014]

In addition to text messages I think ingame "Saga of Ryzom" emails should allow the following attachments:

1) Items

2) Dappers

3) Landmarks

Such attachments are seen in other MMOs and would be a great convenience in "Saga of Ryzom".

Some restrictions would need to be imposed:

1) No mailing of anything but text messages between mainland and Silan island.

2) Perhaps some limitation on bulk of items to be mailed could be imposed -- and no mailing of Mektoubs either, the Atys PETA might object.

3) Faction might have a role in mail exchanges - perhaps players of high Fame levels for Kami and Karavan could not mail anything but text messages to each other.

Thanks,
Amphiaraus

[jennaelf]

There are many ways to exchange items in the game. As far as I understand it, homin-free exchange of items (a 'mailing system' as it were, which removes any need for a 'middleman') has been left out to further encourage community interaction. Perhaps not the only reason, but it would be one of my top reasons if I ran the zoo.

I have, in the past, put in a suggestion through the ticket system similar, however.

Jeziellia digs. A lot. And I have a few much-lower level guild mates I would LOVE to shower with all these fabulous materials I'm digging... however... they work evening/night jobs or live in 'odd' time zones, and then play when there's no one on to work an exchange with them.

This is a fairly rare (I think) situation, but it makes the standard means of exchange (put it in the guild house, let the GL or HO give it to them later) pretty much ... not relevant/useful.

My suggestion didn't suggest HOW to implement it, other than charging dapper to both involved in the trade. This could discourage the "mule" practices seen in other games with such a system, among other things (which I probably am not thinking of right now). Various ways would be... for one homin to be able to leave things with the Apartment Caretaker for the building they live in. This would require the homins involved to 1 - have an apartment, and 2 - know where that apartment is located.

A fairly 'realistic' and I think reasonable approach? Have the person leaving the item pay a cost, and the person picking it up pay a cost. Perhaps calculate the total cost of the exchange based on bulk/quality/etc (like when you sell to the npc) and charge each participant 50%.

...I suddenly forget if I had alternate methods in mind.

I always try to think about the programming side of things (which is hard, since I'm not a programmer), but I'm unsure how easy/difficult such a system would be to 'insert'.

...sorry for all the ellipses and parentheticals. I'm feeling very aside-ish.

[beaut666]

I don't know, I think that in a world like Atys where they have technology to make firearms and teleportation would be able to send items through the mail.
I really give ALOT of credit to the thought that the current in-game mail system does encourage social-ness-occisity? lol
So, like a MILLION things in Ryzom that could be changed, and might work, as far as community is concerned I think that it is aint broke. SO why fix it? lol..
Dang it would be cool to send my lowbie alt some stuf though...lol

[jamela]

Interesting suggestion, Jezi; leaving things with the Apartment Caretaker. I like it a lot.

I don't like the idea of mailing items when we cannot yet even use chairs or ladders let alone the wheel, our tech just isn't up to a postal system. Note that the Ks operate the teleports, not us, and they will not allow mektoubs or inanimate objects to teleport, only you and your kit. Mailing waypoints would only detract from the game, not enhance it, it's far more fun to describe a location, or have it described to you and then try to find it.

[tr808]

*sigh* here i goo again, stop comparing this game to every game u played before, it is simply not the same game.

[jamela]

Actually, Amphiaraus, I am sure there are a couple of guilds who might be willing to take deliveries for you; for a reasonable fee, of course. Or perhaps you see an opportunity for yourself to make a killing in this unexploited market?

[XoloX]

Apart from the thought if everything that's been seen 'somewhere else' might be as good on Atys, I'd say no to this.
The mailing system on Atys is an OOC means of communication, there's no Atysian World Parcel service (yet). Sending 'stuff' IC via OOC doesn't work - except if you're Chinese...*oops*, sorry .

In addition to text messages I think ingame "Saga of Ryzom" emails should allow the following attachments:

1) Items

Against it. Would kill the dying market rightaway and move all of the rest of business into forums. Let alone smuggling of drugs

2) Dappers

Maybe. If it's harshly limited... But, when sending to Silan is impossible (where it could be used for mindless craft grinding only, anyway), why not walk over to the needy one yourself or have it transferred by a friend or guildmate who might be seeing that person online?

3) Landmarks

Whatever comes in the future, this I absolutely don't want to see. In the past, setting own landmarks was an achievement. An achievement already ridiculed by people being led to 'sweet spots' by elder diggers. The need to be in a place in person to set one should be retained at the very least. Next thing that'd come to my mind was XP mailing

In 'other games' sending all these suggested things has led to abusing the same thing a lot. A whole lot.
On top of that, you can Atys-mail characters on other shards as well. I would want to protect Atys from every convenient possibility to introduce RL currency trades. We don't need that here.

[acridiel]

100 % sign Xollox.

CU
Acridiel

[nephy13]

3) Faction might have a role in mail exchanges - perhaps players of high Fame levels for Kami and Karavan could not mail anything but text messages to each other.

Hmm, perhaps have a Neutral postal service that charges factioned players more to send mail and occassionally loses mail for them (temporarily and/or permanently). This would both buff the neutrals and be more representational of real postal services.

More seriously though, I'll worry about these things getting implemented after we get email notification (I'm curious: is no notification a bug or a feature? I never know in this game).

[philu]

There's possibly a way to implement a 'postal' service without a change to in-game mechanics. It would involve a player driven system with a guild being set up to run it, in a similar way to the Dune Farm Farmers.

It would need players from several time zones in each land - to ensure the maximum possible availability of 'post-homins'. Other players could contact them to arrange a delivery (or more likely a collection - the post-homins would probably be alts with a limited set of TPs after all). The items would then be left with the post-homin for collection by the recipient.

The post-homins could use the guild forum to record each transaction - storing such details as sender, recipient, item(s) etc.

This wouldn't be a perfect system due to factors such as if the homin handling the delivery/collection didn't play at the same time as the recipient. There would need to be a way to solve this - such as transferring the item to another, more suitable, post-homin.

I think it would provide a valuable service though. Depends if enough homins were prepared to give their time to set it up.