Pigeon carrier service

[Kugar]

What:

Pigeon carrier service.


Why:

For a more RP-realistic way of reaching out to and communicate with someone who you cannot find in the game world. Whilst PM's on the forum are a great thing, the game should be able to stand capable on its own and have a system like this included.


How:

This could be done in two ways but always with the same outcome as seen below.


Solution 1:

Characters could use this service in a town census office (to contact registered citizens in each town -- this means characters would have to go to the town where a certain character lives e.g Joe from Cadomyr and use the service there to contact them --) or Borgate's tavern at the Hempty Necktie (to contact outlaws). A 15 silver fixed fee could be required to send a message (nothing in life is free, folks).

Why must players have to go to a certain realm to use the service:

Because from a technical point this can theoretically (and practically) trigger a pop-up menu of all the citizens from that realm (this may be easier for developers to achieve by only showing who is online at the time) and the player can choose, from the list, who they want to send a pigeon to. After the player has selected who they want to send a message to, they simply type their message in the text field and hit send.

From a role play stand point, I'd imagine it could be that every citizen is allocated a pigeon of their own or some such?


Solution 2:

Create pigeon stables outside of the realms. A new NPC can be designed to be the pigeon master and handle the events much like described in solution 1. As an aside to this solution, the stables could have the ability to run out of pigeons via a simple int count. This means that players could go find pigeons and double click them to collect them (like a quest event) and go back to the pigeon master to refill the pigeon stables (by either double clicking on the stables or triggering the npc by saying an allocated trigger word). Characters could be paid 5 silver for their help/trouble and enable the pigeon master to make a tidy profit from the 15 silver fixed fee of sending a pigeon message.


Outcome to both solutions:

A pop up message with the inputed text string could appear for the specific player who was sent a pigeon. Just like when a GM sends a message for a specific player to read - only with the prefix: Pigeon carrier: 'message'.


Conclusion:

The pigeon carrier service could help in providing players with more role play opportunities whilst helping to make the in game world of Illarion to appear more fuller and functional in terms of getting players together. It would erase the age old problem of lonesome and boring gaming experiences.

Cheers.

[Katharina Brightrim]

I really like this idea, would love to see that ig.

But maybe the pigeon should not reach the char the letter is addressed to, but an NPC (like the civil guard at the gates of the towns) who delivers this message to the char, since a pigeon cannot know where the char is in the moment. Something like that. ^^

[Estralis Seborian]

Can you add your details here? http://illarion.org/mantis/view.php?id=8493

[Kugar]

Added.

Btw whilst I'm aware this is not a new concept I haven't seen a comprehensive solution yet. Hopefully this will help the idea mill.