The Castle Doctrine Forums

THIS is a smart suggestion... if the client only knows what the player can see, cheating is rendered rather useless...

As an addendum: This REALLY makes a suggestion that happened some time ago essential: Of the starting cash, only a small fraction should be useable on tools. Say 5000 for the house, 1000 for the tools (or even less). Otherwise, robbers would then have a huge advantage from the start, seeing how pitbulls cost way more than crowbars etc.

Concerning wirecutters and electric floors: A much needed fix. I'm wondering, though, if this actually changes the problem, since I can simply put a magic dance in place that provides power for a 8-deep-trapdoor chain or something similar and thus makes the safe impossible to get to if cut. This would force people to dance as before. It would need a non-destructive way to pass as is with trapdoors to be honestly effective. (I suggest a ladder; we could even have both fixes, allowing for floors to be cut AND passed using ladders.)

Woopsiedaisies. Thanks! I'm wondering, though, if this actually changes the problem, since I can simply put a magic dance in place that provides power for a nine-deep-trapdoor chain or something similar. It would need a non-destructive way to pass as is with trapdoors to be honestly effective. Hence the ladder.

I still feel that a lot could be done by making, say, ladders useable on frying floors (on or off) and on trapdoors (on or off). This would at least limit the feasibility of magic dances to a certain degree, or move them away from being so incredibly cheap for the level of security they present. It's strange having something that cannot be beaten in the game, since the tools present an additional check for the complexity of complicated electrics - often enough, a simple cut will render complicated things useless. (Anyways, electric floors should cost the same as trapdoors.)

I find myself leaning more and more on the "animals move on sight" suggestion, it's probably the only way forward. All this would mean is that tricky dances would require windows and thus be a lot easier to figure out without replicating (which is what anyone will do to solve them...). And, beautifully enough, this would also mean that houses with dog switches would have to allow for walking around in.

When houses kept gathering wealth despite being broken, I think the barrier of people scavenging houses was between 200-100 cash in it. (Meaning that at this point people would rob them.)

Sounds like it might be necessary, if only for the fact that there are few houses to actually test one's skills on because most start with a frying floor etc. If it weren't for that I'd hope everybody could learn tool use in houses that allow for some exploration (the way I did some time back) but if the game remains this way it might seem best.

How about a sandbox server, where you can properly rob your own house with tools, and where there are some demo-houses with standard features to test their skills on. (Like a basic maze, the standard magic dance etc.) If the game keeps getting more complex, something like that might be helpful.

I think somehow much is related to the cashflow probably and the low acceptance of permadeath afterall.

If I start building a proper house with 6000, then it's too much to risk on an uncertain heist. If I go out robbing first, my family will be dead upon my return with cash after several attempts. So in the end, one starts building a house, scavenges off new players etc., OR one ends up committing robberies for the fun of it and dying with the cash. (Liberating paintings etc.)

This drains the cash out of the game. So probably, either starting cash should be at 15000 or so, or we need some scavenging option again for the people who need more cash to build a proper house.

I have plans on my mind right now but it's just not doable with the cash provided, and since everybody is waiting for half-finished houses to destroy, it's tough even for experienced players to put something together.

You're welcome!

But just so you know: a vulnerable safe is a vulnerable family since reaching the safe saves the state of the house, so somebody can kill 8 doggies / cut 8 walls, walk to safe, come back with new tools and so forth.  If it's worth it, it will happen.

I think what you didn't see is that there were two kinds of houses popping up that were almost impossible to crack: The magic dance and the bit-lock. Both spread and none were fun. A change would mean eliminating switches as a whole. But that could still leave you with trial-and-error-style labyrinths filled with pitbulls. The electronics are rather basic (even though I, not being in any way engineering capable, struggle with them), so they can be figured out with blueprints. And the more dickish they are, the more I feel like beating a house to destruction after finally figuring it out.

I know the feeling, especially after a sloppy repair after a breakin. Gets me half the time.

Some tips on that are using floorlights, chihuahuas etc. for testing and then LEAVING your house again when testing instead of walking onto the safe. This returns you to build mode and you can replace stuff without having to pay for it. That way you can test safely without wasting money.