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+--- Thread: Expanding the Courier job: The Mail Warden (/showthread.php?tid=22724)
Expanding the Courier job: The Mail Warden - CalliopeSoups - 05-28-2024
This is a silly idea I just had so I'm writing it down. I was thinking about how defrauding mail might seem like a graver crime if couriers were made a roundstart job, and that lead me to thinking of Beepsky. What if we gave him a side hustle? Or otherwise, what if there was a mobile robot that would act as a driving motivator for the courier to do their job, as well as create opportunities for unique traitor items involving the bot?
Here's how I think it would work. Beepsky, or the new bot (I'll call either result the Warden from now on), would always know where the courier is on the station while otherwise patrolling. If it detects that someone has opened mail illegally, it immediately heads for the courier's location and hits them with a stick or something. Doesn't have to be a stun etc, just something visual and funny. The main goal is that the Courier is made aware that they've lost mail.
An issue I have with courier being roundstart is I don't think handing IN mail gives any mechanic feedback other than the social interaction you get, which is by no means worthless in itself. Here's where the Warden comes in, who could give out rewards to the courier in turn for doing their job. It could either track successful deliveries wirelessly by itself, or there could be a token placed inside mail for the courier to collect as proof of delivery, which they would then slot into the Warden. Perhaps through some mechanism, a pouch of dye is released on the token if the mail is opened illegally, which would ruin it. Could maybe come with a funny dialogue with the Warden if you try to cash those in.
Thinking on rewards the Warden could give out I had a few thoughts. Straight wage boosts where the Warden shoots a bit of confetti (the boost is 2 credits), bad or unusable cash, snacks and drinks, something actually bad like a cloud of miasma or rotten food, special clothing items (like the type you get from space crates) or possibly even things that aid in your job. Perhaps you'd need to turn in some tokens before getting your pinpointer, so you deliver to easy to find people on your list first. I don't really have ideas for traitor items myself and wouldn't mind seeing thoughts.
It would have to be replaceable of course which wouldn't be an issue if Beepsky is used, sec are already fond of him and get a death alert when he's taken out so he's often rebuilt. I thought briefly that the Warden could be the source of new mail as well. Personally, though, I like the interaction going to get mail from QM brings. As well as that, QM acting as a middle man creates opportunities for the mail to get lost, and for the Courier to get dealt with by the Warden!
RE: Expanding the Courier job: The Mail Warden - cheekybrdy - 05-30-2024
It being nomadic while fitting, I can see it being exploited for tiding like old securitrons, or just too plan slow/awkward to pathfind. There is the mail sorting room on most maps which is the Mail Courier's workplace, although its rarely needed, could be a good spot for a vendor now its a full job.
RE: Expanding the Courier job: The Mail Warden - Glamurio - 05-31-2024
I'm a little confused about this proposal. What is the exact purpose of the warden that's not already sort of existent? Mail Couriers know when their mail has been defrauded, they get a message saying "You suddenly feel hollow. Someone has violated the sanctity of the mail."
Furthermore, the courier already gets a stacking cash bonus in the next mail crate every delivery that tracks how many mails have been successfully delivered. So that already exists as well.
As for adding a "Mail Vendor" type thing like we have with fishing, that could be a thing, I'm not sure it needs to be a patrolling NPC though.