Topic

Home Security: Exterior

idea: item lock things to the exterior of a house or doorway within a small radius. Items can only be picked up by the person who dropped them and/or the home owner.

There's been plenty written about interior home security and kicking folks out, but not so much about the outside. During Beta (I know, I know), one of my favorite things was to leave (and see) stuff outside friends & neighbor's houses (esp seeds & a drink for a housewarming treat). It's also really nice to come home to find a drink or something on your doorstep. However, lately my street has been plagued by street thieves. At first the firefly jar & gandlevery flower I decorate my doorstop with hung out for a couple days. Now it seems to last a few hours if I'm lucky and so I'm reduced to doing it only if I know someone is coming over. Drinks left at doorsteps disappear just as quickly. This is a sad but natural consequence of the growing world, but it does reduce some of the random community love feel of it. An exterior item drop lock would solve the problem.  

Posted 14 months ago by Vera Strange Subscriber! | Permalink

Replies

  • I left a present on the doorstep of each of the neighbors on my street yesterday and they were all stolen by the time I logged in today (except for one I think). It might be tough to lock small items like that but how about larger ones? My experimental neighborhood piggy feeder disappeared overnight too. I would have bolted it down if I had the option.
    Posted 14 months ago by Aleph Zero Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I realize this might be difficult programatically, but it really would help foster a sense of community. The 10% who choose not to play nicely with others shouldn't ruin it for the other 90% of us, and this is the best idea yet I've seen to combat it.

    For that matter, this same kind of lock would be excellent for *inside* homes too - can only be picked up by the home owner or the person who dropped the item.
    Posted 14 months ago by Quack Macallan Subscriber! | Permalink
  • We really do need a way to secure items left outside...perhaps a 'welcome mat' of sorts that cannot be moved and has a locking ability for anything put there - items once placed on the 'mat' could only be picked up by the house owner.
    I don't know anything about writing code, programs or whatever it's called, so, don't know if it would be easier to allow only the homeowner to pick up items or to allow homeowner and person dropping items...that would be one for the devs...perhaps, if nothing else, a confirmation asking are you sure you want to drop 100 butterfly eggs?
    Posted 14 months ago by Firestone1960 Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Maybe they should add a confirmation bubble to ask you if you're sure you want to pick something up that isn't yours, and if you confirm "Yes", a big scarlet neon T (for thief) shows up above your head so that everyone knows you have sticky fingers and you are constantly bombarded with tomatoes everywhere you go.  Yes, I HATE thieves.  Hate is probably not the right word, but I can't find one strong enough to convey how I feel about thieves.
    Posted 14 months ago by Joojoo Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Firestone1960 the sticky welcome mat is a brilliant idea!
    Posted 14 months ago by Aleph Zero Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Thanks Munchma!

    ...and JooJoo...lol...hate may be the right word!!  Personally, I like 'detest'...but the branding - wow - inspired idea - and maybe a serious mood and energy drop buff that the only way to get rid of it is to return the stolen items!!!
    Posted 14 months ago by Firestone1960 Subscriber! | Permalink
  • What about lawn gnomes? I mean not only could they say anything you want, but what if the person who wanted to leave a gift could give it to the gnome for safekeeping, that way when the homeowner stopped by their house, instead of the usually bubble saying its saying, it gives you notification (something big I would think like music or just really REALLY big lettering saying that you have a gift. Of course this would solve the giving neighbors gifts but not just placing things on the floor to add more character to the front of your house in which a radial boundary would probably be the best solution. I guess I just would like to see those gnomes in action more <3
    Posted 14 months ago by Sweetum Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Of all the suggestions along these lines, the one I like best is that each house has a "mail slot," that anyone on your friend list can use to leave items for you.  It would be fun if you found them all just inside your door when you come home.  Having it friends-only would prevent random people from using this to stuff your house with lumps of dirt.
    Posted 14 months ago by KhaKhonsu Subscriber! | Permalink
  • An alternative - and, again, I've got no idea how difficult it would be to incorporate this code-wise:

    A GIFT verb. Go to the door, GIFT an object rather than DROP the object, and only the intended recipient can pick it up. As Mereret suggested, there needs to be something to prevent people from 'spamming' your house with lumps of dirt (possibly a GIFT flag on items), so that you could only leave food/drink (and not dirt).
    Posted 14 months ago by TK-855 Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I already asked for this .. its in here somewhere.. lol 
    Posted 14 months ago by Cryztal Subscriber! | Permalink
  • ...dirt sells...and can be used in projects, in fuel-making and brick-making, so, not that I would like a house full of dirt - but - it, too, has its' uses. 

    Let's think about this...what we are asking for here......
    I would like a way to leave things outside of mine and others' homes - with the assurance that only the intended home owner be able to pick it up.  Period.  I don't know anything about codes, programs or whatever - but, common sense tells me that it would be easier to do an all or nothing type thing rather than a 'I can gift this but not that' - which would, of course, then have people complaining 'I was trying to give my friend a stack of dirt so she could make bricks for me for the project as I don't have that skill yet, but the game wont let me gift my friend'. OMGiants - can ya see those threads already?!?  lol

    I'm sorry, just seems to me that asking for a way to lock items to the house BUT not annoying items (and btw - would that be your idea of annoying or mine or each home owners' - ya know, like when you buy your house, there is a list of all items and you have to check the ones you want) is ... well...a bit lazy on our part...I mean if someone spams your home with unwanted gifts (dirt, loam, sneeze powder or whatever) - there are all kinds of options to deal with it, hell, have a party, invite your friends and when they show up - pick up a stack and give it to 'em!!!  ... the giants like many different things as donations, so there is another use. 

    The point I'm trying to make here is that, if we get a sticky mat then I believe we should be able to take care of our own 'trash'
    Posted 14 months ago by Firestone1960 Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Sticky welcome mats would be nicer than a mailbox so others can see if something is left.
    Posted 14 months ago by IrenicRhonda Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Well, you can MAIL bulk items to people if you're working on projects. As far as housewarming gifts go, GIFT would be a bit more exclusive.

    Or an area-effect drop-off zone / mail slot as long as we've got some kind of recycling box inside (but if you put something in there, it's GONE.)
    Posted 14 months ago by TK-855 Subscriber! | Permalink
  • In another thread, I suggested that owners of homes should be able to toggle the "pick up" feature inside their homes. Perhaps this could be extended to a small mat outside the door as well. 

    That way, if you have a visitor stop by while you are on the other side of the world, you can let them in, secure in the knowledge that you have toggled the "pick up" function OFF in your home. They can drop things but not pick them up until you come home and choose (or not) to toggle "pick up" back on for your guest(s).

    Even nicer would be a gift drop feature that would put the dropped items for you into a small variety of gift boxes randomly selected by the game to put your gifted items inside. The owner would come home and see packages but have to pick them up and use "open" to see what you gave.
    Posted 14 months ago by ✰ Lorelei ✰ Subscriber! | Permalink
  • piggy feeder " This tool only works in your back yard."
    Posted 14 months ago by phelps.mike Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Whatever system is implemented, and we DO need something, I'd like the gift to be visible. It's inviting coming home to mabbish coffee and a fresh oat cake left on the doorstep by a friend.  Maybe you could have the "give" option come up when the door is clicked, along with "knock".  You'd get the standard item selection interface, and items selected would show up at the doorway.  They would only be collectable by the homeowner.  You may not be able to arrange them as neatly as with dropping, but it's better than what is happening now.

    If you have ignored a player, they would be unable to knock or leave items, which would solve the problem of someone spamming a house with clumps of dirt, guano, or paper cups.
    Posted 14 months ago by Lucille Ball Subscriber! | Permalink
  • +1 to the "give" option when door is clicked.
    Posted 14 months ago by roderick ordonez Subscriber! | Permalink