A bit of background: I was once THE big-shot crime syndicate leader on a roleplaying server that encouraged self-governed and policed provinces (which, of course, means bands of burglars formed all the time while still being perfectly under the rules). But I was no burglar. I was a thief.
The key difference: Burglars were more forceful. Thieves were more covert.
Is there any defense again Burglars? Besides cleverly hiding your goods, no. They are the sort that will TRASH your base to fully wipe you out a single time. They are also the sort that will get caught first, since they lack finesse. Most of your common-day grieving can be attributed to the works of burglars.
Being an actual thief requires much more craft and cunning, and I here lay down the Three Cardinal Rules of the Thief that helped me lead a long and prosperous career.
Note: I do not condone thieving if it goes against stated server rules. But if it's one of those open-ended servers, then use it by all means! Otherwise, let this help all you INNOCENT GOODIE-TWO-SHOES learn how to defend against the common thief.
Cardinal Rule 1: NEVER Get Caught!
This breaks down into three basic components- time, place, and circumstance. A proper thief will case a soon-to-be victim many days or weeks before he actually makes a move- learning their schedule in and out will allow them to search the target's house with the smallest chance of getting caught. Do they go to school? Work? Conventions for world domination? Find out when they will be gone, and then take advantage of it!
The joy of the chat server allows the avid thief to basically find out where any given person is.
randomperson123: Hey dude, come check out this awesome sky-fortress I built!
strangechar123: D00D! OMW NAO M@N!
Enter clever thief! This is a blatant invitation- it's like strange char 123 saying to the whole server "I'm away from my quarters- don't steal anything please". This is why it's so important for the server admins to install localized chat- not only does it provide more security for THEM, but it gives the thief more challenge. And 3/4 of the fun for any REAL thief is the challenge.
This fits in nicely with the third component- circumstance. If you KNOW that the rich district is going to be spending a day remodeling their houses, then STAY AWAY! Maybe the owner won't catch you, but his neighbors may! Wait until there's a community build project- find out who is participating and when, and use those time slots to relieve them of some of their more pricey burdens
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The Second Cardinal Rule of the Thief: Don't Be Obvious!
The first thing that separates the thief from the burglar is how well they cover their tracks. Not really the track of WHO came in and stole something, but the mere fact that you have been stolen from. A burglar will barge in and tear up the whole place without fixing things back up- deranged walls and doors are a GREAT way to tell the world "LOOK! U gOt R0BB3D d00d!" Not smart Instead, always take a supply of the most commonly used building tools for that area to cover your tracks. If people don't know they have extra visitors, they won't stop the income of supplies.
Speaking of which, only a fool steals all of the contents of a chest! This is good if you want people to crack down on security and eventually hunt you down and string you up to the ceiling via your pinkies. Self-control is incredibly important! Stealing many small things from many members can, in the long run, be far more lucrative than completely emptying a person's life savings!
Mixing your targets is a great way to avoid being obvious as well. If you only steal from your social circle, then everybody will eventually rule everybody out until you are the only likely suspect. BUSTED! Steal from a variety of targets that have little in common with each other, but make sure a few of them have a small amount in common with you. This keeps your social-political station ambiguous, so nobody can EVER pinpoint you to the authorities.
The Third Cardinal Rule of the Thief : Watch Your Surroundings!
Many thieves think that if they get out of the house alive, while profiting, it is a successful venture. Never could this be more false! With the advent of redstone technology, victims are conveniently pressure-pad guarding their doors- if somebody walks in, they WILL find out about it! Constantly be on the lookout for the tell-tale signs of redstone wire, pressure plates, and switches (all of which are used in the most commonly installed security alert systems). Also remember what position you left doors in if you had to open them. Ensure they are EXACTLY like you found them.
Be up-to-date with the local traps and how to spot them. Don't get caught off-guard by TNT! This is the most costly mistake a thief could make- if he wishes to stay undetected, the thief has to resupply the trap regent (the TNT block itself), the triggering mechanism (usually a pressure plate), all the surrounding destroyed blocks, and he has to make sure it is re-armed. Other hazards the thief must look out for are gravity affected blocks- Never dig up, and always have a cobblestone on hand to patch up any water holes BEFORE damage can be done (which can unsticky any torches, which is another security alert device I've seen).
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Remember, obey your server rules. If you think you've been robbed, but see no immediate signs (outside of straight bookkeeping), read through the list and see how a thief thinks. Install security ALERT devices (since the best way to catch a thief is through proof AFTER he has left the house- killing him in the act doesn't really accomplish much since he respawns!) and don't give out your schedule!
But if thieving is legal under your server's rules, then you'll have to take matters into your own hands! Write up on this coming up soon :biggrin.gif:
These are good rules to live by for a thief. I know I'm not good at rememring how I got somewhere EXACTLY, nor what doors were open or closed, etc, and because of this I always knew I'd be a bad thief (breaking into houses, at least).
Now, on a slight tangent, this is why thieves in any game are given bad rep - because everyone likes the idea of stealing, but very few realize that it's not just 'breaking in and taking'.. it should require finesse, and stealth. Otherwise they are too close to the mannerisms of griefing and causes people to dislike everyone with the thief profession, when half the time it's just a different flavor of thievery (as you termed it burglary), and the other half it's because the people who decide to play a thief don't know hwo to play it *this* way. Or don't care. *shrug*
Oddly enough, I seem to think some rules are missing? But that's OK - you'd not want to post all the good ones on such a broad community.
~ K
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
me - "I feel like being evil today."
friend - "Don't do it! Crime doesn't pay!"
me - "So? I'm not doing it for the money."
This'd work if you couldn't just wait until people are logged out and go loot the hell out of everything and everyone
This is good for the long term on a casual server. But people that are running the server can usually check and see what order all events occurred in (logging in, off, talk, etc.), and I think there are a few programs that even time-stamp these things. If you are on a busy server, you may never have the server to yourself. If you are on a small server, then large-scale thievery may not be a viable source of income.
Trashing a place makes it obvious that you were there- the owner will start to rig the house with defenses, or move altogether. You've lost a source of continuous income... So not a good idea
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Quote from MelancholyFae »
Oddly enough, I seem to think some rules are missing?{/quote]
And yes, some rules are missing. Teaching all the tools of the trade actually makes the field stale and predictable. If everybody is given the best tools, they don't have the need to develop their own (which could, after some fine-tuning, actually be better!). Besides... Where's the fun in being given the answers? :tongue.gif:
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Quote from Conaire »
While i was reading, "Carry comon building tools" I could just picture in my head coming home and a theif standing outside it placing a wall and the owner being like O.o "Wtf are you doin....?" And the thief is like... *Looks boths ways* "ummm well you see.... you had a leaky ahhhh...." *Runs like hell*
Actually, this CAN work if implemented correctly.... Of course, I wouldn't know from experience at all. Nope, not me ^^
The key difference: Burglars were more forceful. Thieves were more covert.
Is there any defense again Burglars? Besides cleverly hiding your goods, no. They are the sort that will TRASH your base to fully wipe you out a single time. They are also the sort that will get caught first, since they lack finesse. Most of your common-day grieving can be attributed to the works of burglars.
Being an actual thief requires much more craft and cunning, and I here lay down the Three Cardinal Rules of the Thief that helped me lead a long and prosperous career.
Note: I do not condone thieving if it goes against stated server rules. But if it's one of those open-ended servers, then use it by all means! Otherwise, let this help all you INNOCENT GOODIE-TWO-SHOES learn how to defend against the common thief.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cardinal Rule 1: NEVER Get Caught!
This breaks down into three basic components- time, place, and circumstance. A proper thief will case a soon-to-be victim many days or weeks before he actually makes a move- learning their schedule in and out will allow them to search the target's house with the smallest chance of getting caught. Do they go to school? Work? Conventions for world domination? Find out when they will be gone, and then take advantage of it!
The joy of the chat server allows the avid thief to basically find out where any given person is.
randomperson123: Hey dude, come check out this awesome sky-fortress I built!
strangechar123: D00D! OMW NAO M@N!
Enter clever thief! This is a blatant invitation- it's like strange char 123 saying to the whole server "I'm away from my quarters- don't steal anything please". This is why it's so important for the server admins to install localized chat- not only does it provide more security for THEM, but it gives the thief more challenge. And 3/4 of the fun for any REAL thief is the challenge.
This fits in nicely with the third component- circumstance. If you KNOW that the rich district is going to be spending a day remodeling their houses, then STAY AWAY! Maybe the owner won't catch you, but his neighbors may! Wait until there's a community build project- find out who is participating and when, and use those time slots to relieve them of some of their more pricey burdens
-------------------------------
The Second Cardinal Rule of the Thief: Don't Be Obvious!
The first thing that separates the thief from the burglar is how well they cover their tracks. Not really the track of WHO came in and stole something, but the mere fact that you have been stolen from. A burglar will barge in and tear up the whole place without fixing things back up- deranged walls and doors are a GREAT way to tell the world "LOOK! U gOt R0BB3D d00d!" Not smart Instead, always take a supply of the most commonly used building tools for that area to cover your tracks. If people don't know they have extra visitors, they won't stop the income of supplies.
Speaking of which, only a fool steals all of the contents of a chest! This is good if you want people to crack down on security and eventually hunt you down and string you up to the ceiling via your pinkies. Self-control is incredibly important! Stealing many small things from many members can, in the long run, be far more lucrative than completely emptying a person's life savings!
Mixing your targets is a great way to avoid being obvious as well. If you only steal from your social circle, then everybody will eventually rule everybody out until you are the only likely suspect. BUSTED! Steal from a variety of targets that have little in common with each other, but make sure a few of them have a small amount in common with you. This keeps your social-political station ambiguous, so nobody can EVER pinpoint you to the authorities.
--------------------------------------------------------
The Third Cardinal Rule of the Thief : Watch Your Surroundings!
Many thieves think that if they get out of the house alive, while profiting, it is a successful venture. Never could this be more false! With the advent of redstone technology, victims are conveniently pressure-pad guarding their doors- if somebody walks in, they WILL find out about it! Constantly be on the lookout for the tell-tale signs of redstone wire, pressure plates, and switches (all of which are used in the most commonly installed security alert systems). Also remember what position you left doors in if you had to open them. Ensure they are EXACTLY like you found them.
Be up-to-date with the local traps and how to spot them. Don't get caught off-guard by TNT! This is the most costly mistake a thief could make- if he wishes to stay undetected, the thief has to resupply the trap regent (the TNT block itself), the triggering mechanism (usually a pressure plate), all the surrounding destroyed blocks, and he has to make sure it is re-armed. Other hazards the thief must look out for are gravity affected blocks- Never dig up, and always have a cobblestone on hand to patch up any water holes BEFORE damage can be done (which can unsticky any torches, which is another security alert device I've seen).
-------------------------------------
Remember, obey your server rules. If you think you've been robbed, but see no immediate signs (outside of straight bookkeeping), read through the list and see how a thief thinks. Install security ALERT devices (since the best way to catch a thief is through proof AFTER he has left the house- killing him in the act doesn't really accomplish much since he respawns!) and don't give out your schedule!
But if thieving is legal under your server's rules, then you'll have to take matters into your own hands! Write up on this coming up soon :biggrin.gif:
Yes, very much so.
But sadly... Everybody is being an idiot these days ;-;
Now, on a slight tangent, this is why thieves in any game are given bad rep - because everyone likes the idea of stealing, but very few realize that it's not just 'breaking in and taking'.. it should require finesse, and stealth. Otherwise they are too close to the mannerisms of griefing and causes people to dislike everyone with the thief profession, when half the time it's just a different flavor of thievery (as you termed it burglary), and the other half it's because the people who decide to play a thief don't know hwo to play it *this* way. Or don't care. *shrug*
Oddly enough, I seem to think some rules are missing? But that's OK - you'd not want to post all the good ones on such a broad community.
~ K
friend - "Don't do it! Crime doesn't pay!"
me - "So? I'm not doing it for the money."
This is good for the long term on a casual server. But people that are running the server can usually check and see what order all events occurred in (logging in, off, talk, etc.), and I think there are a few programs that even time-stamp these things. If you are on a busy server, you may never have the server to yourself. If you are on a small server, then large-scale thievery may not be a viable source of income.
Trashing a place makes it obvious that you were there- the owner will start to rig the house with defenses, or move altogether. You've lost a source of continuous income... So not a good idea
---
Actually, this CAN work if implemented correctly.... Of course, I wouldn't know from experience at all. Nope, not me ^^