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Why two lockpicks?


At0mic

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Something that occured to me recently - why are there two lockpicks in TDM? The player always has either both lockpicks on them or none at all, and I've yet to see a mission where the player has been in a situation where they've only had one of the picks and need to find the other to fully open locked doors/chests/whatever.

 

Plus, if after picking a lock tumbler the next pick has to be selected, it's just an extra step that adds no gameplay benefit since it's just the act of pressing P and trying again. Might as well have a single lockpick handle everything. I'm not suggesting to dumb-down the game; I'm just missing the benefit of added extra busy-work given you will either have both picks or neither, at least in the missions I've seen.

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I do vaguely remember a mission where for a while the player only had one lock pick available -- could be an interesting extra game mechanism, you'd only be able to open some doors until you found the other.

 

Here's an interesting idea for a mission twist: what if half way through the mission one of your picks broke? I guess you'd be stuck until you can find the key or some way to bypass ... but maybe it would end up being too contrived to work well.

 

It's true though that lock picking is little more than busy work, and I must confess that locks with four (or even more!) long long tumblers get very tiresome. It's more interesting if you *have* to pick the lock in a hurry before a guard returns or something (or before you drown!) but otherwise it does get irritating. However, I tend to prefer lock picking to hunting for keys I can never find.

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I think there are two because there were two in the original Thief games ;)

 

However, you've already provided a good reason. A player may only starts with one lockpick and can or has to get the other one. Even though this was not used up to now, I think it is good to keep the possibility.

 

Also, If you have to pick a lock within a certain time frame, because there may be a guard with a torch or so patroulling near that door, having to switch the pick may adds extra tension. At least you have to concentrate a bit more.

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The need to pay attention and switch between the picks increases tension and the overall difficulty of picking a lock.

 

I suppose there is a historical component as well: didn't the original T games have two lockpicks too?

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Actually TDM originally had 4 picks IIRC, then 3, then back to 2 because that's plenty to handle in tense situations. I guess the reasoning is it gives the player something manual to do that makes it feel a bit more immersive, plus the feeling of fumbling around with things (which is probably what real picking is like) when a guard might come around the corner ramps up the tension a bit.

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Imho lockpicking is used far too much in most FMs. I hate it when you have to lockpick a door, then the cupboard and and lastly the jewelery box in it. Two lockpicks make this even more annoying. But that's a thing mission authors should ask themselves. (In my first mission I didn't insert lockpicks at all, because it would not have needed it really!)

 

I like the fact that there are two types of lockpicks in the game generally. But it should be used with more sense for gameplay, and not just locking up everything in many different combinations in one and the same room.

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The need to pay attention and switch between the picks increases tension and the overall difficulty of picking a lock.

That sounds like a very good reason now that I think of it. I recall a mission with ghosts (A Night to Remember, maybe?) where a ghost spawned down a hallway and I had to try to pick a lock very quickly. Fumbled a bit to much and had the wrong pick out trying to make it work. Didn't go so well.

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My original idea for the lockpicking system only had one inventory item: "lockpicks". Someone (Pinkdot?) modeled 4 different lockpicks, and I thought that was too many, so we settled on 2 as a compromise.

 

I don't think there's any feature in TDM that we argued over as much as lockpicking. Payed off though, as it's one of the most frequently complimented things about the game in reviews.

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Choice. Fun requires the player feel in control. This is why players don't enjoy strictly linear missions as much. A map could have just one, but it would feel tedious since you'd just be pushing one button mindlessly. Most designers alternate picks, but some don't, once you learn how the mapper tends to set it up, picking goes faster and you feel rewarded when you guess right...that would be gone if just one pick. Dopamine!

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