Lockpicking?

[Arkaladin]

I am back trying SCUM again after a long break, I played a *lot* of hours on version 0.1 to 0.6 but just stopped playing after the lock-picking mini-game was added to so much of the high tier loot. Before that it was just an optional component of base raiding.

But with release 0.95 I have been giving it another go. A lot has changed. Outposts, traders, bank accounts, modular vehicles, infection, better cooking. It all seems so interesting...
...but the lock picking is driving me insane! Again. I HATE IT!

I have watched tutorials, many of them just in case there is some important aspect that all the rest are assuming I just know. I have practised by spawning in lockpicks and the screwdrivers in single player mode with advanced thievery, advanced lockpicks and the easiest locks. I occasionally get lucky, perhaps 1 in 200 attempts. But I don't seem to get better. The tutorials suggest to spend an hour practising each day and I will master it. Frankly, f *** that! I hate it.

This is not in any way a useful skill for me to spend so much time and effort mastering just to be able to play a game that I want to play *for enjoyment*. And it is not in any way remotely enjoyable to perform such a boring tedious grind, endlessly repeating a frustrating mini-game.

I'm not against grinding in general, when it's done in a beautiful immersive world... I'll cut down endless trees, and loot and loot until I find the exact item I need. But not staring at the same lock image, endlessly "feathering" the F-key in search of a "random sweetspot" hoping I'll get better. This is just not fun. Why should this even be necessary at all just to access the full content of the game?

So the alternative is not learning how to lock pick and being permanently prim-locked on low tier loot. How do others deal with this? How are others not incredibly frustrated by this?

[Ron]

It depends on what you consider low tier loot. For decent guns ammo and other useful goodies, the basic locks in police stations, airdrops and bunker armouries are super easy to pick.

If you're having a problem with those basic locks, I don't know what to say. The silver and gold locks are indeed much harder to pick

[eNVy]

try keyboard with mechanical switches

[Arkaladin]

Originally posted by Ron:

It depends on what you consider low tier loot. For decent guns ammo and other useful goodies, the basic locks in police stations, airdrops and bunker armouries are super easy to pick.

If you're having a problem with those basic locks, I don't know what to say. The silver and gold locks are indeed much harder to pick

Yeah, I really do have a problem with these basic locks. I don't get why people say they are easy. In single player I spawn in the picks to practice and might get one after going through many many attempts. A lot longer and more expensive than a crowbar which is painful enough. I don't know what I am missing!

So low tier loot is exactly that... excluding all these "decent guns ammo and other useful goodies" as you put it. I just hate that this stupid mini-game ruins for me a survival game that I otherwise really love.

[Arkaladin]

Originally posted by eNVy:

try keyboard with mechanical switches

I do have mechanical switches. Why do you think this would make a difference?

And even if I didn't already have mechanical switches, are you suggesting that this game "needs" a mechanical keyboard to be playable?

[Ron]

Originally posted by Arkaladin:

Originally posted by Ron:

It depends on what you consider low tier loot. For decent guns ammo and other useful goodies, the basic locks in police stations, airdrops and bunker armouries are super easy to pick.

If you're having a problem with those basic locks, I don't know what to say. The silver and gold locks are indeed much harder to pick

Yeah, I really do have a problem with these basic locks. I don't get why people say they are easy. In single player I spawn in the picks to practice and might get one after going through many many attempts. A lot longer and more expensive than a crowbar which is painful enough. I don't know what I am missing!

I feel you brother. Maybe a mechanical keyboard does make a difference (?).

I don't think one can describe this very well in writing but I'll try.

As soon as I press begin:
I tap F while moving my mouse left and right to see what direction is freed up.

Normally, It will either be free to move right or left but not both (I think) and then one knows which side of the lock to work on and find the sweet spot.

If the screwdriver moves to the left but not the right, I start moving the mouse (screwdriver) more to the left while spamming the F key.

Now comes the "fine" work.
Say the screwdriver moves to the left to around 10 o' clock and then stops. I then gently apply more pressure towards the left (mouse screwdriver) while still spamming the F Button.
(Btw, this "F key" spamming also needs to be a bit timed with the mouse for it to work correctly)

For some reason I can actually feel (see) the resistance and I'm using the F key (lock pick) to allow the screwdriver (mouse) to move farther to the left until it hits the sweet spot.

Sometimes it goes beyond and or over the sweet spot and you have to go back to that area of the lock where it felt ready to unlock.

Maybe something in the above description will help. One little piece of information but like I said, describing such a mechanic in writing is not easy

[dbox123]

Originally posted by Arkaladin:

I am back trying SCUM again after a long break, I played a *lot* of hours on version 0.1 to 0.6 but just stopped playing after the lock-picking mini-game was added to so much of the high tier loot. Before that it was just an optional component of base raiding.

But with release 0.95 I have been giving it another go. A lot has changed. Outposts, traders, bank accounts, modular vehicles, infection, better cooking. It all seems so interesting...
...but the lock picking is driving me insane! Again. I HATE IT!

I have watched tutorials, many of them just in case there is some important aspect that all the rest are assuming I just know. I have practised by spawning in lockpicks and the screwdrivers in single player mode with advanced thievery, advanced lockpicks and the easiest locks. I occasionally get lucky, perhaps 1 in 200 attempts. But I don't seem to get better. The tutorials suggest to spend an hour practising each day and I will master it. Frankly, f *** that! I hate it.

This is not in any way a useful skill for me to spend so much time and effort mastering just to be able to play a game that I want to play *for enjoyment*. And it is not in any way remotely enjoyable to perform such a boring tedious grind, endlessly repeating a frustrating mini-game.

I'm not against grinding in general, when it's done in a beautiful immersive world... I'll cut down endless trees, and loot and loot until I find the exact item I need. But not staring at the same lock image, endlessly "feathering" the F-key in search of a "random sweetspot" hoping I'll get better. This is just not fun. Why should this even be necessary at all just to access the full content of the game?

So the alternative is not learning how to lock pick and being permanently prim-locked on low tier loot. How do others deal with this? How are others not incredibly frustrated by this?

If you spawn in advanced picks and still struggle to open the police station lockers then with all respect you don't fully understand the mechanics of how it works. Its very easy to open those lockers and shouldn't pose any trouble in getting them open, even with no skill in thievery.

This is one of the best videos I've seen, maybe it'll help.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYd-iwudj_c

[Ron]

Originally posted by dbox123:

Originally posted by Arkaladin:

I am back trying SCUM again after a long break, I played a *lot* of hours on version 0.1 to 0.6 but just stopped playing after the lock-picking mini-game was added to so much of the high tier loot. Before that it was just an optional component of base raiding.

But with release 0.95 I have been giving it another go. A lot has changed. Outposts, traders, bank accounts, modular vehicles, infection, better cooking. It all seems so interesting...
...but the lock picking is driving me insane! Again. I HATE IT!

I have watched tutorials, many of them just in case there is some important aspect that all the rest are assuming I just know. I have practised by spawning in lockpicks and the screwdrivers in single player mode with advanced thievery, advanced lockpicks and the easiest locks. I occasionally get lucky, perhaps 1 in 200 attempts. But I don't seem to get better. The tutorials suggest to spend an hour practising each day and I will master it. Frankly, f *** that! I hate it.

This is not in any way a useful skill for me to spend so much time and effort mastering just to be able to play a game that I want to play *for enjoyment*. And it is not in any way remotely enjoyable to perform such a boring tedious grind, endlessly repeating a frustrating mini-game.

I'm not against grinding in general, when it's done in a beautiful immersive world... I'll cut down endless trees, and loot and loot until I find the exact item I need. But not staring at the same lock image, endlessly "feathering" the F-key in search of a "random sweetspot" hoping I'll get better. This is just not fun. Why should this even be necessary at all just to access the full content of the game?

So the alternative is not learning how to lock pick and being permanently prim-locked on low tier loot. How do others deal with this? How are others not incredibly frustrated by this?

If you spawn in advanced picks and still struggle to open the police station lockers then with all respect you don't fully understand the mechanics of how it works. Its very easy to open those lockers and shouldn't pose any trouble in getting them open, even with no skill in thievery.

This is one of the best videos I've seen, maybe it'll help.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYd-iwudj_c

That's a pretty good video.
I also think practicing on the actual lockers and not the practice board is easier.

Problem is, after clearing the cop shop from puppets that they don't respawn so you have some time to practice.

Maybe the op could nerf the puppet spawns and or horde mechanic in SP

[eNVy]

Originally posted by Arkaladin:

Originally posted by eNVy:

try keyboard with mechanical switches

I do have mechanical switches. Why do you think this would make a difference?

And even if I didn't already have mechanical switches, are you suggesting that this game "needs" a mechanical keyboard to be playable?

some bad keyboards just react to slow, thats why i asked. not all of course, but some :)

[saiyuk976]

If you are struggling with policestation/poi/airdrop lockers with advanced lockpicking, your doing something very wrong.

If you change no direction with the mouse, and just hold F and don't let go, you hear the chuggita-chuggita-chuggita sound a bunch of times before your tool breaks yeah?
That total time before breakage, can be split up into smaller time chunks by tapping the key, and stopping as soon as you hear any resistance, then move your mouse and tap again. you don't want to hear a full chuggita, if you do, you are holding the F key too long.

The above mentioned lockers are all the easiest locks to pick in game. By easy, you get more sound before tool break, and a relatively large sweet spot, so when changing angle, think massive chunks like 30-45 degrees, if you get resistance at default position.

[BiggusMickus]

Originally posted by Arkaladin:

-snip
I'm not against grinding in general, when it's done in a beautiful immersive world... I'll cut down endless trees, and loot and loot until I find the exact item I need. But not staring at the same lock image, endlessly "feathering" the F-key in search of a "random sweetspot" hoping I'll get better. This is just not fun. Why should this even be necessary at all just to access the full content of the game?

So the alternative is not learning how to lock pick and being permanently prim-locked on low tier loot. How do others deal with this? How are others not incredibly frustrated by this?

The way I deal with it is;
scum.EnableLockedLootContainers=0
in the server settings.

I, too, cannot be bothered with the amount of practice needed just to get at some good loot. Some people want to master it, good for them. I don't have that much time to spare. So, since I only play SP and will never play online, I just turned it off.

[saiyuk976]

Originally posted by BiggusMickus:

The way I deal with it is;
scum.EnableLockedLootContainers=0
in the server settings.

I, too, cannot be bothered with the amount of practice needed just to get at some good loot. Some people want to master it, good for them. I don't have that much time to spare. So, since I only play SP and will never play online, I just turned it off.

Play it your way by all means, but the only difficult locks in single player are kill box, Brenners armory, and nuclear plant. You're missing out on a bit of the game by not even trying. Also Kill Box is a nice adrenaline rush the first few times you try it, when you don't know what you're doing. But you do need to be prepared to likely fail your first few, you will however need to have mastered the police station lockers, which are mind bogglingly easy if you give it a try.

[BiggusMickus]

Originally posted by saiyuk976:

Play it your way by all means, but the only difficult locks in single player are kill box, Brenners armory, and nuclear plant. You're missing out on a bit of the game by not even trying. Also Kill Box is a nice adrenaline rush the first few times you try it, when you don't know what you're doing. But you do need to be prepared to likely fail your first few, you will however need to have mastered the police station lockers, which are mind bogglingly easy if you give it a try.

Oh, I did try it. I thought it'd be Skyrimesque... But it isn't. I really don't enjoy things with a time limit in general, and I can't think of any reason for there to be a timer in SCUM's lockpicking, other than "LOL this'll make it harder". I wouldn't mind as much if it made sense, but it doesn't, and I don't particularly want my games to be frustrating and stressful, so I just turned it off. I've had enough stress in life, don't need it in my games too. Not enjoyable or rewarding for me, so I just turned it off and enjoy the game a lot more.
I do like how much can be done with SCUM's settings, as a long, long time game modder I really like changing games to suit myself, add this kind of difficulty, remove that kind and so on. It's why I still play it despite the never-ending stream of bugs and absurd development decisions.

[-VG- Napster]

Originally posted by Arkaladin:

I am back trying SCUM again after a long break, I played a *lot* of hours on version 0.1 to 0.6 but just stopped playing after the lock-picking mini-game was added to so much of the high tier loot. Before that it was just an optional component of base raiding.

But with release 0.95 I have been giving it another go. A lot has changed. Outposts, traders, bank accounts, modular vehicles, infection, better cooking. It all seems so interesting...
...but the lock picking is driving me insane! Again. I HATE IT!

I have watched tutorials, many of them just in case there is some important aspect that all the rest are assuming I just know. I have practised by spawning in lockpicks and the screwdrivers in single player mode with advanced thievery, advanced lockpicks and the easiest locks. I occasionally get lucky, perhaps 1 in 200 attempts. But I don't seem to get better. The tutorials suggest to spend an hour practising each day and I will master it. Frankly, f *** that! I hate it.

This is not in any way a useful skill for me to spend so much time and effort mastering just to be able to play a game that I want to play *for enjoyment*. And it is not in any way remotely enjoyable to perform such a boring tedious grind, endlessly repeating a frustrating mini-game.

I'm not against grinding in general, when it's done in a beautiful immersive world... I'll cut down endless trees, and loot and loot until I find the exact item I need. But not staring at the same lock image, endlessly "feathering" the F-key in search of a "random sweetspot" hoping I'll get better. This is just not fun. Why should this even be necessary at all just to access the full content of the game?

So the alternative is not learning how to lock pick and being permanently prim-locked on low tier loot. How do others deal with this? How are others not incredibly frustrated by this?

its not that bad once you know what youre doing.

you can even craft a training tool ingame where you stuff does not break to get a better understanding of it.

do not wear gloves makes it easier
and turn down your mouse speed in settings for lockpicking so you can make small adjustments with your mouse this helps a ton in getting the right spot.

and you do not need hours to learn that

1) move your mouse left or right and press F for a short amount so you can see if the lock moves in the direction
if it doesnt you already know you need to go in the other direction
2) you now only need find the point how far you need to move the mouse to open the lock
3) if the lock turns more youre in the right direction if the lock suddenly turns less then you moved your mouse to far in the opposite direction

just repeat adjusting your mouse position until the lock opens.

harder locks have more tiny spots thats why its important to have a low mousesensitivity or in other words as low so you can make tiny movements for adjusting

the other way would be a crowbar wich lets you break locks open at least for stash in like police stations.

[Hellrazer - wvx]

Originally posted by -VG- Napster:

Originally posted by Arkaladin:

I am back trying SCUM again after a long break, I played a *lot* of hours on version 0.1 to 0.6 but just stopped playing after the lock-picking mini-game was added to so much of the high tier loot. Before that it was just an optional component of base raiding.

But with release 0.95 I have been giving it another go. A lot has changed. Outposts, traders, bank accounts, modular vehicles, infection, better cooking. It all seems so interesting...
...but the lock picking is driving me insane! Again. I HATE IT!

I have watched tutorials, many of them just in case there is some important aspect that all the rest are assuming I just know. I have practised by spawning in lockpicks and the screwdrivers in single player mode with advanced thievery, advanced lockpicks and the easiest locks. I occasionally get lucky, perhaps 1 in 200 attempts. But I don't seem to get better. The tutorials suggest to spend an hour practising each day and I will master it. Frankly, f *** that! I hate it.

This is not in any way a useful skill for me to spend so much time and effort mastering just to be able to play a game that I want to play *for enjoyment*. And it is not in any way remotely enjoyable to perform such a boring tedious grind, endlessly repeating a frustrating mini-game.

I'm not against grinding in general, when it's done in a beautiful immersive world... I'll cut down endless trees, and loot and loot until I find the exact item I need. But not staring at the same lock image, endlessly "feathering" the F-key in search of a "random sweetspot" hoping I'll get better. This is just not fun. Why should this even be necessary at all just to access the full content of the game?

So the alternative is not learning how to lock pick and being permanently prim-locked on low tier loot. How do others deal with this? How are others not incredibly frustrated by this?

its not that bad once you know what youre doing.

you can even craft a training tool ingame where you stuff does not break to get a better understanding of it.

do not wear gloves makes it easier
and turn down your mouse speed in settings for lockpicking so you can make small adjustments with your mouse this helps a ton in getting the right spot.

and you do not need hours to learn that

1) move your mouse left or right and press F for a short amount so you can see if the lock moves in the direction
if it doesnt you already know you need to go in the other direction
2) you now only need find the point how far you need to move the mouse to open the lock
3) if the lock turns more youre in the right direction if the lock suddenly turns less then you moved your mouse to far in the opposite direction

just repeat adjusting your mouse position until the lock opens.

harder locks have more tiny spots thats why its important to have a low mousesensitivity or in other words as low so you can make tiny movements for adjusting

the other way would be a crowbar wich lets you break locks open at least for stash in like police stations.

I NEVER fail a lock in the police station or airdrops but the adv. medical stations are pure cancer, even with the mech keyboard and small taps the lockpicks still break too easily, it's like they are made of sand, even glass is more durable.