Complex machines have chance to break down from long disuse.

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Greek
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Re: Complex machines have chance to break down from long disuse.

Postby Greek » Wed Mar 28, 2012 1:14 am

It sounds quite interesting. Well, I must admit, for me it's one of the best Cogliostro's ideas, but as a general suggestion of machines detoriation, not an exact recipe how to do it.
- High skill level in "machine building"


That's inconsistent with current state of skill system in Cantr. Everyone can do everything, but some people are faster and the other are slower. So "repair conditions" shouldn't be so excessive. At least until we'll have whole system which encourages more to use every character's talent.
It's clear that machines should wear off in one way or another, otherwise we have eternal objects, which, once built, can last forever. So after one time effort there's no need to use any resources to maintain level of advancement of the town/factory.

Making only unused machines to wear off is good way to prevent "malicious" self-damage of most needed machines - which could be really annoying sometimes. Well, such problems and challenges are part of life and can be part of Cantr-life, but we should take care to make them rare challenges instead of boring everyday activity. If machine isn't used - which in most cases means it's part of large unused infrastructure - when it'd be more "fair" to break than the only one, let's say, stone table :P (ok, that shouldn't ever "break" but just an example). Limiting that only to most advanced machines: assembly line, lathe with steel blade, drill and so on would mean that only advanced locations should be threatened by that idea. It sounds reasonable: if you want to be advanced and cool, you should spend something maintain the current status.
It could lead to greater diversity amongst settlements. Now it is always better to build advanced machinery in order to... let's say, build just one car.
It's clear because:
"It's eternal, maybe some day in the following hundred years we would need it again or somebody will visit us asking about such machine so we will save some resources then and show, that we are modern."
"Ok, our village with 3 townsmen needs assembly line".

If it would be needed to maintain such machines decision wouldn't be so clear. Maybe it is better to travel to bigger town, where are enough people to maintain everything and make use of it. Buying a car there instead of building everything in your own location would result in possible division of duties, which sounds realistic and interesting.

I agree... this will ultimately just tie people up inside buildings.

I don't see that as a big disadvantage, especially we are going to do something to make sitting in building more comfortable than today. If sitting inside would be against idea of society simulation then it would be possible to do everything outside.

And I think that concerns are in large part caused by fact that machines are not deteriorating right now. If it would be implemented upon creation of the game then nobody will ever complain. I know, it's more pleasant to have everything easier and there are objections to the suggestions which make things harder to achieve. But don't like to play a game when it offers no challenge and I hope that you too. Economy simulation of the game must be developed together with RP part, because there are people who like both, but prefer that or that.
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Re: Complex machines have chance to break down from long disuse.

Postby curious » Wed Mar 28, 2012 8:37 am

To be honest, and if this were implemented, I wouldn't mind, and my chars would just get on with it.
Common sense would dictate that people will object to suggestions that they see as problematic, and contextualised to the game as it currently is. It has nothing to do with the game environment being 'harder' for chars, and more to do with allowing the same chars capacity to do all the things you suggest.

If you want to implement this, then you will also have to then think about making tools last longer before they perish, bcause between repair of tools and now machines, some of my chars will have no interest in socialising, trying to boost the economies, and thinking about politics... they will simply know how long they are going to be stuck fixing things.
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Re: Complex machines have chance to break down from long disuse.

Postby Chroma Key » Wed Mar 28, 2012 1:13 pm

What Curious said, and... I guess I will just get mine to travel all over the place and set up projects with minimal amounts of resources added to each (or nothing, even, they will still show as in use!) just so that the machines will not break down. As if time, labour and resources are not stretched thinly enough in many non-English areas (or can you not see that from those ivory towers??). I am not asking for life to be made easier here, I am just objecting to it being made even more difficult with no tangible benefits offered.
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gejyspa
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Re: Complex machines have chance to break down from long disuse.

Postby gejyspa » Wed Mar 28, 2012 7:16 pm

Ever see the program(me) "Life After People"? It doesn't take too long for unmaintained stuff to detoriate.
http://www.history.com/shows/life-after ... pera-house
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Re: Complex machines have chance to break down from long disuse.

Postby Hedgedhogst » Thu Apr 05, 2012 10:12 am

I wouldn't mind the idea, and I think others would be more acceptant to it, if it were worded, or created slightly differently.

I think that a machine that has been out of use for X number of years, needs to be 'prepared for use' for a few hours, rather than repaired from broken state. I also don't think the process should be 'faster based on skill statistics', unless the preparations take days.

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