The tech level

[Pirog]

When I browse around in the topics i see a lot of suggestions about modern equipment, like bulldozers and fiber optics.

I´'m just wandering what the general idea about the tech level is?

The difference in technology, like the possibility for people to cruise around in cars making drive-byes with crossbows, is for me the worst part about the game.

For me a lot of the game revolves around the "mood" of the game and it really damages this mood.

As you have probably figured out I'm not positive to even more modern techs in the game...but I want to know what people in general think about this.

[Rob Maule]

The tech level really doesn't matter that much to me. It's not supposed to be a mirror of real life. When the game is to a certain point, we're not going to unleash it onto the world at large and demand everything work like it does in Cantr. It's just a game, a distractions, and for some an involving hobby. Everything in-game serves a purpose, no matter what they represent from real life. We need to fight back when people try to tell us what to do, so we have weapons. We need to travel to other places for food, resources, diplomacy, or just for fun. So we have different forms of transportation, even if one happens to be a car that doesn't need gas. You have to step back sometimes and look at the big picture.

But right now, there are mostly things that our characters affect. I would like to see more of the opposite now. We have animals, whcih are a start. That's why I'm so excited about weather.

[Pirog]

Still...the car could have easily been replaced with a vehicle more true to the tech level of the other things.

That the car doesn't require gas doesnät bother me...it's just that it seems malplaced.

IF animals can be tamed and horses used for pulling wagons I hope the car will be removed...but that's just my opinion.

[watermelonnose]

I think it would have been much better for the technology to move through the animal power stage before reaching the mechanical power stage.

[Meh]

Since there are already cars and bikes, it's too late to remove them. People spent alot of time building those things. I don't have access to them personally but if I did there would be no way I'd want that event deleted. Think of how many swords, sabres, and iron sheilds didn't get made to make bikes and cars. That's alot of non-violent cooperation going on there.

A cart {with animal power} would allow non-car people a vechile made only from wood. An iron cart maybe. A stone cart? Well maybe just for the Flintstones in Bedrock. That's near Mulof right?

Personally I'm still routing for the campfire...x g of wood + a g of meat + stick = cooked meat if you can't eat raw meat. Corn is also good over a camp fire. But making bread, not good over a campfire.

Although all this talk of wood makes the wooded increase in importance. There was hardly a place around that didn't start with wood IRL. And the wood got farther away from the cities as time went on. So since the game is different maybe we have to suggest things that don't make sence IRL. A zinc cart?

[Pirog]

Goodwin>

Perhaps the cars that exist can remain while the possibility for building new ones disappear...they could represent some ancient technology that is now lost...that has happened from time to time irl too.

[Missy]

wow someone who just made a point that also makes mine in a differant post. "Don't want to see all the work they put into something go to waste"

I must however agree it would have been nice to actually evolve in a more realistic way. While it doesn't bother me too badly now that it is done and already happened, and I don't wish to see it changed...
I'd like to see in the future, things happening in a more realistic order.

Another words I don't want the building of bikes cars to stop.

But in the future when new things are introduced I hope that the things that are being introduced don't come after something else that should have been put in before the new thing?
Like- shouldn't have telephones before we have morse code?

horse and buggy have to be put in at an odd time cuz we already have cars..thats a given. But yes I hope other things come in to the game in the right order. It just makes more sense.

[Pirog]

Missy...and others>

But perhaps the reason why you are not disturbed is because cars and so on are so very uncommon at the moment?

Will the game progress into a more modern society as it evolves or will the technology level stay pretty much where it is now?

It seems like a waste if the technology will move forwards, since noone will want to build the old stuff anymore...

[Missy]

Dunno about how exactly correct your one statement is. Just because modern technology is around - doesnt mean people won't still build the old stuff....

It depends on what resources people have at certain times for instance....I have some characters that build wooden shields....while otehr towns have an abundance of iron for their shields.

I think having horse and buggy would be great for some of my chars too.

I know what you are saying- it's odd, and most people probably won't bother with the horse and buggy if they can have a car.

But I also think a lot more people will have horse and buggy than you think.

Even though there are cars, when I play I imagine medievil settinng. In fact I don't think I've even ever imagined what the cars in the game looked like. lol
So if you think that people wont have horse and buggy? Just cuz they could have a car? I don't think thats necessarily true.

Buggy would be made of what? Wood and rubber? Which would be a better way for people who were near wood to travel.....
Rather than making cars.
Where in some areas there might be iron wood and rubber and people have a choice to make a buggy and a car....

I don't think the game depends on what choices there are for them to make things.
What the game does depend on- is what materials are closest to get ANYTHING to help them along the way until they CAN get the better thing.

[Wim van de Griendt]

Just to remember all of you, because I think a lot of you do not know, this game started as an electronic version of a game played by Sico and Jos. Sico and Jos had created this game, by playing with lego. In this lego game they already had cars, etc. and no horses. Therefore, we started at that techlevel with movement, because that was easy to program and made it possible to transfer the game to this electronic version. (They even have really transferred the game, with planes, airfields, etc., and wanted to integrate it with the cantr-version, but ultimately decided that 60+ chars where to much to manage next to their cantr-chars and removed it again). Because we didn't want to start with guns, etc. already, we decided to start with swords and knifes. Because we thought that guns could kill someone immediately and we didn't have any defence to that (no way to produce that without a lot of difficulties). So therefore there is some differences between the techlevels of several components of this game. You can say that almost everything is in the middle ages, except for the cars. This has two other reasons I did not mention yet. First of all, we wanted characters to be able to travel quickly, so that there would be a lot of opportunities to be in contact with other cities, to trade, to have some cultural exchange, maybe war, diplomats, etc. We thought we needed that in the game. Second, we didn't know and wanted to program animals at that moment. So therefore, it was a little wierd to think about horse and buggy.

I hope that this can explain something and makes clear why we are where we are at the moment.

[Pirog]

I have also seen this as a medievil game...that is why I'm a bit worried that it will progress in to some kind of modern era game...because I'm not as interested in that era.

I'm not saying that noone will have a horse and wagon just because cars exist...I was refering to the whole idea of having the technology move forward.

When people start to talk about fiber optics, bulldozers and so on it collides with my idea of how this game should be played...not that my view must necessarily be right, but I would guess that a lot of the people playing this game share my view about wanting the game to remain a medievil game.

[swampthing_bob]

Maybe for telephones we can start out with pigoens carrying messages then maove our way up.

[Missy]

I agree Pirog.... It would be nice to keep it in a more medievil setting. I THINK so. But then again as wim just pointed out it is ultimately jos' baby...and well also since it is simulation you can expect things to grow and prosper. *Shrugs*

Just so I'm clear...I WOULD like to see it as a medievel setting through out the rest of its online life!

But just cuz I think it should, don't mean it will, and don't mean that I won't still enjoy it if it doesn't ..

[Rob Maule]

I envision spaceships next. And then antimatter and time machines. No wait, since this hasn't all happened in real life, I don't think a game should ever ever include it. And definitely not in this order. What a silly idea. Rob, you are a silly boy.

[Thomas Pickert]

*LOL* Yes, you are, Rob.