Smaller world

[wichita]

Bull. The working assumption for years is that cars would be built for status and very few were worked on simply for that. They didn't really start to pop up until the iron and steel rates were nerfed to make it easier to build them. Then once a few dirtbikes hit the scene and made a few trips down a paved road, people started to get a bit more excited about them.

Players crave functionality. The prepped food (pre-food change) and furniture statistics are a testament to that. Clothing was an exception, but to a limited extent. Spectacles have huge "status symbol" points, but very few have been made. Why? Most likely because it is a lot of work to put into something that 1) does little in terms of game advantage and 2) few people will notice anyway.

[Pie]

GAH!!!

The problem is surly not in any programming sence. IF you speed up traveling, than it won't do anything, becaus still the amount of traveling will still be the same, until IN GAME changes are made.

Same thing with any other programming things. It may speed up traveling, but will it make traveling more feasable? Probably not. And it will have happened anyway in time, and it probably will happen at the same time as any programming implements happening would. The problem is the lack of comunication, comunication needs trade, trade needs orgonasations, orgonasations need RP and oprotunities. I see no point in making airplanes or speeding up traveling or anything. I do see a point in making cars more available. (in game problem) just wait for a wile, you'll probabily see leaps and bounds in cantr technolagy industry and sociaty soon enough. And Might I say that the golden age of seafaring isn't quite over with yet. and it was on a small scale (compaired to reall life things) and could have been manipulated differently by the caricters, to do things such as claim the land they find for there homeland, travel to and frome the new place, and sell exotic goods, and the like, instead of just traveling to a few places, making a map and then settling down.)

back on trak, to make the world "smaller" you need larger more centralised orgonasations, and I've noticed lately that orgonasations are expanding. I can only hope that they become more centralized.

[Oasis]

Some of the roads on the old islands are far too long, and regardless of whether more vehicles are made, you will still have at least two thirds of the people walking, spending half their life unable to do anything but that, just walk and talk.

Sure, game speed could be sped up, but that would make travelling far too quick for those locations already close together.

Towns could be added, carefully looking at what resources might be beneficial to an area, without damaging game balance (very difficult not to have an impact on current towns, trading, etc. )

And sure, we could keep it all as is, just continue to live with it, and let things run their course. But when you look at the amount of inter-governmental/locational involvement between locations with long roads, I bet you find very little, and likely never will see much. It does put a damper on the game in those locations, especially if they aren't near water, and thus don't have the choice for boat travel to speed things up. (add more lakes along these towns?)

I think shortening roads would be the most effective, least intrusive answer to a problem that is not going to go away.

[wichita]

I like the idea of shortening the roads over adding locations. There is a lot of history to be messing with there to just go throwing down new locations in the middle of it all. Besides, I think the long roads give Brunoi/Hilloi/Quillanoi and Pok a little unique cultural element.

[dryn]

It does put a damper on the game in those locations, especially if they aren't near water, and thus don't have the choice for boat travel to speed things up. (add more lakes along these towns?)

I remember someone saying that there are rivers on the map, we just can't see them. It would help if we could utilise these for faster travel in places that don't have sea access.

[sem]

Maybe shortening the roads could be made part of road improvement projects?

Think of it like this:
* A path might well wander all over the place following the easiest terrain.
* A sand road might bridge a few gaps to reduce the distance.
* A paved road could cut through low hills rather than going over or round them. Bigger bridges would cross wider gaps.
* An expressway might include tunnels and major bridges.

[formerly known as hf]

I'm glad this has been rbought up.

I think the K-Isle and Polish locations examples show the huge difference travelling time makes.

If the problems are only on the older English locations, than universally changing travelling speeds would upset things too much. The focus should be on the older areas.

Making the continents smaller by reducing the distance would screw-up a lot of people, and would be a bad move considering the importance of sailing in Cantr.

In-between locations doesn't solve the issue - it'll take just as long to get between large towns.

I'm very excited about the prospect of starting spawning on some of the new islands, just to get them started off (I suppose with a view to reducing population on the larger islands) it's something I've wanted for a long time - but, again, it doesn't solve the travel issue, just makes it affect less characters. (And I'm starting to agree with the argument that new settlements should be created by setllers in-game rather than with OOG changes - although I do think starting new settlements shouldn't be as difficult.)

But what made me very very excited was the prospect of natural disasters as an incentive to enduce change.
A volcano birth would be a great opportunity for RP.
Initial tremors could lead to all sorts of specualtion. Earthquakes could begin to demolsih random buildings in affected areas, possibly crippling (in the short-term) some very-advanced locations, requiring them to send for help, and re-build.
Eventually, if the earthquakes aren't enough, a volcano would provide an opportunity to completely erradicate certain areas, and make a life of luxury untenable in some of the established areas, forcing an exodus, with survivors scrabbling around...
Simply the scale of what would ensue would be vastly interesting - multiple locations all experiencing major disasters, possibly working together, possibly fighting over the few resources left. How the societies will adapt and survive in new locations, where they will go. Whether current organisations are strong enough to set themselves up as powers on the new locations, or if they will just eventually become myths.



But, I know very few other players will also like this idea. Too many years of effort and attachment have been put into the tea party for players to be alright with such drastic changes...

EDIT But it shouold be done anyway...

[formerly known as hf]

Spectacles have huge "status symbol" points, but very few have been made. Why? Most likely because it is a lot of work to put into something that 1) does little in terms of game advantage and 2) few people will notice anyway.

3) They require a 'grinder' which is very excessive in its requirements, has no other practical use and is therefore only available to a very very select few.
Remove the grinder from the requirements, and I can assure you that many many charaters will make them.

[Doug R.]

I agree that natural disasters would be useful for dispersing populations, but they should be targeted to problem areas. It would do no good to level a location that "works"

[viktor]

what is this talk of volcanoes and levelling cities? perfect reason to force hundreds of people to seek out a sheltered location with no activity and huddle in deep fortresses away from the rest of the world just so they don't get roasted by lava or crushed by volcanic debris, anyways how could we really justify a volcano anywhere but the mountains it would destroy the game otherwise

[formerly known as hf]

how could we really justify a volcano anywhere but the mountains

Volcanoes can spontaneously appear out of the sea, in bays (The bay around longinazy(?) has a distinct appearance of a dormant volcano crater), from anywhere - not just mountains.

Although the mountais do suggest a fault-line of some kind...

[wichita]

Don't we get bitched at for making the game too difficult, yet somehow natural disasters to pop up and ruin characters' lives is alright?

As for the grinder, it will be getting more uses.

[SekoETC]

I propose: Flood Doryiskom! Seriously, if you've looked at the map, it's truly a freak of nature that place is above the sea level. It's situated between two mountain ranges and two bays. If Cantr had rain, it would all flow down from the mountains on both sides, trickling through Doryiskom and turning the ground soggy. Eventually it would dissolve into the sea. The dozens of buildings on spot are also putting strain on the earth, making it sink. Down it goes.

[formerly known as hf]

Don't we get bitched at for making the game too difficult, yet somehow natural disasters to pop up and ruin characters' lives is alright?

Excitement!
Cantr desperately needs some.

Things are too difficult for newspawns, wherever they are

Things are too difficult for porgress in the established areas. Any desire for more power, through combat / trade or other influence, is denied by the distances.

The threat of total annihilation is not too extreme - things are far too comfortable, and, frankly too boring in the established areas.

Huge distances, broken combat, and long-term niceity makes the established areas a breeding ground for complacency.

Something needs to be done...

[viktor]

Things are too difficult for porgress in the established areas. Any desire for more power, through combat / trade or other influence, is denied by the distances.

The threat of total annihilation is not too extreme - things are far too comfortable, and, frankly too boring in the established areas.

Huge distances, broken combat, and long-term niceity makes the established areas a breeding ground for complacency.

Something needs to be done...

the baron war was just a month or so ago why does everyone insist we don't get excitment and the established lands are all full of niceity?
as a matter of fact while i'm on the topic, warfare the drag and lock system in theory would have had the barons win yet they didn't so really everyone seems to just forget the events that effect less than 30 towns

ps. time between wars serves a few purposes
the establishment/enrichment of a culture
recovery from the last war and technological advancement
preparation for the next war

reasons why things are falling apart? lack of patience and, lack of dedication, actually i think someone posted that within the past couple days