Things that annoy or puzzle you about Cantr

[*Wiro]

It's worse than that, it resets every time you change the page.

[Snickie]

It's just that the filter is automatically off when you load the events page, and when you create your filters you're supposed to create/edit one filter at a time and then go away and then come back or something like that.

I dunno. But around 7/8 of my characters have a no-radio filter. The eighth isn't around a radio often enough to need it.

So there was this character who did a thing and the thing was only possible because of mechanic which I know is adjective but SERIOUSLY it's so adjective. It doesn't help that character did thing because reason and it's so adjective and I'm just strong emotion right now because WHY DOES QUESTION??? DFUGHAEWSDFHLXCKJ

Wow, really? Argh, I hate when that happens!

Did you try DOING THING in response? I hear that helps sometimes even though I realize it won't change how expletive adjective it is.

Of course I tried doing thing. And you know what they did? Irrelevant thing! I put quantity work into that character's thoughts and actions and especially thing and this other character just goes off and things. How adjective!

[Snowdrop]

Troublesome newspawns. Enjoyment plummets.

[Alladinsane]

It's just that the filter is automatically off when you load the events page, and when you create your filters you're supposed to create/edit one filter at a time and then go away and then come back or something like that.

I dunno. But around 7/8 of my characters have a no-radio filter. The eighth isn't around a radio often enough to need it.

So there was this character who did a thing and the thing was only possible because of mechanic which I know is adjective but SERIOUSLY it's so adjective. It doesn't help that character did thing because reason and it's so adjective and I'm just strong emotion right now because WHY DOES QUESTION??? DFUGHAEWSDFHLXCKJ

Wow, really? Argh, I hate when that happens!

Did you try DOING THING in response? I hear that helps sometimes even though I realize it won't change how expletive adjective it is.

Of course I tried doing thing. And you know what they did? Irrelevant thing! I put quantity work into that character's thoughts and actions and especially thing and this other character just goes off and things. How adjective!

You know how to handle them?
You verb adverb their adjective nouns until pronoun verbs possessive-pronoun dominance and they give you submission. Sheesh, what pieces of vulgar-noun.

Radio's appear.

[ObsessedWithCats]

Troublesome newspawns. Enjoyment plummets.

There's nothing like a bit of technically-could-be-in-character trolling that purely by luck wont completely ruin your character's reputation and waste a year or so of dozens of peoples' lives to endear them to you [/sarcasm]

[Marian]

All this talk about troublesome newspawns makes me want to make a troublesome newspawn.

I suppose I could be underestimating how difficult they are, but I'm still not seeing how a town with the most basic security measures in place...like not having weapons or open vehicles lying around...and people who wake up at least once a day could have problems with a newspawn that get more serious than 'they are annoying'.

I've got a character now that's over a year old, in a town with a tiny handful of sleepers and an 'active' couple that only wake up every five days or so, and there'd still be no effective way for them to make serious trouble there simply because everything they'd need to do so is locked away.

[Swingerzetta]

All this talk about troublesome newspawns makes me want to make a troublesome newspawn.

I suppose I could be underestimating how difficult they are, but I'm still not seeing how a town with the most basic security measures in place...like not having weapons or open vehicles lying around...and people who wake up at least once a day could have problems with a newspawn that get more serious than 'they are annoying'.

I've got a character now that's over a year old, in a town with a tiny handful of sleepers and an 'active' couple that only wake up every five days or so, and there'd still be no effective way for them to make serious trouble there simply because everything they'd need to do so is locked away.

I think this is the problem, really, is that it's annoying, and nothing else. In the active towns I'm in, it's easier to let security slip a bit, because there's always projects being done (spilling onto the ground) and resource runners returning and leaving, getting in and out of vehicles... I think it's actually easier to have tight security in a quiet town, for this reason.
I've seen troublesome newspawns that add flavor to the game, but usually they just sort of interrupt it, make whatever was going on be put on hold until you get the required number of crossbow hits in and head back to town.
Also, if they don't feel like putting any writing effort into their characters (like, they just take stuff and run, with no conversation or action or description...) I'm certainly not going to waste my time typing out thoughtful reactions, either.

Does anyone remember Owch of Bhak? He wasn't a troublesome newspawn in the traditional way, but his developmental problems did lead to him disrupting a wedding, and it was a delightful bit of novelty.

[Snowdrop]

Yeah, it's annoying. Because it just simply gets in the way, but not in an interesting way. They tend to be nameless, description-less, don't speak, don't roleplay any of it. So they add absolutely no fun, just a ton of stress because of the disruption. And yes, as Swingerzetta said, in a town which has awake people with things going on, there is the opportunity to nick things because of projects that are set up and trades as well as when the leader gets stuff out of storage for the citizens that have been working hard and would like something as their earnings.

And they're the reason so many towns tend to have as much as possible all under lock and key, which people then complain about in this thread because 'oh, every town is the same'. Well, it's because of the annoying, unoriginal thieving type of spawn!

[miirkaelisaar]

Exactly, whatever happened to the character who spawns seemingly normal, offers to help out, acts polite. Deep down inside they start to feel entitled, like they deserve more, like they know better, but they aren't stupid and they don't grab a bunch of things and steal your van/car/bike and run off and waste your time hunting them down just to kill them. No. They bide their time, they play your emotions, they pretend to be helpful, your ally, even your friend, maybe even your lover. Then one day you wake up and they've robbed you blind, a person that you trusted, maybe even loved, how do you fight them? Maybe they even locked you up just to add insult to injury. If you had feelings for them you can't just hunt them down, or put a bounty on them, but they've wronged you on so many levels, and they'll go on to play others too. Your action or lack thereof could ruin you or victimize someone else, and all this from someone you trusted with your livelihood. Can you ever trust again? Can you find it in yourself to give chase and fight them to take back what's yours?

Now THAT'S a character. With a plot, with motives, a natural progression, a conflict. People don't just hit the streets and steal people's cars and get away with it, they get arrested and that's it. Real thieves who actually want to get away, plan things out, and get people to trust them, and then betray them. Con artists, the real deal, human beings with the ability to trick you.

I'm so tired of the "well this town is boring, I'll just grab whatever's not locked and see how far I can run before they kill me, because I'd rather waste everyone's time than just sit here and starve." scenario. And there's no roleplay whatsoever, no, if you attempt to pose actual dialogue all you get in return is a bunch of random insults and swear words and taunting, nothing with any actual substance mind you, more like a third grader throwing a tantrum, shouting random words just to annoy everyone else, basically a one-sided chat-room-like flame-war (which makes me wonder if all these newspawns are people who don't know how to play cantr, or if they're intentionally troll-like because they don't plan on keeping the character and it's anonymous so why the hell not? which is just.. that's really disappointing to the rest of us), and so there's no point in RPing anything and you're just forced to kill them to get your stuff back. (Or NDS them, but even then, they refuse to do anything that allows you to keep them alive, they give up and starve if you heal them because they refuse to do jail time, or they continue to be a nuisance and try to get killed). I've met maybe one thief in the last few cantr decades who actually RPed anything out and was actually able to be reasoned with.

I remember thieves who would throw their hands up and say they were sorry because they did want to live, and beg you not to kill them, and offer to work it off, and become actual characters with friends and not waste everyone's time. And also characters who acted normal but were scum bags and betrayed everyone they worked for, but created an actual plot. Even a character who's nice and helps out and never actually robs them that anyone sees but occasionally puts valuable things in their pockets because they just can't help it (kleptomaniac), and people wonder where things are going and here they are acting innocent. Sure it's still really annoying when someone steals from you but when they're a developed character you then have to debate killing, or can have a conversation with like an actual human being, it's different from these suicidal newspawns who are basically a big pile of spam with a mouth and serve no real purpose other than to distract from the game itself, and possibly consume as much of some resource as they can on the way just to hinder everyone else's characters Like taking a fueled vehicle, so what? You still have to find someone stupid enough to sell fuel to someone who doesn't have keys to an expensive vehicle and looks like an obvious newspawn with no tools or clothing, you're still going to run out of fuel, possibly on the road where you starve and die. I just never got that.. a thief who wants to get away waits until no one's looking and jumps in a fast bike that doesn't need fuel, or a boat that doesn't need fuel.

[Marian]

Yeah, it's annoying. Because it just simply gets in the way, but not in an interesting way. They tend to be nameless, description-less, don't speak, don't roleplay any of it.

Ah, see, that's not what I'd call a 'troublesome' newspawn, just the ordinary suicidal type. If they're not RPing at all you can report them, you know.

I just don't like to see people generalizing about newspawn thieves, because I've spawned plenty in my time...couple times they were killed, mostly they were forced to return to town, but there have been times they did get away with it. (Five kilos of iron once, back when iron really mattered...walked right out of town and nobody ever chased them ) It was always a nice way to waste time on a slow weekend and hopefully get some good RP with tension and excitement right off the bat.

I don't do that or see it happening much anymore though because between the radio and all the motorcycles and cars everywhere chances of pulling anything off in a semi-active town have gone from slim to pretty much zero, and besides in most active towns you can earn so much so fast now. An iron shield used to be something easily worth risking a character's life for, now I see towns just handing them out to anyone.

[returner]

I remember thieves who would throw their hands up and say they were sorry because they did want to live, and beg you not to kill them.

I have a character like that, with your progression you mentioned. Basically the character is already well on track to get revenge on this poorly RP'd character they stole from, within the week at the latest, which will be a really satisfying character story arc. A nice conclusion.

[Marian]

...why would they need to get revenge when they're not the victim in the first place?

[Friar Briar]

...why would they need to get revenge when they're not the victim in the first place?

Cause he got caught, and the sheriff must pay.

A knife in the dark and a fast ride out of town!

[returner]

...why would they need to get revenge when they're not the victim in the first place?

The character has a set of beliefs about the world which the enforcer obviously does not share. It's a bit more detailed than I'm explaining.

[hyrle]

A troublesome newspawn that "spawn thieves" and leaves with zero RP is annoying. But a well-played evil character can add a lot of interesting dimension to the game. My "evil" characters tend to be quite complex... they act in some ways that would be considered "evil" but often from a place of desperation or for the thrill or the power trip. My "rouges" also tend to have a bit of a "Robin Hood" streak as well, stealing from empty places or rich places to give to poor places.