Being a newspawn, if you only knew what it's like...

[rconley]

I think this is the hardest part of this game. Everyone who is a old time player is a complete uptight prick to any new spawn that does something wrong.

I disagree - I have several towns my characters are in that would give the newspawn a second chance. Part of it depends on exactly what they do. I mean, if you don't hit people, most other things won't get you killed. But honestly, I'm amazed at the rash of newspawn hit-and-runners lately. Do they think that's a great way to get noticed?

I think it has more to do with people doing a lot of sleeping lately, for loss of interest or lack of time, or real life involvement in some way. It has made things rather dull and sleepy in a LOT of places I've noticed. Perhaps it's a way of stirring something up out of boredom...I'm sure some of them are doing so just to get noticed as well though. But I also have places where newspawns have a chance even if they end up breaking the law at first dpending on what they've done.

[kronos]

It also depends on how the newspawn deals with the situation at hand. Usually if they did do it by accident and feel they want to make it up many give them the chance. What I see more often though are newpawns who think they are brand spanking newly spawned have an arrogance like, oh but I just spawned, oh but I need to eat, Oh but I need protection as excuses for stealing or disobeying the laws.

[Dudel]

Oi! Anyone who has played Cantr for more then 2 weeks knows that there is a SEVERE INTOLERANCE of newspawns. There are SOME towns that will give second chances but the "safe then sorry" aspect is just put them someplace and don't look and/or kill them. Then again, that's how ANYONE is "dealt with" in Cantr. Death first, questions later.... that's how Cantr works.

Also: Cantr has been sleepy for about a 1 1/2 to 2 months and people STILL wake up just to chase down the moronic/psychotic newspawn.

[Rebma]

Oi! Anyone who has played Cantr for more then 2 weeks knows that there is a SEVERE INTOLERANCE of newspawns. There are SOME towns that will give second chances but the "safe then sorry" aspect is just put them someplace and don't look and/or kill them. Then again, that's how ANYONE is "dealt with" in Cantr. Death first, questions later.... that's how Cantr works.

Also: Cantr has been sleepy for about a 1 1/2 to 2 months and people STILL wake up just to chase down the moronic/psychotic newspawn.

That really weird that you say that, the severe intolerance. Maybe it depends where you are, because I examined all the eleven remaining charris of mine, and none are in a location where they would ever kill a lawbreaker, and over half are in places where the lawbreaker wouldn't even be locked up, just put to community service. And the ones that would be locked up, I know are never left. There's even one town where lawbreakers are set free without reprimand!

[Dudel]

You forgot this part Reb.

....and then the lawbreaker does it again and everyone kills him/her.

or

...and then they move to a new town and "piss the right people off" so they kill him/her.

Not that I have any "lawbreaking characters" but if people pay enough attention there are very common behaviors that are about. One is the "kill them now don't ask questions". Its easier, as a player, to just remove trouble then try to "reform it". Once whoever in those towns keeps that going DIES things go right back to "Fuck it, KILL'EM ALL!"


Also, Reb, you are probably talking about players who have been playing for awhile who figure "WTF, I'll just go a bit crazy with this guy." Then they are caught and change mind.

I'm talking, NEW PLAYER NEWSPAWNS, which is the point of this thread. "Older players" know DAMN WELL how to get their characters out of trouble.

[*Wiro]

I don't kill newspawns unless they repeatedly do something like pointing, knocking, attacking, stealing etc without stopping. I usually try to think of a good IC thing. If I can't be bothered to stop them without killing them because I'm being lazy? Then I just don't! Creates more RP and fun for all

[chase02]

I have to admit I felt that newspawn intolerence when I started playing, too. I managed to avoid most of mine being killed (unfortunately my first char encountered Adam Brinks in her 4th year of life, which was an eye opener).

My major annoyance lied with the way cantr was so populated, and confined to node-to-node towns, already with established leaders and laws, which were often very restrictive (not even allowing gathering). I, personally, was more interested in a player-vs-world experience (to build a new town from the ground up, starting with making bone tools) which happened to have other players in the same world. I suspect I'm not alone actually.

I've since found I can get this experience on the less populated islands, although the node movement system and tech levels still leave me dissatisfied. In fact the tech works badly against you, the way some islands have been setup with resources (no wood!), making survival near impossible.

Anyway, i'm careening off topic...

How do you make newspawns welcome? That's a tough one. Anyone who has played cantr for a few months is newspawn-weary. The majority of newspawns are thieves or sleepers, with a very small percentage ending up useful members of virtual society.

I think the problem needs addressing at a mechanics level first - currently cantr is rigged in the thief's favor. This needs to change, to change player's behaviour. For starters, report to the area if someone tries a boat, house or vehicle lock (and fails) - currently you can go check all locks with no repurcussions, unless one is unlocked and you can steal it. This should be visible, and would stop some of this pervasive hit-and-run behaviour. Same for storage containers. It would be a step in the right direction, IMHO.

Next, address the behaviour of exploiting room/vehicle limits to make characters untouchable.

[BZR]

There should be a possibility to stop or catch and tie thieves who left the town and walks to a neigbouring location. I play a character in an instagib city - there are bone shields and a soldering iron lying on the ground as a bait- if a newspawn picks it up he's usually dead soon - but even there, I we manage to drag him before he leaves the city, he's given second chance. It doesn't occur very often, though. If we could tie him and take him back to the city, much more would survive it.