Cantr II Discussion Forum

As many game designers very well know, a game is made or broken by what you can do in it. If in our game we have photo-real 3d graphics and exciting explosions, maybe for a short time we will be able to get away with it, that all you can really do is aim and press fire. But not for long, soon the player catches on and chucks this high-production value game aside as boring. The players don't explain themselves, but the real reason for boredom is that they could do too little in the game. And it's not just doing it in the present, it's also remembering about it later, with buddies or whatever else.

I just wanted to ask as many people as possible, especially older players, to free up one slot in their Cantr roster for an experiment. We will create a special newspawn character, each, and then the idea is to share honest observations here in the thread. Both positive and negative, on what you feel like you can do, directions you are taking, etc.

Thanks in advance to those who take the time to join and methodically share their experiences with everyone. If you have too many chars and can't join at the moment, no problem, you can any time later, when you do. No unrelated character stories or essays about yourself here, though, please. Note that there are many threads where we share tales about select characters. This isn't one of those threads. Here we select nothing, and don't tell stories, we make a completely fresh newspawn and constate what we feel and what is happening. To the best of our ability.

I suggest a simple format for everyone to follow, so it'll be easier to read:

Day 1. (your notes)
Day 2. (your notes)

With this experimental character, the idea is to pretend that you don't know anything about Cantr, and learn from scratch, does it suck or does it rule? And what can you, this specific newspawn character, do in it?

I did something like this when I spawned my last set. I only kept the ones that were spoken to. 1/3 were completely ignored.

You can have one of my slots for this experiment.

Cogliostro wrote:As many game designers very well know, a game is made or broken by what you can do in it. If in our game we have photo-real 3d graphics and exciting explosions, maybe for a short time we will be able to get away with it, that all you can really do is aim and press fire. But not for long, soon the player catches on and chucks this high-production value game aside as boring. The players don't explain themselves, but the real reason for boredom is that they could do too little in the game. And it's not just doing it in the present, it's also remembering about it later, with buddies or whatever else.

I just wanted to ask as many people as possible, especially older players, to free up one slot in their Cantr roster for an experiment. We will create a special newspawn character, each, and then the idea is to share honest observations here in the thread. Both positive and negative, on what you feel like you can do, directions you are taking, etc.

With this experimental character, the idea is to pretend that you don't know anything about Cantr, and learn from scratch, does it suck or does it rule? And what can you, this specific newspawn character, do in it?

I have got about four very new chars.. Still twenty.

All successes. (Although one had to move from her location first, she was ignored at her spawn-location.)


Of course I have quite some roleplaying experience.. I guess that was a factor. (They are all crazy or in another way interesting.)

Thats a big problem at the moment, I think that many newspawns are being ignored especially in the larger towns.

All my characters are faring well, except for one. Spawned on the IMO boring K-Isle, where, unless you're a town leader or part of Firecam, you won't have much RP unless you get lucky.

*Wiro wrote:All my characters are faring well, except for one. Spawned on the IMO boring K-Isle, where, unless you're a town leader or part of Firecam, you won't have much RP unless you get lucky.

Then you haven't been long or even at all at the town my char leads.

I'll tell you RIGHT NOW, if a "newspawn" is NOT VERY ACTIVE and actively RPing... no one wants ANYTHING to do with it.

I've SEVERAL free spots and I don't want another BUT... maybe... I mean I can tell you now, from experience, that Cantr has a learning curve.

If that was the "idea/goal/get it in y'alls head" type of thing for said experiment, it ain't needed.

The "learning curve" is REALLY STEEP... and I STILL don't know ANYTHING about a GOOD CHUNK of the game mechanics... but I'm not here to "only play a game"... if I was, I'd be VERY disappointed, yes. Not to mention that I've got THOUSANDS of "only games" already.

As a "newspawn character"... if you've no "personality" then you've no fun... end of story. It'd be like making a "hallow inside" RP character for ANY type of RPing. That, again, is a personal problem and can not be directly fixed with game mechanics without making Cantr "something else".

My only problem with this experiment is that I don't know how to act new. Even when I was new, I had researched the game extensively and started up without any hiccups.

I used instinct to find my way.
And I quickly experimented with everything.

I had enough time, it took quite a while for the first thing to be said.


And I used the wiki only once! (To see how much stew was eating in a day, as my char ate only one portion and gave away the rest.)

Thanks in advance to those who take the time to join and methodically share their experiences with everyone. If you have too many chars and can't join at the moment, no problem, you can any time later, when you do. No unrelated character stories or essays about yourself here, though, please. Note that there are many threads where we share tales about select characters. This isn't one of those threads. Here we select nothing, and don't tell stories, we make a completely fresh newspawn and constate what we feel and what is happening. To the best of our ability.

I suggest a simple format for everyone to follow, so it'll be easier to read:

Day 1. (your notes)
Day 2. (your notes)

We will want to track only the crucial first 7-10 days in this experiment. After this, you do whatever you like with the character who was involved, for the experiment we'll consider them dead, at age 10days, or earlier if you feel "the game sucked" and you imaginarily clicked the "X".

I've often made newspawns who for example won't read the laws or won't obey them because they think they're silly or restrictive, but I've never gotten one of my characters killed or even imprisoned as a newspawn, maybe because they're often good talkers, or alternatively a bit retarded and people might excuse their behavior. I think players tend to recognize a well-played character when they see one and generally try to avoid killing them unless absolutely necessary.

I think it would be silly to make an experimental character because characters are supposed to have a unique personality, and if you don't create them out of your own forcing desire to create a character, or because you think you have the most wonderful idea you simply must put into practice, it's just metagaming.

My newspawns are usually not ignored. They tend to get loud and obnoxious if they are. Although the first two days in Cantr I was playing it more like a single-player game before people gave me a reason to interact with them.

I don't mind if somebody is clearly a newbie and needs help with things like how to start projects, or how trading is handled and such, as long as they try to act in character instead of being like "lol sry im new".

I've recently created three new charris (think, past two weeks, when there was a boom of spawns, so I conformed ) Anyways, One got accepted very well. One got some hello's but further attempts for me to RP were quenched, so i've gone to look for more. The third, I have a feeling, will be perpetually ignored.

Some of my characters have been fairly interesting and had good events, the kind of events that "only happen in cantr" because of the way players interact.

All my charies are under 23 so ill say

1 of my 12 charries is being actively ignored even when she starts collapsing on the floor, begging for food and being as controversial as possible .

4 are very boring at the moment but 1 had an amazing cantr moment

it's a bit quite for all of them at the moment but a few of them have really had amazing stuff which actually keeps me up all night refreshing the page

I hate some boring rp when no matter how hard I try to make something interesting happen everyone ignores it or everybody else just seems bland and robotically polite but becuase I have alot of charries is normally ok. I think the only solution really is to make the land smaller so we are more likely to come across an area we like or somehow "teach" people more about RP, prehaps make a comprehensive guide to what rp actually is on the wiki and put a link to it on the main cantr page? Just an idea not sure what support for it would be like.

All of mine are 23 or under as well and ill tell you how it went:

My first and favorite character has had an amazing life so far, and his life is like that completely because of a certain older gentleman that he met when he spawned. The older man was going to travel somewhere, and my charrie needed inspiration, so the man offered to let him come with him. From then onward all of my character's wishes have been fulfilled because of this fantastic person. So I consider that charrie a success even now.
Score: 1-0-0

My second favorite character was ignored at first but then got involved with a protective order because he felt as if his life had no meaning and someone wanted to help him have some.
Score: 2-0-0

Another of my charries was ignored at first, but he also found a good life so far. 3 successes up to this point.
Score 3-0-0

Then there is another thats life didn't work out too well, most likely because of the boring place he was spawned in. He's been traveling. I haven't given up on this character yet, but he hasn't been a success yet.
Score: 3-0-1 (Unsure)

4 of my charries were spawned in horribly unwelcoming places and decided to travel, which they still are doing.
Score 3-4-1

One of my charries was bored out of his wits as well, but after traveling to find a purpose, he's come upon a location with no people or buildings- he's gonna found a hamlet. Success, in my book.
Score 4-4-1

Another of my charries was spawned into a very small place with just a few other nice and moderately active folk. The place is where he has stayed, and he loves it there. Success, yet again.
Score: 5-4-1

Another one of my charries was spawned into the capital of a has-been empire, but which is now just a city all alone, in a governmental rebuilding effort. His life has been pretty good so far. He is able to contribute to the town in cultural ways, which he likes. The people are also quite active. This, as I call it, is a win.
Score at this point: 6-4-1

Two more of my characters were spawned into boring locations, and both of them moved somewhere new. The locations they arrived in were both small, with one or two people in them. They are enjoying their lifestyle and their new friends. These are both scores.
Score: 8-4-1

Another of my charries was welcomed into a military by active people, but is now STILL sitting in jail for refusing to kill a man unjustly.
This scenario would turn off a new newcomer. This is a loss.
The score: 8-5-1

The last of my 15 charries was my attempt at a french character based on an intermediate knowledge of the language... didn't work so well. This one will not count on the score.

The final score:
8 Successful Characters
5 Unsuccessful Characters
and
1 Put-Down Character with Hope Yet

So, from my gameplay, I've come to understand a few things.
For the most enjoyment of newcomers, a charrie must be spawned into an active location or a location that is gives the player opportunities to contribute in any ways possible: culturally, militarily, or other, which is helpful in getting them noticed by other players- thus involving them in more and raising the enjoyment level.
Most players, if they have studied up on the basics of how to use the interface, may find joy in small places with a few active people that they could debate with- thus giving them the sense that they are powerful from an early time.
My unsuccessful characters were all characters that were welcomed by very inactive players, or by no players at all. They end up travelling with no hope for a future.
The last character I described, who was wrongfully imprisoned, showcases that even if someone gets involved with a group or society, their life may be cut short or not very fun because of the actions of the other players.


And that pretty much sums up the ways that newcomers may feel during their trek into Cantrland, I believe.

My dead characters are:
Wiro
Had a short life as a thief, eventually got killed. Not much roleplay here, as he mostly wandered through the mountains, trying to kill sleepers. So not a success.
Dory Agony
My favorite dead character. You can read her long story in the gone but not forgotten topic. Definitely a success.
Spice
A very interesting character who had a life full of fun, only to eventually end her last year of life with a melancholic journey of seeking forgiveness.
Mu Mu
A pretty simple girl referring to herself as "Mu Mu" instead of "I". Died to a very bad roleplayer. Was somewhat interesting even though she never achieved a thing, until she got killed by someone who said that "Attacking without emoting or talking is roleplay too." and put this into action by not speaking or saying a thing.
Hikari Yagami
Interesting shy cry baby who had lots of fun in Blit Forest West, working the days away. Until one day a memory of the past that had been haunting her for years came back to life and sent all things she had once enjoyed right into the fiery oven of hell (Blackrock Forest lol).
Laurens Grun
Badly RPd newspawn thief.
Lieke Groen
Badly RPd newspawn thief.
Jonas Berg
Badly RPd character.
Nina Rozendaal
A woman with a very complete personality. Was eventually raped and murdered.
Horo Melango
Badly RPd character.
Florence de Rye
Homosexual drama queen who killed himself. Lovely character, had a lovely husband, too.
Melanie Melody
My failure of an attempt at a pervert character.
Doyle Nox
The leader of a group of bandits. Died with a broken heart after his evil plans were found out.
Mischa Schaken
Quietly starved herself due to a lack of activity in her town. Never achieved anything at all.
Naomi Threeway
Died young, very young. Was sick of waiting and threw herself off a church, falling into the embrace of Donii. (Okay, they were the emperor's arms. ) Everyone around her allowed for plenty of roleplay and character development. Truly enjoyed this one while it lasted.

Those are my dead ones. My alive ones, fifteen of them, are all success stories except for one.

There's one that sort of jumps out to me because of her personality, though I don't like posting much about my alive characters. She won't die anytime soon either...so, I'll save this for another time.