Cantr II Discussion Forum

If you really like your characters, but their situations feel stuck, I suggest putting them to sleep and going on vacation mode for three months. Keep their stomachs full and if they have friends, ask them to keep them fed for you. Log in every couple of weeks to see if anything is happening that interests you, and if it does, then join in the fun. Otherwise, keep them asleep. That way, your characters will still be alive, you can pick up the action or join the story whenever you feel like it, and there's no pressure to log in or play through the boredom.

Friar Briar wrote:If you really like your characters, but their situations feel stuck, I suggest putting them to sleep and going on vacation mode for three months. Keep their stomachs full and if they have friends, ask them to keep them fed for you. Log in every couple of weeks to see if anything is happening that interests you, and if it does, then join in the fun. Otherwise, keep them asleep. That way, your characters will still be alive, you can pick up the action or join the story whenever you feel like it, and there's no pressure to log in or play through the boredom.

I guess that works with shallow RP, and I know that there is no one kind of fun, but I don't think going to sleep is going to solve anything because the same components that made your character boring are still there.. you've just removed yourself, which might end up making it more tempting to just never play again because 'well I've left it alone for two weeks, why bother looking now - I'm no longer emotionally invested'.

Sorry, but personally I really dislike that advice. I think if the character or environment is stagnating the fun you get out of this game you need to change one or both of them. That's what's most important here. Encouraging not playing doesn't sound like a solution that will solve the source of the problem.

For the roleplayers, the most fun you get out of the game it seems to me is the interactions with others. If they are boring to play they are either boring themselves, or the people who are around them are boring - you need to make sure your character is fleshed out with their own distinctive likes, dislikes, beliefs, opinions, attitudes, and ambitions. What makes them tick? What motivates them? What dictates their level respect for others? Those are the kinds of questions you can answer to make them way way more intriguing.. which presumably will attract other intriguing chars. If it's the environment that's boring, get the hell out of there.

For simmers, Friar Briar's suggestion would probably work though. Maybe. It's hard to like it just because it encourages not playing, and most of the time it's not ALL chars that are boring, just a few.

LittleSoul wrote:

Friar Briar wrote:If you really like your characters, but their situations feel stuck, I suggest putting them to sleep and going on vacation mode for three months. Keep their stomachs full and if they have friends, ask them to keep them fed for you. Log in every couple of weeks to see if anything is happening that interests you, and if it does, then join in the fun. Otherwise, keep them asleep. That way, your characters will still be alive, you can pick up the action or join the story whenever you feel like it, and there's no pressure to log in or play through the boredom.

I guess that works with shallow RP, and I know that there is no one kind of fun, but I don't think going to sleep is going to solve anything because the same components that made your character boring are still there.. you've just removed yourself, which might end up making it more tempting to just never play again because 'well I've left it alone for two weeks, why bother looking now - I'm no longer emotionally invested'.

Sorry, but personally I really dislike that advice. I think if the character or environment is stagnating the fun you get out of this game you need to change one or both of them. That's what's most important here. Encouraging not playing doesn't sound like a solution that will solve the source of the problem.

For the roleplayers, the most fun you get out of the game it seems to me is the interactions with others. If they are boring to play they are either boring themselves, or the people who are around them are boring - you need to make sure your character is fleshed out with their own distinctive likes, dislikes, beliefs, opinions, attitudes, and ambitions. What makes them tick? What motivates them? What dictates their level respect for others? Those are the kinds of questions you can answer to make them way way more intriguing.. which presumably will attract other intriguing chars.

^^^^^ LittleSoul is exactly right.

Friar Briar wrote:If you really like your characters, but their situations feel stuck, I suggest putting them to sleep and going on vacation mode for three months. Keep their stomachs full and if they have friends, ask them to keep them fed for you. Log in every couple of weeks to see if anything is happening that interests you, and if it does, then join in the fun. Otherwise, keep them asleep. That way, your characters will still be alive, you can pick up the action or join the story whenever you feel like it, and there's no pressure to log in or play through the boredom.

My personal problem with this approach is that some towns have so much going on and it's so much to read....

Which is why I'm having so much trouble staying motivated to play several of my characters. I know there'll be a wall of text for me to read and I just don't want to do it.

Snickie wrote:My personal problem with this approach is that some towns have so much going on and it's so much to read....

Which is why I'm having so much trouble staying motivated to play several of my characters. I know there'll be a wall of text for me to read and I just don't want to do it.

that was kind of my time-based problem with playing much. so I moved where there's less text on some characters, and the rest I just ignore since I can't kill JUST them.

Friar Briar had good advice too. I've never understood this RP vs swimming thing and I've never equated simming with 'shallow RP'. But sometimes it's not so much that your characters are boring so much as you've got a sudden disconnect from them, can't quite get in their heads and for the time being aren't interested in what's going on in their lives. It's the equivalent of writer's block or of losing interest in a book you're reading. But the feeling usually passes, only since the Cantr world keeps moving on without you you have to take a few precautions to make sure your character is still around when you get the urge to pick them up again, be it two weeks later it two months.

Marian wrote:Friar Briar had good advice too. I've never understood this RP vs swimming thing and I've never equated simming with 'shallow RP'. But sometimes it's not so much that your characters are boring so much as you've got a sudden disconnect from them, can't quite get in their heads and for the time being aren't interested in what's going on in their lives. It's the equivalent of writer's block or of losing interest in a book you're reading. But the feeling usually passes, only since the Cantr world keeps moving on without you you have to take a few precautions to make sure your character is still around when you get the urge to pick them up again, be it two weeks later it two months.

Thanks!

I just want to say that I think LittleSoul is right if you really want to double down to reinvest yourself back into the game. But, if there are other issues precluding you from doing that, then I think it's probably good to take a step back while finding a way to keep your characters around as you take some time to review what you really want out of this game.

I recently converted several of my characters to simmers. One clear role, one clear goal to aim for. It allows my other characters to have the depth they deserve.

Marian wrote:Friar Briar had good advice too. I've never understood this RP vs swimming thing and I've never equated simming with 'shallow RP'.

I just want to point out I never equated the two. I'm in agreement that they are two separate things.
I also agree that sometimes taking a step back and away from the game can help get over this disinterest, I just feel like it's a last resort sort of option.

LittleSoul wrote:I also agree that sometimes taking a step back and away from the game can help get over this disinterest, I just feel like it's a last resort sort of option.

I agree with this. I just wanted to put it out there as an option.

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Sometimes, this game has a synergy that can create magical moments, either by luck or by people's conscious choice. If CuteCuddly is missing that kind of interaction that happened in the beginning of their game, then maybe take a look back and see how it synthesized in the past and why it's missing now?

Traveling would be a better option anyhow, whether you're bored or unsure if you want to continue playing a character, just need a temporary break or are too busy IRL. It gives you a little breathing space without having to worry about RP or stress out about other characters depending on yours when you're just not in the mood to play them.

Marian wrote:Traveling would be a better option anyhow, whether you're bored or unsure if you want to continue playing a character, just need a temporary break or are too busy IRL. It gives you a little breathing space without having to worry about RP or stress out about other characters depending on yours when you're just not in the mood to play them.

100% agree with this. Travelling has helped some of my characters immensely. Nothing helps a character liven up more than seeing new places, meeting new and even old friends. It can certainly give a character some stories to tell, and experiences to have.

Without wanting to sound too much like a product review; If monotony strikes, try taking a trip. Would recommend.

Ended up totally ignoring two walls of text, except for a thing about passing stuff. I was surprised - one of the walls was exactly where I thought it would be but the other one was not, and the character I was expecting to have a wall actually had very little.

Slowly getting back into it.