The best and worst implementations in Cantr history

[SekoETC]

I think we may have done this before but let's do it anyway. Here's my top three.

Best implementations:

Custom descriptions - this is pretty self-explanatory.

Steeds - Some people might argue that steeds break the game, but it was about time that faster land travel was enabled. There's still a reason to get cars if you are going to be stopping in locations for extended periods, but for explorers and mapmakers, steeds are a very good implementation. Also the primitive characters. Also I like the fact that at least on the old English region, there's one type of steed for each island, so that creates variety.

Voluntary death from old age - made it unnecessary to commit suicide in a completely OOC manner, yet made it possible for long term players to get newspawns and old characters to die naturally, enabling younger characters to get in positions of power and inherit the wealth.

Worst implementations:

The herbs - enabling them to be grown anywhere with the combination of automation was a very bad idea. Also the herbal mixtures don't make sense. One of them used to cure the sneezing sickness, but there was not even an event message for this, so even if someone would've accidentally ingested enough of the drug while being ill, they would not have noticed the connection. Also many of the herbs in Cantr have medical value in real life, but this was not apparently researched not even with a simple google search, so I heard that one of the combinations would just taste bad and possibly give you diarrhea. It would make more sense if you could use white willow to cure a headache, peppermint for a sore throat and so on, but you need to make combinations of three resources that don't make sense. All they do is heal (or restore energy in a minimal way) so of course people are going to make the most effective one they have the resources to. And nowadays unless you're living under a rock, you will have the seeds of every single herb. None of my characters have ever bought herbal mixtures.

Honey - can be made anywhere and with no work short of getting water. In fact, if you use solar stills, you won't even have to work to get the water. In other words, free healing. There's a limit of one beehive per location but people are circumventing this by driving around starting projects in abandoned towns all across an island, then returning days later to collect the spoils.

Radio, or particularly the anonymity on it - this can easily ruin the game for me. It allows characters who are absolute dicks to spread their asshattery over the radius of up to three islands. Voices should be recognizable.

What are you opinions on this? You're not necessarily limited to 3 each, you can post as many or few as you like.

[psychowico]

I hate radio in current form. But from diffrent reason that you. Instant messages on long distance just break game "slow-piece" character.

Best things? From technical point of view - ajax driven events page, without need to reload full page. I liked characters "memory" system too (naming others), but it can be improved for sure.

[Alladinsane]

I have gone on record several times saying that steeds are overpowered... but if you can't beat em, join em. I now have several chars who are mounties for various reasons...availability being one. Knowing that there are certain area's where I can perform a task and outrun any pursuit regardless of the vehicle they have increases my options. It also gives the griefers the chance to emulate the 'Mongol Hordes' that ride in and take or kidnap whatever they want and you never see them coming! Yep, overpowered. But I see both good and bad coming from mounts and will leave the jury out pending a few modifications.

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Good.... windows. The ability to see outside and back enhances the chances for rp. You can work on a machine that can only exist within a building and participate in rp, running a town (verbally) and see whatever shenanigans may be occurring within the town square.

Bad... radio. This addition has led to more trolling and more rule breaking than any I can think of. Its the root cause of some of our major losses of players. It doesn't really help against the pirates and is probably even by used by them to coordinate their own incursions... wouldn't you? So much bad feeling has been brought by this device... I could certainly live without it.


I am running short on Idea's atm, but I encourage everyone to give input here. You ideas do make a difference here and much of what our progd does is based on your suggestions. This is the game that you create....not just the char's lives, but the rules and implements that you bring and suggest. Storm those brains!

[SekoETC]

After a while I've started thinking that steeds ought to eat more. As far as I know, they eat 75 grams a day, which is fairly little. I think wisents eat much more than that, and one person struggles to take care of even three of them. Keeping a horse shouldn't be trivial. Currently you can make a bunch of feed cheap and not have to worry about it for about 200 days. Also horses have very large capacity because they can take two people and/or loads of cargo. I think the game would benefit a lot if cargo space was separated from passenger spots. Sure in a car you can pile up luggage on the back seat, but try putting a salting barrel on a tandem bike. You shouldn't even be able to ride it without a second person. If you could add saddlebags to a bike or a dirt motorcycle, it would suddenly be worth-while because it's cheap and you only spend fuel while moving.

[Mafia Salad]

Good:

Fuel use in vehicles, I hated it at the time, but seeing it established, I like how it turned out. The fuel use to production time is pretty balanced IMO.

Custom descriptions: I'm a big fan.

Windows: sending someone to work a smelter used to be a 50/50 heart attack proposition. Now they can stay a part of the town.

Poor:

Bronze, maybe it has relivance in other languages, but in the EZ it's at best a novelty since it's generally inferior to iron, no easier to create, and introduced later.

Dynamic location names: I have mixed feelings on this. Being able to rename places is nice and tying location names to their history (Port Gallagher), but I like the simplicity of everyone knowing where the roads lead. And the unusual names added to the uniqueness of Cantr, and with so many new names being RL locations or just kinda stupid, it falls into the net negitive side for me.

[Millhouse]

Most everything important had already been implemented by the time I got here, so there's nothing for me to really compare it to. For the things that got implemented in the last couple of years, here are my thoughts

Steeds: I think they're a good addition if not a little overpowered and there's so big issues. I think one of the biggest issues is when an owner abandons the horse or dies or just gets lazy. Then the town gets stuck with the bill. There should be some way to turn a horse back to the wild when that happens (currently the only way is to adopt it, unsaddle it and move it away from a source of feed. Good luck if there's a locked saddlebag)

Bookcases and display cases: I like these a lot. Much better way of organizing things while allowing others to securely browse. Suffers a similar issue as steeds if the owner dies or a key is lost or stolen. There's no way to break the lock of a stone display case. So if the key is gone, everything inside is locked inside forever.

Drunkenness: This was great. Provides a lot more opportunities for role play because apparently everyone like acting like a drunk. I'd like to see more available drinking vessels (shot glasses!)

Books: I really liked the idea but unfortunately it wasn't game-changing. Almost every book I see being carried around isn't even bound. It's like everyone has unfinished works. I'm guilty of that too. I'd like to see actual stories with chapters and tables if content and appendices but that's probably asking for more commitment than most people are willing to put in.

Coffins and funeral pyres: a great way to throw away 3600 to 4000 grams of wood.

New recipes: I like all the new alcohol recipes and some of the new food recipes but it's actually a bit too much now. I'd prefer to see other things implemented before more food recipes.

Miscellaneous items: I like all the new little items like dice, drinking glasses, fans, paper lanterns, wall lanterns and such. I hope to see more little items like this.

[Snowdrop]

Steeds: There should be some way to turn a horse back to the wild when that happens (currently the only way is to adopt it, unsaddle it and move it away from a source of feed. Good luck if there's a locked saddlebag)

Bookcases and display cases: Suffers a similar issue as steeds if the owner dies or a key is lost or stolen. There's no way to break the lock of a stone display case. So if the key is gone, everything inside is locked inside forever.

I do wish it wasn't necessary to adopt a steed after the owner dies in order to do anything with it. If it's left without food while still saddled, then it just seems to die and the saddle is lost...
However, your worries about lost keys is not a real issue - I believe you just click on the key (lock/unlock) button while holding a crowbar

[Millhouse]

However, your worries about lost keys is not a real issue - I believe you just click on the key (lock/unlock) button while holding a crowbar

No that doesn't work on stone pedestal cases. I believe there was a fix applied to wooden display cases where the disassemble button was added and clicking on it started a lock breaking project. But stone pedestal cases (and maybe marble pedestal cases too) weren't included in that fix. In general, there seems to be a lot of issues around locked storages. Like you can break a lock on a barrel, but you can't remove the broken lock to add a new one. I think some other lockable storages might have the same problems.

ETA: here's the support thread about display cases. viewtopic.php?f=3&t=27443

[Snowdrop]

Ah, okay...well, it's not something I've really been able to play around with, to be honest.

[Jaxon]

Worst ever: nerfing tea

[notsure]

I still love overhearing whispers.

notsure :\

[Rebma]

This isn't really an IG thing, but, automatic turn reports. My goodness, you spend over a decade trying not to forget to send them to yourself regularly which is mildly unsuccessful when you have a bad memory and they were AAAALLL the way down there.... and have a shoddy history saved, holes and all... and then automated turn reports come and you never freaking miss anything.