Cantr II Discussion Forum

So, I've noticed- especially lately- that many of the more active threads on the forum focus on negative aspects of the game. Specifically, the "Things that make you cringe in Cantr" and the "Why Cantr Failed" threads.

Now, there isn't anything at all wrong with these topics, but I can't help but wonder if they're discouraging to any new players who come across them. I know if that I was considering joining a game, and I found a forum full of pessimism and negativity, I'd be completely turned off. It's just something to consider, seeing as we know that people ARE interested in joining the game. It really can't hurt us to try and make a welcoming and encouraging environment for them.

Maybe change the name of "Why Cantr Failed" to "How Cantr Has Changed Over Time."

It's also possible that the game's current state is so dire, and the staff so wholly focused on ignoring the problem, that players feel there is no recourse but to be negative on the forums to try and stir up meaningful reform.

Staff is made of volunteers so they don't work full day on game. So certain things are gonna take long to implement etc. And clearly some issues are made by players and staff can't really affect that unless they break rules

The game is stale.

Rmak wrote:The game is stale.

That's the thing. People still get enjoyment out of it, and people are still interested in joining. People wouldn't play if they were bored. And the Discord channel is busy on a pretty regular basis.

The game hasn't failed, and it isn't dead. We just need to entice new people into sticking around, and saying so many bad things about the game isn't going to do that.

Rmak wrote:The game is stale.

Yes, it's stale and also on same time not. We need more people who do and initiate stuff. Surprising many are just.. waiting for someone else to do something

We actually had some discussion in staff about potentially changing the "why Cantr failed" thread title, but I am really loath to edit posts by players just because I do not really like the tone of the post. Although I do not think Cantr has failed, I do think it is struggling at the moment, and I do think it's good to have that conversation.

I see your point, but then, people should just start more positive threads too. Use the Cantr praise chat to praise some roleplay, or use other general discussion chats that used to be popular and generate some energy on the forum.

Actually i like the discussions that are going on. They are less about complaining/negativity (like in the past), but more about trying to find improvements and solutions.

Tiamo wrote:Actually i like the discussions that are going on. They are less about complaining/negativity (like in the past), but more about trying to find improvements and solutions.

I agree.
I do get a sense that people are however, walking on eggshells trying to make some points because of reactions like this thread.
A critique is always positive... some of the debates have been useful and I actually think people have, on the whole, tried to be 'mature'.

curious wrote:

Tiamo wrote:Actually i like the discussions that are going on. They are less about complaining/negativity (like in the past), but more about trying to find improvements and solutions.

I agree.
I do get a sense that people are however, walking on eggshells trying to make some points because of reactions like this thread.
A critique is always positive... some of the debates have been useful and I actually think people have, on the whole, tried to be 'mature'.

I wasn't trying to call out any individual person in this thread. I'm just saying that saying things like "Cantr has failed" and "the game is dead" aren't helpful. People have offered solutions and ideas, and that's fantastic, but just being negative and pessimistic isn't going to fix anything.

There's not much to rejoice in as it stands. Just that the game is thankfully still around despite everything.

I think failure improperly describes the state of the game, for reasons that have previously been listed, but I do think it is in decline. We have had some cool new features implemented but the player base continues to shrink. Decline is not a fun and happy theme, but at least people are being honest about what they think.

There just doesn't seem like much else to discuss on the forum. The positive elements of Cantr can be found in game, and I don't think many players are comfortable discussing that OOC for various reasons. That leaves discussion of the state of the game.

If you're looking for upbeat conversation I would highly recommend the discord. It's quite active, and all sorts of people pop in.

I completely agree with the comments by Tiamo and Money. I think the discussion is relatively positive, except for the title, and plenty of people immediately commented in that thread that really the game has not failed as such, it's just in decline.

I do understand that it does not make the greatest impression for new people joining the forum, but we cannot keep a fake / sanitized discussion, just for that purpose ... I do think we could have more positive discussions as well on the forum. For example, we could share more nice experiences, as long as they are a while ago (e.g. more than a real life year); or favourite characters; etc. I know there are threads like that and they could be reactivated a bit.

And of course, Discord now has become the main chat area, not the forum, which is fine too.

Stale is a good word for the cantr environment. Conflict is not only interesting, it is a part of governing in a society. A society without conflict has little need for government. Without government, towns grow sleepy. Unfortunately, there has not been much conflict in years. The reasons for this are expansive, but I believe ever since the removal of tea, there has been very little threat to towns and thus very little conflict. Without this threat, there is a lack of incentive to actually govern, thus creating sleepy towns and boring gameplay.