The age system

[Nalaris]

In the treasure trove, I noticed that there was a complaint against cars and crossbows being used in the same action (drive by shooting, medieval style!). To solve this, I present the age system.

I notice there are five general levels of technological sophistication.

Stone Age: Animals first get domesticated, stone tools are used, first buildings.

Iron Age: Used to describe everything from when metallurgy was first invented to a Greek/Roman level of iron and steel. Crossbows would also fall into this category, as well as other medieval inventions not found in the more ancient empires

Steam Age: From guns to trains, it's all invented here. A technological revolution. Machines at their most basic come about. A train system would be really cool to see in Cantr. Muskets become easier to shoot faster.

Machine Age: From the invention of the train to the invention of the automobile. Also in this age, non-musket rifle's are invented. In this age, the world was connected. From here on, there can be no turning back. It is impossible to eradicate all evidence of a machine age civilization.

Digital Age: Once the microchip was invented, the electronic world exploded. Whereas cars used to have the fuel efficiency (and size, and handling capabilities) of aircraft carriers, they're now more efficient. Oil would be an intresting problem to see in Cantr. Computers and other electronics define this age. This is the current age. Everything beyond this is speculation.


So, my actual idea is to have all nations, be they one area or half the world, be assigned one of these five ages, which can be moved through once they have sufficient mastery of an age. Judging by what I know of the game mechanics, this would be done by the following formula.

Area (A) has 3(x) amount of Stone Age(1) level items, of at least 5(y) of each kind. At this point, the Iron Age(2) begins, and a whole new wealth of items become available to those inhabiting the region. Something to that effect, so that you need to be making a fairly large amount of items from your current age to advance to the next.

Thus, cities would grow at massive rates as people clustered around Digital Age areas, and only those who desire a simple life would remain in Iron/Stone Age area's (not developing, but undeveloped countries). No cars, bikes, or whatever would be taken away. The animals would suddenly play a much bigger role, specifically in the first two ages, dying out in the third, and completely dead in the fourth and fifth.

Cars would suddenly become relics from lost civilizations (I don't think any area goes past the Steam Age right now), bikes would be about the same (though non engine bikes would exist from the Iron Age on). This would also bring underdeveloped area's into more immediate underdevelopedness. That would scream for a civilizing, and new nations could easily arise out of the dust of these impoverished area's. This would help to more closely reflect the development of societies, which is, of course, Cantrs objective.

Complex, yes. Worth it, in every way yes absolutely positively of course! I can't program myself, but there's a massive staff of programmers right now, so use them! More than you are now! Even if it kills them! Hahahahahahahahahaha
*SLAP!*



...thank you...

But the idea is good. I'd like to see it implemented.

[TatteredShoeLace]

I vote no. If you want to evolve versus real players, try FreeCiv.

[Sho]

There are several reasons that this won't work.

One (only partly facetitous), Cantr technology is full of anachronisms, and we like it that way.

Two, this would require either hard-coded or PD-managed procedures for deciding what constitutes a nation or area. Setting aside implementability issues, this is the sort of thing that goes against Cantr's foundation of emergent behavior, where only the absolute minimum of structure is imposed from above or in the programming.

Three, we really don't have a massive staff of programmers.

[Nalaris]

...Evolve? I don't quite get that...But I personally don't want to command any of these nations. I just want to see them rise and fall more realistically. Can Free-whatever allow me to do that? Is it just a more realistic Cantr? I doubt it.

[Agar]

They rise and fall quite naturally.

Leaders become apathetic or lathargic, or just keel over, and boom, civilisation falls. (Olipifirovash)

Other times, people get thier $h!t together and everything works and things get better. Ok ... I can't think of any off the top of my head. I built a town somewhere, but I don't know if they did anything with it, and started a trading company, but there's no real clear direction on where that's going ...

Nations can rise, ask around and you'll see them.

[Lumin]

*deleted*

For some reason I thought Agar said Olip west.

[El_Skwidd]

Seems like something out of AoE to me.

Cantr > AoE

[MrPenguin589]

Seems like something out of AoE to me.

Cantr > AoE

My thoughts exactly.

[Crosshair]

Seems like something out of AoE to me.

Cantr > AoE

The ages are more Empire Earthish to me.... but thats beside the point.

I think that this age system is a bad idea because for one it would probably mean starting from scratch. and for two it would mean adding guns, which will (hopefully) never happen. I don't like the idea of a gun in Cantr, because its just too powerful a weapon... it would probably be a one hit kill, or close to.

The system we have now is good, because it has a nice balance of easy to get old technology (Knives, longbows) mixed with newer, harder to get technology (radios, Cars).

This current system we have now actually Encourages cities to become larger and then, when their opponents become too strong, fall.

And also, personally, i think Karnon works quite well. It has its critics, but so does the US and UK governments.

[Nalaris]

I realize this is a bad idea. Somebody lock this post.

[Thetaris]

Just to dig your grave further and ensure no other players suggest it from a myriad of 'against' reasons,
You would have to litterally reset Cantr to actually make it work. You explain how to avoid this, but it would well up in the ProgD's tasks to do this and keep current cities and players with what they have.
Personally, I don't want to lose my characters, and either does most of the Cantr community.

[Nick]

*holds on for ride to rejected forum*
Wheeeeeeeee

[Nalaris]

Alright, I had a good idea that got rejected in a day due to programming impracticality. This idea is both impractical and completely noobish. Yet it's at the top of the suggestions forum. I'm officially confused.

[Sho]

It was at the top because when you checked, it was the topic with the most recent post.

If you want this topic to get lower on the list, stop posting here. That applies to all of you!

[Nick]

It was at the top because when you checked, it was the topic with the most recent post.

If you want this topic to get lower on the list, stop posting here. That applies to all of you!

Rather ironic post, Sho.