Limits on newborn character skills

[Juuustaaas]

Howcome some characters are born into great skills, and others must work long and hard to acquire them?

I say, add a certain limit to the newspawn character skills (maybe limit them to 'Novicely' or so), and increase the effect of higher skills even more (you make, say, 200 potatoes a day 'awkwardly' and 300 'novicely', and 450 'skillfully')

Seems a simple enough idea, but i think it has great importance. There will be no more "wonder-childs", everyone will have to choose a proffesion once they spawned, and work till they are actually good at it. This will bring more trade, thus providing a possibility for societies to emerge.

With the conditions that exist now, there's no way an actual nation could form. Of course, there may exist some imitations of societies, but people in Cantr are still the hunter-gatherer community, and there's no way that can change. At least, without character specialisations.

Like, if i have a weapon-smithing business, and want wood for another room in my building, i simply go to the nearest wood source, and collect it till i have enough. I mean, the system as it is right now, allows people to manage (and even prosper) without trade.

[Hellzon]

I mean, the system as it is right now, allows people to manage (and even prosper) without trade.

Um, I think that's the point. Putting an expert farmer out on the farm has benefits, but a town that has noone better than "novice" at farming doesn't keel over and die.
And personally, I like it that way. If skills are made more important, that forces everyone to be a specialist or suck...

/Hellzon - awkward poster

[Crosshair]

Tis true. People have natural gifts in real life, it just sounds like your bitter cause you dont have a child prodigy character yourself jokes.

[Sunni Daez]

I have seen places put restriction on the gathering of things, thus promoting trade... and with limited gathering slots, trading will be necessary as places get more people...

[Juuustaaas]

"be a specialist or suck"

isn't that how it is in rl?

anyway, of course i can't argue if you prefer everyone to be able to fill their personal needs by themselves. But societies' main purpose is to achieve more in unity, than there would be achieved individually. If specialisations were introduced, it would actually be ineffective to not try to create a society.

[Hellzon]

anyway, of course i can't argue if you prefer everyone to be able to fill their personal needs by themselves.

Able, yes. Get a bonus if you use the niche you're actually good at? Definitely! But not so high that doing something else than what you're good at is not an option.

/Hellzon - good at math, studies chemistry...

[Juuustaaas]

well, those rates were just an example

[formerly known as hf]

The skills system already made it too muich like an MUD/other RPGs out there for my taste - I'd rather not make it any worse...

[Crosshair]

Farmer.. whats An MUD?

[Hellzon]

Multi-User Dungeon. Basically another word for MMORPG.

/Not farmer, but who cares?

[Crosshair]

Hmmm.... i hate those ones. I like god quality 3D ones but not Text based things like gangwars and Kings of Khaos. *shudder*

[Lumin]

GangWars is not a real MUD!

Play something like Carrion Fields or GEAS before you judge. I've seen plenty of RP there that's just as good as anything here. A lot of the players are better typers, too.

P.S. Cantr is a 'text based thing' too, you know.

[The Sociologist]

The skills system already made it too muich like an MUD/other RPGs out there for my taste - I'd rather not make it any worse...

Agreed. Worse than many MUDs, actually.

[Leo Luncid]

The skills system already made it too muich like an MUD/other RPGs out there for my taste - I'd rather not make it any worse...

Agreed. Worse than many MUDs, actually.

May anybody point out the similarities and explain please?

[formerly known as hf]

MUDs - which aren't necessarily text based (diablo?) are just the stereotype of those games where you gain 'experience' at skills in order to 'level up' (either each skill or in general depending on the depth of detail in the game) by doing repeated activities - such as swinging the axe/sword at monsters, using magic, cooking food, making armour etc etc etc.

Usually they provide you with reams upon reams of stats, usually numeric, in order to finely work out the details of your characters skills.

Thankfully Cantr doesn't do that - and skills are more passive to the RP and the game in general - but the concept is there, doing things repeatedly gains skill 'levels' (In Cantr: Novice, efficiently, expertly etc.)

Anything that pushes it further in that direction (i.e: making the skill levels of new characters significantly different from those of other characters - as most MMORPGs do) I'm gonna hate...

I always find the numerical stats involved are so uhnrealistic it's just silly, and I'm glad Cantr avoids that (mostly - I still hate the % for health, tiredness etc.)
Secondly, in multiplayer games, you find that the moronic robotic repeating people of the hack n slash variety get better skills faster, and better characetrs faster. This benifits those who can put inordinate amounts of time into the game, and skills end up taking priority over RP

Thankfully Cantr isn't at that stage - skill 'levelling up' doesn't need constant involvement (you can set projects and leave them), the skills aren't particularly apparent, they aren't very extreme in the differences, and aren't particularly noticeable to other players (except the fighting / hunting skills). Hence it doesn't penalise those with little time to play, and RP isn't sacrificed (you can still get away with RPing a character who might be crap at their job)

Then again, after having slagged off those kind of games, I must admit I am a final fantasy nerd - but FF games are the only games like that which have been any good (and they're not multiplayer)