Toll Boothes and or Gates,

[Nick]

I want to build one of those, but there's no real reason to until the threats to society get it together...

I take offense to that.

[The Industriallist]

I want to build one of those, but there's no real reason to until the threats to society get it together...

I take offense to that.

There was a plural there...how many threats to society do you singlehandedly constitute?

Anyway...I think it's well within the mechanics of the game for successful roving bandits to make large areas (inland, even) unsafe to live in and dangerous to try to travel in. Unfortunately, no one's ever made any of my characters snap like that...only my semi-sociopath would do it now, and she's entangled...

@Birdsall>
The defence against animals in the fields was more one of cutting back the trees that they lived in and clearing 'wild' areas away from where the people were...in europe, anyway.

No self-respecting maneater is going to be deterred by a fence. A log stockade, yes, but it would take a whole forest to wall much area with one of those.

[Schme]

Gates are a bad idea. Cantr is a society simulator. So there are guerrila attacks? If that is the case, then the devolopement of said society must take that into account (that being the possibility of guerilla attacks.)

That's what annoys me. People always asking for things.

"I want an alarm clock!" or whatever else.

Well, there isn't one. And so, consequently, society must evolve taking into account the absence of said thing (i.e. alarm clock)

[mortaine]

If Cantr is a society simulator, then it fails in one key way. People cannot invent things to suit their own circumstances. Instead, they have to pray to the gods to miraculously have some new item added to the list of things they can build.

True societies move forward through invention, adapting their environment (through gates and everything else) to fit the needs of the society and the individual.

[Schme]

Again, more complaints that could be dismissed.

People cannot invent things, and consequently, society must evolve taking that into consideration.

It's really quite simple. Same thing as an alarm clock.

[TatteredShoeLace]

Scheme, that makes no sense. This game is based on evolution, particularly of the users' wants and needs. If the game never evolved, there would be no boats, iron would be monopolized, and pirates could raid towns all day. The game evolves to help fill in gaps Scheme. Mortaine is right, invention would be keen, but is just too hard to implement, if not impossible. So we wait for the next big change to come from PD, and then praise or critique it as we always do.

[Surly]

Gates are a bad idea. Cantr is a society simulator. So there are guerrila attacks? If that is the case, then the devolopement of said society must take that into account (that being the possibility of guerilla attacks.)

That is a very strange logic. Gates are a bad idea because Cantr is a society simulator? As someone who has just completed a 5000 word essay of the reasons for urbanisation, I would question that. Gates are indicative of walled towns. And it is precisely the security that they provide that caused a significant increase in urbanisation. And this was a major change in society. If you take the argument that Cantr is a society simulator, you should accept the fact that gates and cities are an important part of society - the changes they caused had a major impact.

That's what annoys me. People always asking for things.

Simple solution... don't read the section about peoples suggestions and requests...

[The Industriallist]

I've got to say, the whole 'invention' thing is much more a recent phenomenon than people seem to reallize. the Cantr world is very young, and for most of history major advances have been extremely far apart...centuries, or large blocks of decades, rather than years.

As for gates...the only valid reason I can see to have actual walls added rather than just use the existing town-in-a-building option is that you may want to fortify around existing buildings.

And there are a few outside-only buildings that you would think a walled town could have.

In a way I agree with Schme, though. Cantr doesn't need to be, or become, RL. The point is to evolve society with what's available in the game.
Of course that's an old arguement for me...

[Solfius]

Is that point though?

I think only Jos can answer that adaquetely, as it is his baby.