Item deterioration: Economic saviour or social suicide?

[The Sociologist]

I am a supporter of item deterioration and always have been. So my thanks and congratulations to Jur for his achievement. And also to those who added all the parameters, even if they did mess up a few.

That having been said, I really do feel that repairing should require addition of materials rather more than expenditure of time. And addition of tools required in repairing would also be a good idea. Perhaps this could be looked at as a future enhancement.

At the moment, items are in some ways almost too easy to repair, and yet such repairs consume rather too much time. One would have wanted to stimulate manufacture and trade, and also special vocations. Instead, one is just slowing down the game even further.

Let me provide an anecdotal example. Akypor Forest South makes mainly bows since salt for leather is rather far away. So bow repairs might require string and sinew, for example. Comrade Fran had been planning for that eventuality and even wondering whether she should offer iron in exchange for sinew, so as to increase her stockpile.

But now of course, sinew will just continue to accumulate as a worthless surplus along with all the other worthless surpluses of "stuff" that her hunters accumulate from their kills. There is little point in her offering them anything for the sinew or in their trying to trade it.

Things could have been rather more interesting, not so?

[rklenseth]

I agree. I think tools, materials, and certain items should be part of repairing.

Like for a sword, it should require a whetstone (a tool) to sharpen it.
A bow should require a new bowstring (an item) to replace the old one.
I'm sure I could think of others.

I would also like to see different parts of items deteriorate like the shaft of a spear would break and need replacing long before the head. But right now it would be too complicated to add some of this stuff but we can make small steps into the proper directions.

[kinvoya]

I don't mind deterioration but it's a bit more overwhelming than I expected.

Everything is deteriorating so fast that no one can possibly keep up with all the repairs even of the most valuable tools and such. If they have to somehow aquire additional expensive and hard to aquire materials, tools, etc. I think my chars will just give up and go back to living in the stone age.

It's just way too much work and micromanaging for them and for me.

Cantr is becoming more and more like an annoying job and less and less like a fun game.

[rklenseth]

I don't see how deterioration is too fast. I am knowledgable of the settings (mainly because I set them) so I know how fast they deteriorate and it isn't that fast. If you can't keep up it means you have too much stuff and not enough workers. If it was slower than there wouldn't be any point to have deterioration because it would never really affect any of your characters in their lifetimes. You would be lucky (or is that unlucky) if your sword broke before your character dies of old age is how slow deterioration is right now without giving out the exact time period.

There are some things that deteriorate fast but they are in general really crappy to begin with.

[Bran-Muffin]

I personally do think it is to fast in the length of 4-5 years a good sword wouldnt have to be repaired 10 times. Yes it is abit of an exaggeration but I hope you get my point. I think it should be slowed down.

[Nick]

Perhaps stop thinking about your sword being 'repaired'.
I'm sure any good warrior would have to spend time 'maintaining' his sword's quality.

[rklenseth]

I personally do think it is to fast in the length of 4-5 years a good sword wouldnt have to be repaired 10 times. Yes it is abit of an exaggeration but I hope you get my point. I think it should be slowed down.

I think you missed my posted above, Brandon. I'm pretty sure your sword has a better chance at outliving your character.

[Bowser]

There is no need to make repairing things any more time consuming or resource consuming. The idea of having to repair things will take care of the surplus, stockroom full of hammers. Now every hammer ever made will not have a eternal life. Items that are not actally being used or tended too will crumble away.