Crime?

[Lone Wolf]

Just curious.

[Drew Zinkan]

Seems to me as if you're asking if the whole game should have crimes.. i think NO.. because each town is set up as it's own place and breaking a law in a town is a crime in itself.

[Sho]

Could you be more specific? From whose point of view are you asking us to answer from? If my characters were to vote, they would vote no, because crime is, virtually by definition, something that the majority of the people affected by it are opposed to. On the other hand, from my point of view as a player, the answer is again unclear. Do you mean "should people commit crimes?" or "should the Cantr programming make crimes possible?" To the first question I would answer no, but to the second I would answer yes, because crime is an important aspect in the development of a society and is therefore an important part of Cantr, the "interactive society simulator."

[Lone Wolf]

I guess I should have been more clear. I would like the players to answer on their own behalf, not the characters. Characters of course would be opposed to crime. Also to clear up the question "should characters commit crimes."

[Sho]

Okay. That clears things up.

[Sho]

Okay. That clears things up.

[Alcatraz]

This is the part of the game I find the most interesting, the most challenging. Getting resources, you click a button, wait a while, and voila. When you deal with people, it gets unpredictable. When you deal with angry other people who are fighting against you, it borders on chaos. It's up to the characters to take action as they see fit. It's one of the funnest parts to me to plan evil strategies to end empires, and to form rules to govern a town, or a region, or to outthink a criminal mastermind.

And then, we can ask what a crime is. Crimes are defined by the laws of a region. The laws are not part of the programming of the game, but a creation from the wonderful minds of the players, often advertised through notes. To make these utterly dominant and irresistable would destroy the game. Not only would it prevent those fun things, but it would promote a worse, and to me horribly boring and unrealistic, aspect. You could make laws of a complete dictatorship and rule the game through the programming.

It is essential that all these things relating to the governing and interacting of people remain as un programmed as possible. The creativity put through the open programming lets anything one can envision appear. The crimes come as a challenge to those enforcing the laws, the laws an obstacle to those living the life of a thief. Overcoming the challenges, pursuing goals, and developping personalities and relationships make the game as wonderful and detailed as anything else I've encountered; approaching the infinities of life itself.

[Lone Wolf]

I like the answers. I just thought I would explain my opinion on the topic since I've asked it. I think that with out crime, this game would be boring and no one would play it. With out crime only good things can happen, and in real life that isn't so.
One of the things that I do is if my new character is spawnd in a new town or comes into a new town where nothing is happening and it's boring, My character becomes a criminal. This is so others will have some fun. It's interesting how on player can have characters working in governments in different towns, and have other criminal characters to make the game more exciting. I think crime is one of the best parts of the game. It adds to the excitment. Would you keep loging on to see if your characters farming projects are done? I don't think so.

[Alcatraz]

With out crime only good things can happen, and in real life that isn't so.

Please elaborate on this. I don't see that only good things can happen in cantr without crime. There are plenty of not good things. Jerks who control you, in league with the government. Animals can attack you. Number of things are possible that don't interfere with most governments.

Also, I can see what you may have meant. Nothing interested happens as it would with strife around. But, let's think of it from the criminal perspective. They hope to improve their lives. This is what everyone hopes. What's wrong with this? Nothing until they start impeding on other people's lives. This is as my morals say. The laws may or may not. Some criminals even oppose laws that my morals would oppose aswell. Rebellion. And for a good cause. This is strife causing good. Murder. This is strife causing harm.

I wouldn't say it causes good or bad. I causes change. Here is an idea. Crime happends when people want something. That means they are not satisfied. This means that what is happening is not working. So, things change. Hopefully this will make that person satisfied. Often, it entirely ignores their need to serve the community, which views them as a threat, and just eliminates them.

I will say that crime is lots of fun when the consequences are characters on a screen, and the gains are somehow much, much more.

[Lone Wolf]

Basicaly what I was saying was that with crime the towns have something to work towards. That means governments can build up more. I also would like to see the violence changed a bit. I mean when three people can enter a town and whipe them out, that's just too easy. I think it should be a little bit more challenging.

[Missy]

Whats a crime to you is not a crime to me. Visa versa. Its all opinion.

Even if the weapons and ability to steal things off the ground was done away with there would still be crime in game. Because crime is based upon opinion. Where as..IMO it's a crime to take someone inside of a building and let them starve after locking them up.....but to others it may not be. IT could be a crime to say the word man, so long as the people deemed it so it's a crime. How can you "not" have crime?

There can't not be crime. *Shrugs* I just don't see how its possible when its based upon opinion anyways.

Is this a trick question? lol

[Alcatraz]

Personally, I wish governments would build up less. Governments that have billions of specific laws for every time a specific things someone doesn't like happens are stupid. I also get angry about those laws that require people to do things, accomplish things, or specifically learn things not of their choosing. I don't understand the leaders deciding their pawns need all these things, when it's their pawns lives, not theirs.

Thus, we stray away from dictators. Then, we find this nice democracy, with its great sounding ideas. Then, we sit down with our ten million people and start off our decision making. "How are you?'. The people start to respond, and an hour later they manage to decide to do this person by person. By the time people are completely sure how everyone is doing, and pirates have taken over the rest of the world, they start talking about the problems.

Obviously, this is pretty ineffecient.

Perhaps we'll make up some good ideas, say the people made them, and get some board of people to make the decisions as representatives! Then we can make all the laws we want, and the people don't even need to say anything.

Hey, hey! I have an idea! There's this awesome Texan I know, he'd make a great leader! I think his name was Tree, or maybe Shrub or something...

Oh, yeah, it's Bush.