Writing in Cantr

[El_Skwidd]

For me, writing (fiction or nonfiction, or somewhere in between) is a big part of playing Cantr. I started this topic just as a thread to throw around some ideas on the subject.

First off, one that's been on my mind for a little while. Now, I'm not suggesting that we revamp the note system to require wood pulp and ink and all sorts of weirdness; it's fine the way it is. But I feel that Cantrians, since notes can be copied in an instant and en masse, don't put any real value on writings. Just count all the maps you see laying around. I've considered having a character start some sort of publisher's union or something, but none of my writing-oriented chars have enough influence to do it.

Thoughts, anyone?

[nitefyre]

I've wondered about this idea for some time now, whether it was when wasting more time editing through the Ranger's Tale or making the final edition of the Hobbes Encyclopedia. For my characters, they have a big stake in writing...and so it's only reasonable that I've thought about the topic. I often feel people don't take much stock into notes, recognizing that they're there but not really bothering to read them.

After all this time, I've come to the conclusion that if notes were difficult to make, it's quite possible that people would care less about them and not want to waste their time acquiring, let alone, paying for them. However, there is a twist to that, as you bring up. What if notes were a valuable incentive so that you put a lot of work into acquiring a story by paying for it---that it gives you the motivation to read it as a reward?

Nonetheless, there is a place for publishers (or writers' guilds) in Cantr. People to push the material and convince people into reading them, if only for posterity.

Alternatively, with the Chronicles of Cantr (link in my sig) and Webzine (webzine@cantr.net), there are clear extensions to show precisely how important writing is in the Cantr world, so don't forget to submit!

[rklenseth]

You can always write something in Cantr as in ingame fiction and then submit to the Chronicles of Cantr or the Webzine so that those palyers who don't have characters that can access your character's work of fiction can read it to.

[Cookie]

Maybe Notes should stay the same but introduce new features such as bounded books for example and make these more valuable. If a certain story was only available as a book it would have value.

Making notes more difficult to get hold of would take away some things goverment systems, busineses etc. Take for granted today and make things more difficult.

[Nick]

Maybe Notes should stay the same but introduce new features such as bounded books for example and make these more valuable. If a certain story was only available as a book it would have value.

Making notes more difficult to get hold of would take away some things goverment systems, busineses etc. Take for granted today and make things more difficult.

Read the book, copy, make a new note, paste, save.

Bye bye, value.

[Cookie]

Oh yeh, and then pass the book back to the person you just bought it from.

Why would someone want to do that when they could make money out of selling copies in book format?

[Phalynx]

Surely the effort required as a project should simply depend on its length...

So a note:

'Do not hunt the pigeons' no time at all as it is now!

But a 'book' EG Hobbes Encyclopedia, to revise or copy should take at least a day...

Wait isnt this a suggestion..? it would make some documents very treasured and valuable, it could even be possible to have a scribe as an occupation.... it might also prevent or perhaps reduce note bombing as copying or making a note would take time and couldnt be done when another project was ongoing.

Personally my charries would all be poor writers...

[Cookie]

I have some charies that would make good use of it. And I'm sure their would be many others who would to. So yeh your right, it's a suggestion. And a good one.

[swymir]

This is actually one of the only suggestions on the boards that I don't like. It is so unneccesary and will just lead to a lot of people being really angry when it's implemented.

[Cookie]

If you mean making notes hard to make I agree. But the books thing would be good. If someone feels what they write is worth more than a note they can put effort into making it and make a book.

[Solutions Maximus]

I don't think it is really necessary. It would be easy just to copy and paste into a completely new note.

Just wasted time if you ask me.

[ChillFreeze]

I personally would like to have it a little harder to produce notes, because a lot more ideas with using them will come out of it. Plus they seem to be taken for granted right now, and i see a bunch of useless notes as well

[Leo Luncid]

For books: Put notes in a envelope.
For useless notes: Erase them or store uneditable notes away for eternity.
For scrolls: Make a long note.
Am I the only one who mentioned the idea of long notes as scrolls? Well, I'm sure the previous suggestions that could be done in-game has been mentioned many, many times before.

[Joshuamonkey]

Yeah this topic is not really needed. Unless they could stop people from breaking a copyright books would be useless. Note bombing is annoying but we need notes to much to make them so hard to make.

[smokeythebear]

I like the idea of it taking a certain amount of time to write or copy a note... it would mean less litter. I also think that you should be able to delete notes too though... It's such a pain trying to rewrite old notes instead of starting new ones, but this should also take a certain amount of time, that way anyone trying to delete something important could be dragged off their project and so on.

Just my thoughts.