Cantr in Space

[UloDeTero]

It seems to me that Cantr idea could be easily tranferred to a space / scifi setting, while retaining all the basic structure etc. In fact, a space setting could conveniently explain many anomalies.

In a space-based Cantr-like game (let's call it Space for now), a character would spawn on a planet or spacestation. They could travel back and forth within that environment, and, when they obtain a spacecraft, they can travel between the planets. In this case, planets would be equivalent to Cantr's towns, and would be a number of different locations connected together in an enclosed area. In Cantr, these 'locations' are buildings and rooms. Planets would be connected to each other in much the same way as towns are. This would make more sense in Space, since it makes sense that paths from one place to another through space would be a straight line. Spaceships would be equivalent to Cantr's 'vehicles', and could perhaps dock with each other.

'Interplanetary' travel would only be possible by using spaceships, but they needn't be expensive or difficult to obtain. While travelling, the character could wander their ship, doing various tasks. When arriving at a planetary location or spacestation, the turn-based interface could change to an 'instant chat' style interface, where the player can see which characters are Awake and which are Asleep. This allows for instant interaction between characters, while staying within the realms of roleplay. Characters Sleeping where they stand would be a natural thing is this world, easily explainable by the scifi nature of the world (perhaps it is a new kind of disease which is not usually life-threatening; perhaps it is a result of human evolution affecting the sleep cycle; perhaps it is simply a trait of whatever species the characters are). Whatever, Sleep happens. Those that are Awake can communicate instantly, though always in character. Notes or messages can be left for those Asleep. Perhaps Sleepers can see what happens around them, as in Cantr; perhaps not. Messages can be transmitted in much the same way as Cantr's radios, except Space would have vid-screens in the spaceships where the recipient can 'see' who is speaking ('You see Man say "Message" ', rather than Cantr radio's 'You hear a message "Message" '). There could also be portable (perhaps audio only) devices that the character wears.

A character could purchase or possibly make 'drones', which would be something like lower-class human automatons. These could be commanded to perform tasks, Cantr-like 'projects', to allow the character to achieve more. They might be particularly useful to protect the character while he's Sleeping, or carry him to his home or a safe place. Also, these drones might randomly develop into a real character. This would be achieved very simply. When a player creates a new character, it is 'spawned' within the body of a random drone. This is the drone developing it's personality and 'waking up' as a person. In-game laws would most likely forbid the use of 'real people' as slaves, whereas drone slaves would be okay. Every drone therefore has the potential to become a true character, though many would remain as drones their entire 'lives'. This is kind of similar to how Roman slaves could sometimes earn their freedom. Drones could also be given names that the new character would take when the drone 'wakes up', thereby creating a form of ancestry. If characters 'make' drones using their own DNA, this would also be a form of heredity, with genetic makeup and all that that entails.

Of course, while having the same basic structure, Space would be a radically different game, and wouldn't be able to 'link up' with Cantr in any way (either by becoming a new version or by including current locations or characters). In other words, it wouldn't replace Cantr in any way, nor would it have any bearing on the Cantr world. It would have to be a completely seperate game. I know I'd personally play both of them.

It'd be interesting to see if this could actually be done...

[BZR]

Strange...
anyway I like this idea

[Jos Elkink]

Haven't read all the details above, but in my mind I have spent many, many, many hours already designing a game along those lines . Never seem to be able to get further than the first few hours of programming, though . But I still can't put those thoughts out of my head.

Well, the game would be quite substantially different from Cantr, not just in terms of setting, but still ...

[wichita]

I think we could work it into Cantr itself using slightly modified implementations (currently found in game).

Eventually work up to the ability to produce space craft (galleons) that will launch (undock) into space (lake/sea/road location) from a launchpad (coaster harbor). Landing craft (dinghies) docked to the space craft could then launch and docked to near planets (new cantr world maps) that the space craft stumbles across. Space would interface with the game map much like it does in Civilization: Call To Power.

[Schme]

It would totally defeat the purpose, if you ask me.

[fishfin]

It looks ok but I don't like the idea about drones becouse they would discourage cooperation between characters and they would make this game too much like all the other space games on the net

[Pie]

It sounds like a failry cool game, exept for a few things that I would like to add.

The "Planets" need to have a few places that you gan go around to and do stuff, maby 10-15, and the differen't planetary beings need differen't looks.

how are you going to start it off? I mean, it's not like right away your going to have people going interplanitary (like in cantr, how long did it take to first make steel, or enough steel manufactured to back a government) And your kinda... either going to have to wait a few irl years to get it up and running, or start the game out with stuff.

Unleas this would be an addition to cantr, if that is the case then I wouldn't recomend making this idea at all.

[formerly known as hf]

EVE-Online

[Piscator]

I like the low-tech setting of Cantr.
I also can´t quit imagine how this cantrlike projects should look like. Furthermore, you´ll need vast ammounts of pre-build infrastructure and that would pretty much determine the setting.

Besides, now that we're talking about Sci-Fi, does anyone know "Riverworld"?

[Antichrist_Online]

This will happen in cantr if it is left long enough, as we're currently backfilling technology, there will be a point where it must advance.

[Jos Elkink]

What's Riverworld?

[Piscator]

"Riverworld" is a series of books written by Philip José Farmer. I´m not very good in renarrating stories so please ask Wikipedia for that .
The point is that the setting remembers me to Cantr in some points, and I wanted to know if others see it the same way. I think it would be a good base for a cantrlike game also.

Sorry for beeing off-topic by the way

[Pie]

you know... your right. It is like cantr... Riverworld is i mean.

Nice.

[Nakranoth]

The second you change the setting to non-quazi-midevil it becomes entirely too generic...

[Razorlance]

"Riverworld" is a series of books written by Philip José Farmer. I´m not very good in renarrating stories so please ask Wikipedia for that .
The point is that the setting remembers me to Cantr in some points, and I wanted to know if others see it the same way. I think it would be a good base for a cantrlike game also.

Sorry for beeing off-topic by the way

I saw a TV movie called Riverworld, about basically a planet which was like a sort of afterlife except the people 'arrived' (spawned?) from different times in earths past. So we had our hero who was some american pilot, I think, and then the villian was Nero, keen to continue where he left off back on earth, i.e. build an empire. Dunno if it's based on these books or not though.

As for the idea, I quite like it, a bit like Elite meets Cantr, apart from the the drone can become a character part, sounds too much like how babies might work, but we're still waiting on that. And it could start something like Riverworld, perhaps each character starts to wake in different spacestations, planets, etc, with amnesia and maybe recognising some things around them, resources, building, vehicles, etc, But not knowing who built all the stuff.

Maybe one of the planets in some far off place is the Cantr world, where if you can find it you can land and interact with the the Cantr people.