Is Cantr a True Society Simulator?

[Jaxon]

In another thread, a poster asked the question of the intent of the OOC rule. This got me thinking about a lot of truths to the game that we hold self evident. In particular, is Cantr designed to be a true society simulator? Is this the central objective of its design?

If the answer to this question is yes, then I think an audit of whether the game is attempting to achieve this goal is long overdue.

For example, is it realistic to say Cantr is a society simulator when you have people who are hundreds of years old?

If you would like to comment on this thread, please keep discussion limited to the question of whether Cantr is a true society simulator and your reasons why it is or isn't.

Thanks.

[Tiamo]

Cantr definitely was originally intended and designed as a society simulator. Most of the main elements are there (some key elements are missing). However, the game fails to be realistic in just about every detail. Like an impressionist painting.
Characters do act as if part of some kind of society, albeit nothing like a modern human society. So yes, i regard the game as a society simulator, but not as a good simulation of human society.

[muidoido]

Resting aside the will to cheat death by long age and the very limited resources spent on the development of the game, I don't think it's such a bad simulator.... And it's really addictive!

[Jaxon]

Should the goal of Cantr have been to improve the gaming experience or should it have been to continue to make Cantr more and more real?

[Black Canyon]

Should the goal of Cantr have been to improve the gaming experience or should it have been to continue to make Cantr more and more real?

Personally, I think it should now be to improve the gaming experience. Any attempts to improve Cantr as a society simulator or make it more "real" should hold that as a priority.

[Carrot Lord]

I dunno man, Cantrians can't poop and that's pretty unrealistic...

All jokes aside, the time I spent playing felt pretty close to real life. I mean, the mechanics were confusing at first, but once you get used to everything, the simulator in itself is great. In my opinion though, the 'goal' of Cantr should be to improve the gaming experience. Making Cantr more and more real would just get boring at some point.

[sherman]

Cantr is society simulator but since it's a game lot of is up to players and what they do and game mechanics also limit us. So in a way it is but also in away it isn't. A lot of is also up to players. I would improve gaming experience than add more reality since.. After all it's a game and people play it for fun, some got more time than others so we need to take that also into account

[nateflory]

...lot of is up to players and what they do and game mechanics also limit us. So in a way it is but also in away it isn't.

Here is what I think is the most interesting "division" within Cantr itself. There are some who play it much more heavily as a Simulation, or even a "resource management/tactical strategy game" in a sense, using the mechanics to their best advantage, and planning resource runs and building machines to accomplish some goal.

There's also the group that is more purely Roleplayed. They imagine more depth than the mechanics allow, and sometimes ignore the mechanics beyond "stay fed, make tools" and RP out combats that last all day, or dancing and such.

Sometimes those two groups don't quite mesh together evenly in their interactions (not in a bad way, just not quite clicking together).
This is both a good thing, because the game itself allows such Freeform Playstyle.
It also suffers sometimes by the vagueness of "intent" since the players create the culture, and there are so many to choose from.

I personally would love to see some more Extreme Cultures survive in Cantr, that aren't quite Human Society. Try out those crazy experimental structures like a proper slave-trade, or a Free-loving hippie-village, or even a strict authoritarian Commerse-based (Dragonloft?) one.
When I've seen such things tried in the past, they thrived briefly, but then got mired in the more global "play nice" vibe, sadly.

[sherman]

When I've seen such things tried in the past, they thrived briefly, but then got mired in the more global "play nice" vibe, sadly.

Actually.. No it's not play nice alone. It's because they are run by one person alone. Thus this one guy (or player) has to invest lot of time and effort to do them which is actually hard since people are quite proactive. Or just don't care to play anything different due.. time or just being lazy or whatever. And once that one influential person quits/retires/fall asleep there's nobody to replace him and they fall

[witia1]

Cantr lacks some basic threats to be good simulator of society. We didn't become group animals as specie becuse we've choosen to. We where forced by nature. Group have better chance of survival. From this where born rules we fallow, some group behiviors. In Cantr survival is to easy. No diseases, no real threats from nature. Except of other people that can kill you there is no reasons to live in society. Cause of this cantrian societies are to fake. They lack some "glue" to bound them together.
It is simmilar reason why there is no religion or at least no good one, convincing one. There is no motivation to look for something greater. We know that there are gods there. They are powerfull, mighty and cantrian life is decided by them. Ony named a bit silly. Players, mehh. Who would pray to such silly god.

[muidoido]

Cantr lacks some basic threats to be good simulator of society. We didn't become group animals as specie becuse we've choosen to. We where forced by nature. Group have better chance of survival. From this where born rules we fallow, some group behiviors. In Cantr survival is to easy. No diseases, no real threats from nature. Except of other people that can kill you there is no reasons to live in society. Cause of this cantrian societies are to fake. They lack some "glue" to bound them together.
It is simmilar reason why there is no religion or at least no good one, convincing one. There is no motivation to look for something greater. We know that there are gods there. They are powerfull, mighty and cantrian life is decided by them. Ony named a bit silly. Players, mehh. Who would pray to such silly god.

I must be a lame player then. My hermits almost always end up eaten by animals...

[witia1]

Maybe you are just cruel god

[MattWithoos]

Cantr lacks some basic threats to be good simulator of society. We didn't become group animals as specie becuse we've choosen to. We where forced by nature. Group have better chance of survival. From this where born rules we fallow, some group behiviors. In Cantr survival is to easy. No diseases, no real threats from nature. Except of other people that can kill you there is no reasons to live in society. Cause of this cantrian societies are to fake. They lack some "glue" to bound them together.
It is simmilar reason why there is no religion or at least no good one, convincing one. There is no motivation to look for something greater. We know that there are gods there. They are powerfull, mighty and cantrian life is decided by them. Ony named a bit silly. Players, mehh. Who would pray to such silly god.

Some lessons from Rimworld (https://rimworldgame.com/) are due, I think!

[JsWill]

Cantr lacks some basic threats to be good simulator of society. We didn't become group animals as specie becuse we've choosen to. We where forced by nature. Group have better chance of survival. From this where born rules we fallow, some group behiviors. In Cantr survival is to easy. No diseases, no real threats from nature. Except of other people that can kill you there is no reasons to live in society. Cause of this cantrian societies are to fake. They lack some "glue" to bound them together.
It is simmilar reason why there is no religion or at least no good one, convincing one. There is no motivation to look for something greater. We know that there are gods there. They are powerfull, mighty and cantrian life is decided by them. Ony named a bit silly. Players, mehh. Who would pray to such silly god.

Some lessons from Rimworld (https://rimworldgame.com/) are due, I think!

I agree entirely with this.