No One Ever Dies In "Childbirth"

Spoonwood · 2021-08-10 00:32:10

That no one ever dies in childbirth isn't realistic at all. No injuries ever either. Those facts combined with that reproduction doesn't require a human player doing anything at all makes having a baby in this game super easy. Not a challenge at all. For all of Jason's talk about wanting "challenge" for players, he didn't want any sort of challenge for players in terms of having a family whatsoever. No need to interact with others. No need to perform any fertility ritual. And very, very low bad consequences *possible* for having a child, only a very, very small pip drain. This is supposed to be a challenging parenting game? But, there is little to no challenge in becoming a parent in this game and there never has been anything close to a challenging in that respect.

Sure does seem like pandering to people who want to believe that having a child is something easy or wish that it were.

Last edited by Spoonwood (2021-08-10 00:33:26)

DiscardedSlinky · 2021-08-10 14:45:23

LMAO imagine you're just playing the game doing your thing and then BAM you're dead. "Died in childbirth" age:14. Like that is the shittest idea you've come up with in a while. This isn't real life, things don't have to be realistic. This is a video game and it would be insanely frustrating to just die randomly like that. Gene score grinders would NEVER stay in birth range if that were a thing.

Keep it up tho spoon. This shit is funny.

sigmen4020 · 2021-08-10 15:43:36

Video games don’t have to be realistic lmao. This is one of worst ideas you’ve had, and that’s really saying something. Also “challenge” doesn’t equal dying at random to stuff outside of your control.

Guess the dice roll wasn’t in my favor during this random birth *dies*

That’s some rich dynamics right there!

Last edited by sigmen4020 (2021-08-10 15:49:42)

fug · 2021-08-10 19:05:23

Unless I can role play being a stillborn I don’t wanna play. Sids just isn’t hardcore enough for me.

Spoonwood · 2021-08-10 19:15:29

DiscardedSlinky wrote:

LMAO imagine you're just playing the game doing your thing and then BAM you're dead.

You are assuming that you didn't do anything at all to consent to parenthood (or only stayed in one's "home zone" which new players don't know about anyways and didn't exist for a long time). If you payed attention to the post I said:

Spoonwood wrote:

Those facts combined with that reproduction doesn't require a human player doing anything at all makes having a baby in this game super easy.

Again, it's super, super easy to "have a baby" in this game. Live to old enough of an age and wait for a bit. It's far more likely to happen at least once in a life. What did you have to do in order for that to happen? Have your character exist in game (and be in a fertile area, which pretty much happens by default). That's it. No challenge worthy of the name. Even during a sale of players it wouldn't be any sort of challenge, and it's even easier when one starts as an Eve (especially after a server update). There's no risk taking. There's no need to do much of anything other than satisfy basic survival conditions. There's no need to do any specific action or set of actions (or sequence of actions). There's no decision at all. No substantial trade-off possible.

Almost a year ago now Jason said the following with respect to reflecting on the tool slot post:

jasonrohrer wrote:

When I go back and read that initial post, I still wish the game was more like what that post was trying to achieve. Difficult decisions, agonizing trade-offs, etc. Carefully planning out and optimizing your interactions in relation to the interactions of your village-mates.

https://onehouronelife.com/forums/viewt … 61#p101361

Yeah, well there's no difficult decisions involving childbirth in this game. Risk is simply too low. There are no agonizing trade-offs to speak of. Players don't have to carefully plan out and optimize their interactions in relation to the interactions of their village-mates. And why would any of those things happen *ever*? In this game, childbirth happens for free, doesn't require other players to interact with, doesn't require any sort of ritual to plan for, and involves an extremely low amount of risk for one's in-game character.

Also, Slinky apparently assume that no one would want to take that sort of risk. You can speak for yourself. But, for some other people at least if not many other people, that's probably not the case.

DiscardedSlinky wrote:

"Died in childbirth" age:14. Like that is the shittest idea you've come up with in a while. This isn't real life, things don't have to be realistic. This is a video game and it would be insanely frustrating to just die randomly like that. Gene score grinders would NEVER stay in birth range if that were a thing.

Perhaps you would be frustrated that much, but that doesn't mean everyone else would. The world does not revolve around your opinions Slinky. Also, there could be a gene score benefit inherently for reaching the age of childbirth which would offset any sort of loss, or death by

Spoonwood · 2021-08-10 19:22:44

And seriously look at this list of things by Jason:

jasonrohrer wrote:

To give you rich, interesting, and weighty choices to make in each life.
To ensure that each life really is different.
To force you to study and understand the most pressing problems facing your village now, and the problems it will likely be facing in the near future.
To enrich player interaction, communication, and cooperation, and short-circuit the tendency to "just do it all yourself" instead of coordinating your efforts with others.
To encourage trade between players.
To increase the importance of communication between village adults and incoming children.
To add an additional constraint to the game, because constraints are generally good. More constraints leads to more meaningful choices.

https://onehouronelife.com/forums/viewtopic.php?id=8181

Do you realize how many of those would get satisfied if the game had some sort of reproduction mechanic that required the actions of two players and there existed some sort of risk of death in childbirth? Because it's probably all of them, or almost all of them.

Every life would be different, since negotiating with a reproduction partner would be different (at least with new players who didn't know a convention).

It would force villagers to study the most pressing reproduction problem, since it would be constant.

It would enrich player interaction for sure.

If prostitution and dowries and people paying for reproductive services like midwives is any clue, it encourage trade.

Kids are going to have to learn how to reproduce, that would increase the importance of communication between adults and children.

It would make for a further restriction (no children by existing in a home zone necessarily!).

It would also mean a rich, interesting, and weighty choice each life... risk you or your partner dying in childbirth or not have a lineage at all?

DestinyCall · 2021-08-11 07:12:20

Some kind of "ritual" that leads to babies, you say? A mechanic that requires the action of two players? Hmmmmm ... there's something like that in real life. I swear I've heard of it before.

OH! I remember now ... It's sex. You want OHOL to have sex. And prostitution and dowries, apparently. Imagine the trade possibilities! Imagine having the sex talk with your kids when you try to explain this game mechanic to new players for the first time! It will be so interesting and dynamic and totally not creepy or uncomfortable.

No thank you. I am happy with the current sky baby system. It is perfectly adequate for the needs of the game and doesn't promote sexual misconduct to young or immature-minded gamers.

x_Raiema_x · 2021-08-11 14:51:17

What if we didnt die in childbirth, but instead-- a movement speed debuff that affects you for a minute before your child is ready to be born. Make players wait a little longer before being born, so mothers would always have notice to get back to town. a minute wait time compared to other games is nothing. Yeah some new players might be confused and starve along the way, but we would have to start teaching women to always carry food in their backpack. I think it would make an interesting game mechanic.

Caprys · 2021-08-11 21:49:33

Mass starvation made parenting challenging. You had to choose between your children, because you couldn't feed them all. You don't see that anymore. Food is too easy.

DestinyCall · 2021-08-11 23:12:35

Is food to easy ... or are babies not plentiful enough?

The lack of fresh players makes this game rather dull. Fewer people who don't know how to feed themselves. Fewer people who don't know how to cloth themselves or manage their temperature or hunger.

A lot of the "challenge" in OHOL comes from help other people to stay alive and build a better village. This game model doesn't work that great when everyone is an expert. It becomes too much of a boring grind, fighting against restrictive game-mechanics instead of battling to educate a wave of new players on the importance of yumming.

Spoonwood · 2021-08-12 05:11:25

DestinyCall wrote:

Some kind of "ritual" that leads to babies, you say? A mechanic that requires the action of two players? Hmmmmm ... there's something like that in real life. I swear I've heard of it before.
OH! I remember now ... It's sex. You want OHOL to have sex. And prostitution and dowries, apparently.

Prostitution and dowries would be up to the players.

DestinyCall wrote:

Imagine the trade possibilities! Imagine having the sex talk with your kids when you try to explain this game mechanic to new players for the first time! It will be so interesting and dynamic and totally not creepy or uncomfortable.

The game could be more of a learning opportunity for people, since it would help and encourage people to talk about such things. Those who complain about emotions for such, don't want to engage in teaching or encourage others to learn. Their emotions matter apparently more than other people's knowledge. Hence, we end up with some people talking about some mythical "stork", instead of trying to get people to understand the truth.

DestinyCall wrote:

No thank you. I am happy with the current sky baby system. It is perfectly adequate for the needs of the game and doesn't promote sexual misconduct to young or immature-minded gamers.

The game wouldn't promote sexual misconduct by having two-player reproduction in it. Keep in mind, sexual misconduct isn't something that is sexual misconduct solely because you or anyone else finds such behavior distasteful. It's not "that is gross! therefore, it's sexual misconduct!" Sexual misconduct has to be harmful, which is something different.

On the contrary, the game would promote people thinking about considering what sexual misconduct is in the first place if it had sexual reproduction in it. As an example, there is a question as to the morality of sex with one's relatives if there exists very, very people on the planet, and if done for the purposes of reproduction. If one reads Genesis, one can find the story of Lot and his daughters. They believe there are no other men on the Earth besides their father Lot, so they use a drug to have sex with him. They don't get condemned by God for date rape. They don't get condemned for incest either. On the contrary, they get honored by their children getting nations named after them (and maybe the daughters picked those names). Scenarios like that would get thought about if this game had sexual reproduction, while the game doesn't encourage them today at all. Thus, the game would thus invite much deeper questions by having sexual reproduction in it. Consequently, the game would have more learning potential for people.

Edit: Lot's daughters behavior can still, and I think should, get questioned, because they disregarded the interests of Lot. He didn't make any choice at all, apparently since he was sooo drunk, in having those children. No consent from him. But apparently, the writer/writers of Genesis would disagree with that. Needless to say, it's not an extremely cut and dry case. But, that's what keeps it's interesting and why it's interesting as a tool to think about such matters, because it's not so easy and needs reasoning, and other views can easily, at the very least, have something interesting to say, or get something that you've missed, or have some sort of other value that you haven't considered.

Last edited by Spoonwood (2021-08-12 05:18:53)

Spoonwood · 2021-08-12 05:14:23

Caprys wrote:

Mass starvation made parenting challenging. You had to choose between your children, because you couldn't feed them all. You don't see that anymore. Food is too easy.

The game has consistent conditions no matter the player population. It doesn't vary for large towns/families making things easier, nor make things more difficult for smaller towns/families. It's far easier to feed children with fewer players around. It's even easier to feed children when there's only one or two of them and no town around, at least if one knows how to make tools and food.

JasonZ · 2021-08-12 09:57:29

Who even cares anymore Spoonwood?

What's the point of this discussion if Jasons already bailed lol

Last edited by JasonZ (2021-08-12 09:58:28)

One Hour One Life Forums

#1 2021-08-10 00:32:10

No One Ever Dies In "Childbirth"

#2 2021-08-10 14:45:23

Re: No One Ever Dies In "Childbirth"

#3 2021-08-10 15:43:36

Re: No One Ever Dies In "Childbirth"

#4 2021-08-10 19:05:23

Re: No One Ever Dies In "Childbirth"

#5 2021-08-10 19:15:29

Re: No One Ever Dies In "Childbirth"

#6 2021-08-10 19:22:44

Re: No One Ever Dies In "Childbirth"

#7 2021-08-11 07:12:20

Re: No One Ever Dies In "Childbirth"

#8 2021-08-11 14:51:17

Re: No One Ever Dies In "Childbirth"

#9 2021-08-11 21:49:33

Re: No One Ever Dies In "Childbirth"

#10 2021-08-11 23:12:35

Re: No One Ever Dies In "Childbirth"

#11 2021-08-12 05:11:25

Re: No One Ever Dies In "Childbirth"

#12 2021-08-12 05:14:23

Re: No One Ever Dies In "Childbirth"

#13 2021-08-12 09:57:29

Re: No One Ever Dies In "Childbirth"

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