No.250341473
>fantasy setting has magic and flying creatures
>still using horses as main transportation

No.250341651
>>250341473 (OP) #
>setting has nuclear energy
>still using coal as main energy source

  • Estiar@sh.itjust.works
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    7 months ago

    There’s a lot of hidden costs and infrastructure needed for magical flying beasts. Not to mention limited capacity. Little can compete with the horse drawn cart when it comes to capacity for price though.

    • Cypher@lemmy.world
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      7 months ago

      Boats beat out horse drawn carts by an insane amount.

      It’s why trade hubs and major cities were practically always on a major river and/or in a favourable location for a port.

        • psud@aussie.zone
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          7 months ago

          Boats can also move much more than a horse and cart. More than a pair of bullock even

        • cynar@lemmy.world
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          7 months ago

          Someone’s never owned a boat.

          There are 3 idioms that come to mind.

          A boat is a hole in the water you pour money into.

          A boat owner is only happy twice. When they buy a boat, and when they sell it.

          “You don’t want to buy a boat. What you want is a friend with a boat!”

          • I Cast Fist@programming.dev
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            7 months ago

            For trading, boats have always been better in regards to the amount of stuff you can carry, even back before sails were invented. Also, unlike roads, water doesn’t need maintenance, it just needs to be at a high enough level that the boat won’t crash into rocks or whatever.

            • cynar@lemmy.world
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              7 months ago

              My main point was that boats aren’t free to run. They require constant maintenance and care to remain viable. If you’re going to include the maintenance and running costs of a horse team, then you need to also include the equivalent for boats.

              Don’t get me wrong, when you have a waterway, boats still win, by a large margin. Hence why Europe has so many canals etc.

    • conditional_soup@lemm.ee
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      7 months ago

      I have giant hummingbird mounts in my game, but guess what? They need nectar from giant flowers, or just barrels full of sugar water, and/or they sometimes pick fights with giant insects in order to try and eat them. (Fun fact, hummingbirds eat small insects IRL) They’re dead useful and loads of fun, but it exacts its price.

      • AngryCommieKender@lemmy.world
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        7 months ago

        I’m so very glad that I never tried to enlarge my pseudodragon familiar to try and ride him into battle. Never even thought about the fact that pseudodragons cannot pay attention for shit.

    • Semi-Hemi-Lemmygod@lemmy.world
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      7 months ago

      Plus, not every species can be domesticated. Gryphons and dragons are independent and not herd animals. So they may not understand the concept of following a leader, which is an important part of domestication. And if they did, you’d probably have to best them in combat before they’d do it.