Variable story line idea

from GalCiv3 Forums

I've posted my experiences thus far hoping to help the community to improve this potentially great game.

I have one idea I wanted to single out of my play-thread.

Variable story lines.

The basic premise is that these story lines unravel as a player makes domestic choices during random events, and that these choices lead to future options and future events. The story-tree would be hidden from the player and they can only make the decisions based on how they want to rule their empire. They get Ideology points or there could even be a separate Ideology tech tree so to speak that aguments the primary one by enhancing or muting the effects of each Ideology advancement.

The pragmatic, brutal and benevolent seem to me to be an outward reflection of a societies Ideology. A domestic one could also be interesting to explore. (assuming the idea I propose is to have any effect outside the Primary Ideology tree)

What I propose is:

1) Random events that occur domestically on already settled planets and already created star-bases occur. We are not told what choice leads to what future choices or their impact (unless impacting the primary ideology tree in pragmatic etc.) These events are along the lines of pardoning a convicted criminal, admitting publicly to mistakes, scandals of ministers, etc. Choosing what to repair first on a space-station needing "maintenance" (no real investment just a story), how to deal with an AWOL solider, or a solider that leaks sensitive intel (edward snowden), a solider that disobeys orders for moral reasons (based on the Ideology of your civilization). Which special interest group to side with. Small farmers, larger scale farmers etc.

 

The stories can be crafted to lead to a series of major domestic events that occur on your planet(s). There could be dozens of potential outcomes to explore, and how you choose your own adventure dictates where you end up. This side story demonstrating a domestic side of your empire could add either actual game play depth or the perception of depth in a sort of Role play capacity at the very least. A player can always turn this feature off if they wish or are playing multi-player and these choices involve time that doesn't impact game-play sufficiently to utilize.

I'm sure this idea isn't as polished as I could make it, but my friends just called me up to go to sushi and I only got one partial edit off. I just feel that the whole Ideology concept could be expanded to include both a variable story line, and complexity to add to the immersion one can experience in playing the game, especially if you created your own custom race.

 

 

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Reply #1 from GalCiv3 Forums Top

So essentially you are suggesting that the event system allow for branching child events as a consequence of your choices in response to an event. That has wider applications than domestic story telling and I like the idea.

 

One issue though if applied as you suggest it could overpower the main thrust of the stratergy game and make it all about the event driven story, for that reason I think such event trees should be optional and classified seperatley from indiviual events.

 

I believe events in GC2 could already happen on settled planets so I don't think that's new though not yet in the alpha.

 

Reply #2 from GalCiv3 Forums Top

The results of the story lines can be purely cosmetic, for the plot and the varied stories themselves, for minor benefits that augment (but make up a very small percent) of the larger scale events one chooses, Impact the look and feel of our avatar image, background, uniform etc.

Events in Alpha are the same. Remove a ship, infest your citizens.

I mean a protest on a planet, a local administrator accused of something, do you punish an event immediately, wait for it to unfold before acting, ignore it entirely, condone actions, condemn actions, provide aid, support to a faction or group that exists in the story line only, capitulate on something to avoid a short term impact, stand firm with your ideology, list an animal as protected, pardon a wrongly convicted person but have it shake your justice system, or keep the conviction for the greater good, how to deal with minor intel leaks to media, freedom of the media, Deal with issues pertaining to officers and troops on planet and on ships etc.

The possibilities are endless, and can be added on-going with little actual investment in graphics, sound, or models. It could be as simple as a pop-up that unfolds one after the other and branches off, or have art-work about the grade of semi-polished storyboard quality.

Have an option in the game that says "side story arch impacts to game-play"

- None: Domestic events don't impact things on a galactic Level

- Mild: Domestic events hardly matter at all

- Balanced: We're a sum of our internal and external challenges

- Significant: Who and what we are impacts us on a galactic Scale

- Major: F' the Galaxy. Only we matter

 

set the default to None. Adds a whole spin to the game that could make re-plays dramatically different, but only if one chooses to, because it could have people dislike and like the results.

Having the sub-plots in the game could make it easier for modders to alter them and tinker with the significance resulting in even more future replay value as the modding community takes over additional content

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Reply #3 from GalCiv3 Forums Top

To expand on my last reply, as an alternative way of looking at it

The Ideology tree could also have sub-ideologies to each level of each primary tree.

We move through the Primary tree as is and planned, and if sub-plots/story-lines are turned on in some manner then each major ideology can make each subsequent tier/choice more moderate, or extreme. Each primary level/choice could have a tree of sorts that dictates the spectrum of each level and has an impact on the subsequent events, so it doesn't feel like a canned set of events we make the choices and there is no ebb and flow of it unfolding. I'm thinking more like a spider chart under or inside each primary ideology tree that we cannot customize but we can see (if seeing it makes sense) unfolding and shaping as we make choices as the random events unfold as we acquire more primary ideology points.

Reply #4 from GalCiv3 Forums Top

I really like this idea, and I believe the devs have tossed the idea around according to the last podcast.

 

Here's hoping it's implemented.