The Game: A 3D isometric SF RPG The Problem: W/o story, are there ways to make people care about settings and characters? The Details: Maybe the answer is no. Not sure. If you start in a place, learn about it, become involved in it's problems, and get used to it, do you become emotionally attached to it? I know people don't mind getting attached to what they own. What about stuff they don't? Say your mission is to rescue an Admiral Chang, the hero of your people. Having him in the home system will raise morale, and help you end the occupation of your home system. Without story, why should you care about your people? Why should you care about the occupation? If Chang is just a +50% morale token, then there's no reason to really care about him, right? Example Imagine you start a game within a randomly generated homeworld and society. You've named your character, generated a history and relationship (hero, pariah, etc.) to the society and people around you (old friends, family enemies, etc). Then your people are invaded by brutal conquerers who impose huge taxes, attack innocents, and start stealing every resource they can. Is there enough here to care? Is it enough to learn news of what's happening and have generic NPC interactions (trade, join, news, etc.) to want to get involved? The game is mostly about things (ships, bases), so emotional involvement is tough anyway. While you have a crew, and do talk to characters, I'm wondering if that's emotionally involving enough for the player to care. -------------------- Just waiting for the mothership... Edited by - Wavinator on 12/21/00 8:03:08 PM

In this case, I''d say so. If you want to care, your characters/crew need 1) names, 2) faces, 3) relationships, 4) personalities. This seems a lot, and it can be, but it doesn''t have to.

Without a story it is a lot harder to care, but not impossible. You have to make sure the characters are around often enough, and survive long enough, for the player to become attached. It''s no use just having a steady stream of replacements. Think of how the Creatures game affected so many people. You have a small amount of Norns, which last quite a long time. Think of all the effort and care you put into those, and it''s hard not to feel a loss. Because you gave part of yourself in keeping them alive.

Hmm, maybe it''s partially that effort thing. Playing Civ, I''d get pretty ticked if I lost a city with some wonder that took forever to buid.

If you''re just trying to give the player something to do, and get him to do it, then you options would seem to lay in the response of the enviroment and NPCs if it doesn''t get done.

If you''re trying to envoke an emotional response... good luck. To plan for it you''d have to be able to look into the hearts and minds of everyone who''s gonna play the game. Not to mention that something that is offensive to one culture or set of beliefs isn''t necissarilly so in another. Maybe you can rely on the player to stay in character. So long as the game systems don''t favor one type of character or another, or combination.

I can only suggest that you try and think of how a player might play the main character. If they''re playing a black hearted pirate capitolist, then odds are they''ll see Admiral Chang''s capture as a good thing. After all, the admirals fleet has a reputation for protecting trade ships from the likes of yourself.

Things that are unique could also do the trick. If say the political system of an empire is affected by the decisions of a leader who has some very specific stats, and the combination of thoses stats are what drives the AI system to select what happens, then knowing that it''s near impossible to get a duplicate PC or NPC to fill the position might be a bit of a drive to save him. It shouldn''t be that you get an automatic +50% bonus to moral with Chang in the system, it should be that the decisions he makes causes a +50% boost to moral. Loosing something that''s unique after you''ve gotten used to it can suck.

Other than that, you can try and rely on the player''s attitudes towards basic concepts like marriage, honour, friendship, respect, greed, innocence, knowledge, power, fame, privacy, faith. I''d say death, but really that''s the problem isn''t it. Hmm, maybe pick things that the general public hasn''t been desensitized to yet.