In freeform games such as Morrowind or sandbox type games like GTA, they use a "main plot" to give the sense of progressing the game. This is also how you "finish" the game. I have some ideas for an single-player RPG which I want to allow a lot of freeform and some sense of a sandbox environment which I think is plenty interesting as it is and I feel like a "main Plot" would detract from this freeform activity and make it too constricted. However, I can't think of a way to give a sense of finishing the game without some kind of main plot. Anyone know of alternatives?

Would it be possible to let your players to just play on forever and not provide an ending?

I suppose it depends a bit on whether you plan on having any concrete objectives for the player to achieve, such as obtaining a position of power (becoming king or president, for example), or collecting things ("find the seven sacred stone" type quests). But if you don't have a plot you could just have the player continue forever, like in the Sim series of games (The Sims, SimCity) etc.

In a true freeform RPG the only way to really finish is to die. In a less freeform RPG you'd of course have goals or deadlines. Harvest Moon had a 2.5-year time limit and in The Adventures of Robin Hood your goal was to retake your castle or die trying. They were both freeform (Robin more so) and very light on the plot.

Of course in a freeform game the player can be offered a plot in disguise. Design your world so that it isn't dependent on the player's input. Take the focus off the player and eventually he'll show interest in these external events all by himself.

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Original post by Trapper Zoid Would it be possible to let your players to just play on forever and not provide an ending? I suppose it depends a bit on whether you plan on having any concrete objectives for the player to achieve, such as obtaining a position of power (becoming king or president, for example), or collecting things ("find the seven sacred stone" type quests). But if you don't have a plot you could just have the player continue forever, like in the Sim series of games (The Sims, SimCity) etc.

Yes, I would have concrete objectives like becoming a king and taking over other nations, becoming a better & better criminal, becoming a leader of criminal orginization, of course being a freelance hero/adventurer kind of guy, and many others.

And I'm glad you mentioned Sims & SimCity because I think this game would be similar to sims in many ways.

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Of course in a freeform game the player can be offered a plot in disguise. Design your world so that it isn't dependent on the player's input. Take the focus off the player and eventually he'll show interest in these external events all by himself.

Yes, I was planning on taking the focus off the player and have many interesting thigns going on in the world without the player's input. NPCs would do things on their own and create plots, but there would be no linear plot inserted by a designer just plots that naturally come out of the system.

Thanks for your info. I have a much better view of things I could do. I kept feeling like if there's no ending, it feel empty. But maybe that's only because I'm used to single-player RPGs having some kind of ending.

What you do is make some boss monsters that you dont think can be beat, and then tell the player, in the context of the game, that they win if they beat those bosses.

I really like what infrmtn said about external events. if you make it so that these events are on a large enough scale, They will have the appearance of plot. basically, you want several AI. One type, more suited to the Civilization games, providing the plot, one type designed for a game like starcraft, in the interest of managing your city intelligently, and one type designed for player interaction. Have varioyus things speaking for the various AI. Have newspapers, and failing that, NPCs gossiping about newspapers speak for the higher AI, and of course dialogue to speak for the lesser AI. THis whole world operating, completely independant of the player, and eventually he gets entertained by it.

You could even have periodic updates with other players, over the internet. if you allow it, the game just talks to other players and gets interestingness(whatever the heck that is) imported. Make it kind of like the bones system of nethack or whatever, so you get even more interestingness. Perhaps at some point it becomes

Add a random procedural element, so that each game is diferent on the nation-nation level.

Of course, none of this allows the game to finish, just makes it more interesting. I'm just rambling unhelpfully.

Take a look at the samurai Jack plot. Jack is sent to many countries to learn martial arts, become stronger, and return to his home to save his people.

You can use that idea. The ultimate goal is to become strong enough/rich enought/have enough influence/reputation so he can do something important. How he does it - that's his own buisness.

I don't think you need an ending at all. As long as there are continued new, different, and fun challenges, people will keep playing. Players will just want to kill the next terrible monster, on foil the next assassination attempt. The issue is when there's nothing new for players to experience, they'll stop.

tj963

I played Morrowind alot, and I never finished it. This is the only game I can think about that while playing I enjoyed exploring rather then advancing in the story (that is, after I learned how to read english. Before I did, that was the situation in all RPGs).

yeah, I'm glad you mentioned Starcraft because in some ways the game may border on an RTS from an RPG point of view.

I expect to allow things such as being involved in warfare as a soldier or working up to a general and giving orders.

I also want to include more micro activites that are more on the RPG side like being a hero or criminal.

Also, someboddy, that is a very good point. I didn't care much about Morrowind's main plot either.

Thanks. You all helped a lot. I feel a lot more confident about having no main plotline after hearing that people agree with me that the world itself would create enough plot to be fun.