So your player explores this world, interacts, and somehow achieves some type of monumental challenge that the designer has layed out (becoming king, etc). Once one of those tasks has been achieved, the game 'ends' at that point (like a typical single player RPG), except the player continues on as a new random character in the same world, perhaps a character that has competing interests with the last character you embodied. This new character is starting back at square 1 as far as progress goes, of course. This way, the game doesn't really end because you continue in the same world, and your previous character's achievements aren't forgotten. But because your last character achieved some 'ultimate goal', and your new character has competing interests, the world is full of things that need to be 'changed', as far as your new character is concerned. Your new character affects the world and has his goal completed, and the player takes on a new fresh character again as the cycle repeats.
Has anyone seen or thought of something like this before? Like I said, I've never taken much interest to OEGs before so I wouldn't know if this has been done.
That's very cool. And your previously played character could then be controlled by the AI I'm assuming.
Need help? Well, go FAQ yourself. "Just don't look at the hole." -- Unspoken_Magi
Hi, I'm the AP from the last two posts. I thought I'd sign up.
Anyway, I think my idea would work well with a permanent death system, maybe one where you are almost 'expected' to fail your ultimate goal a decent part of the time. I like the concept Adom has, where you know that your character is going to die sooner or later, so you don't get frustrated when you lose, because when you start playing, you don't expect to build some ridiculously strong character, it's about enjoying the journey and not caring as much about the end result. However, I'd like my idea to differ from Adom in that characters don't kick the bucket quite as fast or easily, lol (and also that your character has a chance to survive until the end of your adventure with him). You'd have to make the conscious decision to get yourself into a dangerous situation to die, and it wouldn't happen in the blink of an eye.
The chance of failing your ultimate goal would make the outcome of events less predictable; it wouldn't just be the power changing hands back and forth between the 3, 4, or however many 'factions' the game has. You may create an empire with your first character that your next 10 characters fail to topple, and then if your 11th finally managed to bring it down, it would seem a lot more epic and special. That kind of epic feeling is what I think a lot of scripted RPGs (whatever happened was destined to happen, you just played through the designer's events) and MMORPGs (1000 'heroes' in one world, who is actually doing something notable?) fail to achieve.
One little snag that may arise is that you have all the 'inside info' about the guys you are trying to defeat, because you were just playing as them. I think it's up to the designer to make sure there's no way to take advantage of that.
On another note, I think I'd prefer that when it's time for the game to turn to a new character, the game decides which situation to put you into instead of letting you choose from a list. That way, it doesn't give away right from the start what all of the scenario types are.
I had thought about it, Jaws, but with a reincarnation idea, so that you *should* be taking advantage of your knowledge from previous lives, eventually achieving illumination. Which means, of course, that you never actually finish.
Replaying in the universe you've made is a very cool concept, but one thing that's bothered me about it is loss of mystery. Not only do you have to deal with player knowledge for the basic stuff like where the superweapons are, you might not be able to really generate surprises and twists because you know most of what's important already. None of that "Obi-Wan never told you what happened to your father" intrigue... because you would be all of those important characters.
One way to fix this might be to have a bunch of secret things your characters do after you stop playing them. This can help give you things like mysterious twins, secret legacies and unknown challenges.
It would be REALLY interesting if the random character was somehow karmic, too. Buid up an evil empire? Now what's it like to live inside it as a lowly peasant?
--------------------Just waiting for the mothership...
Original post by Wavinator Replaying in the universe you've made is a very cool concept, but one thing that's bothered me about it is loss of mystery. Not only do you have to deal with player knowledge for the basic stuff like where the superweapons are, you might not be able to really generate surprises and twists because you know most of what's important already. None of that "Obi-Wan never told you what happened to your father" intrigue... because you would be all of those important characters.
One way to fix this might be to have a bunch of secret things your characters do after you stop playing them. This can help give you things like mysterious twins, secret legacies and unknown challenges.
It would be REALLY interesting if the random character was somehow karmic, too. Buid up an evil empire? Now what's it like to live inside it as a lowly peasant?
I see what you mean about the loss of mystery; it'd definitely be a design challenge. Maybe, to follow on your idea of having your characters do things after you stop playing them, you could give a message such as "10/20 years later" every time you complete a major goal and switch characters, in which the game would modify a bunch of the world variables based on some logic (what seems likely to happen at this point). Then you can still explore the world and think "I wonder what town X is like after all this time?" and of course like you said, your old characters have regained a bit of mystery. Encountering them would be like seeing an old friend (or in this case, an enemy). But I wouldn't think time should pass simply after one of your characters dies, that time leap would be best suited to only after the major goals are finished.
And that last bit about living as a peasant inside the evil empire you created... that is pure gold.
Original post by Jaws And that last bit about living as a peasant inside the evil empire you created... that is pure gold.
Seconded. Maybe there's no need for 10/20 years, sometimes important stuff can happen in a year.
Say, you build an empire and you die from age (most difficult story to make an interesting followup) then someone else takes over and makes major changes to the economy and theres a coup and whooaaa the whole thing is turned upside down. 2 years.
Or, you accomplish your goal but instead of dying from age, you're assesinated, and no one knows (poison or something!) and the murderer takes your spot at the throne. Your reincarnation could have as a goal figuring out the reasons behind this plot and replacing the murderer by someone you trust.
Still, advancing the clock is still a good idea :D
