Sorry about dragging out an old point from the thread, but I'm late to the discussion:

For the longest time, I've had this concept of making a "real time" RPG where the player interacts with the world as it plays out its natural cycle. I most certainly agree that it would be a Herculean sized task to write out all the possibilities, but not impossible. The timeline story system I came up with I call "Nexus" as every major event is a Nexus Point of change in the world's history where the future storylines diverge. (A decisive battle, weather or not a scientist succeeds in detonating his superweapon, maybe if Hitler didn't get elected, etc...) The player can directly affect the outcomes of Nexus Events through direct intervention (Leading the Attack), or indirectly by affecting variables that influence the outcome of a Nexus Event (not healing the potential future NPC War Hero a week before so he died, also not getting the shipment of magical talismans in time to the front). Win or lose, the story continues along the available Nexus Event Paths to an eventual conclusion at the end of the timeline.

Of course, I haven't ever done anything with this system besides daydream about it. But judging from the discussion in this thread, the idea's time has come. I'm eager to see what anyone can make of it. If I ever get my motivation up to make an RPG, I'd certainly like to make one with a Nexus Event driven storyline.

Of course, I haven't ever done anything with this system besides daydream about it. But judging from the discussion in this thread, the idea's time has come. I'm eager to see what anyone can make of it. If I ever get my motivation up to make an RPG, I'd certainly like to make one with a Nexus Event driven storyline.

Whoops, I misread this the first time around as being more simulator-focused. If you're talking about the world having a _scripted_ base cycle that the player can interfere with, I've done a design like that. The strategy I used is to divide the game into chapters (time units) plus locations (space units). The player can only be in one location per chapter, so only one location deviates from its natural cycle (after the events of previous chapters are taken into account). The representation of what's happening in each location during each chapter fits into a spreadsheet, although if you wanted to represent all the alternate possibilities you'd need a 3D Rubik's cube shape rather than a 2d checkerboard shape.

I heard a great term for this kind of hybrid MMO today! "sandpark" I'm going to go put that in my sig quote.

This was nearly a year ago o _ o I didn't even know what a "SandPark" was when i made this thread...

Surprising how i knew before the genre became known.

Didn't even copyright it...damn. lol

Probably the reason there were no replies the first day was because Thanksgiving.

I'm interested in designing this kind of hybrid RPG. I'd probably describe it more like "interactive story core + sandboxy customization peripherals" rather than j+western. Skyrim is a pretty good place to start, but so is WoW, if you consider things like the starting quest chains per race that do some character development, and the core quest chains for each class where you unlock abilities of that class, another bit of character development. Other MMOs may have core quest chains per profession or faction that the player chooses to join during the course of the game, corresponding to the Stormcloak vs. Imperials quests in Skyrim.

I'd consider my WildWright MMO design and my + collaboraters' Xenallure single-player RPG design to both be this kind of hybrid. And the older single-player RPG concept Gimmie Those Wings, though it has less sandbox/crafting elements.

Also, I've finally gotten through development of my idea. It's on its way! :D thanks to all of you who replied to my thread!!!!

Okay here is a game that no one has mentioned yet, and I only mention it because I have a romantic relationship with it (less smutty than you think), but that is Suikoden!! Suikoden is definitely a JRPG, but it combines so many awesome game play elements where the player can engage on one-on-one fights, large-scale battles (strategy) and the good old party based fights. Not only that, but very often the MC has to deviate from their path to go and collect 108 NPC known as the Stars of Destiny!! While this game is quite old, and it does not have a really sandboxy feel to it, I believe it was a model for sondbox type JRPGs that came along later. Anyway, I believe that your plan is very viable. While it is daunting it is doable. This is actually an idea I have played with myself on rare occasion when my mind wasn't lost in other randomology, but at the time I didn't know anybody who made games and all I had was a massive concept, I have yet to actually write the story, I have a synopsis brewing though. Anyway, Love this idea. Wish you could tell me more, as this is something I would love to work on!! Cheers!!