Game Plot or Story - Is it possible?

[M00ka]

Been away for a while (newly retired, seeing some of Planet Earth) and upon my return to the ED universe I see players are still requesting the game have a story or plot they can follow. Funny enough I actually thought of this very problem during some of the longer flights I endured and for the life of me I couldn't come up with a suitable solution that would meet the criteria I set for myself:

The central plot or story must be applicable and relevant to all players, in all modes, of all skill sets whilst remaining within the current BGS and Lore of the game.
​

That criteria caused a quandary for me, just what type of story, plot or even central theme would be captivating enough to entice someone who:

• Has just starting the game and has limited funds, ships and more importantly SKILL
• Has, in their mind, 'done it all' and has a fleet of multiples of all the ships, all fully kitted out and Billions in funds
• Has already defined what they like doing in the game, whether it be exploring, trading, ganking, griefing, bounty hunting, mining, pirating or whatever and has zero interest in doing something else.
• Is a casual player who can only get on for a couple of hours a week or less but still wants to be able to experience everything in the game.
• Is a full time player, someone who boots up the game whilst their first coffee is brewing in the morning and doesn't log off until they find themselves falling asleep in the chair.
• Shudders at the thought of having to team up with another Commander, likes the whole concept of being alone in the Universe.
• Conversely, someone who can't stand the prospect of being alone and needs that companionship with their friends to truly enhance the game.

One of the most common retorts to the game is 'mile wide, inch deep' yet I rarely see anyone qualify that statement will a solution. And after all my pondering of the situation, I really can't see a solution. ED has been designed from the concept to allow the individual player to create their own unique story, yet this seems to be alien to a lot of players. It appears too many players are use to being guided through a game, and have lost the ability to be the master of their own destiny within the game.

So my fellow forumites, can anyone propose a story or plot for the game that meets the criteria above? Does the game actually need a story that the players can follow, even an end game that can achieved?

 

[zombieapocalypse]

But how long would the story last for and what do you do when it finishes?

 

[M00ka]

But how long would the story last for and what do you do when it finishes?

That is entirely up to the story isn't it. So many here complain that the game needs a story to survive, I am now asking them to tell the community how they would do it

 

[MadDogMurdock]

Proc gen is DBOBE's thing and it could help here.

Not so much with the larger story, but with smaller local story arcs.
Those faces we see on the mission board - tie them in as Tier 2 NPCs with their own personal agendas and ambitions.
They're essentially disposable and replaceable, so there's no real issue with having them meet nasty ends as twists in the plot.

Match them off against each other;
- underlings trying to take the big chair.
- cross-faction rivalries tinged by backstories; ex-lovers, families divided, business rivalries, etc.

Plenty to work with as a starter.

 

[DaggerSnake]

Isn't the story just things happen in the galaxy and CMDRs are either close to it or not depending on their own time and motivation. Just like day to day news and events on planet earth?

Once a story unfolds, it becomes the news, lore and history of the Galaxy. Like the War for Lugh, the great scavenger hunt for the Black containers, The Station that Got into a Fight with a Cap Ship, various quick cash grab events, The president that was gone and then came back and acted wierd. The Hutton Run CG. The first guardian site and then mission. The discovery of barnacles. The first Thargoids. The new guardian missions. The Formidine Rift. The discovery of Generation Ships....that was just trying to things about stories and events in the game off the top of my head. There has been a lot of things since launch. SOme I missed, some I joined in and shared some great experiences with and met people.

That's the game. The game is the story, the galaxy is changing and you just jump in whenever you feel like it. Or just carry on trading or farming res sites and now listen to the Galnet as it passes you by.

 

[zombieapocalypse]

Proc gen is DBOBE's thing and it could help here.

Not so much with the larger story, but with smaller local story arcs.
Those faces we see on the mission board - tie them in as Tier 2 NPCs with their own personal agendas and ambitions.
They're essentially disposable and replaceable, so there's no real issue with having them meet nasty ends as twists in the plot.

Match them off against each other;
- underlings trying to take the big chair.
- cross-faction rivalries tinged by backstories; ex-lovers, families divided, business rivalries, etc.

Plenty to work with as a starter.

Something like that would great. But creating interesting stories with interesting characters that fit in with BGS using procedural generation is easier said than done.

 

[MadDogMurdock]

Something like that would great. But creating interesting stories with interesting characters that fit in with BGS using procedural generation is easier said than done.

True, it'd take more imagination than adding more progress bars for us to fill.

 

[Mohrgan]

I believe that the idea of E|D is that just as there are many different players, with many different interests, there are many different stories. The one unifying thread that ties them together is the Starting Point: 1000 cr, a Sidewinder, and the Milky Way galaxy.

The motivations, and path through that galaxy immediately diverge from that point. The story is about how all of these divergent paths develop in the setting. What ships you acquire, how you earn your keep, what relationships you have with the Powers, Factions and other players are all unique to the individual. That's the real story of E|D: the tens of thousands of stories being created by the minute.

 

[[VR] Goooost]

Don't really see a problem with a storyline.
I often compare this game to Escape Velocity, which had lots of story lines and branches that were mostly walls of text that lead to battles/unlocks. The only thing you wouldn't be able to do like escape velocity did was have them lead to actual changes in territories/npc frequencies or other things that everyone else would see. But that was always secondary anyhow. It would be amazing to see how the stories could change the galaxy if used in a solo mode, but that would funnel people away from the co-op universe.

 

[Marc_Hicks]

Just give me a mixture of Chained Mission & Mission Wrinkle mechanics capable of making every primary mission I do feel like a unique story.....& I will be happy.

All the underlying mechanics are there already, they just need to be expanded upon.

Courier missions that could lead to me smuggling weapons to a Rebel Faction in <$System Name>, which could then result in a mission to destroy skimmers around a Proc. Gen. Settlement belonging to the enemy faction. Or maybe the courier mission could lead to a VIP mission where you have to transport a diplomat who is going to discuss peace with the enemy. Throw in a few "wrinkles", like the location being a secret that you have to glean from a 3rd party, enemy ships seeking to prevent the diplomat reaching the destination, the 3rd party being under attack, & needing to be saved before they can give you the info......suddenly you have a real story on your hands, without the need to add any brand new mechanics to the game.

 

[Marc_Hicks]

Yes, Mad-dog is on to something here too. Tier 2 NPC's, whether allies or Nemeses, could add a lot to the player's personal narrative. A nemesis could be that Wanted ship that high wakes right before you can destroy them, or that high bounty ship you have selected to hunt via Station Services, or a high level NPC from within the Faction you have off.

Allies could be that ship you saved at a Distress Call USS, or an Assassination Mission, or a high level NPC from within faction you are allied to.

Basically, tier 2 NPC's should only "exist" whilst the Commander they are attached to is online, & should only be visible to those who are in the same instance as the Commander.

In all other respects, though, they would behave like a player in how they move/behave.

Having a tier 2 NPC rock up in the midst of an ongoing mission could help to make missions feel more unique.

 

[SAB380]

The game doesn’t have to have a ‘main quest’.
But it could easily have a bunch of major separate stories players can drop in and out of at this leisure - the same as the guild quest lines in Bethesda’s Elder Scrolls/Fallout series

The Imperial and Federation Navy could each have their own unique story that players progress through.

 

[MadDogMurdock]

Yes, Mad-dog is on to something here too. Tier 2 NPC's, whether allies or Nemeses, could add a lot to the player's personal narrative. A nemesis could be that Wanted ship that high wakes right before you can destroy them, or that high bounty ship you have selected to hunt via Station Services, or a high level NPC from within the Faction you have off.

Allies could be that ship you saved at a Distress Call USS, or an Assassination Mission, or a high level NPC from within faction you are allied to.

Basically, tier 2 NPC's should only "exist" whilst the Commander they are attached to is online, & should only be visible to those who are in the same instance as the Commander.

In all other respects, though, they would behave like a player in how they move/behave.

Having a tier 2 NPC rock up in the midst of an ongoing mission could help to make missions feel more unique.

This mechanism could also be used for ship crew as well.
That Aide you used to work with when you were Friendly, but don't see anymore now that you're Allied, rocks up unexpectedly in their Viper III to help fight a mission (basically the same AI as the police response when you get attacked).
After the mission they offer to sign on as part of your crew.

Or their treachery gets found out and they ping you a message asking for your help (a standard passenger mission but with a familiar face) - it may cost you rep but they helped you out that one time.

Small things that add a touch of flavour and personality - something sadly lacking at the moment.

 

[sollisb]

Been away for a while (newly retired, seeing some of Planet Earth) and upon my return to the ED universe I see players are still requesting the game have a story or plot they can follow. Funny enough I actually thought of this very problem during some of the longer flights I endured and for the life of me I couldn't come up with a suitable solution that would meet the criteria I set for myself:

The central plot or story must be applicable and relevant to all players, in all modes, of all skill sets whilst remaining within the current BGS and Lore of the game.
​

That criteria caused a quandary for me, just what type of story, plot or even central theme would be captivating enough to entice someone who:

• Has just starting the game and has limited funds, ships and more importantly SKILL
• Has, in their mind, 'done it all' and has a fleet of multiples of all the ships, all fully kitted out and Billions in funds
• Has already defined what they like doing in the game, whether it be exploring, trading, ganking, griefing, bounty hunting, mining, pirating or whatever and has zero interest in doing something else.
• Is a casual player who can only get on for a couple of hours a week or less but still wants to be able to experience everything in the game.
• Is a full time player, someone who boots up the game whilst their first coffee is brewing in the morning and doesn't log off until they find themselves falling asleep in the chair.
• Shudders at the thought of having to team up with another Commander, likes the whole concept of being alone in the Universe.
• Conversely, someone who can't stand the prospect of being alone and needs that companionship with their friends to truly enhance the game.

One of the most common retorts to the game is 'mile wide, inch deep' yet I rarely see anyone qualify that statement will a solution. And after all my pondering of the situation, I really can't see a solution. ED has been designed from the concept to allow the individual player to create their own unique story, yet this seems to be alien to a lot of players. It appears too many players are use to being guided through a game, and have lost the ability to be the master of their own destiny within the game.

So my fellow forumites, can anyone propose a story or plot for the game that meets the criteria above? Does the game actually need a story that the players can follow, even an end game that can achieved?

Why bother, judging by every release to date, they'll make a bags of it.

 

[Marc_Hicks]

This link to the suggestion thread highlights a number of ways in which I feel missions could be made to feel more like personalised mini-narratives.

https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showt...sion-Changes-for-Chapters-2-3-amp-4-of-Beyond

 

[Marc_Hicks]

This thread too shows how primary missions could potentially lead to a variety of different follow ons, to prevent follow ons from feeling stale.

https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php/397202-Suggestion-Fleshing-out-Follow-on-missions?

 

[Rafe Zetter]

Proc gen is DBOBE's thing and it could help here.

Not so much with the larger story, but with smaller local story arcs.
Those faces we see on the mission board - tie them in as Tier 2 NPCs with their own personal agendas and ambitions.
They're essentially disposable and replaceable, so there's no real issue with having them meet nasty ends as twists in the plot.

Match them off against each other;
- underlings trying to take the big chair.
- cross-faction rivalries tinged by backstories; ex-lovers, families divided, business rivalries, etc.

Plenty to work with as a starter.

This - I've been saying this for years - lots of people don't like Eve Online for many reasons, but the ability to enjoy epic arc storyline missions spanning over a dozen parts isn't one of them.

Infact even veteran players STILL PLAY the epic arc storylines.

I think an "all emcompasing" storyline would be very, VERY hard to sort out for ED, but smaller "events unfolding in this group of systems" mission arcs is eminently do-able, and in reality is just an extension of the CG's you have now.

But it requires time and resources, and frankly some other aspects of the game need more polish first.

 

[Marc_Hicks]

This - I've been saying this for years - lots of people don't like Eve Online for many reasons, but the ability to enjoy epic arc storyline missions spanning over a dozen parts isn't one of them.

Infact even veteran players STILL PLAY the epic arc storylines.

I think an "all emcompasing" storyline would be very, VERY hard to sort out for ED, but smaller "events unfolding in this group of systems" mission arcs is eminently do-able, and in reality is just an extension of the CG's you have now.

But it requires time and resources, and frankly some other aspects of the game need more polish first.

I have been saying for a while now. What if Community Goals had wrinkles & Chains to them....just like missions do?

 

[Captain Willard]

I still see the game just begining to play out. We just had the thargoids appear, now the guardians. We still have all those areas that are permitted off limits in deep space. Or maybe multicrew, wings, squadrons were just a wish list eh? We will see.

 

[RamirezKurita]

They could always go with their original kickstarter premise - fully procedural and evolving galaxy that we, as players, steadily influence towards our own ends. Such a story generated in this way would never end, FD could all but abandon the game and the galaxy would be almost unrecognisable 10 years later as the story develops further without them. The grand overarching story would be determined by the actions of the superpowers, the powers and their leaders, but many players might choose to get involved in the more personal stories about the influential individuals that dictate the course of the minor factions. This would require the BGS to actually simulate things, not just a working economy but also faction cultures and notable individuals going about their business, which would then give the BGS the background cast and the setting with which to write the story.

However, the programming side of such an endeavour would be quite tricky, pretty much the only game around at the moment that is attempting a similar thing is Dwarf Fortress, which is becoming quite impressive even without considering how it is created by a single individual. Not only would it be quite difficult to do, it would also require all the writers at FD to sacrifice their pride by stepping back and let a program do their job, while for management it would involve handing over the future of the game to a near-opaque block of code that only a few individuals are likely to understand rather than leaving the story in the hands of the more easily understood writers.