busyIt occurred to me that it would be possible to create an adventure game that would include a high level of risk, without the person-to-person violence that dominates the gaming field. Consider exploring an alien planet. You know little about it. Your goal is to find out stuff, from a randomized list of assignments that the computer gives you.
* If something attacks you, it might be a sentient being or it might be just an animal. It typically has a reason -- maybe you're about to step on its nest, or you just spooked prey it was stalking. You have a split second to decide how to respond, and what you do will affect the plot. The computer has a small set of sentient races to choose from (you'll usually, but not always, meet one of these) and a larger set of nonsentient wildlife for encounters.
* If there's a sentient species, you have to deal with them somehow. You will never get the maximum score if you just kill them, so diplomacy is recommended. They can hurt you or help you. Each species has a different mix of strengths and weaknesses, things in common and things alien to humans.
* There are also natural hazards: groundquakes, wildfires, dangerous storms, floods, etc. You have to figure out how to protect yourself before and during these events, and how to deal with the mess afterwards.
* When a member of your party gets hurt, you don't get to wave a skiffy-magic wand and heal them. You have to remember some basic first-aid steps, and if you goof, they might get worse or die. Because the computer generates a set of specific injuries based on the incident, which influence what needs to happen next -- if someone falls off a cliff, they might have a concussion and a broken back; if someone falls into a river, they probably have inhaled water and hypothermia. Your job is to get them back to the medical station at base camp, still alive, and preferably in one piece because crippling injuries can be permanent and affect that character's game performance later.
* Team dynamics are challenging. Whether playing solo with computerized characters or multiplayer with your friends, there will be difficulties getting everyone to agree on what to do and how. You gain or lose points based on how efficient the teamwork is and how well (or poorly) people are getting along.
* You have a certain amount of supplies which you must allocate carefully. You may or may not be able to get outside help. In case of shortages, you also have the option of trying to improvise from local resources. The computer has a list of certain plants, animals, minerals, etc. are usable for specific purposes; these intersect with some of the primary goals (i.e. find arable land for a colony, find minerals to mine, determine whether there is a sentient race here or not).
Your mission is to keep as many people alive as possible, gather as much information as you can, and minimize all kinds of collateral damage. Those often conflict in terms of advisable response in a crisis, creating a nice challenging game atmosphere without requiring a war or robbery. The game teaches some real social and survival skills, not that shooting is a good first response in an emergency.
June 7 2013, 00:16:24 UTC 8 years ago
I can already imagine an expansion set: get different planets to join a planetary federation.
Yes...
June 7 2013, 01:32:32 UTC 8 years ago