Historic role playing/adventure game
by Sdementen · in Game Design and Creative Issues · 06/18/2005 (5:45 am) · 5 replies
Hi, could you have your opinion on this idea (just to see if I am the only one that thinks it could be a great game)
Idea: the player controls a family through the different periods of History in some part of the world (Europe, Middle East, Americas or Earth). The player must exploit his knowledge of real historical events in managing his family.
The evolution of the World (e.g. Europe) follows historical events. A simulation engine takes care of different "sections" of the world:
- demography (inhabitants, ...)
- economy (trade, industrial production, agriculture)
- spirituality (religion, influence on power)
- political (organisation of countries, power)
- military (armies, war, ...)
- arts (painting, architecture, music)
- science (physics, biology,...)
Each historical event would have different impacts on those sections, some examples:
- Gutenberg: science, economy, spirituality
- plague: demography, economy
- French revolution: political, spirituality
- Barbarian invasion: demography, military
- Great Schism: spirituality, political
- Crusade: spirituality, political, military
The simulation engine will simulate every historical event with its impact on the world and will "interpolate" history in between dates. Moreover, it will give to the player the representation of his world via historical maps (like on www.euratlas.com/big/big0300.htm) for the different sections. The player would see only what he knows (kind of "fog of war" with unknown parts in grey) but by travelling or sending letters he could expand his knowledge.
Within this simulation, the player controls a family specified by its family members. At any given time, the player controls the main member of the family but if he dies (old age, war, epidemia), the player takes control of another member of its family. The player has a slight control on other family members (e.g. where they are located).
The control/gameplay would consist in:
- choose where to go at any time (be at the right place at the right time), e.g. flee the plague, go for a business opportunity, enter the court of a king as an artist, ...
- change properties of family member: change religion (from catholic to protestant), change activity (sailor, merchant, priest, doctor, warrior, politics, artist, scientist, ...), sell/buy objects/house/...
- take decisions based on events happening around you and for which your activity is relevant (for everybody "[1788]You heard that there are turmoils in Paris, would you like to line up with a) middle-class b) clergy c) aristocracy?", for merchant "There is a plan to go to India by sailing west from a guy named Cristobal Colon, do you want to invest in this exploration ?")
The goal of the game would be to earn "points" by:
- taking advantage of events (if a war is going on and the player is a weapon merchant, he can earn money or points as business is good)
- being at important events (the player could see all his genealogy tree with his presence at "big events" like "I was at the crowning of king XXX" or "I was doctor during the big plague" etc)
- increase "richness" be it artistic, scientific, $$, political (fame), ...
The gameplay would really give advantage to people knowing history (political, military, artistic) and hence the game could be also quite educative but also involves "real" research on google, libraries (if events are described with details only found in books :-), ask the teacher (for kids)
About the content, the game would allow people to write down their own events and so enhance the game (an expert in "History of France" could add a lot of details in the description of some given event/period in France and define precisely its impact on the different "sections" of the game).
While it would be possible to invent events from scratch, I think it would diminish a lot the interest of the game.
Idea: the player controls a family through the different periods of History in some part of the world (Europe, Middle East, Americas or Earth). The player must exploit his knowledge of real historical events in managing his family.
The evolution of the World (e.g. Europe) follows historical events. A simulation engine takes care of different "sections" of the world:
- demography (inhabitants, ...)
- economy (trade, industrial production, agriculture)
- spirituality (religion, influence on power)
- political (organisation of countries, power)
- military (armies, war, ...)
- arts (painting, architecture, music)
- science (physics, biology,...)
Each historical event would have different impacts on those sections, some examples:
- Gutenberg: science, economy, spirituality
- plague: demography, economy
- French revolution: political, spirituality
- Barbarian invasion: demography, military
- Great Schism: spirituality, political
- Crusade: spirituality, political, military
The simulation engine will simulate every historical event with its impact on the world and will "interpolate" history in between dates. Moreover, it will give to the player the representation of his world via historical maps (like on www.euratlas.com/big/big0300.htm) for the different sections. The player would see only what he knows (kind of "fog of war" with unknown parts in grey) but by travelling or sending letters he could expand his knowledge.
Within this simulation, the player controls a family specified by its family members. At any given time, the player controls the main member of the family but if he dies (old age, war, epidemia), the player takes control of another member of its family. The player has a slight control on other family members (e.g. where they are located).
The control/gameplay would consist in:
- choose where to go at any time (be at the right place at the right time), e.g. flee the plague, go for a business opportunity, enter the court of a king as an artist, ...
- change properties of family member: change religion (from catholic to protestant), change activity (sailor, merchant, priest, doctor, warrior, politics, artist, scientist, ...), sell/buy objects/house/...
- take decisions based on events happening around you and for which your activity is relevant (for everybody "[1788]You heard that there are turmoils in Paris, would you like to line up with a) middle-class b) clergy c) aristocracy?", for merchant "There is a plan to go to India by sailing west from a guy named Cristobal Colon, do you want to invest in this exploration ?")
The goal of the game would be to earn "points" by:
- taking advantage of events (if a war is going on and the player is a weapon merchant, he can earn money or points as business is good)
- being at important events (the player could see all his genealogy tree with his presence at "big events" like "I was at the crowning of king XXX" or "I was doctor during the big plague" etc)
- increase "richness" be it artistic, scientific, $$, political (fame), ...
The gameplay would really give advantage to people knowing history (political, military, artistic) and hence the game could be also quite educative but also involves "real" research on google, libraries (if events are described with details only found in books :-), ask the teacher (for kids)
About the content, the game would allow people to write down their own events and so enhance the game (an expert in "History of France" could add a lot of details in the description of some given event/period in France and define precisely its impact on the different "sections" of the game).
While it would be possible to invent events from scratch, I think it would diminish a lot the interest of the game.
#2
The interface/GUI looks very good and I was thinking about this kind of maps to represent the action/status of the world.
However, it is more a strategy game that a role playing/adventure game.
I don't want to focus too much on the military side (there are plenty of RTS or S games out there) but want to show also the historical evolution of other informations like economy, religion, political system, demography, diseases, science, art.
What I want is more focus on playing with "real" historical events and leave the player with the management of a human life (with a family/dynasty concept to carry on ressources/knowledge/points from one generation to the other).
Moreover, it is not about changing history but more about integrating the player's character into history : taking part into events, guessing where it is best to stay at some period of history, what is the most interesting period, location, faith, etc for a given man with a given activity/role (merchant, doctor, scientist).
The objective being to build the most interesting genealogy tree for the player's family across ages.
I always had a problem with history as explained in schools or in books. I have difficulties to see the global picture across countries/places and time/periods.
This game would make it easier as history will unroll under the eyes interactively and will encourage to learn history to get the most interesting path in History.
06/18/2005 (9:46 am)
I did not know this game !The interface/GUI looks very good and I was thinking about this kind of maps to represent the action/status of the world.
However, it is more a strategy game that a role playing/adventure game.
I don't want to focus too much on the military side (there are plenty of RTS or S games out there) but want to show also the historical evolution of other informations like economy, religion, political system, demography, diseases, science, art.
What I want is more focus on playing with "real" historical events and leave the player with the management of a human life (with a family/dynasty concept to carry on ressources/knowledge/points from one generation to the other).
Moreover, it is not about changing history but more about integrating the player's character into history : taking part into events, guessing where it is best to stay at some period of history, what is the most interesting period, location, faith, etc for a given man with a given activity/role (merchant, doctor, scientist).
The objective being to build the most interesting genealogy tree for the player's family across ages.
I always had a problem with history as explained in schools or in books. I have difficulties to see the global picture across countries/places and time/periods.
This game would make it easier as history will unroll under the eyes interactively and will encourage to learn history to get the most interesting path in History.
#3
Has a major economic system.
Has a major political system.
Has diplomacy (duh, it's a stategy)
Has plague in events and such.
Religion is obviously a large part.
Science is as well.
Demography... not really in EU2. In Victoria (Another Paradox game)
However, you really do not take the role of a family directly... more a 'family-nation', like nations back then were.
Actually, look at Europa 1400---thats another game like what you described.
06/18/2005 (9:49 am)
EU2:Has a major economic system.
Has a major political system.
Has diplomacy (duh, it's a stategy)
Has plague in events and such.
Religion is obviously a large part.
Science is as well.
Demography... not really in EU2. In Victoria (Another Paradox game)
However, you really do not take the role of a family directly... more a 'family-nation', like nations back then were.
Actually, look at Europa 1400---thats another game like what you described.
#4
This look like an intelligent "The Sims" in Middle Age with a more abstract view of business and less micro-management.
However, I would like the link with History. It would not be a purely strategy game but more a quest/puzzle/adventure/role play game with real events as a background.
Graphics would not be as detailed as Europa 1400 as it is not supposed to be an immersive 3D graphical environment.
In fact, it could almost be a text based game (but graphics could help a lot in the form of maps to summarize the state of the world or in the form of a timeline to cause/consequence of historical events).
But your 2 links are definitely helpful for picking ideas for the simulation engine (not that much for gameplay).
TX
06/18/2005 (2:24 pm)
Waw, simply amazing (Europa 1400)!This look like an intelligent "The Sims" in Middle Age with a more abstract view of business and less micro-management.
However, I would like the link with History. It would not be a purely strategy game but more a quest/puzzle/adventure/role play game with real events as a background.
Graphics would not be as detailed as Europa 1400 as it is not supposed to be an immersive 3D graphical environment.
In fact, it could almost be a text based game (but graphics could help a lot in the form of maps to summarize the state of the world or in the form of a timeline to cause/consequence of historical events).
But your 2 links are definitely helpful for picking ideas for the simulation engine (not that much for gameplay).
TX
#5
06/19/2005 (2:39 am)
Interesting concept. Try whipping up a basic prototype to test the gameplay. I'd like to try it out and let you know how I feel about it. 
Torque Owner Mike Kuklinski