A L B A T R O S S
The Flying Caesar
[size="1"]Arc 2: A Multiplayer Story

Objective
In this thread I want to extend a design with a story that is suitable for multiplayer experience, and identify patterns and parameters of
Multiplayer Story along the way. The outcome of this thread is two documents: 1. the design description. 2. a list of design topics and
options on each topic.

Plan
I start by listing the required components of the design, then I explore and choose the options. I record the component patterns and
options so that the knowledge can be reused in other design projects. To discuss options and decisions, I need a context, that is
where ALBATROSS comes in.

Context
ALBATROSS is a story about restoring Earth after a sudden climatic event that encased Earth in ice and storms, rendering it unlivable.
Albatross is a flying cruiser that orbits on Earth during the frozen decades to wait for the day when it can be used to help restore Earth,
when the rest of the population is stranded on the Moon. The story begins when the Albatross is commissioned to restore Earth when
the ice begins to thraw. The story ends when the Albatross is decommissioned as it reaches the end of its service life.

The story is organized into three arcs. Arc 1 begins with the main characters gathering on Albatross, and ends with their near failure
to re-activate a teleport crucial for rest of the mission. Arc 2 begins with new recruits gathering on Earth through the teleport, and ends
with the establishment of the first sustained city since the evacuation. Arc 3 begins with Albatross showing unrepairable signs of aging,
and ends with Albatross's last mission to disarm Earth's sky.

This thread uses the context of Arc 2 to explore the design of multiplayer story. In the next post I will start listing the parameters.

Parameter: Flow of Time
Options:
o Shared - Where all players share the same timeline
o Independent - Where each player interacts with their own timeline
o Synchronized - Where the time does not progress unless all players are ready or meet certain condition
o Pausible - Where a player could pause the flow of time.

Parameter: Mode of Entry
Options:
o Start only - All players must start the game at the same time
o Anytime - A player can join a game at any time
o Time slots - A player can join a game during specific time throughout the story
o Role slots - A player can join a game only when a role is created or becomes open

Parameter: Control of Changes
Options:
o Automatic - Where the game sets its own pace or is the largest factor in moving the plot forward
o Round Robin - Where the players take turn deciding how or when the story advances
o Collective Effort - Where the collective effort of the players determine how the story advances
o Collective Decision - Where the collective decision of the players determine how the story advances
o Leader Decision - Where the decision of one or few players determine how the story advances
o Hero Effort - Where the action of one or few players determine how the story advances

Parameter: Mode of Ending
Options:
o Endless - The story does not end
o State based - The story ends when the world reaches a certain state
o Time based - The story ends when the story has continued for a set time
o Plot based - The story ends when the plot progresses to a certain point
o Conclusion on Exit - The game concludes the story for the player when the player leaves the story

Re: Ghostknight
Well I already have a job, that makes game design a hobby.


Design Vision
Albatross as a vision about peace

In 2007, I wanted to make a game where the story has hero without villain. I wanted to add to the culture that heroism is a quality that does not need
villainism to exist. In this philosophy, villainism is not the cause of heroism, it is merely one situation where heroism is expressed. I also wanted to
make a game that is educational and has closer relation to the real world without being confined by the world today. I do this to create a vision of the
world where heroism is defined and thrives in the absence of villains, and peace is sustained as a result.

Therefore the design itself is a vision of perpetual peace. I am not trying to answer the question, "How do you get from the world now to there?" but,
"If you don't have to consider how the world is now, does such a vision exist? Can it sustain itself? What are the enabling circumstances?" The
roadmap is secondary, the vision is paramount.

[Flying Caesar (2007)]


Parameter: PC Definition
o The player plays a pre-defined character
o The player plays a custom character that belongs to a pre-defined role
o The player plays a custom character with no pre-defined role

Parameter: PC Control
o Each player plays one character
o Each player plays a character that is shared by other players
o Each player plays an NPC and yields control to that NPC on log out
o Each player plays a group of characters that can only act in the same proximity
o Each player plays a group of characters that can act with no proximity restriction

Parameter: NPC Definition
o There is no NPC.
o NPCs are pre-defined
o NPCs are generated on the fly
o NPCs are defined by the player

Parameter: NPC Activeness
o NPCs do not act unless the PC is in their proximity
o NPCs act autonomously even when they are out of PC sight.

Parameter: Rules over PC and NPC
o PC and NPC follow different rules
o PC and NPC follow the same rules