Unique Events in Project Eternity

[TRX850]

Let your imagination run wild. What kind of events would you like to see in P:E that spark plot points or quest content?  A few ideas to start with...

Celestial
- Planetary Alignment
- Solar Eclipse / Lunar Eclipse
- Aurora Lights
- Meteorite Impact
- Second Moon appears (is it a moon.....or something else?)
- Ancient Arkonauts arrive via a godlike spacecraft (peaceful, or something other?)

(Of course, you won't see these events while adventuring, but they could be shown via cut scenes).

Cultural/Political
- Outbreak of War
- With the War in full swing, a Third Faction joins the War, against both sides
- King/Queen or local ruler dies (or is assassinated). Who is next in line? Are they a shady character? Or have they gone missing?
- Party is implicated in unlawful activities/espionage

Economical
- Trade Boom (increasing supply & demand)
- Merchant Guilds involved in Trading Scam

Environmental
- Over-development causes reckless deforestation
- Exotic Creatures come under threat of Extinction
- Natural Disasters (Earthquake, Flooding, Bush fires)
 

What are some other ideas you think could make for some awesome adventuring?

Edited February 17, 2013 by TRX850

[IndiraLightfoot]

Heh, meteor impact, now that's a hot topic right now! Well picked.

 

Alright, here goes nothing:

 

Celestial:

-Supernova explosion creates a new light that shines all day long like a moon on the sky (its neutrino radiation does something world-wrecking to the magic balancing the elements of the world)

-Comet tangents the atmosphere, this  gets interpreted by astrologers as a bad omen, but the more modern astronomers realize it brought with dust in a weird form, but what kind of dust? A new substance/element, perhaps?

 

Cultural/political:

Secret societies rule a nation behind the scenes, as it were, but our part will expose them for what they really are: Worshippers of the goddess Drenya - the deity of the thousand choruses and babbling brooks and streams Think Orinoco Flow turned into evil harmonies and demon whispers.

 

Economical:

A foreign land invents notes for currency instead of coins, and this sets the scene for elaborate counterfeit operations in the hands of the Orlan kingpin Inkblot (his ears have patches of black in them)

 

Environmental:

A dam and a profitable water mill gets blown up - and the dam busters destroy an entire valley. It gets submerged and strange creatures soon take over the eerie swamp of submerged villages and farms. And did I mentioned the Drowned Ones? They've risen from the dead and have revenge etched into their foreheads by some mad man, literally. What is going on?

[TRX850]

The new substance/element idea is something worth exploring further, as it promises so many story-telling possibilities. It may be as significant and profound as discovering a new type of technology, bringing with it a natural desire to be the first society to exploit it.

- Defence / Peacekeeping Factions
- Shady / Militant Factions
- Magical Research Factions
- Dwarvish / Elvish / Gnomish Factions

Many different search-and-recovery teams may already be converging on the location, whether the material is extra-terrestrial in origin and/or deep below ground. I'm getting vibes inspired by X-Files, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Lord of the Rings, and other great stories where the search for a rare substance represents more about human nature than anything else.
 

[JFSOCC]

I really want to see a festival, religious or otherwise.

[TRX850]

Obsidian will no doubt make their own game. But who knows, if there's a slim chance they read any of these threads, there might be a keyword or half an idea that makes them add it to their list to consider if feasible.  Other than that, it's like most of these threads; a place for members to discuss ideas that might lead to expansions or mods being developed. Always better to have these discussions than not.

[Jobby]

Awesome idea, i always love it when games/films throw in a "game changer" at some point, the only issue would be if it locks out content because you went to B instead of A first and now B is a giant steaming pool of radioactive waste... which would be a pain in the arse.

[TRX850]

Famine
- Subtle and not-so-subtle changes in the ecosystem have caused a chain reaction, inducing food shortages, and your quest is to discover the source of the change. Maybe a complex moral dilemma?

Peaceful Trade Negotiations
- An old enemy resurfaces, but wants to initiate a trade agreement that will help them survive in challenging times. But someone, somewhere has spread rumours of ulterior motives. Investigate and quell a culturally-sensitive uprising.

[JFSOCC]

Two factions merging for greater power, and their affiliates suffering for it.

[mcmanusaur]

Cultural (festivals), Social (peasant revolts), Economic (trade fluctuations), Technological (inventions), Environmental (natural disasters).

[BruceVC]

First of all I would like Obsidian to actually make their story and their game based on what they want to create and not leaving that up to forum community.

 

I don't get your point? Clearly Obsidian is making the game on certain criteria, but as has been mentioned on numerous occasions they like and value  the feedback from the community so this post is relevant.

 

Nice post TRX850

 

l like the following below and the political intrigue that could follow. The party needs to chose sides and there are consequences. It reminds me of Witcher 2 which I loved.

 

Cultural/Political

- Outbreak of War

- With the War in full swing, a Third Faction joins the War, against both sides

- King/Queen or local ruler dies (or is assassinated). Who is next in line? Are they a shady character? Or have they gone missing?

- Party is implicated in unlawful activities/espionage

 

 

[mcmanusaur]

 

First of all I would like Obsidian to actually make their story and their game based on what they want to create and not leaving that up to forum community.

 

I don't get your point? Clearly Obsidian is making the game on certain criteria, but as has been mentioned on numerous occasions they like and value  the feedback from the community so this post is relevant.

 

Nice post TRX850

 

l like the following below and the political intrigue that could follow. The party needs to chose sides and there are consequences. It reminds me of Witcher 2 which I loved.

 

Cultural/Political

- Outbreak of War

- With the War in full swing, a Third Faction joins the War, against both sides

- King/Queen or local ruler dies (or is assassinated). Who is next in line? Are they a shady character? Or have they gone missing?

- Party is implicated in unlawful activities/espionage

 

 

Political struggles such as this appear in just about every RPG. What would set Project Eternity apart in my opinion would be to broaden the scope by incorporating some of the other kinds of trigger events mentioned in this thread.

[AGX-17]

What the hell is an "Arkonaut"?

 

I see way too many mentions of physics and modern knowledge of astronomical phenomena here for a game revolving around souls and magic, two things for which there is no evidence of existence in the world of physics.

 

I'm sure the devs already have their own story in mind. Generally you start with a basic, broad story outline and then fill in the details as you proceed, you don't just ignore the narrative stage of the development process until the forum users start spewing brainpuke onto the boards in the hopes that some choice bit of undigested slime looks tasty to the writers.

Political struggles such as this appear in just about every RPG. What would set Project Eternity apart in my opinion would be to broaden the scope by incorporating some of the other kinds of trigger events mentioned in this thread.

I don't really see astrology or other magical events affecting some political situation as particularly original. I can't count how many fantasy games and stories usually revolve around some great supernatural evil and not simply humans in conflict. There are only so many things a person can do, or imagine doing, and "novel" ideas are really just twisting old ideas into different forms.

 

Hell, look at Skyrim, for instance. Terrible writing, but plotted just like you suggested. Initial story presented as human civil wa, then it gets interrupted by ZOMG DRAGONS HAVE RETURNED NOW THAT THE THOUSAND YEAR SEAL HAS BEEN BRO- see? They did the same thing in Dragon Age: Origins.

 

All you do in this formula is put faction "X" and faction "Y" in conflict, then throw supernatural threat "Z" in and SHOCK OF SHOCKS, only Protagonist "A" and his/her plucky band of adventurers can defeat the great evil! Maybe "A" is the godhead. Maybe "A" is the Legendary Hero Reborn. Maybe "A" is just some schlub who likes to grind for XP. It doesn't matter, it all boils down to a few basic scenarios: Hero defeats evil in spite of human conflicts, or Hero resolves conflict in some way, allowing humanity (and the peripheral lesser races that sided with Hero first,) to fight the Great Evil together (while still allowing/forcing Hero to slay the Great Evil personally.) In games that are trying to be "DEEP" or different sometimes "A" is the Great Evil, or gets to fill the Great Evil's shoes instead of throwing the ring into Mt. Doom. In the end, the end doesn't matter as much as the process of getting there.

Edited February 20, 2013 by AGX-17

[TRX850]

What the hell is an "Arkonaut"?

 

A being who arrives in a celestial ark.  It's like Astro-naut, but with baggage.

 

And btw, are you ever gonna add anything useful to Project Eternity?  I've read your posts, and all you seem to do is crap on about how lame or inaccurate everything is.  You're an intelligent person. Why not show some initiative and suggest something new and inventive.  It might even improve your tact.

[mcmanusaur]

 

What the hell is an "Arkonaut"?

 

I see way too many mentions of physics and modern knowledge of astronomical phenomena here for a game revolving around souls and magic, two things for which there is no evidence of existence in the world of physics.

 

I'm sure the devs already have their own story in mind. Generally you start with a basic, broad story outline and then fill in the details as you proceed, you don't just ignore the narrative stage of the development process until the forum users start spewing brainpuke onto the boards in the hopes that some choice bit of undigested slime looks tasty to the writers.

Political struggles such as this appear in just about every RPG. What would set Project Eternity apart in my opinion would be to broaden the scope by incorporating some of the other kinds of trigger events mentioned in this thread.

I don't really see astrology or other magical events affecting some political situation as particularly original. I can't count how many fantasy games and stories usually revolve around some great supernatural evil and not simply humans in conflict. There are only so many things a person can do, or imagine doing, and "novel" ideas are really just twisting old ideas into different forms.

 

Hell, look at Skyrim, for instance. Terrible writing, but plotted just like you suggested. Initial story presented as human civil wa, then it gets interrupted by ZOMG DRAGONS HAVE RETURNED NOW THAT THE THOUSAND YEAR SEAL HAS BEEN BRO- see? They did the same thing in Dragon Age: Origins.

 

All you do in this formula is put faction "X" and faction "Y" in conflict, then throw supernatural threat "Z" in and SHOCK OF SHOCKS, only Protagonist "A" and his/her plucky band of adventurers can defeat the great evil! Maybe "A" is the godhead. Maybe "A" is the Legendary Hero Reborn. Maybe "A" is just some schlub who likes to grind for XP. It doesn't matter, it all boils down to a few basic scenarios: Hero defeats evil in spite of human conflicts, or Hero resolves conflict in some way, allowing humanity (and the peripheral lesser races that sided with Hero first,) to fight the Great Evil together (while still allowing/forcing Hero to slay the Great Evil personally.) In games that are trying to be "DEEP" or different sometimes "A" is the Great Evil, or gets to fill the Great Evil's shoes instead of throwing the ring into Mt. Doom. In the end, the end doesn't matter as much as the process of getting there.

 

Underlined emphasis on the parts that imply I'm suggesting some sort of magical or supernatural event, and my actual suggestions for comparison:

 

Cultural (festivals), Social (peasant revolts), Economic (trade fluctuations), Technological (inventions), Environmental (natural disasters).

 

So yeah. Not so magical after all, broski.

[Lephys]

I see way too many mentions of physics and modern knowledge of astronomical phenomena here for a game revolving around souls and magic, two things for which there is no evidence of existence in the world of physics.

No one's suggesting magic exists in reality, where physics dwells. But, when we imagine up a fictitious world, physics still exists within that world (people are held to the earth via gravity, heat burns things, ice freezes things, centrifugal force still applies, etc.), so why would we not take physics into account?

 

Also, I don't think magic is the actual source of your concern, regarding the "things just involve some big supernatural event instead of just humans in conflict" bit. Plenty of modern, realistic stories revolve around nukes, or some new chemical weapon threat, and "humans in conflict" resolving their conflict. Doesn't make them inherently have awesome writing. Therefore, the quality of a story seems to be separate from the setting of the story.