Just finished v11 - alternate goals/endings

[Tyrion4444]

Hey everyone, first time poster

I played version 10 a lot and now I got really far in version 11. I had a good time, loved the new improvements, new difficulty thanks to raids, all the good stuff.

Then I came here to look at many of the suggestions. I like some of them, but... I think the next big step for the game is NOT in accumulation of millions of minor improvements and cute stuff like animal husbandry. Those are great, I would love to try them out, but they won't make the game THAT much better.

What is need are alternate endings. Leaving the planet is a cool idea and a logical one considering the story setup. But its unsatisfactory. It does NOT satisfy me emotionally to leave all the stuff I built behind on this god forsaken rock.

I need a feeling of achievement, of conquering. It doesn't have to be through force, it can be economical, political, whatever. I want to become a king of this new world I crashed on. I don't want to build up, JUST to survive! Survival is an exciting part of it, a first necessary step.

What I am saying is, that now the gameplay and variety in events, biomes, items, crafting, etc. is good enough. We don't need to tame animals NOW. What we need are bigger goals, dreams of conquest, chance to fulfill our ambition.

Im not a game designer, just a writer, but this seems like the next thing, that is gonna be a major improvement. Small details are great in the moment experience, but an overall satisfaction from the game is also governed by a feeling, that we are pursuing something of a great value, something exciting, not just an escape from what we have build.
Conclusion should not be just a wipe of all our hard work.

Thanks for reading

T

[Adamiks]

+1

You're right. For last Alphas Tynan created only small thing like traps, better AI, joy etc, but i would like to see only 1 big project in Alpha 12. Sappers are good addition, but they don't change gameplay in general. Everything is that same but is a little harder than before.

[nmid]

well written Tyrion. May you grow past your 4 feet.

[LanMc]

+1 - I love the idea of alternate endings.

[Tyrion4444]

I am glad at least some people like this idea

I was thinking, how do you make alternate goals without making them arbitrary? Like you could have a goal to make all other tribes friendly to you, or to accumulate 100.000 silver, or to make your colony survive for X number of years and so on. But it felt forced, unnatural. It just didn't fit the Rimworld philosophy.

What I have brewing in my mind is this - there is NO ONE specific goal for this game. Instead, each individual member of your colony has a singular "Life Desire", the one thing he wants in his life more than anything else. It would relate to his backstory. And if you manage to fulfill the desires of all members of your colony, there will be something like a "congratulations ending" but you could continue playing, getting new people in your colony, fulfilling their desires. A type of an endless mode, but with a specific direction of making the dreams of your people come through.


Here are some ideas for strong Life Desires of individual colonists:

"Whole Again" - This person was crippled during a war. He lost one of his limbs and he has felt inadequate ever since. He wants nothing more than to have quality new limbs, so that he can be whole again.

"Leave This Rock" - Its the original goal of building a spaceship and leaving. For simplicity, all 3 initial characters could have this.

"Stable Home" - This person was wandering most of his life and now just wants to find a permanent place he could call home. (have him in your colony for 2 years)

"Live in Harmony" - Become friendly with all other tribes on this planet.

"I Just Wanna Help People" - This person always wanted to be a doctor, but life had other plans for him. Now its time to follow his passion. (his goal is to reach 8 in doctor - starts with 2 and a passion)

"Home Sweet Home" - Certain traders are willing to take this character to his home world. But such a travel is very pricy. (500-2000 silver)

"Family First" - An escapee from another tribe wants to rescue his family. You can pay for them or maybe in a later update, wage war to get them. If you do, they will all join you.

"We Are The Chosen Tribe" - Wipe out all other tribes on this planet. We are the only pure ones, we shall inherit this world!


They are very scalable and directly related to specific game mechanics. This is just a first rough idea of the concept. What do you think guys?

Thanks for reading

T

[Kegereneku]

Tyrion4444, I invite you to participate to this thread, just so we keep them together.