Post-Victory "Continue Playing"

from GalCiv3 Forums

I often get to the end of a game and am disappointed that there is no purpose to continue. Yes, I win. I am congratulated. And the win video is played, but I always click "Continue Playing" so I can have a few turns of looking around, getting stuff I planned done, and generally fooling around with my powerful empire. However, after a few turns I realize it is pointless to play anymore and I end my game.

I have an idea: What if there was a third option? A) Continue Playing, B) Main Menu, C) Survive the Dreadlords.

Choosing C) will, in the spirit of Dwarf Fortress, and other games where "Losing is Fun," start an unwinnable encounter with the Dreadlords. The object isn't to survive, it's to survive as long as you can - using the civilization you just developed through the game you won. It would be something like a "wave after wave" style game, but hopefully with a little more depth.

If it was structured so the challenge was the same for anyone that entered this mode - then you could have a leaderboard listing who survived the longest, what civilizations do well in this mode, etc. It would also allow you to get in to the late game techs - which I hardly ever see - but which I spend a lot of time thinking about.

In this mode you would need to become more and more meticulous with your playing. Suddenly it does matter that your colonies are set up optimally even if you are certain of your victory against the computer opponents. Usually by late game it doesn't matter - I know I've got the win so I don't bother keeping such careful track of the thousands of little details. A lot of what makes the game great is lost in the end game because there is no point to that level of micro-management.

With a post-game Dreadlords challenge you would need to be planning for them even as you destroy the last of your opponents. You could even introduce another research age that can only be explored if you choose option C.

Anyways. I love this game. Stardock: Thank you for making it. It would have been so easy to upgrade the graphics and add a few easy concepts - completely bypassing the 64bit architecture. Stardock probably would have made more money going that route - relying on the strength of their name alone to bring in the sales. Instead they changed the game with 64bit. Hats off to you Stardock! The decisions you make, like that one, keep me a loyal fan.

 

 

21,269 views 2 replies
Reply #1 from GalCiv3 Forums Top

But the real question is: How would you make the AI's Fleets stronger than the player's fleets?

Reply #2 from GalCiv3 Forums Top

Quoting Nilfiry, reply 1

But the real question is: How would you make the AI's Fleets stronger than the player's fleets?
End of Nilfiry's quote

I have a few different ideas, but if this gains traction I would want to hear other ideas. Also, I can't evaluate the implementation for technical feasibility/difficulty. If I ignore those things and just 'dream' about how I would implement it then here is just one idea:

There is a latest-game tech that allows you to build a star-base improvement. This improvement converts the star of that system into a wormhole, destroying the system in the process. So you build one and, WHOOPS, you just released the Dreadlords. They begin sending their endless ships and superior technology through the wormhole invading real space until your civilization is destroyed. A turn counter prominently displays how long you last for.

This is the core idea, but there are a lot of things you can add to make it cooler:

- Maybe after destroying your first Dreadlord ship your scientists unlock a new "Age of Dread" on the technology tree. This Age has some near-game-breaking tech that is ridiculously expensive. The final 'nodes' in the age allow you to continually research them for cumulative bonuses to near-every area of your society. You choose what to prioritize. The Dreadlords are strong against you because they start way up in this tree and have 10x your research points per turn. One Dreadlord ship should be able to defeat a fleet of obsolete/non-upgraded ships single handedly.

- Maybe, instead of it being a late game tech you can instead build the wormhole at any time in the game. This would be a cool option if you knew you were losing, but you would take pleasure in knowing your AI opponents will die with you. The final rounds in your losing game are more interesting as you navigate a diplomatic scene where enemies have become allies against a bigger threat. This way even losing your games is fun as you try to outlast your opponents in the new political landscape.

- So if you build the wormhole prior to wiping out your enemies then the Dreadlords appear and start their killing spree. However, if you wait until all of your enemies are conquered then you get the bonus of being able to set up your worlds & fleets as you'd like, and complete all research before opening the wormhole. Ideally there would be no 'turns', just unlimited money, movement, research. This would account for you being able to open the wormhole whenever you want, while saving you from the hassle of clicking 'Turn' 300 times before opening the wormhole. For those of us that like micro-managing our empires to make them as good as they can be this would be a fun excercise. We would get it all perfectly set up before unleashing the Dreadlords.

- The time/power the Dreadlords scale at could be selected by the player like the game speed can be. Maybe they come out and destroy everything in their path. But just as fun sometimes would be this slow, steady, unending build up over time.

- Maybe there is another option in the game setup: On turn x the Dreadlords return, regardless of whether you built the wormhole. All civilizations know it's coming. The goal is to last as long as you can.

Another completely different idea is this: After you win/lose the game your map size is upgraded to the next size up with the here-to known universe in the middle, and the Dreadlords own the space around you. You are encircled, on all sides, by your new enemy.

I had a bunch of things listed, but then the internet ate my post, and I can't remember them now. So I will update this as I remember if the thread/idea gains traction. But this is just scratching the surface, and I'm sure others could come up with both better core ideas, as well as better 'make it cooler' ideas. The key is to make the game playable and fun after the victory/loss. That way the need to be 'on-top-of-things' doesn't diminish as you get closer to the end - you are always preparing for the next enemy.

Siege of Centauri