Shucky 
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| | Favourite Ultima: Ultima Underworld 2 |
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Thread Starter 
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I think it could be more like, if there was no unresolved main plot for a time, then some new trouble would arise that you'd have to resolve. The game would pick from a range of problem types. It could be something as simple as some npc becoming crazy, or mean, or murderous, and you might only find out about it by asking people about the local rumors. Some other examples are a king who goes crazy, a powerful character leaving to found a rival settlement, an otherwordly or otherdimensional invasion, a change in all the npcs related to some new discovery, a plague, mutations of creatures, wars. Basically, a variety of things that might harm the lives or well-being of the npcs, usually related to something new or a newly unerthed discovery from the past.
Take morrowind for example. The basic plot was fairly simple, you had to acquire some special artifacts to defeat a rogue god. A lot of games involve collecting artifacts that allow you to confront and defeat an enemy. Maybe some alternatives would be to develop some combination of finding artifacts, finding new materials or new combinations of old ones, creating new spells and other processes, forging special weapons, etc. You may have to 'heal' something in the environment, the weather, time, something abstract. The end result of your new plot goal would be to keep the people safe, healthy or happy. It would be a plot-generating subprogram that would create new or modify existing npcs, items and the environment, and add appropriate items and dialogue for that plot.
The end result would be a game that is never 'happily ever after', but from time to time it would still need your intervention, so you could continue enjoying that role and have new things to do, and have fresh and new conversations with new characters in an evolving world. Instead of starting a new character you might change your skill focus and work toward a new you, or have a kid and move your 'spirit' to them and develop that new life.
To me that makes more sense, and is more realistic, than playing the same plot over and over, since such a game played thoroughly enough the first time will offer nothing new the next times. In an evolving world, even if you eventually encounter a very similar plot as before, you will likely have a very different set of characters, possibly even settlements and landscape...
This post has been edited 3 time(s), it was last edited by Shucky: 01-06-2021 07:40.
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