Tectonism: A middlegorund between a finite and infinite map

SirCaio · 2021-07-18 02:12:29

Since the rift times, I've come to realise my overall preference for a more compact playing field with emergent gameplay tension and genuine player interaction over the current infinite world, so big and vast that the costs of family interaction outweigh the benefits without forced mechanics. This, coupled with the community's undying distaste for some of the changes made after the rollback from the rift, has compelled me to share a wacky, far fetched idea I've had for quite some time that touches on the infinite / finite map dilemma, the constant march to the west, biome bands and the infamous family specialization.

Crude tectonic simulation: an infinite map with finite, ever moving pockets of land.

Why:

1. To help make the game more natural and dynamic, playing it on one day and later on the next should feel mostly similar, while playing it a week later would result in a complete different world and experience
2. To simulate resource scarcity and player competition in an infinite map without the use of forced mechanics
3. To create distinct regions that make use of the whole map and incentivize all around exploration, not just east-west and a couple hundred tiles north and south

What:

- A crude tectonic simulation that sections the map into thousands of "plates" bordered by rifts and mountain ranges
- Plates are always moving, sweeping away anything human-made close to the borders and expanding into new teritory

How:

- Upon generation, the map is sectioned into a multitude of "plates", randomly shaped regions that always border each other (like skin cells)
- Each plate is then assigned a direction to move towards
- Where plates colide, a mountain range is formed, while rifts open where they slide from, acting as borders and simulating the convergent and divergent boundaries of the real world
- Mountains erode with time and form again farther ahead while rifts expand and contract with the plates movement

Details:

- The border will move a set amount of tiles in a given direction per day, going through a two stage process: "Mountain + Time" -> "Eroded Mountain + Time" -> "Empty ground"
- Biome size should be slightly increased, stretching them farther apart and avoiding having all condensed in a single area
- Up to two families may inhabit the same plate
- Not all special biomes are guaranteed to be included in a single region
- Family specialty is disabled, every family can interact normally with every object in the game
- Biome bands are disabled, special biome generation is rolled back to cover the whole map
- Homelands are set back at family wells

Expectations:

- Early survival stays mostly the same but ramps up as resources become more and more scarce and the need for greater tech rises
- Competition for resources may eventually arise between two families stuck in the same plate, with the potential for trade, hoarding, stealing and war
- Towns are strategically built closer to mountain ranges, giving them a greater grace period before being swept by the border
- Planes become some of the most valuable tech, allowing families to travel to and from other plates, collecting resources unavailable in their home region, meeting and trading with others

Other:

- Eve spawns return to work in a spiralling motion or are reworked to function completely different, maybe in a similar way to the old "Eve window" from the rift times
- Oil and well tapout mechanics are revisited
- Family iron may not work well with this system and need lots of tweaking
- A mid-game air travel alternative to planes may be needed, perhaps a hot air balloon that can only afford two trips before breaking and needing repais would work
- I cannot shine any light on how this would be implemented and work within the restrictions of the game's engine (if possible at all) as I'm severely unfamiliar with it, maybe every couple hours the border would decay and send "seeds", invisible moving objects, that would settle somewhere ahead and mark where it'll move to
- Server limitations and performance are also issues that come to mind that are beyond my reach

Personal opinion:

Although implausible and full of holes, I'm personally very fond of this concept and the possible situations therein. A dynamic, ever changing playing field coupled with the impending doom of your town getting swept by the border if it survives long enough, reminiscent of the old player arcs, sounds exciting when compared to the stale gameplay loop present in the game today.

I'm sure there's lots more wrong with this system, but I'm just glad to share and discuss it in here, even if the game is stagnant right now and I haven't played it in months, I just can't get it out of my head.

DestinyCall · 2021-07-18 02:53:16

Not a huge fan of my village slowly falling into a rift, but, honestly, I am willing to give anything a chance, if it gets rid of race restrictions.

...

Might be simpler to explain and less technically complex to have largish islands that only hold a fixed number of families. When those families die out, that island is lost forever (unless you manage to fly back to it). New eves would spawn on new islands with a new layout and fresh resources.

Infinite map, but finite exploration by foot. And it gives planes a reason to exist, sort of.

NoTruePunk · 2021-07-18 08:35:12

It's not a sim game, it's an mmo. Nobody's going to see or be able to appreciate complex global scale map mechanics.

A large rift that moves slowly might work. Like playing on a treadmill but the belt is infinitely long, and we just get a little section at a time. Meandering borders so it's not predictable, and the faster resources run out the bigger and faster the border is.

Last edited by NoTruePunk (2021-07-18 08:35:32)

pein · 2021-07-18 14:43:34

sounds fun but overly complicated, i guess no one would build on edges and we dont really have mountains rn, so the plates part doesnt make sense and not that easy to program it

what about a beehive structure? each eve would get a box on its own, could be some randomness:
-you run around and pick a spot, the map is cropped around it
-or you see a strategic map and just choose a spot with water, wood and clay, etc.
honestly not a fan of running 20 min+ as eve with dumb kids that you got to forcefeed till 30 or more

its like the rift but its not that bad for each family, you cant do much for insider griefers anyway

now 2 options again:
the borders could be larger, for a neutral zone, it still fits the hex map, with squares would be weird tho
-with larger outside hexes the cities would be randomly positioned inside
-could be extra hex rows but the cities are 1:1 each map

could be a normal exploration like now but also a fast travel based on tech and spending, which allows you to buy tickets and go elsewhere
the requirements could be a horse, backpack, food and tools or weapons or random items so its not easy to travel like that but doable

each hex could be made of more hexes and unlockable by fighting or upgrading tech, like cutting out trees, making high level items, bridging over rivers, digging under mountains, for example the first expansion requires a bucket only, and that means you gotta have tools and rope, the next could be a plank bridge between two rifts

the problem wasnt that you are closed in a small space, more like no option to get out, people even enjoyed exploiting airplanes to get out of the rift, unlock systems and turf wars are fun

i mean it could be a limited expansion too, like 6 hexes around you then scout on horse but i feel so bored going more than 20 minutes anywhere, unlimited map is not a fun concept, its just a newbie bait that 'oh the map is so huge, so much things to find'

so instead just a strategic overlay that shows cities, when they die out and nobody wanna go back, the whole thig can be wiped and compacted so all cities are close to each other
so for example anyone who died there has a token to spend to delay the wipe, and once it runs out the map is wiped
each person gets a city token for at least 40 minutes lived there, they can use for that city or another, normal wipe timer would be 24 hours, but as long as its going it refreshes, maybe for each cumulative year people lived there, half of it extends the timers
at the end of life you would rate the map for thumbs up or down, up would mean you can go back and the hex is extended in time
negative votes wouldnt take away time so people wont grief towns by mass downvoting

also people could have a single home token, which would increase chances of going back to a single place
not sure how should it be, maybe 3 home owners would activate a guardian position, so those people could administrate some settings in the map, like removing objects or people who abuse rules, this would mean that some cities could survive if enough players like it but also people should form smaller groups to own a city
maybe bigger cities could be home for more people but also would need higher voting majority to make rules

and there could be special hexes like temporary special biome where you can gather, hunt or fight for a short time then it closes
also special hexes like a fort where you can battle others, these would spawn if two cities are reaching a higher tech and need a coinflip who gets a territory right
one browser game had similar, fights had turns, each player was able to move but shooting and dodging was random and some skills and weapons gave a few percent boost, but was kind of based on how many people were on each side and who you can see behind a cover

QuirkySmirkyIan · 2021-07-19 21:54:20

No thanks sounds not fun also would be hard to code.

One Hour One Life Forums

#1 2021-07-18 02:12:29

Tectonism: A middlegorund between a finite and infinite map

#2 2021-07-18 02:53:16

Re: Tectonism: A middlegorund between a finite and infinite map

#3 2021-07-18 08:35:12

Re: Tectonism: A middlegorund between a finite and infinite map

#4 2021-07-18 14:43:34

Re: Tectonism: A middlegorund between a finite and infinite map

#5 2021-07-19 21:54:20

Re: Tectonism: A middlegorund between a finite and infinite map

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