Expansion Discussion - Leaders/Characters

Distant Worlds is a vast, pausable real-time, 4X space strategy game which models a "living galaxy" with incredible options for replayability and customizability. Experience the full depth and detail of large turn-based strategy games, but with the simplicity and ease of real-time, and on the scale of a massively-multiplayer online game. Now greatly enhanced with the new Universe release, which includes all four previous releases as well as the new Universe expansion!

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Igard
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Expansion Discussion - Leaders/Characters

Post by Igard »

Discuss here the new feature for leaders and characters in the next expansion.
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ASHBERY76
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RE: Expansion Discussion - Leaders/Characters

Post by ASHBERY76 »

I hope to see not only fleet leaders but also planet leaders,sector leaders and the homeworld seat of power leaders that serve get old killed,retire.ect.I would like to see personality traits good and bad for added immersion.I would also like see minor race aliens in your empire have a small number of leaders based on the population numbers and government system.
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Igard
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RE: Expansion Discussion - Leaders/Characters

Post by Igard »

I'd like to see leaders proportionate to your population. I don't want to be able to spam leaders and characters. Perhaps by building academies/training facilities, we can increase the likelyhood of a leader showing up.
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Data
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RE: Expansion Discussion - Leaders/Characters

Post by Data »

I don't think the expansion will go that far. I hope it will but I don't think it will
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Haree78
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RE: Expansion Discussion - Leaders/Characters

Post by Haree78 »

I like the idea of characters 'occurring'. So as your empire grows one of your ships gets identified as led by a special character and you can perhaps then transfer him in a certain ship. He might have traits or abilities like giving a fleet wide bonus to fleets he leads.

I don't like the idea of a character being something you just tech up for and build for example, I'd like it to be more organic.
Like Igard has suggested it would be nice to be able to influence the amount of characters you get indirectly.
MaxyGamer
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RE: Expansion Discussion - Leaders/Characters

Post by MaxyGamer »

The sheer number the options presented by having leaders/characters in the game is ..um..making me feel all warm and fuzzy...again.

I love distant worlds. This though... this would be marriage.. and kids...and mortgage :)

Of course, having characters within your empire would also mean more options for the spy and pirate element within Distant Worlds. Attempts to kidnap, or worse. You don't assign a ship strong enough to protect a world where you have a certain character driving your industry forward and beyond then the next thing you know some pirate/unidentified/enemy ship decloaking for a sec and then its all gone. No more benefits to the industry.

Of course, this is just one crazy idea...but why not. Having characters in the game would also affect spies and pirates. Give you more options to play with. Better reasons to fuel conflicts or make peace. It is a game and I am sure players would wait several more weeks just to have more options in DW.

A character may not be limited to just some picture and, for example, to a 10% boost in energy research. You can have great generals, patriots, traitors. Don't think you'd want to have characters spawn randomly though. Certain events may raise one. Certain battles... wars, research breakthroughs, acts of mercy or the opposite :)

Not all characters have to be nice and give you benefits. Here and there a pirate may arise.. Donno :) It is only a game. Anything is possible

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Simulation01
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RE: Expansion Discussion - Leaders/Characters

Post by Simulation01 »

I want characters that can plan and wage wars on their own ( Grand Admirals ).  These characters would have their own resource allocations dictated by you the "Supreme Overlord" and their own sectors.

My thoughts are that it would be easier to run an empire like this.  This would make it easier to wage multiple wars at the same time.  Also, they would make a real challenge should civil war break out...they would already have resources and a base of operations with which to liberate the empire from you the now un-loved Supreme Overlord.  These leaders would also be responsible for building up and managing fleets and patrolling the borders while you are busy ruling a vast empire and taking "care" of your political enemies.

You could also have subleaders...like fleet Admirals and Planetary Generals. 

I created a post on this a while back...I'll look for it.


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Hetulik
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RE: Expansion Discussion - Leaders/Characters

Post by Hetulik »

My personal favorite (and in my opinion the best) implementation of Leaders/Characters is Paradox's Europa Universalis Rome Vae Victus. Each character has certain strengths/weaknesses, attributes, & desires that can change over time. Each character belong to different factions. Each character has a loyalty to the ruler which can change over time.

There are different types of governments, and depending on the government there are different positions you can assign characters. In addition you must assign a governor to various provinces, and assign generals to your armies. It's a fascinating continious balancing act to staff all the important roles in your empire. You can't always just assign the best characters to the best positions

The entire model might not be applicable to Distant Worlds, but if a similar model can be brought in that would really add to the game. A real leader wouldn't just manage their nation or empire, the other dimension is managing the people who you've delegated to. This would be a natural extension of the aspect of distant worlds where almost everything can be automated. I'm really excited about this potential feature and believe it will add additional richness to the game.

Definitely check out Rome Vae Victus for a solid implementation of leaders/characters.
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Data
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RE: Expansion Discussion - Leaders/Characters

Post by Data »

desires? that sounds cool.....maybe they can have ambitions, they can turn on you and such
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Tausken
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RE: Expansion Discussion - Leaders/Characters

Post by Tausken »

ORIGINAL: Simulation01

I want characters that can plan and wage wars on their own ( Grand Admirals ).  These characters would have their own resource allocations dictated by you the "Supreme Overlord" and their own sectors.

My thoughts are that it would be easier to run an empire like this.  This would make it easier to wage multiple wars at the same time.  Also, they would make a real challenge should civil war break out...they would already have resources and a base of operations

Wow those are some really cool ideas. Seems like it may be to far out there but wow that would be cool.

It would be really nice if we could get characters that we could designate things. Even if they are not that advanced that they could break way for civil war and stuff. The ability to designate fleets or sectors or space, and give objectives like capture this space or hold this territory. Things like that would be really nice for large scale empires. I just would like some sort of goals to give these characters.

I just would like some more interaction with my characters. The characters in Total war and master of orion are great examples of family trees and stats, but they don't do much. They have some stats and you order them around. They are basically just extensions of yourself. If you get what I am saying.

Hearts of iron 3 if I remember right had generals which you could designate goals to, like capture paris or this or that.
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Data
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RE: Expansion Discussion - Leaders/Characters

Post by Data »

Ya, in MOO they were actually a collection of bonuses plus a few extra features like instructor or assasin or navigator.
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Seath
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RE: Expansion Discussion - Leaders/Characters

Post by Seath »

i think this really would help because in a max scaled galaxie its quite impossible to manage 2 or 3 wars at once. The idea of telling an admiral to hold this sector or try to invade all enemy planets in this corner of the galaxy would help here much. But i dont get the point with giving an admiral planets or starports. For what? So that he can rebuild troops or battleships by his own?
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Brainsucker
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RE: Expansion Discussion - Leaders/Characters

Post by Brainsucker »

don't make it too complicated. But it should be fun, special, and easy to implemented.

For example :

These are the bad example of not interesting character implementation :

Captain Picard
- Give ship 5% bonus (bad idea, as his purpose is only to give his ship some bonus).

We need to give the character some special purpose. To make them special and important, but also not too complicated.

These are the hero character that I want to see :

1. Hero character is the only one who can trigger the event in the game (Shakturi, etc)
2. Hero character give us the sensation of "to explore strange new world, seek out new civilization, and boldly gone where no man has gone before"
3. Hero character can give us the sensation of playing a hero like Buck Rogers.
4. A hero character that we can create, improve, and love. But also not make us depend too much to him / her.
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Data
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RE: Expansion Discussion - Leaders/Characters

Post by Data »

1. Hero character is the only one who can trigger the event in the game (Shakturi, etc)
interesting one, a bit random if you don't get the hero for whatever reason but it will allow us some measure of control in the storyline.
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Shark7
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RE: Expansion Discussion - Leaders/Characters

Post by Shark7 »

Very Very important that we are given the ability to rename them to our liking in game.

So if I want, I could rename my planet leader Governor Clu Less, or have a General Ego Maximus, etc. [;)]
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nammafia
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RE: Expansion Discussion - Leaders/Characters

Post by nammafia »

Yes, I also like the idea that leaders (governors, captains, admirals, scientists, engineers, miners, monks, etc) and characters (entertainers, movie stars, atheletes, e-gamers, etc) are rare and one must spend time and resources to get one. Empire-wise sport leagues such as space racing, anyone!

I also like leaders and characters to have single specific trait which can affect (good and bad) the development of the assigned worlds or fleets. For instance, a governor with social traits will not be good at colonies in the conflict zone; one would want a governor with military traits there. Or a fleet admiral will make a very bad governor on a planet with high volume of trade. She or he can become discourage over time when assigned to a bad fit duty and decreases in skill and disappears altogether if left in the same position after some time.

I also like leaders and characters to be able to "take their talents" elsewhere if they don't like the situation in their native empire. Defection and hiring.
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Data
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RE: Expansion Discussion - Leaders/Characters

Post by Data »

Empire-wise sport leagues such as space racing, anyone!
here, here.....but I'm just coming from a SR2 foncer race so this is not that surprising [:)]
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J HG T
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RE: Expansion Discussion - Leaders/Characters

Post by J HG T »

Oh Yeah! Custom speeder with max agility and max shield for the win. Afterburn through those mountains!

Seriously though, Different sport tournaments as "random events" would definetly give the universe some more interesting backstory. I once again refer to TW series where you could hold gladiator tournaments as Romans and horse races as Muslims. It cost you, but people loved you for that.

+1 for renaming characters. I will probably go with random names most of the time, but I'd give special names for characters who are performing extremely well.

Defection would cause many interesting situations for sure. Several Teekan governors would join Xenox, disgusted as their own empire converts to the way of eternal darkness. Dhayuut Fleet Commander would take his fleet and join the might of Mortalen as their own empire sides with Ancient Guardians.
Possibilities are many.



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Data
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RE: Expansion Discussion - Leaders/Characters

Post by Data »

I'll not continue the foncer analogy though I can barely abstain myself [:D]
But on the defection idea I'm again reminded by SW Rebellion and the many things you could do with and to leaders; give them teams to support them in espionage / sabotage missions and such
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Bingeling
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RE: Expansion Discussion - Leaders/Characters

Post by Bingeling »

I need an expansion to be hooked on this game again [:D]

I think leaders should be somewhat random and far between. Maybe you have a few at a time, but nothing like assigning a governor to each colony. But in the end, they can do whatever they want as long as I find it fun.
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