Some are just pitches that are all briefly started in choice-script… I linked my Tudor England game, which already has a separate thread on this forum, but another game that has some development is the game called Qing Collapse. The Chinese history game is the main focus right now along with editing the Tudor England game.
The others are just ideas; food for thought:
Canadian politics; I’m unsure if any non-Canadian will have an interest;
Iroquois, 1770s;
Early Christianity - It wold be great if a theology or history enthusiast could give some help on this;
The Iliad - This would be immensely ambitious if it was to be done right.
2018-05-05 - I updated the Qing game. I’m going to get Volume 1 version out shortly. But I might give a major re-work where I’ll solicit ideas off the forum.
When you think of interesting politics, Canada isn’t exactly the first place that comes to mind but I’m certainly not saying it’s impossible to make a decent story that transcends the mediocre material
Saga of the North Wind is a great example of how a tribal story could be done correctly but that game was quite dependent on mythical elements so you would have to do something pretty unique to make something more historical work properly
Could you be more specific? because it’s not as if Christianity is one single religion that just suddenly came into existence. How early will this be? Roman times? How expansive is it going to be? Will it mostly revolve around catholicism? or will other branches also get some representation?
Will it just be about Christianity or will it also discuss other Abrahamic religions?
I think Champion of the Gods is a good example of how to do an epic well. But that game was relatively short so what you could learn from it would depend greatly on how long you want to make your game
I’m interested in politics in general (hell, I’m deeply interested in NZ politics and that’s not exactly considered an exciting hotbed either), so I’d be totally game for any of these, especially should they be political.
I feel as though the obvious choice you should stick with is Qing China, as there are little WIP’s that focus on this aspect on Chinese history. As for the other, I think you should go for the Iroquois once you’ve fully completed Tudor England, that way, you can add some flavor and greater diversify the forum with multiple choices to pick from. That being said, great job
I love your writing style so this is pretty exciting
Qing Collapse looks interesting so far in its focus on internal Chinese affairs/sentiments and how they interact with foreign influences.
As for the Canadian politics game, I guess it’d depend on how Canadian you make it. If it leans more towards the political-simulation side than strict following of history, then there’d probably be wider interest. The idea of playing a politician in an ‘underdog’ country of sorts that is still trying to find its place on the international scene (whilst being greatly overshadowed by their southern neighbour) makes for an interesting dynamic, as well as internal social and economic issues. It’d probably take a bit of creativity to make the regional differences meaningful enough for non-Canucks, though (If you do go ahead with it eventually, will there be more background choices? An MC from the islands or territories would be intriguing.)
Iroquois 1700s definitely sounds compelling in that it, like the Qing game, has the potential to explore anti-Western European sentiment
The character-locking in the Iliad game I guess that would need to be designed in a way that it’s not just a straight CS adaptation of The Iliad but allow room for some character development and stuff. It’s been a while since I’ve read them, but I’d have thought The Odyssey would suit your style better since it’s more episodic and varied.
I’ve noticed that some images aren’t popping up in the Qing collapse depending on the choices you make. Tis screenshot is one among others that I have seen, so just a heads up @jry
In the bonus stories where you are either a Japanese or a European officer, will it be set in the same time period as the current main story? Or during the first Sino-Japanese war, WWII etc
As a history lover, this is super exciting! I like the idea of the Qing game a lot. The Canada game also seems interesting. While I am an American, I am not adverse to some Canadian politics! I would suggest focusing on the games that are not the Illiad. While I do love the greek myths, there are a few that are already WIPs. The other options are more unique. I did greatly enjoy the Tudor game, so anything you do should be fascinating!
Boxer rebellion bonus story; It is the most peculiar conflict.
There are so many things that are so bizare about the boxer rebellion. a dozen countries, including japan and British India, attacking China and trying to cooperate is weird given that those 11 countries would all be at each others throats in 15 years (or less).
It would make a terrible movie because both contemporary western and Chinese audiences are deeply embarrassed by what happened. It’s retrospectively humiliating from a liberal and nationalist standpoint.
It’s just a suggestion, but I think it would be a great idea to implement. Similar to SoI and GoI, having a map of China would be able to give the player a better feel for the geopolitical spectrum that they are in, and adds a further sense of realism.
That being said, the map, and the borders that China shares with other world powers, would change depending on the decisions you take, or the governmental npc’s at the very top. Having options in the stats that show trade routes, population numbers, and the people, etc, would be a fantastic idea. Symbolizing military armies on a terrain map similar to how Guns of Infinity did it would also be a nice touch, assuming you’ll allow the player the opportunity to command armies
I’d love to get a proper responsive map; I don’t have the technical knowhow to implement that on choicescript… But yes, a proper interface would be helpful because there is a lot going on. I’ll look into it though.
Let me ponder how it is done in Infinity. It might be doable as there are only a few points of departure in history; it would be nice to see the European spheres of influence expand in China like parasites on a host.
Maps: I contemplated the maps a little further. I think I could download a blank map, and make variations with a code assigned to each map, and have the map uploaded depending on how events i’m already tracking occurred to account for borders. I have no experience with editing maps though so I’m going to put it on the back burner.
I roughly calculate that there are by from 1835 to 1870, there are 24 variations on the border of China that would reflect changes to the story.
I think there is a way to make a more responsive less labor intensive map in the stats menu but i’ll have to think it over.
I admit the Qing Chinese idea sounds the most interesting, haven’t had a chance to check out the demo but it’s a promising concept. Definitely ambitious though!
For the maps, I can envisage 3 of the top off my head (Pre-Opium War, First Opium War concessions, Taiping Rebellion). Would the majority of them just be variations on the concessions? You could leave those as a list instead of as maps (and foreign influence as a metric). Or at least the important ones on the map only - Macau, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Tianjin etc
It might be more work, but perhaps a “peaceful” route where the opium gets stopped (potentially where Hong Kong gets leased off, and opening up a route where European training of the Qing armies come in early)? My reading of the First Opium War (admittedly not that thorough) was that there was generally a disconnect between Chinese and European authorities which did not help the situation and that there might have been a slight possibility that war might have been avoided.
Eventually Charles Elliot (Chief Superintendent of British Trade in China) was willing to hand over the opium, but repeated incidents over sovereignty and who got to try disorderly sailors was what set the war off (including a bit where British sailors who were arrested by the Chinese were flogged, and it was the flogging thing that was taken offense especially). My understanding’s been that the independent merchants kicked it off and that in general both London and the Company was uninterested in a war at that time (iirc, the Whig government was a bit impotent at the time, and the Company was somewhat trying to stop the smuggling, but later got on board with the war thing).
I’d just like to come here and say that I loved the Tudor game, and from what I’ve seen of the Qing Collapse, I already sympathise with the Chinese, and I (sadly) only have rudimentary knowledge about the Qing Empire, the Opium Wars and the Boxer Rebellion, so hopefully reading and playing this will be a both fun and educational experience.
I’d also like that eventually the Iroquois and Early Christianity games both get done. The Iliad and the Canadian politics games both don’t terribly interest me, but I’ll give them a try for sure
(If you do go ahead with it eventually, will there be more background choices? An MC from the islands or territories would be intriguing.)
I guess that would need to be designed in a way that it’s not just a straight CS adaptation of The Iliad but allow room for some character development and stuff. It’s been a while since I’ve read them, but I’d have thought The Odyssey would suit your style better since it’s more episodic and varied.