Endgame

[Alexander]

First of all, I have been enjoying this title from day one and am increasingly impressed with the gameplay, artwork, and music as a whole. That said, over the course of playing for the past several weeks, there is one aspect of the game where something seems ‘missing’ or lacking enough to hurt its staying power: the title doesn’t have any long-term goals, possible arching objectives, or cohesive story.

Now let me make this clear: I love the sandbox element and hope it never changes. I like the fact that I have the freedom to go anywhere and choose missions as I want them, when I want them, as long as I’m surviving. One of the issues I had with games like Black and White or even Sid Meier’s Pirates was that they were constantly pushing me towards certain paths when I really just wanted to do my own thing.

However, other games have actually managed to incorporate these aspects to create totally sandbox games that still have interesting goals and an over-arching story, and I will mention many of them here. Mount & Blade is my first example because it allows you to practice the “go anywhere you want and do anything” aspect of Sandbox games that this title does so well. But it also has goals like obtaining nobility, marrying, aiding friends in personal struggles or even ascending to the throne. While I’m not suggesting that Battle Brothers include these exact same goals, any kind of long-term goal would help keep players coming back. Another possible route would just be to have some longer optional stories. Final Fantasy Tactics, for example, has “story” missions you can pursue at your leisure (once you feel you are “ready” for them) that usually end up drawing the player in and keeping them interesting and immersed in the game.

Elder Scrolls: Skyrim also does exactly this: you can literally log hundreds of hours on just the game’s side-quests, but it does have an multiple over-arching stories out there you can pursue to feel like you’re actually a part of the world and actually involved in its future. Choosing how you desire to shape the world is another way to be invested in the story, and makes for a much more lasting (and popular) endgame than a sandbox story with no plot.

Yet another title that I think does this well is the similarly independent Sunless Sea which gives you options for creating your own “character background” at the start – you can leave this blank and just jump into the story if you wish, but you can also select a series of goals – amass wealth, lead a revolution, defeat a major rival or leave a lasting impression on the world that future, rogue-like characters can actually play the game within. Mount & Blade also does this well, but not as well as Sunless Sea. That title has drawn me into over a hundred hours as well, because it is a such an engrossing project.

I really like Battle Brothers and would absolutely love to see objectives, missions, or story elements that will keep me invested in the game. And remember, I’m not asking for some linear, repetitive, paragraphs-long story, either – Mount & Blade and Sunless Sea are both games where you the player write the story – it just has goals and other over-arching elements that give you immersive objectives to pursue, with the reward of Rogue-like elements, world changes, or just future story revelations about the general world that keep those players invested and coming back to the project. Battle Brothers has the gameplay it needs to keep feeling fresh and entertaining, but it needs longer-reaching objectives than “do this mission, find a new mission, do that mission” to keep players coming back time after time. I realize that this sounds like I’m asking for a few small Rogue-like elements or a possible “main character” background — but I’m only asking for small ones, not hugely complex or intricate changes. A few long-term goals would be a great thing to choose as you play the game, that’s all.

Just my two cents. Hope it’s helpful feedback — thanks for reading.

[Binkus]

+1

[rpr]

I got the same feeling. It is a great game but it has the lack of more inmersion after a while. And it is because the quests and events.

Sorry about my bad english.

I think, we want to affect the world even more and to be able of been part of the world. Through new quests and new events it would be possible.

Example, “new event” you fall in love wiht a young lady who belong to “x” town. So, you help this little town to survive by sword and bringing them resources and what ever. Prosterity brings to the town and new buildings are take place in it, and new people are coming to this place becacuse they have there more security. And after a while something happens, a new event tells you your lovely one got another man… a rich merchant.. so you can decide to go else where and forget about it or you can chose to destroy this place like Troy was once.

I know, you guys want to end this game during 2016 but keep in mind more expansions… it is a very good game and I will keep supporting it.

[Alexander]

That is a good example. One of the reasons I think that is so fitting to this game is because of the mechanics already in place: there are already villages with their own industries — dynamic economic elements, moving unites that fight each other, etc. There are even “ruined” areas — presumably where those industries are destroyed, or where battles take place.

A randomly generated story (like in Mount and Blade) would have those opposing factions involving you in larger plots — delivering messages, working in schemes, and aiding settlements in ways that affect their new industries, or prosperity. The developer’s log already shows how friendly and hostile units interact with each other — the key is to find more ways to get the player’s mercenary army invested — and involved — in their goals and aims.

For example, think about how many story elements you could uncover while trying to aid a medium-sized settlement in developing a mine — there would have to be certain terrain elements available, and perhaps a “survey” mission where you escort a team (just like the caravan escorts). Once you complete the escort, you find a potential industry — a dense woodland, tillable soil, or, in our case — an old mine or natural cavern where a mine could be created. Naturally, your next mission is to go in and investigate — who knows what might already dwell there? You could find goblins or orcs living there, or perhaps the mine could be haunted. Once you “clear it out” you have to go somewhere else to get the supplies you need — another delivery mission! — and eventually the city has a mine. In the interim, you might uncover plots to steal or sabotage the mine — perhaps another faction wants the wealth there for themselves? Or they already have some inherited stake or claim? So
once again, the player has to choose a side. One side might hurt your reputation, but be far more profitable. The other might reward you with trade goods that may or may not be easily sold, etc.

This kind of decision-making and slowly-unraveling, randomly-generated story is what keeps a player immersed and invested in a plot, especially if it relates to goals chosen by the player. It adds lots and lots of hours, and works with the game’s current engine, especially utilizing code and content that is already there.

I would like to see something more like that in the current game. Those kinds of missions would keep me more invested and get more people I know following the project.

[Author]

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