The direct inspiration came from Jetpack Joyride, which showed the benefits of giving the player a random selection from a large and diverse set of missions. I wanted a victory condition that would dynamically adapt to the path the player’s game actually took the player would need to achieve many tasks to win, but these tasks could be chosen on the fly, and the player could change directions, turning away from a militaristic victory to a more peaceful one. Of course, while victory points were a perfectly functional victory condition and might work fine in multiplayer, they are not particularly interesting, especially for a game where the player is purportedly creating the story of their dynasty. Because we knew the exact number of sites on the map at the beginning of the game, coming up with a point threshold for victory was a fairly straightforward calculation in a game with unlimited cities, victory points would just be one more mechanic pushing players to squeeze in as many cities as possible. We were surprised that victory points had never been tried in a Civ game but realized that the city site system enabled it to work. It worked extremely well from a mechanical perspective, which is all we needed for early MP testing before the game even had characters, families, and events. We attached points to cities and to wonders (and later to culture levels and techs at the end of the tree), so that the game would instantly end when a player passed the threshold determined at the start of the game. The simplest solution was just good old-fashioned victory points, which have the advantage of supporting multiple play styles while also providing a faster victory for a dominant player. Hence, themed victory conditions were out for Old World, but we needed something in place, especially since we were playing MP within a few months of early prototyping. Want the religious victory? Then make sure to always choose the religious option! The problem with these victory conditions is that they are so specialized that the player needs to aim for them from the beginning of the game, which turns their play into an exercise in predetermination. (Thus, Paradox grand strategy games follow this model.) Old World is a game, not a simulation, so it needs victory conditions however, I have grown disenchanted with the increasing specialization of victory conditions in 4X games, which provide a path to victory by just focusing on one aspect of the game, such as culture, religion, or diplomacy. They work better in real-time with their systems hidden inside black boxes the lack of control is key to keeping the player on the edge. Simulations can be great games, but they tend not to be a good format for turn-based games with transparent game mechanics. Without them, a 4X game suddenly becomes an aimless simulation where the players set their own goals. Indeed, I generally view victory conditions as a necessary evil. Once the turn count reaches well into the hundreds, it’s almost impossible to predict what the game state will be, so where to draw the finish line is, at best, a guess. All of these factors make a good ending harder to achieve consistently. I don’t think it’s possible for a 4X game to consistently provide a satisfying, climactic ending the genre’s strengths come from the vast possibility space, the lack of guardrails, and a commitment to reward smart play fairly. Truthfully, no one has ever done this well, and during development I often reminded myself of the old joke about how you don’t need to be fast to avoid getting eaten by a bear – you just need to be faster than the person next to you. The hardest part of a 4X to design is the ending. The game, a historical 4X set in classical antiquity, released on July 1, 2021, and is available for purchase here. The following is an excerpt from the Designer Notes for Old World.
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